Keepsake

Author’s Note - Music was intended to be played when this story is read.
I recommend readers to find and play.two tunes.for this short story.
"Tom T Hall - Old Dogs and Children and Watermelon Wine"
"Rankin Family - We Rise Again"

The classroom of children were giggling , laughing as the little column marched toward the huge building, the destination site of their class visit. Excitement rippled though the group as guardians consisting of teachers and invited parents, shepherded them safely across the last street corner and up the broad marble steps. For this visit , No parent, had been too busy to attend. All had arranged to be with their offspring on this one special day.

Their wards stopped and gathered them in a semi circle around a large bronze plaque hung by the main entrance. One of the teachers read the inscription aloud for them.

Thatcher Memorial Library
Dedicated with Love to the Memory
of
Mary Elizabeth Thatcher
Please Accept Our Pledge
to Protect
Your Precious Legacy
FOREVER

The strange words were explained to the children with patience.

As the adults gazed at the words with knowing smiles ...

A small pretty child with Asian features asked her black skinned father

"Daddy, This place is so pretty and it’s really big! Who was Mary Thatcher?"

She had never seen a tear in her father’s eye before, but he had one when he picked her up and kissed her forehead.

"When you are older Darling. I’ll give you a book all about her."

------------------------------------

The old starship "Smithsonian" slid silently though the void of space. Once again, as countless times before, the automated navigation processors triangulated a positional fix from assigned reference stars.

Unlike all the other location fixes, which had caused only had caused minor course corrections.

This check triggered and activated a host of subroutines into action. Systems long dormant started coming to the mechanical version of life.

The colony ship had arrived at her destination. The 8,000 year voyage... over.. Autopilot program ending.

Time to call up the human crew for new instructions.

-----------------------------

Mary woke up and wished she hadn’t. Every single bone, joint and piece of her ached, screamed, for attention. "Oh!" She thought, "even my hair hurts!" The cryogenic sleep solution caused, pins and needles, tingling in feet and hands, as it slowly receded from her body.

"Okay", she thought ....."Time to get up" ...and she slid her feet out of the pod unto the floor, attempting to stand. "Oops! Bad plan!"

Down she went collapsing, her legs being not quite yet ready for that trick

A strong arm reached out of nowhere and held her firmly, supporting her Another, slipped a robe around her shoulders,covering her nakedness

A soft male voice in her ear,advised.

"Tim here Mary.....Take it Easy now . ...give yourself some time. Rest until that stuff gets out of your system. Are you Thirsty?"

Thirsty?...her fuzzy brain ....still fighting for control of her shaky legs...attempted to reason ... thirsty?.....Yes....OH God YES!...YES!!!!

She reached out to take the offered cup but a gentle hand batted her feeble arms away and placed a cup of clear cold water to her parched lips. Seconds later the fluid , fortified with stimulants, cleared her mind and added strength to her muscles.

"Joan will be out of her shower in a minute. She came out of sleep about 20 minutes before you.