Schmendrick did indeed love that car. After a test run, we had to outfit it with cabin pressure; she'd fly so fast that getting oxygen to its occupants was a problem. She had a little smartphone that fit her hands after some modification, and it was blaring music.

"The Radio never plays this," Schmendrick said bitterly. "Listen. It's Human music but not terrible. It's so GOOD. It's better if you sing. SING LOUD OWEN AND BELOVED MANDY!"

And she began yelling along with a relentless, hard-driving song:

"HOOOOOOOOOO

Wanna rock with Jennie!

Keep your head down yes down like Jennie!"

"So fast," she said. "I can go so FAST! And high, and upside down and sideways–" And while she named these abilities, she made the car do all of those things. "And I can spin and this, this is called yaw, watch–"

"Sweetie, Mandy and I are getting very frightened."

She aimed her snout at me accusingly. "Beloved Mandy isn't." She sniffed at me. "Just you're scared, Owen."

"Schmendrick, I'm scared out of my mind. Please have less fun."

"Okay, I don't want my friends to be scared. My friends are nice to me."

We drifted down to the rows of grim tract homes. I say they were grim because they were built to be that way, but the world they lived in was looking up. The sky was blue with fluffy clouds, and many of the homes were flanked by the green lushness of Gary's Houseplants, as they'd been called.

Friday had vanished. He'd left a message for the Radio, and said he and his family were safe in one of the thousands of new little Houseplant towns, and don't look for him, please. Friday had done what he'd needed to do. I felt like Arthur to his Merlin.

People were living in Houseplants all over the Earth. The big trees gave food, shelter, water and simple medications. It was a start. The media didn't quite know what to do about any of this yet.

They did know one thing, though: the world had changed. Not only was the Earth less toxic and dangerous, it had a strange new set of physical laws that had scientists losing their minds. They called it the Harrigan Force, possibly connected with the work of the wildly unpopular President. It allowed people to change their world.

There were other things the Humans of Earth were learning about. Notably the presence of other intelligent beings; Gary, for example, would appear on the news, berating everyone who spoke to him and belligerently offering instruction on how to work with the Houseplants.

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Mandy compared him to someone named Gordon Ramsay, a video chef she remembered who made a fortune by being obnoxious.

Los Cazadores were very well-liked. Stores sold plush versions of them, orange and white. "Sold" wasn't the correct term; money was losing footing as a dominant concept. But the toys were cute and fun and less dangerous than the real thing.

The Makers? No Humans knew what to do with them. Which was sad, because the Makers dearly loved charging into Human electronics warehouses and tearing everything to pieces. In a neighborly way, of course. And the Big Smart Bees wanted nothing to do with anyone but were suddenly everywhere.

And most jarring for Humans: the arrival of younger versions of themselves, the ones Harrigan had abducted with his Isekai App so many years ago.

"We'll wait here if you want," I said to Mandy. "Do what you gotta."

She kissed me, walked to the house. Stopped. Turned, then turned again and kept going to the door. Went around where I couldn't see.

"I'm worried for her," Schmendrick said. "Now she's more scared than you were during my very safe driving."

"I know. But she's tough, and this is how she wanted to do it."

Mandy came back out. She was accompanied by someone who looked a lot like her. Mandy was nervous, smiling. Eyes red. Trembling but pleased.

The woman from the house was in her sixties. She wasn't much different from Mandy herself; older, rounder. But she had smile lines and glasses and looked like everyone's favorite grandmother.

Mandy hauled me from the car. Schmendrick perched on my shoulder.

"This is Owen Walsh," Mandy said. "And Schmendrick de los Cazadores. Guys, this is … this is Mandy Nakahara. The original."

Schmendrick screamed in excitement. "TWO! Oh, I love you, Mandy the Old Lady!"

And she leaped from my shoulder right at Original Mandy. To my astonishment, the older woman caught her like a football, cradled her like a baby, her dinosaur feet in the air, tail waving. The older Mandy crowed: "So nice to meet you, Schmendrick!"

She sounded just like my Mandy. Her hair was gray, sure. But it was up in two neat pigtails. She cooed at Schmendrick, stroking her.

Her eyes met mine, went back and forth between me and Mandy. I felt like I was under a microscope.

"She's gotcha all wrapped up," she said to me with a satisfied smirk.

"He calls me Strawberry," Mandy said. "We're in luh."

"Very solid work," said Grandma Mandy. She raised her hand for a high-five, and my Mandy smacked it resoundingly.

The two of them faced one another, grinning. Smugness overload.

Something changed. I felt it, so did Schmendrick; her ears twisted and she looked at everyone quizzically.

Grandma Mandy frowned slightly, seeing something I didn't. "Oh honey," she said, and set Schmendrick down. She took Mandy in her arms. "Oh, my poor girl. I think you've had it pretty rough, haven't you?"

Mandy shrugged. She was sniffling.

"Come in and tell me about it. You too, smitten romance-novel-cover boyfriend and Schmendrick the fierce monster guardian."

So we did.

The End

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