A star gleamed brightly in the sky as two strangers perched on a large hollowed-out log. The forest at their sides and back seemed to hold them, brace them as a trusted friend would. The two of them looked out over the valley taking in the gushing river as it crashed through the large swath of trees down below. Large shapes loomed beneath the canopy down there. Beyond the forests, the river flooded into a large glistening body of water that stretched to the edges of the horizon.

“This your first time?” said the one with a red, tattered ballcap on. She didn’t look at her companion, just stared ahead.

The other figure sat with her legs criss-crossed below her, a blue cup of steaming tea in her hands. She had a light smirk sitting on her face. Her nostrils flared as she inhaled the crisp scent of peppermint.

“Yeah… you?” Blue asked.

“It’s my third,” said Red. There seemed to be tiredness in the way she spoke. Not the kind you get from lack of sleep. 

“Wow.” she paused. “ Any particular reason?”

“It’s just breathtaking. Hard to forget.” 

Red closed her eyes and leaned back on her elbows. Silence took them in her hands and held them. Not painfully, but gently. As if to say just be here. The one with the tea looked over to Red and took in her posture. 

“Do you do this a lot?” 

“Some would probably say so,” Red said. She smiled to herself.

“Is this your favorite one?” 

“No. But it’ll haunt you. Stick in your head.” 

Red brought her left hand up to rub her brow. She had a scar right through the right side of her upper lip. Long since healed. Her hair was streaked with veins of granite grey and her face cracked with lines showing a story of a life well-lived. Blue took in the sight of her.

“Are there any others that you’d recommend?” 

“The Duke is pretty enthralling.” 

Blue’s ears picked up. She used her free hand to scoot herself a few inches closer to her companion. She held her tea close to her chest. “I’ve seen that one. It’s so weird, knowing how it plays out.” Blue said.

“Have you watched the entire war?” Red turned to her and looked her dead in the eyes.

“No.” she replied. “ I didn’t think I could watch the rest. No stomach for it.” 

“You’re missing out. But don’t worry, you'll toughen up.” Red looked back over the valley. 

Silence enveloped them. They sat there taking in the grandiose view. Blue waited a few moments before reaching into the small satchel down by her feet. She pulled out a small book and when she opened it, its metallic pages reflected the fading sunlight into her eyes. She squinted them closed and rubbed the quick flash of pain away.

“You should put that book down and just watch.” Red’s voice came in from the side. “It'll be soon.”

Blue looked over to the woman, seeing her peaceful face staring out. 

“That's easy for you to say. You've already seen it.” Blue said. “You already know how it goes.”

“That's very true.” 

“So how-”

Red held up a hand and sucked all the life from the conversation. She looked up towards the canopy above them. Squawks began littering the quiet and small winged creatures flew out from the branches. 

Red pointed forward past the valley, out into the vast ocean. The sparkling blue water had been replaced by a soothing red-orange. 

Down below, in the valley, multiple heads peeked above the branches. Their long necks disappeared below the leaves, their bodies obscured. Reading about these reptiles was completely different than seeing them. They were breathtaking. Their majesty seemed alien to the world Blue had grown up in. 

“I recommend not coming back to see the dinosaurs,” said Red.

“What… how did you-” said Blue.

“Trust me on this. You’ll lose years to them.” 

Red stood and walked to the edge of the cliff. She stopped just shy of the drop, her feet dangling off, gripping nothing but the idea of flight. 

Blue slowly stood behind her. Something was off. 

“How did you find this place?” Blue asked.

“Same as you. This was the spot I stumbled upon my first time watching this.” 

“But the chance that both of us found this place-”

“Is actually much higher than you’d think. 

Blue stopped halfway between the fallen tree she was sitting on and Red. Blue could see the woman's back, her shape silhouetted with the sun setting behind her. Something familiar tugged at her mind. 

“Can I ask you something?” Red said. 

Blue started drifting sideways, arching around to get a better angle. “Of course,” she said.

“Would you take this?” Red reached up and pulled the red ball cap off her head. She held it out for Blue to grab. She stepped forward and took it gingerly in both hands. Its worn cloth felt nice against her fingers. She looked up to find Red looking at her. 

“Go ahead,” she said. “Try it on.”

Blue pulled the hat over her hair and it settled around the crown of her head. A perfect fit. 

“Take good care of it, Nyra,” Red said.

Nyra’s look of shock must have been easy to read because Red laughed to herself a bit. 

“How do you know my name?” She asked.

“Because I have had it my entire life.” Red’s smile was big and genuine. 

“You’re entire li…” Nyra’s mouth went dry. “You mean you’re… me?”

“Took you long enough.” 

“But this is against the rules!” Nyra took a few more steps forward and found herself face to face with this older version of herself. 

“I know,” the older woman said. “But it's a special day.” She grabbed Nyra by the shoulders and turned her to look out over the valley. 

A large, bright shape plummeted across the sky. It was dropping toward the vast ocean at an alarming rate. 

“I think it’s time you were getting ready to leave,” her older self told her.

Nyra found herself statuesque as the asteroid impacted the oceans. Light flooded her eyes.  When she reopened them, a massive cloud of smoke was rising from the crater as it filled with the surrounding ocean water. The cloud covered most of the visible sky. 

A sound behind her drew her attention. Nyra turned around to find her older self stepping up to a floating circular mirror. Its liquid surface glistened before her. Nyra looked back over her shoulder at the cloud. So much beauty in this destruction.

She turned around and jogged over to the Pathway. Her older self was there holding Nyra’s bag. She handed it to her younger self and gestured to the exit. Nyra stepped up to it and looked through. Nothing but her own reflection. She turned around to find her older self standing back at the edge of the cliff gazing at the cloud. 

“We need to go!” Nyra shouted. The wind was starting to pick up, making it harder to hear. 

“No, you need to leave!” The older woman yelled back. “This is the end of my road!”

“What do you mean?” Nyra said.

“You can’t understand! Not yet anyway.” She yelled. “Go! Live your life. You'll be back here when it's the right time.”

Nyra stood there staring at herself. In the distance, she could see the shockwave traversing the valley. She had to leave. She turned back into the reflective doorway and stepped through. 

Nyra looked over her shoulder and watched herself step through the pathway. Good. She turned back to face the cloud.

She closed her eyes and inhaled the smell of the clean, fresh air and stepped off the cliff to fly for one last time.