You did not make a choice, or follow any direction, but now, somehow, you are descending from space—approaching a great, glistening sphere.

IT IS ULTIMA - THE PLANET OF PARADISE!

As your ship slowly and gently descends, you look down on a meadow filled with flowers. Beyond them white-capped mountains tower above hills of golden green and smoky blue. Before you lies a crystal city, adorned by sparkling lakes and flowering trees.

Your ship glides to a landing, and a portal slides open. The air smells as fresh and cool as a pine forest music fills your ears. Hundreds of people are waiting to greet you—the most beautiful and friendly people you have ever seen. Their skin is dark olive and their large eyes are as green as spring grass. Children run forward. They hand you garlands of flowers. A man and a woman, each wearing golden wreaths in their hair, walk toward you, their arms outstretched.

“Welcome to ULTIMA,” says the woman. “My name is Elinka.”

“Welcome!” says the man. “My name is Arkam. You have reached the planet of joy and beauty. All our treasures are yours to share with us. All of us here are your friends forever.”

Taking your hand, Elinka says, “But no land can be paradise if you can never leave it. So you shall always be able to return home whenever you wish—in a flash of time.”

“Thank you, thank you,” you exclaim. “I never dreamed Iwould ever find a place like this, or even that it could exist!”

“As you can see, there is such a place after all,” says Arkam, “though very few from Earth's universe ever reach it.”

“No one can choose to visit ULTIMA,” says Elinka. “Nor can you get here by following directions. It was a miracle you got here, but that is perfectly logical, because ULTIMA is a miracle itself.”

/ENDING Nº30/