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The Garden of the Shiro
Lea
Lucian looked around in wonder. Although he was a pureblooded Shiro he had never actually been on his home planet. In fact, most of the alien race of Shiro had never visited their home planet. The Shiro all lived in their capitol city of Isa, a gigantic flying golden ship. Only the elite ever had the inclination or connections to leave Isa for solid ground. Lucian, being of moderate status, had never in his wildest dreams dared to hope that he would set foot on the planet. However, Lucian was the closest friend of De, an elite. And De had decided that he and Lucian were going to visit the planet. With his usual excitable spirit De had arranged for the trip to be immediate, and now Lucian found himself gaping at the splendor that was all around.
The beauty of the unnamed planet was wild and natural. Greenery covered almost every square inch, and streams ran playfully through alleyways of ancient trees. Lucian turned his head frantically, trying to drink in this image that was almost a feeling. He felt…so calm and yet overflowing with happiness. A slight breeze tousled his spiky blond hair and Lucian suddenly smelled the scent of roses. And there was De, running and skipping through a meadow, falling down on the green grass and having the time of his life. The sun made his brilliant white hair glint and shine like diamond.
“Lucian, Lucian!” De called, stopping his wild dance in favor of some new excitement. Lucian trotted over, curious to see what had so intrigued his friend. Lucian gasped with pleasure when he saw what De had found. A natural spring bubbled in a rocky circle, seeming to invite people to visit with its playful babble. “Come on Lucian, let’s stick our feet in!” cried De, already tearing off his black and white boots, eager to experience this novel new thing. Lucian too began to pull off his boots and roll up his pants.
The water stung like ice when Lucian first dipped his feet in; the pool was crystal clear and in the shade of a giant oak. But as his legs got used to the temperature of the water, Lucian realized that this was actually extremely relaxing. De was sitting next to him, splashing around and humming. The sun wasn’t beating down on Lucian’s head anymore, and the breeze was once again blowing softly through the grass. Apart from the soft humming of his friend beside him Lucian could hear birds singing far away, and he closed his eyes to savor this moment. The two pale Shiro spent the rest of their day here, on their garden planet, underneath the glimmering spires of Isa.
