Chapter
1. Alien Attack
"Angry
Aliens at 9 o'clock!" the Commander yelled
as he dashed to the controls. Warning sirens
were screeching all over his tiny space cruiser.
"And
at 3 o'clock as well!" Joe-Computer, the ship
computer pointed out.
"Right!"
the Commander noted, locking in on both ships.
"Greeting-Contact
has failed," Joe-Computer added, annoyed that
it had to speak rather loudly to be heard
over the sirens.
The Commander nodded, and he tried to switch
off the sirens. Unfortunately, the situation
was far too serious for The Ship to allow
him to manually override the emergency system.
And Joe-Computer and The Ship still hadn't
gotten over that silly disagreement they'd
had, so Joe-Computer would be no help in persuading
The Ship to turn off the alarms. The Commander
sure wished he had remembered to bring ear
plugs along on the mission.
"Steady
now," he said to his co-pilot beside him,
without unlocking his gaze from the windshield,
his eyes darting back and forth between the
two vibrating-orange-glowing Rigmorfin spaceships
just up ahead. "Let's ease closer so we can
make face-to-face contact…"
"But
not too close!" he added as the Rigmorfin
ships began to shake more violently and the
glow turned red and glared brighter from both
of them.
Slowly his vessel descended towards them.
"Warning!"
Joe-Computer coughed out urgently. "We are
now at Code Red!"
The Commander reached for his communicator.
"Attention! This is Peace Command Officer
PeaceMan-One. You are at Level Red. Do you
need assistance?"
The Monitor came on in Peace Command Officer
PeaceMan-One's cruiser. On a split screen,
he now saw the two Rigmorfins in their alien
ships angrily waving their purple tentacles
at each other. Each of their six Rigmorfin
heads was shrieking loud high-pitched sounds
that made Commander PeaceMan-One certain his
head would explode.
The aliens' normally green faces were now
a violent red and steam was rising off their
gelatinous bodies as they waved their tentacles
viciously about.
"Yikes!"
Joe-Computer gasped. It was not a pretty sight.
"I
repeat," Commander PeaceMan-One called out
over the Communicator. He glanced down to
make sure the translator-controls were set
so that his words would be heard in Rigmorfin.
"Do you need assistance?"
In their own ships, each of the two Rigmorfin
aliens turned their angry six heads towards
the peace cruiser. "Loggity Dimbooey!" they
screeched in a chorus of deafening sounds.
Commander PeaceMan-One rolled his eyes in
agony, then opened them to notice the Rigmorfins
were tapping on their control panels with
a dozen waving tentacles. Suddenly a bay opened
at the front of each alien ship and two canons
slid outwards, pointing at the peace cruiser.
"Steady,
PeaceKit" Commander PeaceMan-One said to his
co-pilot. "Put the Shields on full…"
"You'd
better brace yourselves!" Joe-Computer added.
The Rigmorfin canons were fully extended and
began to glow violently. Commander PeaceMan-One
held onto the arms of his chair and held his
breath.
Suddenly a tongue stuck out of the end of
each canon and blew nasty raspberries at the
peace cruiser. Spit went flying and splattered
all over the peace cruiser windshield.
"Huh!
PeaceKit where's the Shields?" Commander PeaceMan-One
gasped, but without a moment's hesitation
he quickly tapped the controls and the windshield
wipers came on, clearing the view. With another
tap on the controls, the PeaceShields were
on full power and the next raspberries harmlessly
bounced off and dispersed into space.
Commander PeaceMan-One glanced at his CoPilot-PeaceKit
for only a second before he grabbed the communicator.
He didn't want to say anything, but this was
the third time this week PeaceKit had been
too slow on the controls.
"Look
you guys," Commander PeaceMan-One said, focusing
back on the aliens. "I'm here to help you
disarm. I know you don't want to hurt each
other or anyone else for that matter. Let's
just stop for a moment and take a second to
step back. You guys can work it out. I know
you can..."
The raspberries flew at the ship more and
more violently.
"Commander,
the ship can't take much more of this…" Joe-Computer
warned.
Commander PeaceMan-One thought fast and tapped
on the panel. Soft, gentle calming music streamed
out of the speakers mounted on the outside
of his cruiser.
Twelve angry Rigmorfin faces glared at Commander
PeaceMan-One and CoPilot-PeaceKit on their
Screen Monitors. Two-dozen angry tentacles
tapped on their control panel. Suddenly electric
guitars were screeching out of the alien-ships'
speakers, completely drowning out the peaceful
music.
Commander PeaceMan-One sighed. "I hate to
have to do this guys, but you've left me no
choice. I'm going to have to blast you."
He sighed again, and tapped on his control
panel. A double-barreled bay on the front
of the PeaceCruiser opened up and two shiny
canons projected outwards. Commander PeaceMan-One
leaned back in his chair with his finger poised
over the firing button. He closed his eyes
and began to breathe deeply. In a moment he
was completely relaxed. "May Peace Prevail
On Earth," he whispered and pressed the button.
Suddenly there was a burst of light around
each alien ship. When Commander PeaceMan-One
opened his eyes, the alien ships were no longer
glaring an angry red. Instead they both hummed
a warm soft glow.
In his split-screen Monitor, Commander PeaceMan-One
saw the twelve Rigmorfin faces smiling at
him. "Thank you, Commander PeaceMan-One!"
they chimed in perfect harmony.
Commander PeaceMan-One smiled. "You're welcome
guys. Try not to wander into the Red Zone
again, okay. The Raging Flares have been really
violent lately and, well, you've seen what
can happen when they hit your ships. You guys
had a nasty case of Earthitis!"
The Rigmorfins nodded. "Thanks again, Super
PeaceMan!" they said and twenty-four tentacles
flashed him the peace sign.
Commander PeaceMan-One blushed. News sure
travels fast in space. Why he'd only been
knighted as Super PeaceMan the day before
yesterday! Actually, he'd completely forgotten
his new title. It was going to take some time
to get used to it. He saluted them with a
peace sign as their ship sped away back into
the Safe Zone.
Commander PeaceMan-One, er, that is Super
PeaceMan, watched them a moment, and sighed.
"That's the second time today the normal Peace
Vibes didn't do the trick and we've had to
use the Pure-Love-Rays," he said to CoPilot
PeaceKit.
"Third,"
Joe-Computer corrected.
His train of thought distracted, Super PeaceMan
squinted, trying to recall the third confrontation
they'd had that day. Try as he might, he just
couldn't remember. Joe-Computer was never
wrong, so why couldn't he remember? These
space days were taking their toll and they
still had their big mission to complete.
Reading his mind Joe-Computer pointed out,
"We're going to have to do some heavy-duty
refueling on Pure-Love-Energy."
Super PeaceMan nodded. "I still can't get
over how far the Red Zone has spread this
year. I'd guess about 100,000 light years
further than it was last season, wouldn't
you think, PEACEKIT?"
No answer.
He'd purposely emphasized that he was asking
PeaceKit because this blasted ship Computer
they'd been assigned always had to monopolize
every conversation with its vast knowledge
base. Poor PeaceKit never got to get a word
in. "Peace on, peace on, peace on," the computer
began hiccupping, as it always did whenever
it was nervous, excited, or asked to be quiet
for a moment.
The hiccupping got worse, but still no answer
from PeaceKit.
"106,
382.45 light years…" Joe-Computer finally
burst out, unable to contain itself.
"PeaceKit?"
Commander PeaceMan-One said more urgently
and turned to his faithful CoPilot.
PeaceKit tried to raise his head to face him,
but slumped forward and the light went out
of his eyes. Super PeaceMan jumped up and
dashed over.
"Oh
my gosh! Are you alright, PeaceKit?"
But CoPilot PeaceKit was motionless. Commander
PeaceMan-One started to panic, "Joe, quick,
call 911…" he gasped.
But then he noticed the blinking LCD light
on PeaceKit's side. It must have been blinking
for days. Joe-Computer snorted and rolled
its eyeodes.
"I'm
so sorry, PeaceKit!" he burst out. "I forgot
to change your battery! Has it been 1,000
years already?" He checked his watch. Sure
enough.
"Time
flies!" Joe-Computer observed, in his most
sarcastic tone.
With a fresh battery from the supply shute,
PeaceKit was purring peacefully in no time
at all. Super PeaceMan affectionately scratched
him under the chin for a while, until PeaceKit
reminded him they had a lot more space to
cover before they reached the coordinates
to begin the special mission they were assigned.
"You're
right, little guy," he laughed as PeaceKit
leaped onto the control panel and started
tapping with his paws.
"Coordinates
set," Joe-Computer confirmed, with a hiccup
or two, as PeaceKit meowed and leaped onto
PeaceMan-One's lap for a little catnap.
Super PeaceMan rubbed PeaceKit gently on the
head as the Peace Cruiser swung around and
set off deep into the Red Zone, further than
any Peace Commander had ever dared to go.
Chapter 2. The Dreaded
Red Zone
"Once
upon a time the Universe lived in relative
peace and harmony. Of course there were conflicts,
but living creatures respected each other
and the planets they inhabited and this helped
them to work out their problems peacefully.
"As
life on other planets was discovered, fair
and just planetary systems were agreed upon
to ensure the peaceful coexistence of the
many diverse cultures and ways of life that
abounded in the vast Universe. Thus was set
the foundation for the great Inter-Galactic
Federation that presided over three millennia
of peace."
PeaceKit put the Briefing Video on pause and
snuggled in closer to Super PeaceMan, barely
peaking out through half-closed eyes. They'd
watched this video a hundred times in preparation
for their new mission, but each time the next
part always made him cringe.
Obviously, Joe-Computer wasn't keen on replaying
the next part either. It was hiccupping like
crazy and pretended to be otherwise occupied
when Super PeaceMan pressed the remote to
continue.
"Ship
Computer!" Super PeaceMan said sternly after
the third attempt to coax it to restart the
video.
"Peace
on, peace on, peace on … Oh, alright!" Joe-Computer
agreed reluctantly.
"No
one knows for sure where the Raging Cloud
of '29 came from, but the havoc it struck
throughout the universe was all too clear.
Wherever it passed, three thousand years of
peacemaking was left in shambles and only
half-memories. Wherever the Raging Cloud came,
living creatures everywhere suddenly forgot
how to get along.
"The
damage was extensive and far reaching but
no where was worse than in the dreaded Red
Zone - a cluster of galaxies where the Raging
Cloud seemed to settle."
Super PeaceMan, PeaceKit, Joe-Computer and
even the Ship itself shuddered.
Super PeaceMan suddenly felt thirsty and put
the video on pause. But it kept playing.
"No
way," Joe-Computer insisted. "We're just getting
to the good part now…"
Super PeaceMan sighed, and shrugging sat back
in his chair. PeaceKit purred away.
"The
Inter-Galactic Federation had nearly been
destroyed, and the Universe would have dissolved
into chaos had it not been for an ancient
society called the Knights of Peace who, legend
held, had helped to bring peace to the Universe
three thousand years ago.
"The
Knights of Peace quickly leaped into action,
traversing the farthest reaches of the great
Universe in their Peace Cruisers. Wherever
they went, they helped to bring peace back
to Aliens everywhere. They combated conflict
utilizing their ultimate weapons of peace
-- one part dialogue, one-part mediation,
one-part conflict resolution and held together
and reinforced with three measures of Pure
Love Energy.
"In
Less than a year, Peace had been restored
to most of the Universe. Except for the Red
Zone, which at first was small and contained
to a few thousand light year radius around
the Planet Earth in the Sol Solar System.
"But
each year the Red Zone has grown wider as
Negative Rays of anger, greed and fear have
continued to burst out from the heart of the
Red Zone, keeping the Knights of Peace busy
Keeping the Peace.
"No
Peace Knight has ever been able to enter deep
enough into the Red Zone to reach the epicenter
of the Raging Cloud around the Planet Earth.
"But
recently the Greatest PeaceMakers of the Universe
have detected a wave of CyberPeace emanating
from the heart of the Red Zone that may allow
access to planet Earth itself…"
"Ooh…
ooh…" Joe Computer burst out. "Here comes
the part about you…"
"Shush…"
Super PeaceMan whispered.
"Our
bravest PeaceMaker, SuperPeaceMan himself,
has volunteered for this dangerous mission,
in order to bring peace to Earth, which as
we all know, will vanquish the Raging Cloud
and establish peace forever in our Universe.
"May
Peace Prevail On Earth … May Peace Prevail
Throughout The Universe…"
The screen went silent.
"I
still get all choked up every time I see that,"
Joe-Computer sniffled. "I'm just so honored
to be serving with you, Sir," he coughed.
"Meow,"
Co-Pilot PeaceKit agreed and snuggled closer,
putting his purr-motor in overdrive.
Super PeaceMan blushed as he always did. "Come
on guys, you're just as brave as me. Together
we'll succeed and we'll bring peace on earth."
"Hooray,"
they all cheered. "May Peace Prevail On Earth."
Super PeaceMan wiped his brow. "Sure is getting
warm in here," he commented. He knew, of course,
that it was because they were getting quite
deep into the Red Zone, maybe a hundred million
light years from Earth, now. But he'd thought
the shields would have protected them better.
"We'd
better find that wave of CyberPeace fast,"
he mumbled.
Joe-Computer was thinking the same thing.
"According to our calculations, it should
focalize any nanosecond, Sir" he said, somewhat
unconvincingly. His circuits were feeling
a little more toasty than he preferred them
to feel, so it was a little hard to muster
up a convincing tone.
Then suddenly they all saw the Cyber- wave
out the windshield.
"Peace
on … peace on … peace on… Oh my," Joe-Computer
gasped. "It's not quite as big as we'd hoped,
now is it."
"No,"
Super PeaceMan sighed. "And it's getting a
little too hot to risk us all trying to ride
in on it." He hesitated a moment, knowing
he was going to have to argue his case. "I'm
going to have to go it alone," he said, "and
you'll have to pull the ship back to a safer
distance outside the Red Zone. I'll call you
for the return trip out."
"Okay.
Peace on, peace on, peace on,.," Joe-Computer
agreed eagerly, but PeaceKit wasn't going
to let him away from his side.
"Look
little PeaceKit. I need you to pilot the ship.
I'm counting on you, pal."
How could PeaceKit argue with that? So it
was settled. Super PeaceMan pulled on his
Heaviest-Duty Peace Suit and Co-Pilot PeaceKit
typed in the hyperlink they'd detected that
would allow him to ride in on the wave of
Cyber Peace.
Co-Pilot PeaceKit slid down and snuggled against
Super PeaceMan's leg. "I'll be back, PeaceKit,"
Super PeaceMan sighed, and then he sat down
in the pilot's seat and got ready to press
the hyperlink.
Super PeaceMan took a deep breath. "Okay,
Guys," he whispered, "think peace thoughts
… May Peace Prevail On Earth… May Peace Prevail
On Earth…"
"Hyperlink
optimized," Joe-Computer whispered politely,
then hiccupped as quietly as he could.
Super PeaceMan pressed the enter key. A nanosecond
later he was gone, whooshing through Cyberspace.
Chapter 3. The Weekly
BetterWorld Kids Club Meeting
The BetterWorld Kids had just materialized in Cyberspace,
like they do every Friday afternoon for their
weekly BetterWorld Kids Club meeting. They'd stopped
wondering long ago how they appeared together
in Cyberspace, and just enjoyed it. Sometimes
they were able to bring friends with them
to their meetings. This week, however, they
had an unexpected visitor from a galaxy far,
far, far, far, far, far really really far
far away.
"The
weekly meeting of the BetterWorld Kids Club is now
called to order," Ahmed was just saying as
he typed onto his laptop. Then all of the
sudden the BetterWorld Kids heard a whoooshhhhing
sound over the top of their heads and saw
a rainbow blast of color whiz by.
"What
was that?" everyone gasped. At first it had
looked like a giant alien-looking creature
in a spacesuit, but then it shrank so quickly
that before they even realized what they'd
seen, it was so small they couldn't see anything.
"Uh,
sorry, it's just me," they heard a voice say,
somewhere above them. But they didn't see
anything.
"Over
here," the voice said.
The BetterWorld Kids squinted and stared where they
thought they heard the voice coming from.
Then they saw him, but just barely - a super
tiny alien-looking guy in a spacesuit.
"Huh,
who are you?" the BetterWorld Kids gasped.
"Why,
I'm Commander PeaceMan-One. Er, that is, I'm
Super PeaceMan," the tiny visitor stated as
he floated above their heads. Although he
was so small, they could hear his voice loud
and clear.
"Well,
actually my name is really Hector Narrow-Bottom,"
the visitor admitted. "Naturally, with a name
like that I was happy to become Commander
PeaceMan, and of course honored to have been
named Commander PeaceMan-One after 25 years
in The Service of the PeaceForce. I was just
knighted Super PeaceMan, the day before yesterday,
in fact, and I must say it is my greatest
thrill to serve the Inter-Galactic Peace Federation
for Peace in the Universe."
"But
you're so small - how can you be Super PeaceMan?"
Johnny, one of the youngest BetterWorld Kids asked.
"Well,
I'm not that small back where I come from,"
Super PeaceMan insisted. "Truth is, I'm not
feeling myself right now. But besides, never
underestimate the power of peace, my good
sir," Super PeaceMan said.
"Whoa,
like do you have super powers?" Juan asked.
"Not
really, just the usual Peace Knight abilities
to make peace with a single calming word,
break down jealousy with a hug. Dissolve conflicts
with a moment of silent listening. And of
course when all my peacemaking skills fail,
I have my trusty Peace-Blaster, filled with
the purest of the Universe's pure love energy.
But I guess I did forget to refuel, didn't
I … and I was getting kind of low…" Super
PeaceMan paused a moment and his voice sounded
all raspy.
"Sorry
I'm not making too much sense," he wheezed.
"I'm feeling kind of woozy. I know we're not
exactly on Earth here in Cyberspace, but I
think I'm feeling a touch of Earthitis coming
on… Do you think you guys can help me out
here…"
"Uh,
sure," the BetterWorld Kids said at once. "What do
you need us to do?"
"Okay,
well, I'm feeling lots of negativity trying
to take my mind over. It's leaking into Cyberspace
from Earth. I'm straining to keep it out of
my head. Could you all just please think peace
thoughts. Your positivity would really replenish
my peace waves."
"Uh
… okay…" the BetterWorld Kids stammered. It all sounded
pretty alien to them. But then, that's exactly
what Super PeaceMan was, so it sort of made
sense.
"Alright
everyone, close your eyes and concentrate
on saying the most sacred of all the expressions
in the Universe with me."
"Okay,"
everyone said, with their eyes tightly closed,
wondering just what the most sacred of all
expressions in the Universe would turn out
to be.
"May
peace prevail on earth," Super PeaceMan said
softly.
"Huh?"
the BetterWorld Kids gasped. Seemed like an odd think
for an alien to be wishing for, but they did
as Super PeaceMan asked, joining him in repeating
the words slowly again and again.
After a few moments, Super PeaceMan was breathing
normally again. And he was a lot bigger. He
towered over them as he floated above their
heads. He zipped across the emptiness of cyberspace,
whooshing overhead in a blur of rainbow colors.
"I
feel good," Super PeaceMan exclaimed. "I feel
GRRRRREAT! Thanks so much! You BetterWorld Kids really
generate a great peace energy - I never felt
so alive!"
Needless to say, the BetterWorld Kids had a lot of
questions for Super PeaceMan. But the one
that interested them the most was why "May
Peace Prevail On Earth" was the most sacred
of all expressions - and how had their saying
it helped restore Super PeaceMan's strength?
Super PeaceMan floated back and forth above
their heads and told them all about the Inter-Galactic
Peace Federation, and how all the aliens of
the Universe lived in peace. Except for Earth,
of course. On account of the Raging Cloud
that had settled over the Earth, creating
the dreaded Red Zone.
He told them that for thousands of years aliens
everywhere have said, "May Peace Prevail On
Earth," knowing that someday, when there is
peace on earth, Earthlings will be able to
join the Universal Peace Federation, and there
will be peace everywhere in the Universe.
"This single expression has been said so much
with so much peace and love energy behind
it" he told them, "that it is the most magical
expression of all, now."
The BetterWorld Kids told Super PeaceMan-One that
they used that expression, too. It did help
them quiet their minds sometimes, or feel
close to each other, when they said it after
a moment of silence together. But it didn't
really have 'magic' in it.
"Well,
that's because on Earth there's so much negativity
that the peace energy can't focalize enough
to create what you'd call magic. But here
in Cyberspace, it looks like you BetterWorld Kids
can generate so much peace energy that you
can do almost anything."
The BetterWorld Kids had to agree that in cyberspace
their adventures were magical! They felt really
good about themselves as they realized that
it was their heartfelt wish for peace that
caused their BetterWorld Kids Club meetings to send
them on such unusual adventures. They all
were quiet a moment, enjoying the silence
together.
"What's
the Universe like?" Erin asked after a moment
or so. All the BetterWorld Kids were eager to learn
more about the Universe, now that they'd found
out that Earth wasn't the only planet with
life on it.
Super PeaceMan told them about some of the
most amazing things in the Universe. "Actually,
we could probably take a quick spin around
the universe, if you wanted to," Super PeaceMan-One
said. "I'll bet with your peace powers, you
BetterWorld Kids could transport us back to my Peace
Cruiser in an instant, and then we could take
a tour of the 7 Wonders of the Universe."
The BetterWorld Kids loved the idea. "What are the
coordinates of your Peace Cruiser," Ahmed
asked as he got ready to type them into his
laptop. He was the BetterWorld Kids Club Secretary,
and it was when he typed a web address on
his computer that the BetterWorld Kids were able
to be transported through CyberSpace together
to enjoy all the adventures that they'd been
on.
Super PeaceMan told the coordinates to Ahmed.
Then they all joined in a circle and concentrated
on the magical expression they all loved,
"May Peace Prevail On Earth." Ahmed clicked
the link and suddenly they were all standing
together on the deck of the Peace Cruiser.
"Peacetastic!"
Super PeaceMan exclaimed.
Chapter 4. The Seven
Wonders of the Universe
The BetterWorld Kids really loved meeting Co-Pilot
PeaceKit. "He's SO CUTE!" they all laughed.
They really flipped when they heard his purr-motor
going after they rubbed him under the chin.
"Yep,
PeaceKit was the first Kitty I put together,
back when I was just a kid. Wouldn't even
ever think of getting a newer model. Nope,
PeaceKit and I have been through everything
together. Just have to remember to change
his batteries, every thousand years or so."
The BetterWorld Kids really got a kick out of Joe-Computer,
too. They didn't even seem to mind how he
went on and on about everything, showing off
his vast wealth of knowledge. They just thought
it was so cool to have a super computer like
that who could talk to you. The hiccupping
did get on their nerves a bit after a while,
though.
The BetterWorld Kids felt amazingly proud when Super
PeaceMan asked them to join him in refueling
the ship with Pure Love Energy. "We'll be
able to refuel in no time with the peace energy
you BetterWorld Kids have got going!" he assured
them.
Sure enough, it wasn't very long at all after
they'd sat in a circle quietly focusing on
peace and love and the sacred expression,
"May Peace Prevail On Earth," that Joe-Computer
quietly, then more loudly interrupted their
quiet time. "Sir, we're completely filled
to the brim," he stated. "And, I might add,
with the highest octane I've ever seen!"
Super PeaceMan took them on a quick tour of
the Universe, showing them so many amazing
sites that it would take a whole book to describe
them all. The BetterWorld Kids had to admit that
the 7 Wonders of the Universe really were
the most amazing things they could imagine.
They zipped through space from one landmark
to the next, instantly in a heartbeat after
they whispered the sacred expression together
after a moment of silence. Commander PeaceMan-One
couldn't stop marveling at how powerful their
peace energy was.
There was so much to see that the BetterWorld Kids
couldn't decide which of the 7 Wonders was
their favorite. There were the Great Pyramid
Planets of the Egyptolonia7 Galaxy, whose
gravitational pull caused them to dance together
in a perfectly choreographed display every
afternoon.
There were the Hanging Gardens of Planet Babylonia
with the most beautiful gigantic and strangest-looking
flowers and plants the BetterWorld Kids could have
imagined hanging from puffy clouds.
And the Great Zeusophone that towered over
the planet Olympiata, trumpeting waves of
joy that thundered throughout the universe.
The Planet Ephesus was home to the famous
Art-Em-Is-Great Temple, which captivated them
as it displayed a new work of artistic beauty
each instant. Each glimpse of beauty was pulsed
out to the Universe providing the creative
spark for all works of art that would be created.
In the Halicarnassus Galaxy there were 22
planets filled with statues of the Universes'
greatest peacemakers. Each monument towered
a thousand feet into the sky and blazed a
different color of the rainbow.
There was the firey statue on the planet Rhodes
that was so huge and colossal that it lit
up the sky and brought life-bringing warmth
to a thousand once-barren planets that floated
nearby.
And of course there was the Great Lighthouse
at the very center of the universe, on the
Alexandria Asteroid, that pulsed out a beacon
of hope each instant as it whispered, "May
Peace Prevail On Earth." The BetterWorld Kids could
hear the whisper echo throughout the entire
universe and they were filled with a real
sense of hope that someday this wish would
indeed come true.
The BetterWorld Kids were so grateful to SuperPeaceMan
for showing them these wonders and so much
more. They were only too happy to help Super
PeaceMan to see the wonders of their world,
especially since that was his mission and
they wanted to do whatever they could to help
him accomplish it.
Chapter 5. What a
Wonderful World!
Joe-Computer was a little hesitant at first
when Super PeaceMan asked the kids to use
their peace energy to transport the Peace
Cruiser into Cyberspace. He remembered only
too well the singy feeling that came over
him when they first tried to enter the Red
Zone. But Super PeaceMan was sure the BetterWorld Kids
would have no difficulty transporting them
into Cyberspace.
Getting to the actual planet, however. was
a completely different matter. Super PeaceMan
realized that even the BetterWorld Kids wouldn't
be able to generate enough peace energy to
bring the Peace Cruiser to the Earth's surface.
There was just too much negativity.
"But
we can go home after our meetings?" Jamal
said, echoing the other BetterWorld Kids's thoughts.
"The negativity has been hanging over the
earth for so long," Super PeaceMan explained,
"that Earthlings are used to it. They're not
immune, of course. We've seen some nasty things
going on in our remote viewing facilities.
People break out with nasty cases of Earthitis
all the time, doing really mean things to
each other…"
The BetterWorld Kids had to admit that unfortunately
violence was all too common in their world.
"But
there's a lot of good, too!" the BetterWorld Kids
assured Super PeaceMan.
After they'd materialized in Cyberspace, the
BetterWorld Kids took Super PeaceMan on a virtual
tour of the planet showing him just how much
kindness and beauty the Earth had to offer.
Ahmed's fingers were getting tired from typing
in all the web addresses as they leaped from
one hyperlink to the next to show their new
friends as many Earth-sites as they could.
They showed him beautiful landscapes and sunsets,
beaches and forests. They showed him towering
skyscrapers and bridges that scanned giant
bodies of water. They showed him people working
together to help feed the hungry and people
helping to heal the sick. They brought him
to celebrations where people danced and sang
and prayed together and the feeling of love
and connectedness was so strong you could
practically see it floating in the air.
"There
really is a lot of peace energy here on Earth!"
Super PeaceMan marveled. "Much more than we
realized!"
Unfortunately they couldn't help seeing some
of the negative things, too. Super PeaceMan
sighed after they'd accidentally landed on
a website that talked about a war that was
going on. "Gosh, this really could be a wonderful
world, if only people tried harder to get
along with each other."
"And
treated the earth with respect, too," the
BetterWorld Kids agreed. Then they hyperlinked to
another site that showed how compassionate
people can be and Joe-Computer couldn't help
commenting, "I've weighed the good and the
bad, and there's quite a lot of both here.
But overall, there is great cause for hope
of peace on earth after all…"
Everyone agreed.
Chapter 6. I'll Be
Back
Super PeaceMan would have been quite content
to continue sightseeing for much longer -
he really liked Earth a lot. But as they were
just about to glide along another hyperlink,
Joe-Computer called out, "Hang on, Ahmed.
It appears that the Cyberwindow is narrowing
quite a bit. We'll have to leave soon, if
we want to make it back out."
"Perhaps
it's because it's getting late and we really
should be adjourning our BetterWorld Kids Club meeting,"
Indira pointed out.
"Ah,
that would explain it," Super PeaceMan agreed.
"But can you BetterWorld Kids explain something else.
We've noticed the Cyberwave peaks at specific
times. It's much stronger at those times.
If we can figure out why, then maybe we can
find a way to help peace on earth to come."
Super PeaceMan had Joe-Computer check over
the records. "Obviously the Friday afternoon
peaks are due to your BetterWorld Kids Club meetings.
That creates a narrow but clear channel into
Cyberspace," Joe Computer began as he searched
his memory banks.
"A
narrow, but nice clear channel at Noon in
each time zone…" he continued.
"People
all around the world join at Noon each day
in saying 'May Peace Prevail on Earth'" Juan
exclaimed.
"If
only more people would join in," Cheyenne
sighed, "It would create a larger beacon of
hope.
"There
are two specific times of year when the channel
is the clearest," Joe-Computer continued.
"It looks like there's a huge spike on September
21 and the one leading up to December 25 on
up until January 1 when there's another big
spike."
Hearing this made the children very excited.
They all began speaking at once explaining
just why this was happening. Embarrassed,
they apologized to one another and urged everyone
else to continue. But they didn't have to
re-explain, because Super PeaceMan had easily
been able to process what each of the BetterWorld Kids
had said.
He heard Erin, Jamal, Solomon and Maria say
that September 21 was the International Day
of Peace, a day that the United Nations urged
all the world to join together to create a
day of ceasefire and peace.
He heard Ming, Johnny, Michiko and Ahmed say
that during the Christmas season people were
much more likely to be thinking about things
like peace on earth and goodwill.
And he heard Cheyenne and Indira explain that
January 1 was One Day in Peace, a chance for
the world to begin the new year with a day
of peace and sharing.
"Well,"
Super PeaceMan laughed and he was really excited.
"Wait until everyone hears about all this.
We can join in all around the Universe sending
you peaceful wishes at those times. That will
increase the peace field and help shrink the
Raging Cloud."
"And
maybe this year for the International Day
of Peace, people will make it the most peaceful
ever," Ming exclaimed.
"And
the peace energy will be so powerful it'll
spill over the whole world…" Jamal added.
"And
it'll make that Raging Cloud go away…" Indira
continued.
"Which
will help Earthitis from spreading," Johnny
said.
"So
people won't be so out of control and can
remember to be kind and compassionate," Michiko
exclaimed.
Every one was really excited and very hopeful.
"Sir
the window is shrinking fast" Joe Computer
warned.
"I
guess we'd better go," Super PeaceMan sighed.
He was really sad to be going. "But I know
that we'll be back really soon, with a clear
channel right to the heart of the planet.
I just know that someday soon there will be
peace on earth and then finally there will
be peace throughout the universe."
The BetterWorld Kids hugged Super PeaceMan, PeaceKit
and even Joe-Computer's monitor. They joined
together in a moment of silence, and after
they said, "May Peace Prevail On Earth" together,
the BetterWorld Kids found they were sitting in the
familiar emptiness of Cyberspace looking up
at the PeaceCruiser floating up ahead.
"Goodbye!"
PeaceKit and Super PeaceMan waved through
the windshield. Then in a blur of rainbow
color they zipped up, up and away through
cyberspace off to the most distant reaches
of the Universe.
"Wow!"
the BetterWorld Kids sighed. "This sure was some
meeting!"
The BetterWorld Kids logged off and went back to
their homes with even more reason to try to
make this year's Peace Day the best ever.
As each drifted off to sleep that night in
their own part of the world, they were almost
sure they could hear Super PeaceMan's voice
somewhere out in the great universe whispering
"May Peace Prevail on earth." And Co-Pilot
PeaceKit's purr-motor, humming away contentedly,
too, not to mention Joe-Computer's hiccupping
"Peace on … peace on ..."
There were smiles on the faces of every one
of the BetterWorld Kids as they thought about the
fact that there was already peace in the rest
of the universe and someday finally there
would be peace on earth.
