In the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic, Aurora found herself navigating the chaotic realities of life in lockdown. She had taken to spending most of her time in the mirror world, exploring its hidden corners and reveling in its endless mysteries. But even in that surreal, otherworldly space, she could not escape the unfolding crisis facing our world.

As she wandered through one of the dense forests of the mirror world, Aurora chanced upon a group of travelers who were huddled around a campfire. It was a tense scene - the travelers were all wearing masks, and they spoke in hushed tones about the virus that was ravaging the world beyond the mirror.

"Everything's just so uncertain right now," one traveler said, his voice tight with anxiety. "I don't know how much longer we can go on like this."

Aurora watched in quiet contemplation filled with a sense of worry and unease. She knew that she too had to face the reality of what was happening in the world beyond the mirror, that her time in the mirror world would not shield her from the harsh truths of the outer world.

the travelers spoke, Aurora felt an overwhelming sense of compassion, her heart aching for all those who were struggling to survive amid the pandemic. She knew that she could not heal the world alone, but she also knew that she could do her part.

In that moment, she made a decision. She would use her time in the mirror world to hone her skills, to develop new strategies for dealing with the challenges of the pandemic, so that when the time came, she could return to the real world and make a difference.

For days on end, Aurora worked tirelessly in the mirror world, experimenting with different treatments and cures for the virus, studying its patterns and behaviors in order to better understand how to combat it. She was driven by a sense of purpose conviction that she could make a difference to the world beyond the mirror.

Finally, as the weeks passed and Aurora's work began to take shape, she knew that the time had come to return to the real world. She emerged from the mirror world a changed woman, her spirit and heart stronger than ever before.

Outside, the world was still reeling from the devastation of the pandemic, but Aurora knew that she had something to offer. Armed with her knowledge and skills, she began working tirelessly to help those in need, to provide care and support and a sense of hope amid the uncertainty.

In conclusion, Aurora's experiences in the mirror world gave her the perspective and strength she needed to tackle the crisis facing our world today. Her journey serves as a reminder that even in the darkest of times, there is always hope, and that by working together and harnessing our inner strengths and talents, we can overcome even the most formidable.

Brady, taking a break from his university work, found himself contemplating the years since he had left Wellmore and made his way through college and graduate school. No one, not even Mimi and her father, knew that over those years he had become famous. Well, not in.a personal way since he was rabid about his privacy, but he had worked on research for a new type of car battery that was now widely touted as the answer to the problem with electric vehicles; making a battery with more storage and less time at a charging station.

He was a very wealthy man. Very wealthy. What continually astounded Brady, though, was how little that money meant to him. He had grown up in honky-tonks and ratty hotels and with few personal items. His toys and especially his treasured books, had been gleaned from church donation cellars and found left behind by people in hotel rooms and other places. When he first signed over the rights for his successful research to the conglomerate who was manufacturing the batteries, he looked at the amount of money he was getting and it made no sense to him. What in the world did people DO with such a vast amount of money? He had been a twenty-nine year old PhD with a university job he loved, drove a junker that Aunt Mattie had helped him buy when he got his first driver’s license and lived in a one room apartment near the campus so he could walk to work.

Now he was one of those tech-y millionaires, well billionaires if he was honest, and it meant nothing to him. He knew he needed to figure out the finances and how to use the money for the good of humanity, so to speak, but he was absolutely clueless about where to even begin such a project, so for now the money was invested and just kept growing.

So here he was in Aunt Mattie’s little cottage that he kept beautifully maintained, and he was content. He sipped on a small tumbler of excellent bourbon, stared into the fire, and contemplated how the hell he could be so rich and still feel there was something he just wasn’t “getting” about life, and he knew he finally had to actually face the boogeymen of his life as a child if he ever wanted to get to happy.

Through the blue dome the moon was sea foam rising from a magenta sky. Myrtle watched her little brothers led the horses into the barn. Lithe and strong, her brothers were always babies in her mind. Myrtle’s smile thinned as footsteps came up behind her. “You know we aren’t against your young, umm man. We support Android rights but we have our own ways,” Winona said. Myrtle didn’t turn to face her mother. Taking slow breathes, Myrtle TwoAxes watched the reddening sky. Mars had always been her home. This ranch this community steeped so deep in traditions Myrtle thought some days she would drown. The jaunty guitar of La Mer played softly from the main house. She remembered her promise to Benji to be patient. “So much has been lost. After Corona returned and decimated Old Earth we are the last of the First Nations.” “I know our history our family,” Myrtle answered and began to walk back to the house. “Benji wanted me to talk to you and Dad in person. I didn’t come here to get your approval. Benji is my family.”