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Wind rushing past him ceased its resistance, instead yielding to Casey’s presence.  The air in his lungs became one with the sky and clouds, united even with the endless space beyond the atmosphere as if the blue dome above opened to an infinity of air and life.  Climbing higher and higher, pressure started to build around the most distant limits of his new freedom until giving way entirely to the pure force of the child’s joy, and all of a sudden he could feel everything.  Casey tried the wheel and turning slightly left what was now his rocket ship swooped cleanly up and left at exhilarating speed.  The ship leveled out and he turned right, then left, then right again.  He could feel the ship’s movement in his heart.  He is speed.  He is power.

In no time he reached the altitude of the shining clouds.  At first he wanted to avoid them, so still and mountainous, but then he remembered what he’d learned in school, that clouds are just tiny specs of water like mist.  The ship sped toward the soft whiteness and disappeared leaving swirling vapor in its wake.  The cloud seemed to pass through him as he raced onward with water saturating his being as if he were drinking from the spring of life itself.

A mighty streak of red blasted out of the top of the cloud.  The white blanket vanished and in an instant Casey could see the stars.  They weren’t far away in endless blackness but near to him, some of them closer than the sun, golden-white fiery orbs that burned brightly with a quality that could only be called kindness, even love.  He began to cry from the feeling of absolute joy now beginning to overwhelm him.  Wiping the tears away, he directed the ship back down through the clouds and toward the area where he had taken off.

When Ethan and Linda finally caught up with him the boy was standing beside the path next to a couple in their thirties with the car parked beside them.  They were talking and smiling when they spotted the worried parents running and waving.

“Here comes mom and dad,” said the man.

“Casey, what in the world were you thinking?  Don’t you know how to brake?” shouted Linda.  “Weren’t you… you could have veered into the parking lot and gotten squashed.”

“He was navigating pretty well.”

“Thank you so much,” said Ethan.

“We were able to stop him before he crashed into one of the joggers or bicycles around here,” said the woman.

“I told you,” said Linda, finally calming down.  “Come here.  You are not going to drive this car until your father or I take you to a safer place, okay?

“I’m Ethan.”

“I’m Stephen, this is Olivia.”  They shook hands.

“My name’s Linda.  We can’t thank you enough.  Now wait here with me while your father gets his car.  You won’t be driving anymore today, you maniac.”

The couple continued walking and picked up where their conversation had left off.

“The way the corporations see it AI is the gateway to chaos.  The Anarchic Party unravelling the structured order of these United States, but more importantly it’s also a great opportunity,” said Stephen.

“What about the next step in evolution?” asked Olivia.  “You said that back when AI started flooding the internet.  We were at Tempo’s eating dinner with Mark and Lily.  You said those exact words, you were all amped about the new technology.”

“Opinions change.  And I’m not totally against it.  I just don’t want convenience to bring on changes that eclipse our humanity.”

“If humanity has the capacity to change the world for the good of all people—all people—don’t you think we have the responsibility to do so?”

“Of course, but we’re talking about potentially sharing the whole world with the machines.”

Olivia Laughed.

“I’m serious.  Sure we can have our labor done for us now, we can even get money for free to help compensate for the loss of jobs, but we basically have to become roommates with robots in order for that to happen.  There will be a brand-new lifeless race among us, serving us like slaves.”

“Aww, you’re concerned about your mechanical friends.  Don’t call them lifeless, robots can feel.”

“Not like it matters anyway, business will do whatever they can in the name of civilizational advancement.  There will be a backlash no doubt, possibly led by you, but the companies will just push back and force the technology through.”

“The people would help,” said Olivia, “we’re starving for newer better things, state of the art cutting edge world of tomorrow ‘stuff’ to pry open the door to the future.”

“Now who’s being pessimistic?  My point—”

“I’m for it.  The Founding Fathers of this great nation would be too.”

“My point is there may be a million rational, altruistic reasons to give technology free reign, but nothing is more important than protecting our souls.

They continued strolling in a wide circle around the park, arguing and laughing and almost perfectly content.  They could banter with one another all day, which was something they realized in college soon after they met.  They disagreed with each other just so they could fight.

“I’ll convince you not to resist the revolution,” said Olivia.  “Where are we right now?”

“Cantico Park.”

“Yes. And what does cantico mean?”

“Something in Spanish…  Dancer?”

“Close.  It’s an Algonquian word for a sacred ceremonial dance, or one of the lively gatherings where the Native Americans and colonial settlers would celebrate.”

“Were robots allowed to attend?”

Olivia took her phone out of her pocket.  “A robot told me about it.”

They agreed to walk one more lap around the park before going home and eating dinner.  Stephen was a musical therapist and part time musician who worked at Saint Perpetua’s Hospital, often in the Psychiatric Department.  Olivia was an assistant manager at a local restaurant, the go-to spot in the area for a burger, fries, and a beer.

The two of them approached a small bridge spanning a shallow stream running through the center of the park.

“I’m tired, let’s cut across and head home,” she said.

“We shall do no such thing.”

Stephen leapt off the top of the bridge to the other side, turning one-hundred and eighty degrees and extending his hand palm side up.  “May I have this dance, m’ lady?”

Olivia laughed mock-bashfully and hurried over the bridge and into his arms.  He drew her to himself and began waltzing around the path and nearby grass, humming a symphonic tune and carefully guiding his wife in the formal dance.

“Is this a cantico?” he asked.

“Absolutely.”          

Soon there was music rising up to meet and surround them as they stepped and whirled around and around.  The nearby trees glimmered with gold and silver light, the bushes and flowers luminesced with metallic colors of the rainbow.  None could compare to the light in Olivia’s eyes, beaming back at her husband.  She moved quietly, radiantly, as the music rose higher and carried them further into the mystery that once upon a time had brought them together.  They were in love.