Perry sighed with disappointment as he lifted yet another chunk of soggy bread out of the water. This must have been the twentieth one he had found around town today. For about six hours, now, he had been traveling between the recreational lakes and ponds around the city cleaning up bread and giving patient lessons to the people throwing it out on the water.

Why? The wishing tree, of course.

The moment he had written up his own wish and hung it on the tree, one left near it by someone else had caught his eye.

It read: I really wish people would stop feeding the ducks. With his background, he knew exactly why -- bread caused so many health problems, and feeding was ecologically disruptive. The compassion for nature he saw in that wish had inspired him, and he knew he was going to do something about it... just like old times. He used to be a naturalist. Still was, he supposed. Not in the same way, maybe, but the difference felt minor. He still loved the Earth and he still loved seeing other people feel the same way.

So, he waded out into the water again and fished out more bread. And he kept walking up to the people who were tossing it out and explaining why it wasn't the right choice. He fell into the teacher persona easily, as if he'd never stopped doing things like this.

"Wait... Doc Wes? Is that you?" one person had said, approaching after a moment of listening in. And, with some effort, Perry recognized the face of one of his old students at Meadowview. He'd graduated years ago, had grown up, and was now enjoying the park with a pair of young children. They had a pleasant conversation. Perry made vague statements about how he'd been spending a lot of time abroad, and joked about how he'd forgotten to take pictures of any of it. The former student had had a rough time, but was managing to get a decent life together. It was good to see him.

It was good to be on Earth.

Compared to the bustle of the city at large, the parks were serene and quiet places, but at the same time, they were full to bursting with activity and life. There was wind, and water, and flora and fauna, growing and changing and interacting far faster than anything did at the cosmic scale. It was incredible. Perry frequently took small breaks just to squat in the grass and watch small insects flit around. In their own way, they sparkled much like the stars did.

There were signs in the parks reminding people not to feed the wildlife. It wasn't possible to completely grant that wish today, but Kurma believed someday it would come true. People generally wanted to change for the better. That's what millions of years of memories had taught him, over and over again. Everyone stumbled, and everyone struggled, but everyone was trying to build a better world.

Why else would the wishing tree be there in the first place?

It was people who had decided that.

A cluster of baby ducked bobbed along after their parents in the water, learning to exist in the world.