The Melted World (Worlds of Creators Book 1)

by Davi Cao

  “I can ...” Colin said, laying down with closed eyes.

  “You were melting, did you know that?”

  “I wanted to. This is a hell of a world. Why should I want to live here?”

  “Because it’s so interesting! Or maybe ... maybe I have not created something original. Did you already know a world like this?” OOOO spun its head once, appalled at the possibility.

  “Of course not. How could anyone guess that such a place was even possible? It's worse than hell, because at least in hell you'd find other people around. If I can't have Terra back, what's the point of living? I've got nothing here for me.”

  “Everything is for you, actually. You are not human anymore, you see?”

  “That’s a lie. Nothing changed in me, and I was just about to die if you had left me there. You say that I have powers, but even if I create something, it melts right after.”

  “Haha, it’s so funny, isn’t it? You have to keep trying. My world is not compatible with Terra’s building blocks, so they blow away when they try to come here. You just have to think of substances that are compatible with my blocks.”

  “So, you know how to create long-lasting things in here?”

  “I can’t, can I? Not yet! It’s hard even for me. But don’t lose hope! Solving challenges is the greatest thing for Creators, isn’t it?”

  Colin closed his mouth and turned his head up to the ceiling. He moved his arms and covered himself with the blanket. His nails half gone, evidence of the unrelenting torture he'd gone through, he wished to have them back, and they materialized brand new. They blended perfectly with the remaining parts.

  “Alright. If we've got nothing to do, then could you make me some chicken soup, please?” he said.

  “You don’t need food, do you? Immortal, you. Oh, I see! Yes, yes, I can do it! I’ll do anything to make you better!” OOOO ran downstairs to the kitchen.

  Colin checked his pocket and grabbed the photo he had taken with him after the first visit to his house. The portrait of he and his parents, nearly unrecognizable, now tinged with gray and melted in half. He tried to remember it and he wished to have it back. It materialized, their faces still lacking something. His memory suffered from imprecision, his images too wide to create a perfect reconstitution of their physiognomy. It showed what he thought defined those people, though, and the look in his parents' images greeted him with kindness.

  Immortal, Creator, bearer of unimaginable powers, Colin stared at his computer. His old machine sparked his interest in the world again, energizing his mind. He had spent most of his life in front of it, storing a big portion of his memories in that hard drive, it being the equipment that allowed him to exert his potential. Without power, though, it served as mere decoration, an empty shell. The smallest melting in one of its parts would erase years of valuable data.

  He opened the table’s drawer. A folded piece of thick paper lay on top of a pile of blank pages. A card he prepared for Angeline’s birthday last year. He had written her name with calligraphic prowess, copying a font he saw on the Internet, but it lacked alignment with the other elements and the arabesques he drew looked silly and out of place. The card remained in the drawer, a badge of shame, and on her birthday that year, he gave her a hug that gifted them both with the tenderness of complicity.

  He adored being in love. Alone in his bedroom, reenacting so many of his hours spent there by the window, the Voice still reminded him of his miserable existence.

  “I am the least valuable being in the world,” it said, and Colin sympathized with it, because he also felt that way.

  Angeline’s card, though, reminded him that some people enjoyed his presence even to the point of loving him.

  The first time Angeline spoke to him freely, he had just returned from Mr. Alden's room, scolded for missing a deadline. She placed a hand on his shoulder, facing his head until he found the courage to look at her. She said nobody would die because of a missing deadline, therefore he shouldn't feel bad. He smiled in relief, warmth invading his body from her touch, and they talked about a few situations in which they once put their lives at risk. They grew fonder of each other, passion planting its seed in their hearts.

  Terra, what a great place! He remembered when his family took him to the beaches on the north of the State, a place of tranquility and undervalued beauty where he swam for the first time to an island far from shore, floating with the help of a foam box. The islet had a small beach that in the end proved underwhelming, but its exclusivity made him feel the joys of an explorer finding the world's hidden treasures, and the world had plenty of them.

  The ground shook, making his feet tremble. Something fell on the top floor, in silence, for the lack of air. A concrete bulge deformed the ceiling, a pimple inflaming the surface. Melted matter dropped from it, falling in the bedroom then penetrating the floor. The outside world respected no boundaries. It invaded everything.

  OOOO showed up at the bedroom’s door in absolute silence, its only noises coming from its voice. The straps around its neck had a new color in them, wet dark, painted with spilled liquid. It smiled, walking carefully, disentangling its numerous legs to make sure none tripped over the other.

  “I hate stairs!” it said.

  At first sight, the creature’s presence scared Colin, so immersed in nostalgia that he forgot for a minute his old world's sad fate. He laughed, though. OOOO had troubled itself to carry a bowl, balancing it between three limbs, filled with an orange broth and small pieces of chicken. Judging from the looks of it, the food promised a great delight.

  “Now you go rest some more while your friend here takes care of the house, ok? I can be a good housewife, can’t I?”

  “You don’t have to do it. I'm feeling better already, things are starting to make sense,” Colin said.

  “Of course you’re better! Don’t you like it here? Yes, it’s melting, the house will collapse later, but it’s just like home, isn’t it? And you liked your old home very much, didn’t you?”

  “I liked it a lot. We humans are full of memories you know? Maybe it's not the same in your species. I look at all this stuff, and I want to get back to it, I want to live it again. New experiences are fine, yeah, but not when you lost everything. Can you understand? I don’t think I can live without it.”

  “To be honest, I believe you can and you should. You’re capable of much more than you think, aren’t you? Why lock yourself in as a creation when you can be the Creator? Now lay down and get your food. It will soothe you, won’t it? It will make you want to keep living, right?” OOOO said.

  Colin got on the bed, taking the chicken soup with him. It didn’t smell of anything, and the first spoon in his mouth tasted of nothing. He thought about the flavor he wanted to try, he imagined it, and then he wished for it. A faint scent of salty broth saluted his tongue, and he dipped the spoon again to have more of it. In that world, he could savor things only if they got adapted to his Terran sensibilities.

  “It’s very good, OOOO. You prepared a nice soup,” he said.

  “Wonderful, isn’t it? I’m glad that you found out how to feel it. See, it’s amazing to be a Creator, isn’t it?”

  “Maybe ...”

  “I’ll make you some dessert, is that alright with you? Life is great! You can do a lot to make our life more interesting, so you must not melt, ok? You won’t melt, will you?” OOOO said.

  “I guess not, but—”

  “No buts! Just eat it in your bedroom and wait, because I’ll bring you some good sweet stuff. You like it, don’t you? I remember how it was, I was in Terra with Mae, you'll see!”

  Colin ate everything for the mere ritual of it. The window next to his bed melted partially and lost its glass. Transparent silicon flowed down the walls and waited for the rest of the house’s melting. The taste in his mouth faded, saying farewell without any chance to celebrate its return. He wanted more of it, more of Terra. There had to be a way of getting it back, and OOOO had the answers.

>   On the lower stair steps, Colin peeked through the railing. OOOO stood in front of the stove, knocking its legs over the grates like a drummer. It then knocked the pan that lay over the gas burner onto the floor, and struggled to pick it up. Unable to do so, it hit it several times until its circumference became square. It tried to take a dish from the cupboard and it fell on the counter, breaking into a thousand pieces. OOOO tried again, balancing a new dish until it touched the floor. OOOO threw the broken plate pieces in the new one and spilled it in the squared shape. It jumped over it, and then spun around the objects. It took the shape of a rain dance, instead of a cooking ritual.

  The dishes melted over the metallic pan beneath them. OOOO stared at it with a small mouth, sad to see the failure of whatever it tried to do. It raised three of its legs and stared at a point in their middle. A fancy white tray materialized in front of it with a round pudding on top. The creature walked carefully, an equilibrist performing its act, shaking the dessert to the point of nearly tumbling with it.

  As it met Colin on the stairs, he dropped the pudding to the ground in surprise, spoiling the special care OOOO wanted to offer its friend.

  “No, no, I was going to take something good to you. You came down early! That means you’re happy now, aren’t you? Ready to keep living?” it said.

  “I am. But I need answers first.”

  The stair steps behind Colin collapsed, isolating the second floor from their reach. Unless, of course, any of them decided to recreate it and wait for the next time it would meltdown. He had many doubts, though, and his old house meant nothing if he couldn’t take it to old Terra.

  “Why did you save me?” Colin asked.

  “I can’t let a Creator disappear. No, that would be a disaster, wouldn’t it? You can do a lot to make our existences more interesting!” OOOO said.

  “You showed no mercy with the people that lived in the old world. They were creators too, you know? Each human had a potential to do incredible things, and they all died because of you!”

  “If you think they could do interesting things, that’s because you’re still new in here. Could any of them create a world like this one?”

  “Yes, they could, in works of art!”

  “That’s interesting, I admit it, but we are those who crafted creatures who can create other things, aren’t we? So, if that’s grand, what we do is huge!”

  “It doesn’t matter! Every creator that dies is a tragedy, isn’t that what you say? Humankind’s disappearance is a tragedy worse than my possible death.”

  “Humankind’s disappearance? Haha, your kind is far from gone! There were, and there will always be many, many worlds crafted by, and for humans. You are one of them now, aren't you? Terra was just a hypothesis, a work of art on its own, wasn’t it?”

  “It was the home to countless living forms. And yes, it was a work of art. So why did it have to end?” Colin said.

  “Because if it’s not destroyed, we can’t ever create any new world. And we Creators want to create new worlds, don’t we?”

  “You’re telling me you can’t have two different worlds existing at the same time?”

  “That’s right, isn’t it? I’m the dominant Creator right now, and all others have to live in my creation, until some other Creator finds a way to overcome me, or when everybody gets bored and we just let anyone take over. Interesting, isn’t it?” OOOO said.

  “Are we all fighting for dominance then?”

  “Sort of, but nobody dies, so it’s just a big game. What to do when we are all immortals and have nothing to win or lose from anything? We entertain ourselves with creativity, don’t we?”

  “I see.” Colin said, finding a strange joy at being awarded the rare gift of immortality, the newest member to the exclusive club. “You have to explain the rules to me, though, because I still don’t understand it. Why do other Creators respect you?”

  “Respect me? What do you mean?” OOOO said.

  “Yes, why don’t I see others trying to destroy your world right now?”

  “Maybe they are trying, who knows? Or maybe they are just having fun with my idea! There’s so much we can do in different worlds, isn’t there? It’s not all about destruction.”

  “But if I wanted to destroy this terrible world of yours, would I be able to do it?”

  “You could try and it would be interesting to keep up with it! I’m curious to see what you can think of, I really am, and it will be fun, won't it? It’s not easy, though, is it? Just try it.”

  “I did and things always meltdown.”

  “It happens, don’t worry. Atoms and light are the components of only a few worlds. Most others use totally different concepts. Mine uses emotional matter, for example, and that’s why your Terran ideas melt when they meet the components in here.”

  “So, if I think of, say ... happy matter, whatever that is, instead of the regular indifferent one, can I beat your world?”

  “Haha, now you’re talking! You probably won’t be able to do it, will you? Yes, because the World Voice is so intricate that even I can’t deal with it.”

  “And if other Creators aren’t the dominant ones, what do they do?”

  “You should look for them and see for yourself, shouldn’t you? There are marvelous Creators out there!”

  “Including Terra’s Creator?” Colin said.

  “Including Terra’s Cr ... well, that’s a different case.”

  “Why so?”

  “Because we may have a really hard time finding her,” OOOO said, lowering its mouth along its gaze, its teeth together, expressing guilt by joining all its legs together.

  ∙ 9 ∙ Out of the city

  The house crumbled faster than any other they had seen thus far. Roof-made rain fell down through the ceiling, corroding the pillars while penetrating the floor and walls. Melted slime soaked Colin, covering him in dejected matter that kept filling the ground like a river, unwilling to form new bonds. Still clean despite the bathing, he stepped out of the mud and got back to the avenue with OOOO.

  “Oh ... Should we rebuild the house?” the creature asked.

  “No, let it go. I can only have it again when I have my world back,” Colin said. “What did you do to Terra’s Creator?”

  “OK, wait, her name is Mae, so that you know. And I want to understand what you mean by that, don't I? Yes, because I did many things with her! She and I are good friends, aren't we? But maybe you're talking about how I made her give up of Terra with the World Voice?” it said, bobbing its head.

  “You released a monster over her. Is it what friends do in this Creator's realm? That doesn't sound friendly to me, you know, not at all, so I hope you see why I'm having trouble trusting you. You know how terrible your creature is, don't you? This thing melts everything, even you! Mae might have died!”

  “That’s a possibility, yes, isn’t it? And it’s bad, I know, very bad. But ... But I knew her, didn’t I? And I think she’s fine.”

  “Have you seen her after the world’s end, by any chance? Or are you talking out of your mouth?”

  “No, I didn't see her yet. However, she is the kind of Creator that's good at resisting sorrow, so I’m sure she found a good place to take care of her new projects, you see?” OOOO said.

  “Then I want to find her. I could never hope to create Terra again by myself, and even if I did, it wouldn’t come from the original mind. I need to meet Mae and ask her to bring my world back, to let me live again with the people I love,” Colin said.

  “You know you can just recreate these people yourself, don’t you?”

  “Like you did at the beach? And watch them melt right after? It’s ... it’s not the same, no—”

  “In fact, it is pretty much the same, isn’t it? You know what you want, and it’s only a matter of materializing it. Would that make you feel better?”

  “Not at all. I don't want melted people, and besides, it's not only the people. It's the whole life that I had with them. All of it! Can I wish
and materialize it?”

  “It’s a good try! It’s all probably going to melt, though, isn't it? That's the funny thing about this world, you see, it has the World Voice, and it's mighty depressing, isn't it?”

  Colin walked away from OOOO, turning his back on it. He followed the avenue until the edge of the city, where ruins no longer appeared, where bare hills marked the entrance to the countryside, going the opposite way from the colossal glowing pillar of light. OOOO followed him in silence, curious to see its new friend in action, in a constant state of expectation.

  As they roamed farther and farther from the city's wreckage, the land became monochromatic. Trees melted first, followed by any other form of vegetable life. A grayish slime covered hills and valleys, flowing towards crevices, filling the earth's pores with sad matter.

  “You’re walking nowhere, aren’t you?” OOOO asked, unable to hold itself longer.

  “You said we could find other Creators around, so I'm looking for anybody. I’m trying to find Mae.” Colin stepped hard on the soft ground.

  “Do you know where she lives?”

  “I have no idea. Maybe if I find someone, they can help me, and if I can help them back with something, I don't know, I'll do my best. You’ll help me too, won’t you? You said you were her friend.”

  “Sure thing, I can help you, can’t I? The thing is, she used to live in what you called New York. And it’s very far from here, you see?”

  “I see. That’s not good, unless we could travel by airplane.” Colin looked down, putting a finger on his mouth, thinking of how well he knew airplanes to attempt creating one. “At least we are in the same continent, so if we have to go walking, it won't take that long. Is there anything we can do to get there faster? Would an airplane work?”

  “A creation? First, does it fly in a vacuum? Second, can you think of space-warping creations? Third, would you mind falling down after it melts in space?”

  “If we could avoid that, I'd be more thankful.”

  “Well then, if falling doesn't please you, we can find a liquid-space Creator, can’t we? It can give us a ride instantly!”