It was done.
Oscar had slain the beast who had kidnapped his infant daughter. He thought he would feel victorious. Instead, he was filled with remorse for having killed a man. Well, sort of a man.
The aftermath wasn’t easy. Poor little Valencia Rose didn’t know her mommy and daddy anymore. There were days and nights filled with sadness and tears. But Oscar and Tyla kept doing their best to comfort their daughter and show her patience and love.
Three months after Oscar’s return, their family returned to the vampires’ home to visit and to pay the debt they owed. The house was as dark and creepy as Oscar remembered. But the vampires were warm and welcoming. They fawned over Valencia Rose and introduced her to their children, including the vampire triplets that had been recently born.
“They still take mostly breastmilk, but they’re already starting to drink a little blood, too,” Krysanthe said proudly.
“How…nice,” Oscar said, suppressing a shudder.
Later, Oscar filled in Ellison on all his adventures in Batuu. Ellison clapped his hands in delight when he heard how Oscar had escaped the stormtroopers and had flown a real X-Wing fighter.
“I would give anything to go there myself,” said Ellison. “But as you can imagine, we vamps don’t fare too well in a sunny climate.” They went outside to say their goodbyes, and Oscar gave Ellison the souvenir he’d requested. Ellison gripped the hilt tight and turned it on.
Fssssssshhhh!
The lightsaber glowed the same pale yellow as the harvest moon above. Ellison gave the weapon a few test swishes through the air.
“It’s perfect!” he cried. “Just what I needed for my Star Wars collection. Now if only I had a BB-9 unit…” he looked at Oscar shrewdly, as though trying to think of a way to convince him to return to Batuu.
“I think we’ll be going now,” Oscar said quickly. “Thanks for everything!”
Oscar, Tyla, and Valencia Rose returned to their cozy cottage, which now belonged to them, where they fed their chickens and cows, read good books before the crackling fireplace, and, like all good fairy tales, they lived happily ever after.
THE END