Chapter
1. Alien Attack
"Angry
Aliens at 9 o'clock!"
the Commander yelled as
he dashed to the controls.
Warning sirens were screeching
all over his tiny space
cruiser.
"And
at 3 o'clock as well!"
Joe-Computer, the ship
computer-navigator pointed
out.
"Right!"
the Commander noted, locking
in on both ships.
"Greeting-Contact
has failed," Joe-Computer
added, annoyed that it
had to speak rather loudly
to be heard over the sirens.
The Commander nodded,
and he tried to switch
off the sirens. Unfortunately,
the situation was far
too serious for The Ship
to allow him to manually
override the emergency
system. And Joe-Computer
and The Ship still hadn't
gotten over that silly
disagreement they'd had,
so Joe-Computer would
be no help in persuading
The Ship to turn off the
alarms. The Commander
sure wished he had remembered
to bring ear plugs along
on the mission.
"Steady
now," he said to his co-pilot
beside him, without unlocking
his gaze from the windshield,
his eyes darting back
and forth between the
two vibrating-orange-glowing
Rigmorfin spaceships just
up ahead. "Let's ease
closer so we can make
face-to-face contact…"
"But
not too close!" he added
as the Rigmorfin ships
began to shake more violently
and the glow turned red
and glared brighter from
both of them.
Slowly his vessel descended
towards them.
"Warning!"
Joe-Computer coughed out
urgently. "We are now
at Code Red!"
The Commander reached
for his communicator.
"Attention! This is Kindness
Command Officer KindMan-One.
You are at Level Red.
Do you need assistance?"
The Monitor came on in
Kindness Command Officer
KindMan-One's cruiser.
On a split screen, he
now saw the two Rigmorfins
in their alien ships angrily
waving their purple tentacles
at each other. Each of
their six Rigmorfin heads
was shrieking loud high-pitched
sounds that made Commander
KindMan-One certain his
head would explode.
The aliens' normally green
faces were now a violent
red and steam was rising
off their gelatinous bodies
as they waved their tentacles
viciously about.
"Yikes!"
Joe-Computer gasped. It
was not a pretty sight.
"I
repeat," Commander KindMan-One
called out over the Communicator.
He glanced down to make
sure the translator-controls
were set so that his words
would be heard in Rigmorfin.
"Do you need assistance?"
In their own ships, each
of the two Rigmorfin aliens
turned their angry six
heads towards the Kindness
Cruiser. "Loggity Dimbooey!"
they screeched in a chorus
of deafening sounds.
Commander KindMan-One
rolled his eyes in agony,
then opened them to notice
the Rigmorfins were tapping
on their control panels
with a dozen waving tentacles.
Suddenly a bay opened
at the front of each alien
ship and two canons slid
outwards, pointing at
the Kindness Cruiser.
"Steady,
KindnessKit" Commander
KindMan-One said to his
co-pilot. "Put the Shields
on full…"
"You'd
better brace yourselves!"
Joe-Computer added.
The Rigmorfin canons were
fully extended and began
to glow violently. Commander
KindMan-One held onto
the arms of his chair
and held his breath.
Suddenly a tongue stuck
out of the end of each
canon and blew nasty raspberries
at the Kindness Cruiser.
Spit went flying and splattered
all over the Kindness
Cruiser windshield.
"Huh!
KindnessKit where's the
Shields?" Commander KindMan-One
gasped, but without a
moment's hesitation he
quickly tapped the controls
and the windshield wipers
came on, clearing the
view. With another tap
on the controls, the KindnessShields
were on full power and
the next raspberries harmlessly
bounced off and dispersed
into space.
Commander KindMan-One
glanced at his CoPilot-KindnessKit
for only a second before
he grabbed the communicator.
He didn't want to say
anything, but this was
the third time this week
KindnessKit had been too
slow on the controls.
"Look
you guys," Commander KindMan-One
said, focusing back on
the aliens. "I'm here
to help you disarm. I
know you don't want to
hurt each other or anyone
else for that matter.
Let's just stop for a
moment and take a second
to step back. You guys
can work it out. I know
you can..."
The raspberries flew at
the ship more and more
violently.
"Commander,
the ship can't take much
more of this…" Joe-Computer
warned.
Commander KindMan-One
thought fast and tapped
on the panel. Soft, gentle
calming music streamed
out of the speakers mounted
on the outside of his
cruiser.
Twelve angry Rigmorfin
faces glared at Commander
KindMan-One and CoPilot-KindnessKit
on their Screen Monitors.
Two-dozen angry tentacles
tapped on their control
panel. Suddenly electric
guitars were screeching
out of the alien-ships'
speakers, completely drowning
out the peaceful music.
Commander KindMan-One
sighed. "I hate to have
to do this guys, but you've
left me no choice. I'm
going to have to blast
you."
He sighed again, and tapped
on his control panel.
A double-barreled bay
on the front of the Kindness
Cruiser opened up and
two shiny canons projected
outwards. Commander KindMan-One
leaned back in his chair
with his finger poised
over the firing button.
He closed his eyes and
began to breathe deeply.
In a moment he was completely
relaxed. "May Peace Prevail
On Earth," he whispered
and pressed the button.
Suddenly there was a burst
of light around each alien
ship. When Commander KindMan-One
opened his eyes, the alien
ships were no longer glaring
an angry red. Instead
they both hummed a warm
soft glow.
In his split-screen Monitor,
Commander KindMan-One
saw the twelve Rigmorfin
faces smiling at him.
"Thank you, Commander
KindMan-One!" they chimed
in perfect harmony.
Commander KindMan-One
smiled. "You're welcome
guys. Try not to wander
into the Red Zone again,
okay. The Raging Flares
have been really violent
lately and, well, you've
seen what can happen when
they hit your ships. You
guys had a nasty case
of Earthitis!"
The Rigmorfins nodded.
"Thanks again, Captain
Kindness!" they said and
twenty-four tentacles
flashed him the peace
sign, and then did The
Kindness Roll.
Commander KindMan-One
blushed when he heard
what they'd called him.
News sure travels fast
in space, he thought.
Why he'd only been knighted
as Captain Kindness the
day before yesterday!
Actually, he'd completely
forgotten his new title.
It was going to take some
time to get used to it.
He saluted them with a
Kindness Roll as their
ship sped away back into
the Safe Zone.
Commander KindMan-One,
er, that is Captain Kindness,
watched them a moment,
and sighed. "That's the
second time today the
normal Kindness Vibes
didn't do the trick and
we've had to use the Pure-Love-Rays,"
he said to CoPilot KindnessKit.
"Third,"
Joe-Computer corrected.
His train of thought distracted,
Captain Kindness squinted,
trying to recall the third
confrontation they'd had
that day. Try as he might,
he just couldn't remember.
Joe-Computer was never
wrong, so why couldn't
he remember? These space
days were taking their
toll and they still had
their big mission to complete.
Reading his mind Joe-Computer
pointed out, "We're going
to have to do some heavy-duty
refueling on Pure-Love-Energy."
Captain Kindness nodded.
"I still can't get over
how far the Red Zone has
spread this year. I'd
guess about 100,000 light
years further than it
was last season, wouldn't
you think, KindnessKit?"
No answer.
He'd purposely emphasized
that he was asking KindnessKit
because this blasted ship
Computer they'd been assigned
always had to monopolize
every conversation with
its vast knowledge base.
Poor KindnessKit never
got to get a word in.
"Peace on, peace on, peace
on," the computer began
hiccupping, as it always
did whenever it was nervous,
excited, or asked to be
quiet for a moment.
The hiccupping got worse,
but still no answer from
KindnessKit.
"106,
382.45 light years…" Joe-Computer
finally burst out, unable
to contain itself.
"KindnessKit?"
Commander KindMan-One
said more urgently and
turned to his faithful
CoPilot.
KindnessKit tried to raise
his head to face him,
but slumped forward and
the light went out of
his eyes. Captain Kindness
jumped up and dashed over.
"Oh
my gosh! Are you alright,
KindnessKit?"
But CoPilot KindnessKit
was motionless. Commander
KindMan-One started to
panic, "Joe, quick, call
911…" he gasped.
But then he noticed the
blinking LCD light on
KindnessKit's side. It
must have been blinking
for days. Joe-Computer
snorted and rolled its
eyeodes.
"I'm
so sorry, KindnessKit!"
he burst out. "I forgot
to change your battery!
Has it been 1,000 years
already?" He checked his
watch. Sure enough.
"Time
flies!" Joe-Computer observed,
in his most sarcastic
tone.
With a fresh battery from
the supply shute, KindnessKit
was purring peacefully
in no time at all. Captain
Kindness affectionately
scratched him under the
chin for a while, until
KindnessKit reminded him
they had a lot more space
to cover before they reached
the coordinates to begin
the special mission they
were assigned.
"You're
right, little guy," he
laughed as KindnessKit
leaped onto the control
panel and started tapping
with his paws.
"Coordinates
set," Joe-Computer confirmed,
with a hiccup or two,
as KindnessKit meowed
and leaped onto KindMan-One's
lap for a little catnap.
Captain Kindness rubbed
KindnessKit gently on
the head as the Kindness
Cruiser swung around and
set off deep into the
Red Zone, further than
any Kindness Commander
had ever dared to go.
Chapter
2. The Dreaded Red Zone
"Once
upon a time the Universe
lived in relative peace
and harmony. Of course
there were conflicts,
but living creatures respected
each other and the planets
they inhabited and treated
each other with kindness,
and this helped them to
work out their problems
peacefully.
"As
life on other planets
was discovered, fair and
just planetary systems
were agreed upon to ensure
the peaceful coexistence
of the many diverse cultures
and ways of life that
abounded in the vast Universe.
Thus was set the foundation
for the great Inter-Galactic
Federation that presided
over three millennia of
peace."
KindnessKit put the Briefing
Video on pause and snuggled
in closer to Captain Kindness,
barely peaking out through
half-closed eyes. They'd
watched this video a hundred
times in preparation for
their new mission, but
each time the next part
always made him cringe.
Obviously, Joe-Computer
wasn't keen on replaying
the next part either.
It was hiccupping like
crazy and pretended to
be otherwise occupied
when Captain Kindness
pressed the remote to
continue.
"Ship
Computer!" Captain Kindness
said sternly after the
third attempt to coax
it to restart the video.
"Peace
on, peace on, peace on
… Oh, alright!" Joe-Computer
agreed reluctantly.
"No
one knows for sure where
the Raging Cloud of '29
came from, but the havoc
it struck throughout the
universe was all too clear.
Wherever it passed, three
thousand years of Kindness
was left in shambles and
only half-memories. Wherever
the Raging Cloud came,
living creatures everywhere
suddenly forgot how to
get along.
"The
damage was extensive and
far reaching but nowhere
was worse than in the
dreaded Red Zone - a cluster
of galaxies where the
Raging Cloud seemed to
settle."
Captain Kindness, KindnessKit,
Joe-Computer and even
the Ship itself shuddered.
Captain Kindness suddenly
felt thirsty and put the
video on pause. But it
kept playing.
"No
way," Joe-Computer insisted.
"We're just getting to
the good part now…"
Captain Kindness sighed,
and shrugging sat back
in his chair. KindnessKit
purred away.
"The
Inter-Galactic Federation
had nearly been destroyed,
and the Universe would
have dissolved into chaos
had it not been for an
ancient society called
the Knights of Kindness
who, legend held, had
helped to bring peace
to the Universe three
thousand years ago.
"The
Knights of Kindness quickly
leaped into action, traversing
the farthest reaches of
the great Universe in
their Kindness Cruisers.
Wherever they went, they
helped to bring peace
back to Aliens everywhere.
They combated conflict
utilizing their ultimate
weapons of peace -- one
part dialogue, one-part
mediation, one-part conflict
resolution, two-parts
kindness, and all held
together and reinforced
with three measures of
Pure Love Energy.
"In
Less than a year, Peace
had been restored to most
of the Universe. Except
for the Red Zone, which
at first was small and
contained to a few thousand
light year radius around
the Planet Earth in the
Sol Solar System.
"But
each year the Red Zone
has grown wider as Negative
Rays of anger, greed and
fear have continued to
burst out from the heart
of the Red Zone, keeping
the Knights of Kindness
busy Keeping the Peace.
"No
Kindness Knight has ever
been able to enter deep
enough into the Red Zone
to reach the epicenter
of the Raging Cloud around
the Planet Earth.
"But
recently the Greatest
PeaceMakers of the Universe
have detected a wave of
CyberPeace emanating from
the heart of the Red Zone
that may allow access
to planet Earth itself…"
"Ooh…
ooh…" Joe Computer burst
out. "Here comes the part
about you…"
"Shush…"
Captain Kindness whispered.
"Our
bravest PeaceMaker, Captain
Kindness himself, has
volunteered for this dangerous
mission, in order to bring
peace to Earth, which
as we all know, will vanquish
the Raging Cloud and establish
peace forever in our Universe.
"May
Peace Prevail On Earth
… May Peace Prevail Throughout
The Universe…"
The screen went silent.
"I
still get all choked up
every time I see that,"
Joe-Computer sniffled.
"I'm just so honored to
be serving with you, Sir,"
he coughed.
"Meow,"
Co-Pilot KindnessKit agreed
and snuggled closer, putting
his purr-motor in overdrive.
Captain Kindness blushed
as he always did. "Come
on guys, you're just as
brave as me. Together
we'll succeed and we'll
bring peace on earth."
"Hooray,"
they all cheered.
Captain Kindness wiped
his brow. "Sure is getting
warm in here," he commented.
He knew, of course, that
it was because they were
getting quite deep into
the Red Zone, maybe a
hundred million light
years from Earth, now.
But he'd thought the shields
would have protected them
better.
"We'd
better find that wave
of CyberPeace fast," he
mumbled.
Joe-Computer was thinking
the same thing. "According
to our calculations, it
should focalize any nanosecond,
Sir," he said, somewhat
unconvincingly. His circuits
were feeling a little
more toasty than he preferred
them to feel, so it was
a little hard to muster
up a convincing tone.
Then suddenly they all
saw the Cyber- wave out
the windshield.
"Peace
on … peace on … peace
on… Oh my," Joe-Computer
gasped. "It's not quite
as big as we'd hoped,
now is it."
"No,"
Captain Kindness sighed.
"And it's getting a little
too hot to risk us all
trying to ride in on it."
He hesitated a moment,
knowing he was going to
have to argue his case.
"I'm going to have to
go it alone," he said,
"and you'll have to pull
the ship back to a safer
distance outside the Red
Zone. I'll call you for
the return trip out."
"Okay.
Peace on, peace on, peace
on,.," Joe-Computer agreed
eagerly, but KindnessKit
wasn't going to let him
away from his side.
"Look
little KindnessKit. I
need you to pilot the
ship. I'm counting on
you, pal."
How could KindnessKit
argue with that? So it
was settled. Captain Kindness
pulled on his Heaviest-Duty
Kindness Suit and Co-Pilot
KindnessKit typed in the
hyperlink they'd detected
that would allow him to
ride in on the wave of
Cyber Peace.
Co-Pilot KindnessKit slid
down and snuggled against
Captain Kindness's leg.
"I'll be back, KindnessKit,"
Captain Kindness sighed,
and then he sat down in
the pilot's seat and got
ready to press the hyperlink.
Captain Kindness took
a deep breath. "Okay,
Guys," he whispered, "think
Kind thoughts … May Peace
Prevail On Earth… May
Peace Prevail On Earth…"
"Hyperlink
optimized," Joe-Computer
whispered politely, then
hiccupped as quietly as
he could.
Captain Kindness pressed
the enter key. A nanosecond
later he was gone, whooshing
through Cyberspace.
Chapter
3. The Weekly Kindness Kids Team Meeting
The
Kindness Kids had just
materialized in Cyberspace,
like they do every Friday
afternoon for their weekly
Kindness Kids Team meeting.
They'd stopped wondering
long ago how they appeared
together in Cyberspace,
and just enjoyed it. Sometimes
they were able to bring
friends with them to their
meetings. This week, however,
they had an unexpected
visitor from a galaxy
far, far, far, far, far,
far, really really far
far away.
"The
weekly meeting of the
Kindness Kids Team is
now called to order,"
Ahmed was just saying
as he typed onto his laptop.
Then all of the sudden
the Kindness Kids heard
a whoooshhhhing sound
over the top of their
heads and saw a rainbow
blast of color whiz by.
"What
was that?" everyone gasped.
At first it had looked
like a giant alien-looking
creature in a spacesuit,
but then it shrank so
quickly that before they
even realized what they'd
seen, it was so small
they couldn't see anything.
"Uh,
sorry, it's just me,"
they heard a voice say,
somewhere above them.
But they didn't see anything.
"Over
here," the voice said.
The Kindness Kids squinted
and stared where they
thought they heard the
voice coming from. Then
they saw him, but just
barely - a super tiny
alien-looking guy in a
spacesuit.
"Huh,
who are you?" the Kindness
Kids gasped.
"Why,
I'm Commander KindMan-One.
Er, that is, I'm Captain
Kindness," the tiny visitor
stated as he floated above
their heads. Although
he was so small, they
could hear his voice loud
and clear.
"Well,
actually my name is really
Hector Narrow-Bottom,"
the visitor admitted.
"Naturally, with a name
like that I was happy
to become Commander KindMan,
and of course honored
to have been named Commander
KindMan-One after 25 years
in The Service of the
PeaceForce. I was just
knighted Captain Kindness,
the day before yesterday,
in fact, and I must say
it is my greatest thrill
to serve the Inter-Galactic
Peace Federation for Peace
in the Universe."
"But
you're so small - how
can you be Captain Kindness?"
Johnny, one of the youngest
Kindness Kids asked.
"Well,
I'm not that small back
where I come from," Captain
Kindness insisted. "Truth
is, I'm not feeling myself
right now. But besides,
never underestimate the
power of Kindness, my
good sir," Captain Kindness
said.
"Whoa,
like do you have super
powers?" José asked.
"Not
really, just the usual
Kindness Knight abilities
to make peace with a single
calming word. Dissolve
fear with an act of kindness.
Break apart jealousy with
a hug. Mend conflicts
with a moment of silent
listening. And of course
when all my peacemaking
skills fail, I have my
trusty Kindness-Blaster,
filled with the purest
of the Universe's pure
love energy. But I guess
I did forget to refuel,
didn't I … and I was getting
kind of low…" Captain
Kindness paused a moment
and his voice sounded
all raspy.
"Sorry
I'm not making too much
sense," he wheezed. "I'm
feeling kind of woozy.
I know we're not exactly
on Earth here in Cyberspace,
but I think I'm feeling
a touch of Earthitis coming
on… Do you think you guys
can help me out here…"
"Uh,
sure," the Kindness Kids
said at once. "What do
you need us to do?"
"Okay,
well, I'm feeling lots
of negativity trying to
take my mind over. It's
leaking into Cyberspace
from Earth. I'm straining
to keep it out of my head.
Could you all just please
think Kind thoughts. Your
positivity would really
replenish my peace waves."
"Uh
… okay…" the Kindness
Kids stammered. It all
sounded pretty alien to
them. But then, that's
exactly what Captain Kindness
was, so it sort of made
sense.
"Alright
everyone, close your eyes
and concentrate on saying
the most sacred of all
the expressions in the
Universe with me."
"Okay,"
everyone said, with their
eyes tightly closed, wondering
just what the most sacred
of all expressions in
the Universe would turn
out to be.
"May
peace prevail on earth,"
Captain Kindness said
softly.
"Huh?"
the Kindness Kids gasped.
Seemed like an odd think
for an alien to be wishing
for, but they did as Captain
Kindness asked, joining
him in repeating the words
slowly again and again.
After a few moments, Captain
Kindness was breathing
normally again. And he
was a lot bigger. He towered
over them as he floated
above their heads. He
zipped across the emptiness
of cyberspace, whooshing
overhead in a blur of
rainbow colors.
"I
feel good," Captain Kindness
exclaimed. "I feel GRRRRREAT!
Thanks so much! You Kindness
Kids really generate a
great Kindness Energy
- I never felt so alive!"
Needless to say, the Kindness
Kids had a lot of questions
for Captain Kindness.
But the one that interested
them the most was why
"May Peace Prevail On
Earth" was the most sacred
of all expressions - and
how had their saying it
helped restore Captain
Kindness's strength?
Captain Kindness floated
back and forth above their
heads and told them all
about the Inter-Galactic
Peace Federation, and
how all the aliens of
the Universe lived in
peace. Except for Earth,
of course. On account
of the Raging Cloud that
had settled over the Earth,
creating the dreaded Red
Zone.
He told them that for
thousands of years aliens
everywhere have said,
"May Peace Prevail On
Earth," knowing that someday,
when there is peace on
earth, Earthlings will
be able to join the Universal
Peace Federation, and
there will be peace everywhere
in the Universe. "This
single expression has
been said so much with
so much kindness, peace
and love energy behind
it" he told them, "that
it is the most magical
expression of all, now."
The Kindness Kids told
Super KindMan-One that
they used that expression,
too. It did help them
quiet their minds sometimes,
or feel close to each
other, when they said
it after a moment of silence
together. But it didn't
really have 'magic' in
it.
"Well,
that's because on Earth
there's so much negativity
that the Kindness Energy
can't focalize enough
to create what you'd call
magic. But here in Cyberspace,
it looks like you Kindness
Kids can generate so much
Kindness Energy that you
can do almost anything."
The Kindness Kids had
to agree that in cyberspace
their adventures were
magical! They felt really
good about themselves
as they realized that
it was their heartfelt
wish for peace that caused
their Kindness Kids Team
meetings to send them
on such unusual adventures.
They all were quiet a
moment, enjoying the silence
together.
"What's
the Universe like?" Erin
asked after a moment or
so. All the Kindness Kids
were eager to learn more
about the Universe, now
that they'd found out
that Earth wasn't the
only planet with life
on it.
Captain Kindness told
them about some of the
most amazing things in
the Universe. "Actually,
we could probably take
a quick spin around the
universe, if you wanted
to," Super KindMan-One
said. "I'll bet with your
peace powers, you Kindness
Kids could transport us
back to my Kindness Cruiser
in an instant, and then
we could take a tour of
the 7 Wonders of the Universe."
The Kindness Kids loved
the idea. "What are the
coordinates of your Kindness
Cruiser," Ahmed asked
as he got ready to type
them into his laptop.
He was the Kindness Kids
Team Secretary, and it
was when he typed a web
address on his computer
that the Kindness Kids
were able to be transported
through CyberSpace together
to enjoy all the adventures
that they'd been on.
Captain Kindness told
the coordinates to Ahmed.
Then they all joined in
a circle and concentrated
on the magical expression
they all loved, "May Peace
Prevail On Earth." Ahmed
clicked the link and suddenly
they were all standing
together on the deck of
the Kindness Cruiser.
"Peacetastic!"
Captain Kindness exclaimed.
Chapter
4. The Seven Wonders of the Universe
The
Kindness Kids really loved
meeting Co-Pilot KindnessKit.
"He's SO CUTE!" they all
laughed. They really flipped
when they heard his purr-motor
going after they rubbed
him under the chin.
"Yep,
KindnessKit was the first
Kitty I put together,
back when I was just a
kid. Wouldn't even ever
think of getting a newer
model. Nope, KindnessKit
and I have been through
everything together. Just
have to remember to change
his batteries, every thousand
years or so."
The Kindness Kids really
got a kick out of Joe-Computer,
too. They didn't even
seem to mind how he went
on and on about everything,
showing off his vast wealth
of knowledge. They just
thought it was so cool
to have a super computer
like that who could talk
to you. The hiccupping
did get on their nerves
a bit after a while, though.
The Kindness Kids felt
amazingly proud when Captain
Kindness asked them to
join him in refueling
the ship with Pure Love
Energy. "We'll be able
to refuel in no time with
the Kindness Energy you
Kindness Kids have got
going!" he assured them.
Sure enough, it wasn't
very long at all after
they'd sat in a circle
quietly focusing on peace
and love and the sacred
expression, "May Peace
Prevail On Earth," that
Joe-Computer quietly,
then more loudly interrupted
their quiet time. "Sir,
we're completely filled
to the brim," he stated.
"And, I might add, with
the highest octane I've
ever seen!"
Captain Kindness took
them on a quick tour of
the Universe, showing
them so many amazing sites
that it would take a whole
book to describe them
all. The Kindness Kids
had to admit that the
7 Wonders of the Universe
really were the most amazing
things they could imagine.
They zipped through space
from one landmark to the
next, instantly in a heartbeat
after they whispered the
sacred expression together
after a moment of silence.
Commander KindMan-One
couldn't stop marveling
at how powerful their
Kindness Energy was.
There was so much to see
that the Kindness Kids
couldn't decide which
of the 7 Wonders was their
favorite. There were the
Great Pyramid Planets
of the Egyptolonia7 Galaxy,
whose gravitational pull
caused them to dance together
in a perfectly choreographed
display every afternoon.
There were the Hanging
Gardens of Planet Babylonia
with the most beautiful
gigantic and strangest-looking
flowers and plants the
Kindness Kids could have
imagined hanging from
puffy clouds.
And the Great Zeusophone
that towered over the
planet Olympiata, trumpeting
waves of joy that thundered
throughout the universe.
The Planet Ephesus was
home to the famous Art-Em-Is-Great
Temple, which captivated
them as it displayed a
new work of artistic beauty
each instant. Each glimpse
of beauty was pulsed out
to the Universe providing
the creative spark for
all works of art that
would be created.
In the Halicarnassus Galaxy
there were 22 planets
filled with statues of
the Universes' greatest
peacemakers. Each monument
towered a thousand feet
into the sky and blazed
a different color of the
rainbow.
There was the firey statue
on the planet Rhodes that
was so huge and colossal
that it lit up the sky
and brought life-bringing
warmth to a thousand once-barren
planets that floated nearby.
And of course there was
the Great Lighthouse at
the very center of the
universe, on the Alexandria
Asteroid, that pulsed
out a beacon of hope each
instant as it whispered,
"May Peace Prevail On
Earth." The Kindness Kids
could hear the whisper
echo throughout the entire
universe and they were
filled with a real sense
of hope that someday this
wish would indeed come
true.
The Kindness Kids were
so grateful to Captain
Kindness for showing them
these wonders and so much
more. They were only too
happy to help Captain
Kindness to see the wonders
of their world, especially
since that was his mission
and they wanted to do
whatever they could to
help him accomplish it.
Chapter
5. What a Wonderful World!
Joe-Computer
was a little hesitant
at first when Captain
Kindness asked the kids
to use their Kindness
Energy to transport the
Kindness Cruiser into
Cyberspace. He remembered
only too well the singey
feeling that came over
him when they first tried
to enter the Red Zone.
But Captain Kindness was
sure the Kindness Kids
would have no difficulty
transporting them into
Cyberspace.
Getting to the actual
planet, however. was a
completely different matter.
Captain Kindness realized
that even the Kindness
Kids wouldn't be able
to generate enough Kindness
Energy to bring the Kindness
Cruiser to the Earth's
surface. There was just
too much negativity.
"But
we can go home after our
meetings?" Jamal said,
echoing the other Kindness
Kids' thoughts. "The negativity
has been hanging over
the earth for so long,"
Captain Kindness explained,
"that Earthlings are used
to it. They're not immune,
of course. We've seen
some nasty things going
on in our remote viewing
facilities. People break
out with nasty cases of
Earthitis all the time,
doing really mean things
to each other…"
The Kindness Kids had
to admit that unfortunately
violence was all too common
in their world.
"But
there's a lot of good,
too!" the Kindness Kids
assured Captain Kindness.
After they'd materialized
in Cyberspace, the Kindness
Kids took Captain Kindness
on a virtual tour of the
planet, showing him just
how much kindness and
beauty the Earth had to
offer. Ahmed's fingers
were getting tired from
typing in all the web
addresses as they leaped
from one hyperlink to
the next to show their
new friends as many Earth-sites
as they could.
They showed him beautiful
landscapes and sunsets,
beaches and forests. They
showed him towering skyscrapers
and bridges that scanned
giant bodies of water.
They showed him people
working together to help
feed the hungry and people
helping to heal the sick.
They brought him to celebrations
where people danced and
sang and prayed together
and the feeling of love
and connectedness was
so strong you could practically
see it floating in the
air.
"There
really is a lot of Kindness
Energy here on Earth!"
Captain Kindness marveled.
"Much more than we realized!"
Unfortunately they couldn't
help seeing some of the
negative things, too.
Captain Kindness sighed
after they'd accidentally
landed on a website that
talked about a war that
was going on. "Gosh, this
really could be a wonderful
world, if only people
tried harder to get along
with each other."
"And
treated the earth with
respect, too," the Kindness
Kids agreed. Then they
hyperlinked to another
site that showed how compassionate
people can be and Joe-Computer
couldn't help commenting,
"I've weighed the good
and the bad, and there's
quite a lot of both here.
But overall, there is
great cause for hope of
peace on earth after all…"
Everyone agreed.
Chapter
6. I'll Be Back
Captain
Kindness would have been
quite content to continue
sightseeing for much longer
- he really liked Earth
a lot. But as they were
just about to glide along
another hyperlink, Joe-Computer
called out, "Hang on,
Ahmed. It appears that
the Cyberwindow is narrowing
quite a bit. We'll have
to leave soon, if we want
to make it back out."
"Perhaps
it's because it's getting
late and we really should
be adjourning our Kindness
Kids Team meeting," Sunanda
pointed out.
"Ah,
that would explain it,"
Captain Kindness agreed.
"But can you Kindness
Kids explain something
else. We've noticed the
Cyberwave peaks at specific
times. It's much stronger
at those times. If we
can figure out why, then
maybe we can find a way
to help peace on earth
to come."
Captain Kindness had Joe-Computer
check over the records.
"Obviously the Friday
afternoon peaks are due
to your Kindness Kids
Team meetings. That creates
a narrow but clear channel
into Cyberspace," Joe
Computer began as he searched
his memory banks.
"A
narrow, but nice clear
channel at Noon in each
time zone…" he continued.
"People
all around the world join
at Noon each day in saying
'May Peace Prevail on
Earth'" José exclaimed.
"If
only more people would
join in," Maya sighed,
"It would create a larger
beacon of hope.
"There
are two specific times
of year when the channel
is the clearest," Joe-Computer
continued. "It looks like
there's a huge spike on
September 21 and the one
leading up to December
25 on up until January
1 when there's another
big spike."
Hearing this made the
children very excited.
They all began speaking
at once, explaining just
why this was happening.
Embarrassed, they apologized
to one another and urged
everyone else to continue.
But they didn't have to
re-explain, because Captain
Kindness had easily been
able to process what each
of the Kindness Kids had
said.
He heard Erin, Jamal,
Solomon and Maria say
that September 21 was
the International Day
of Peace, a day that the
United Nations urged all
the world to join together
to create a day of ceasefire
and peace.
He heard Ling, Johnny,
Michiko and Ahmed say
that during the Christmas
season people were much
more likely to be thinking
about things like peace
on earth and goodwill.
And he heard Maya and
Sunanda explain that January
1 was One Day in Peace,
a chance for the world
to begin the new year
with a day of peace and
sharing.
"Well,"
Captain Kindness laughed
and he was really excited.
"Wait until everyone hears
about all this. We can
join in all around the
Universe sending you peaceful
wishes at those times.
That will increase the
peace field and help shrink
the Raging Cloud."
"And
maybe this year for the
International Day of Peace,
people will make it the
most peaceful ever," Ling
exclaimed.
"And
the Kindness Energy will
be so powerful it'll spill
over the whole world…"
Jamal added.
"And
it'll make that Raging
Cloud go away…" Sunanda
continued.
"Which
will help Earthitis from
spreading," Johnny said.
"So
people won't be so out
of control and can remember
to be kind and compassionate,"
Michiko exclaimed.
Everyone was really excited
and very hopeful.
"Sir
the window is shrinking
fast" Joe Computer warned.
"I
guess we'd better go,"
Captain Kindness sighed.
He was really sad to be
going. "But I know that
we'll be back really soon,
with a clear channel right
to the heart of the planet.
I just know that someday
soon there will be peace
on earth and then finally
there will be peace throughout
the universe."
The Kindness Kids hugged
Captain Kindness, KindnessKit
and even Joe-Computer's
monitor. They joined together
in a moment of silence,
and after they said, "May
Peace Prevail On Earth"
together, the Kindness
Kids found they were sitting
in the familiar emptiness
of Cyberspace looking
up at the Kindness Cruiser
floating up ahead.
"Goodbye!"
KindnessKit and Captain
Kindness waved through
the windshield. Then in
a blur of rainbow color
they zipped up, up and
away through cyberspace
off to the most distant
reaches of the Universe.
"Wow!"
the Kindness Kids sighed.
"This sure was some meeting!"
The Kindness Kids logged
off and went back to their
homes with even more reason
to try to make this year's
Peace Day the best ever.
As each drifted off to
sleep that night in their
own part of the world,
they were almost sure
they could hear Captain
Kindness's voice somewhere
out in the great universe
whispering "May Peace
Prevail on earth." And
Co-Pilot KindnessKit's
purr-motor, humming away
contentedly, too, not
to mention Joe-Computer's
hiccupping "Peace on …
peace on ..."
There were smiles on the
faces of every one of
the Kindness Kids as they
thought about the fact
that there was already
peace in the rest of the
universe and someday finally
there would be peace on
earth.