    
Hello and welcome to the May 2019 issue of Aphelion. We lost a friend
last month. The founder of LibertyCon and from what I understand, of
Chattacon, too. Let me tell you a story...
Once upon a time...
A tall, heavyset man walks through the portal that leads to an
endless, featureless plain of black sand. He looks around and sees a
black-cloaked figure carrying a scythe in one hand and an hourglass in
the other.
“Oh, damn… I died, didn’t I?” he says.
“I’VE BEEN DREADING THIS DAY,” said Death. “BUT THE DUTY IS MINE, SO I HAVE TO DO IT.”
“So, what happens now?” the man asks.
Death sighs heavily. “I DID NOT WANT THIS DAY TO EVER HAPPEN. BUT I AM POWERLESS TO PREVENT IT. COME, TIMOTHY, WALK WITH ME.”
“Where are we going?” Timothy asks.
‘NOT FAR, BUT I WANTED A CHANCE TO TALK WITH YOU, SO IF YOU’LL FORGIVE ME, WE’LL TAKE A SHORT DETOUR.”
“OK,” Timothy said cautiously. “Did I do something wrong?”
“ON THE CONTRARY, I BELIEVE THAT YOU DID EVERYTHING CORRECTLY, ALWAYS.”
“Where are we?” asked Timothy. “This looks pretty bleak. I thought the afterlife would be more like Valhalla, or something.”
“THIS
IS MERELY THE GATEWAY TO AN AFTERLIFE,” said Death. “THINK OF IT AS A
WAITING ROOM, SO TO SPEAK. THIS IS WHERE EVERYONE MAKES THEIR FINAL
DECISION UPON EXACTLY IN WHICH AFTERLIFE THEY WILL EVENTUALLY SPEND
ETERNITY.”
“Are there forms to fill out?” Timothy said with a sigh. “I hate filling out forms.”
“NO, THERE AREN’T ANY FORMS. JUST A CHOICE. YOU’VE ALEADY MADE SO MANY CHOICES, WHAT’S THE HARM IN ONE MORE?”
“So, it’s a test?”
“ISN’T EVERYTHING?’
“I didn’t expect this.”
“NO
ONE EXPECTS ANYTHING, REALLY. WHEN YOU WERE BORN, DID YOU EXPECT EVERY
SINGLE TWIST AND TURN YOUR LIFE WOULD TAKE? WHEN YOU MARRIED, DID YOU
EXPECT YOUR WIFE TO MATTER MORE TO YOU THAN YOUR NEXT BREATH? WHEN YOUR
CHILDREN WERE BORN, DID YOU EXPECT THEM TO BECOME THE CENTER OF YOUR
ENTIRE LIFE?”
“Well, yeah, frankly. That’s what I wanted. That’s what life is all about, isn’t it?”
“INDEED, BUT FEW SEEM TO REALIZE THAT BEFORE THEIR’S HAS RUN IT’S COURSE. YOU HAVE BEEN WISER THAN MOST.”
“Really? I thought I was just a smart-ass…”
“THAT,
TOO. BUT YOU LOVED WITHOUT RESERVATION, YOU LIVED FOR EACH NEW DAY. YOU
STROVE TO ALWAYS BE A FRIEND TO ANYONE YOU MET. MORE OFTEN THAN NOT,
YOU SUCCEEDED.”
“I always did my best,” Timothy said. “I like to think I was a good man.”
“NO,” said Death. “I’M TOLD THAT YOU WERE THE BEST.”
“What about my wife, my kids, all my family? LibertyCon?”
“THEY
WILL RECOVER FROM THEIR GRIEF, REGAIN THE STRENGTH YOU GIFTED THEM
WITH, AND GO ON TO SPREAD YOUR EXAMPLE TO ALL WHOM THEY ENCOUNTER. YOU
WILL BE THEIR TORCH, LIGHTING THEIR PATH THROUGHOUT ALL THEY DO, FOR
ALL THEIR LIVES.”
“And then?”
“AND THEN I WILL MEET EACH
OF THEM HERE, IN THEIR TURN, AS TIME DICTATES. YOU ARE BLAZING A TRAIL
FOR THEM TO FOLLOW, AS YOU EVER DID. CHOOSE WISELY, FOR THE MOMENT IS
UPON US. TELL ME, WHAT IS YOUR GREATEST REGRET?”
“Well,” said
Timothy. “I'm sort of dead, so that closes off a whole bunch of
avenues. But I was really looking forward to this year’s LibertyCon.
I’ve always tried to make sure it felt like a family reunion, you know?
It wasn’t ever about making money—except for charity. It wasn’t about
fame. It was about bringing people together to have a great time, and
to learn something along the way. It was—Family.”
“AND SO, YOUR CHOICE IS MADE,” said Death.
“What do you mean?” Timothy asked.
“LOOK TO THE HORIZON. TELL ME WHAT YOU SEE.”
“Looks like a nice hotel, with a big sign out front.”
“WHAT CAN YOU HEAR?”
“Sounds like a party going on.”
“CAN YOU READ THE SIGN?”
“Not from here, my eyes ain’t what they used to be.”
“THEN, PERHAPS WE SHOULD GO CLOSER.”
“I think I can almost make it out, now…”
“WHAT DO YOU SEE?”
“Um, that can’t be right…”
“WHAT DOES THE SIGN SAY?”
“I think I’ve got something in my eye… It says—it says Welcome To LibertyCon ∞.”
“I THINK WE HAVE LOCATED THE CORRECT AFTERLIFE FOR YOU. GO ON, EVERYONE IS WAITING.”
“You’re not coming with me? You’d be welcome too. After all, you've already met everyone here.”
“I WILL BE IN THE BAR, IF ANYONE ASKS…”
“Got it!”
To “Uncle Timmy” Bolgeo
April 15, 1949 - May 12, 2019
ON
THE COVER
Title: The Trapezium cluster
Photo Credit: ESO/IDA/Danish 1.5 m/R.Gendler, J.-E. Ovaldsen, and A. Hornstrup
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