Those years that Flash was alone in his spaceship, I was lonely, too.
The teenagers that were part of the first Flash Meridian episodes grew up and moved away, and Flash was alone to introspect on his journey.
Even my daughter, who was three when the adventures began, grew up and left.
The pictures changed, and then all but disappeared. I thought the writing was getting better, but I missed the magic of companionship… of collaboration, and of multimedia.
Like the whales that had ceased to fly, the story of Flash Meridian had grown sluggish and laborious to write. More and more time passed between episodes. When I published the book, I thought maybe that was it. Maybe the story was just over.
Flash and I were looking for a home, not realizing that we were already there.
I did not want to be an empty nester. The greatest joy of my life was raising my kids, and so, in my late fifties, I decided to try to adopt again.
Now the kids are teenagers, and they want to be part of the saga of Flash Meridian.
They are developing their own costumes, and posing for photos so that I can send them into space.
Before I started writing the story, I had bought a vintage flight suit on eBay, and started taking pictures with it. I called myself “Rocket Boy” but they were just pictures with nowhere to go.
Last week, the kids woke me up by sneaking into my bedroom and attacking me early one morning, wearing masks. I took pictures of them, and those masks became the start of their Flash Meridian costumes and characters. I love it when creative details grow into something bigger and sort of take on a life of their own.
I’ve gone back to way I created the images twenty years ago, and now these pictures and their experiences help to inspire the story.
I think a mindful life can be the ultimate sit com, the wackiest sci fi story, and even a real life romantic comedy.
…and speaking of returning to the way I used to do things, I’ve been drawing a lot on paper with a pen. Quick doodles, like I used to do in Junior High and High School.
With no expectation, I just grip the moving pen and see what comes out.