Paraworld Zero

by Matthew Peterson

  “This is barbaric!” Tonya cried.

  “Yeah, this doesn’t seem very fair,” Simon said.

  Thorn smiled. “Don’t worry, guys. The pain receptors aren’t transmitted to the little Puds—just the movement. Alvin and Bo-Bob are quite all right.”

  Tonya rolled her eyes in response.

  The blue light that surged through the top rope surrounding the ring started to flash the primary colors.

  “It’s berserk time!” exclaimed the announcer over the roar of the crowd.

  The large Puds ran to the sideline and quickly picked out weapons. Bo-Bob selected a wooden bat, and Alvin chose two rubber batons. In a demonic fury, the giants lashed out at each other.

  At first, it looked like Alvin was going to lose the fight. Bo-Bob kept hitting Alvin’s fighter across the back, but then his bat suddenly shattered. With two seconds left in the round, Alvin clashed his hands together, as if he were clanging two cymbals. His Pud followed suit by smashing the rubber batons against the other Pud’s sides.

  A loud buzzer rang, and the round ended.

  Tonya turned to Mrs. Troodle, who was clapping like crazy, and yelled over the hysteria of the crowd, “I thought little Puds didn’t have time for frivolous things. This fight doesn’t seem like a very productive use of your time.”

  “Konya, you’re missing the whole point. The fight is just a demonstration of the new advancements in security collars. We’re getting a peek at the future!”

  “At the expense of injuring two helpless people?”

  “I wouldn’t really call them people, Konya,” Dr. Troodle chimed in. “The whole purpose of this line of science is to control the animalistic nature of the big Puds. I can’t even imagine what the world would become like if we didn’t have security measures like this.”

  Tonya murmured under her breath, “I don’t think it’s the big Puds with the animalistic nature.”

  The buzzer rang, and round two began.

  Sweat poured down the bodies of the large Puds, causing their muscles to glisten in the spotlight. Even their owners perspired as they threw their fists into the air. Simon thought it strange to see the dramatic expressions on Alvin Bottlebrush’s face as he shadow boxed in unison with his big Pud. Bo-Bob Dungbeat, on the other hand, remained cool and collected; every movement he made was well thought-out and purposeful.

  During this round, the fighters became much more rambunctious than before. They used their feet to kick, and they danced around the mat to avoid getting hit. Although Bo-Bob and Alvin were somewhat hindered in what they could do, they were still able to maneuver their fighters around with remarkable skill.

  The crowd roared with excitement when the chaos light flashed again. Alvin, the challenger, made his Pud run to the sideline to get a weapon. This time the selection was more deadly than before. His fighter picked up a knife, but before the large man could turn around to use it, Bo-Bob’s Pud kneed him in the back. Being a more experienced fighter, Bo-Bob had decided that, instead of getting a weapon, he would make a surprise attack instead.

  After Bo-Bob completed his first assault, he compelled his fighter to pick up Alvin’s Pud and throw him off the stage. Bo-Bob raised his feet as though climbing a ladder, which in turn forced his Pud to climb up the ropes and stand on the top rung. The little Pud waved to the crowd and then threw himself to the ground. His Pud did the same, but instead of hitting the mat, he smashed heavily onto the other big Pud.

  “Ooooh, that’s gotta hurt!” the announcer commented. “If Mr. Bottlebrush doesn’t start doing better soon, he’s gonna have to find himself a new Pud.”

  The crowd laughed, and the round ended.

  Simon turned to Thorn and asked, “They don’t kill each other, do they?”

  “No, hardly anyone ever gets killed,” Thorn replied. “They just beat each other up until one of them can’t fight anymore.”

  “Animals!” Tonya spat.

  “Yes, they are animals,” Thorn said.

  “I meant you—everyone here! Except for the ones in the ring, you’re all animals!”

  Thorn screwed up his face. “How can you say we’re animals? Look at what we can accomplish! We have the power to control—”

  “Your people are the real animals because you don’t seem to have the power for compassion.” She stood up, and everyone around them gasped at seeing her long red hair. “Civilized people don’t take advantage of others. They treat each other with equality and civility.” Simon perked up when she used those words. “Your technological advancements are worthless if they don’t help you to become better people. Even my father wouldn’t participate in something like this!”

  “Sit down, young lady,” Dr. Troodle said in a stern voice.

  Deeply embarrassed, Mrs. Troodle hid her face so that none of her peers would recognize her.

  “No! I won’t sit down! I won’t just sit and watch this go on any longer! Come on, Simon, let’s stop this fight right now.”

  She grabbed the boy’s arm, but he resisted. “There’s nothing we can do,” Simon said, staring at the floor.

  “There’s always something you can do,” she scolded. “Simon, you need to stand up for what’s right. When a problem comes up, you can’t just ignore it and hope it goes away.”

  “But—”

  “But nothing! Listen to me, runt. You and I don’t really meet this paraworld’s intellectual standards. You never know… maybe after a while, they’ll turn us into slaves as well.”

  Her words pierced his heart like a knife, and he felt awful that he had been so passive about the whole thing. Feeling a strange courage he had never felt before, Simon leapt from his seat and followed Tonya down the steps towards the stage. He vowed never again to look the other way when someone needed him.

  A million thoughts ran through his head. He wondered if there was a spell he could use to free the giants. Perhaps he could transport them out of the city. But what if he couldn’t control the magic? And how would the little Puds react to his spell? Now was not the time to doubt.

  He looked up and saw that Bo-Bob’s Pud held some type of revolving blade—like a chainsaw. Alvin’s Pud had only a rod of iron to defend himself. The chaos light flashed wildly.

  Simon and Tonya were almost to the stage when the big Pud who welded the chainsaw took a swipe at his opponent, slashing him across the abdomen—but only slightly. The injured man doubled over from the pain, and the crowd went wild. Fortunately for Alvin, the thin blade had only grazed his Pud.

  Bo-Bob raised his hands up high and readied himself for the kill. The heartless crowd screamed in approval. Without warning, Alvin Bottlebrush thrust up his hands, causing his Pud to swing the rod of iron with all his might at his would-be executioner. The rod struck the other Pud across the neck so forcefully that it knocked him backwards onto the mat.

  Staggering to his feet, the giant clutched his throat and broke off the shattered collar that had saved his life. He looked around the ring in a dazed stupor. Suddenly, he made eye contact with Bo-Bob, and a spark of hatred ignited within him. He charged at his master full force, but before he reached the ropes, the other big Pud, controlled by Alvin, tackled him to the ground.

  Half a dozen little Puds jumped into the ring to help. They zapped the fallen giant with energy sticks that flared with every jab.

  Determined, the large Pud grasped through the ropes at his master, but he couldn’t quite reach. Bo-Bob Dungbeat just stood there with a solemn look etched across his face… He had just been defeated for the first time.

  Simon covered his ears to drown out the screams from the hysterical crowd. He looked around at the people in dismay. Many raised their fists and jeered or called out for a rematch. Some were disappointed, while others overjoyed. Most of the Puds near the Troodles had not recovered from seeing Tonya’s flaming red hair and overhearing her derogatory comments—neither had Mrs. Troodle.

  The doctor stood by his wife, statue-like, except for the tightening of his clenched ja
w muscles. Thornapple hung his head down. A gulf seemed to separate Simon from his tiny friend. The Earthling had turned his back to the family who had taken him in. He had trodden over their culture, embarrassed them beyond measure, and for what? Nothing had changed. Nothing he did would ever make a difference.

  “Thank you,” came a broken whisper from within the chaos.

  Simon turned to Tonya and saw the tears streaming down her face. He reached over to pat her shoulder or to hold her hand—anything to comfort her. She threw her arms around his neck and sobbed.

  “Thank you, Simon,” she said again. “You stood by my side when no one else would. Thank you.”

  Simon held her, amidst the roaring crowd. He closed his eyes and opened them a few seconds later. Further up the coliseum, he spotted Thornapple, standing in the aisle, alone; his parents were already marching towards the exit.

  Thorapple’s ashen face remained void of expression—the gleam gone from his sullen eyes, his customary smile dissolved from his face. The little Pud gazed at Simon and Tonya with big, troubled eyes. All Simon could do in response was stare back and frown. A shiver of dread ran down his spine. What was he doing on this strange planet? He didn’t belong on Pudo. He wasn’t sure if he belonged on Earth, either, but at least there he knew where he stood. Had his friendship with Thornapple just been severed—torn apart, along with half of his heart? Tonya held the other half. Simon embraced her more tightly and wondered what the future would bring, now that his world had just been turned upside down.

  Chapter 16

  Celebration

  It took over an hour for the tow truck to bring Simon, Tonya, and the Troodles home from Hollywhip Stadium. Exhausted and upset, they all went to bed without saying a word.

  Simon waited for the familiar sound of Thorn’s rhythmic snoring before he crept out of bed. His legs throbbed, so he decided to use his hover chair to carry himself to the kitchen.

  “Har—you awake?”

  He opened the plastic flap in the wall and peered at the large Pud sitting in the dark, bobbing his head uncontrollably.

  “Are you okay?”

  The large boy looked at Simon and blinked. “Si—Si…” he fumbled. “Si-moan hungry?”

  “No, I’m not hungry. I just wanted to wish you a happy birthday.” Simon handed him the present he had purchased at the concession stand. “Open it. It’s for you.”

  Confused, Har broke open the white plastic wrapper and brought out a little chocolate cake. A tear dropped down his cheek.

  “For Har?” he asked.

  “Yes. Happy birthday, big guy.”

  “Thank—you, Si-moan.”

  The large boy stared into the darkness once more and continued to bob his head up and down.

  Simon brushed a tear from his eye and whispered, “Have a good night.”

  He zoomed back to his room and got into bed. The soft covers were warm and inviting, but his muscles refused to relax. He sighed deeply. Tomorrow was not going to be a fun day. He rolled over, yawned, and looked across the room at Thorn. As his eyes focused in the dark, he realized Thorn was staring back at him. Simon drew in a quick breath and sat up.

  “Are we still friends?” the little Pud asked.

  “I… I don’t know. I think so,” Simon answered slowly.

  “Do you think I’m an animal?”

  “No.” He paused. “But I do think you should treat Har better. He’s had a rough time lately.”

  “So that’s who you’ve been going to see every night.”

  Simon gasped in shock, but Thorn just smiled. How long had the little Pud known of his midnight excursions?

  Thorn continued. “Did you know that today is also Har’s birthday? We’re the same age.”

  “Yeah, you two could be twin brothers.”

  They both laughed.

  “Of course! We look so much alike,” Thorn joked. “So we’re friends?”

  “Yeah… friends.”

  The little Pud smiled so widely that Simon could sense it across the room.

  Despite the fact that his legs ached from all the strain he had put on them during the day, Simon fell asleep surprisingly fast. The beautiful young woman from his dreams appeared once more, but this time, she did not smile.

  “What’s wrong?” Simon asked.

  “The enemy has awakened. They draw near, even as we speak. Soon, all will be destroyed.”

  “What can I do?”

  The mist around them grew violent, and a howling wind came out of nowhere. The majestic beast the woman sat upon stood on its hind legs and panicked. Tossed back and forth like a tiny boat swallowed up in the heart of a raging storm, the young woman was almost flung from her companion’s back, but she held on tightly, nonetheless, with admirable strength and perseverance. Finally, like a soothing breeze, she calmed the beast with a cool voice and then continued her warning.

  Listen, dear Simon, for survival’s recipe is thus:

  A measure of strength from high places,

  a pinch of cunning from below,

  the mixture of two races becoming one,

  and the language of old to open the door.

  Simon struggled to remember the cryptic riddle. “I don’t understand.”

  She opened her mouth to speak but was interrupted by the sharp voice of Mrs. Troodle. Simon opened his eyes to see Thorn’s mother yelling at Tonya. The irate woman bellowed, “Don’t lie to me, Konya! The forest rangers reported that one of the suspects had long green hair. Hmm, I wonder who that could be. There isn’t anyone else on this whole planet with green hair!”

  Simon sat up, and Mrs. Troodle exclaimed, “Good! You’re awake. Simon, I want you to tell me what you were doing in the forest yesterday.”

  Simon rubbed the sleep from his eyes. “Um,” he started. “I-I-I don’t know.” He reached for his glasses and put them on. They stuck to his face like glue.

  “Come on. Tell me the truth,” she said.

  “We were just practicing for the dance.”

  “See, that’s what I told you!” Tonya shouted with glee.

  Mrs. Troodle sighed heavily and said under her breath, “I don’t even know why they’re having this stupid dance in the first place.” Tonya smiled in an I-told-you-so sort of way. Mrs. Troodle looked Simon squarely in the eyes and asked, “What else were you doing up there?”

  Simon didn’t want to lie, so he told the truth. “I was learning how to do magic, and a couple of the spells got out of control. Sorry.”

  Mrs. Troodle rolled her eyes in disbelief. “Thornapple, I don’t know if letting Simon and Konya stay with us was such a good idea. They’re obviously unstable.”

  “No, Mother,” Thorn told her swiftly, “Simon’s telling the truth. Konya was teaching us how to cast spells.”

  Tonya’s smirk quickly disappeared. For the longest time, Mrs. Troodle just stood there with a shocked expression on her face. Then, suddenly, she screamed, “HONEY! GET IN HERE, RIGHT NOW!”

  Dr. Troodle bounded into the bedroom. “Look what I just found in the kitchen,” he said, holding a white plastic wrapper. “I think Har’s been getting into our food again.”

  Simon blurted out, “No he hasn’t. I gave him some food that I bought at the fight last night.”

  The Troodles gasped.

  Thorn’s mother closed her eyes and tried to regain her composure. She spoke quietly but sternly, “You did what?”

  Simon lowered his eyes. “It was his birthday. I was just trying to make him feel better.”

  “That’s it,” Mrs. Troodle proclaimed, her voice rising again. “I want both of you out of my house, right now!”

  “Sweetie?” Dr. Troodle said, surprised.

  “You’re a bad influence on my son.”

  “But, Mom—”

  “Thornapple, just what am I supposed to tell the forest rangers when they come knocking on our door?”

  “But it’s the anniversary of the Battle of Lisardious!”

  “Sweetie, he does have
a point. Maybe they could stay just one more night. The whole city is closed down for the celebration. There’s nowhere they can go today.”

  “All right, Honey,” she said in a strained voice. “Whatever you say. I guess this celebration only happens every thousand years… but tomorrow, they’re gone!” At that, she stormed out of the bedroom.

  “Dad, you’re not really going to let Mom kick Simon and Konya out of the house, are you?”

  “She is pretty mad. We’ll see. I suggest you guys don’t hang around here today. Why don’t you go to the fair while you still can. I have to go to the veterinarian. Har’s having a bad reaction to his security collar.” He headed towards the bedroom door and mumbled, “I hope I can find someone available to see him today.”

  “Oh, yeah! We don’t have school today. This is the first time I can ever remember school being canceled. Seven days a week of school is too much, if you ask me.”

  “Yes, well, you better enjoy it while it lasts,” his father said, just before leaving the room.

  The three teenagers got ready for the day and met outside.

  “You’re not bringing that along, are you?” Tonya chided, referring to Simon’s hover chair.

  “My legs are really sore from all that walking I did yesterday.”

  “You’re just a baby,” she said. “I better not see you in that chair at the dance tonight.”

  Simon wondered why she was so interested in the dance. He couldn’t imagine it being very fun. The dance, after all, was sponsored by a bunch of intellectual snobs.

  As they neared the fairgrounds, they saw numerous little people running around to get to the next attraction. The event was exactly what Simon expected it to be: a big science fair.

  One popular game allowed people to compete against each other by solving complex math problems. A problem would appear on a screen, and everyone would scribble frantically on their pads to get the correct answer.

  At another location, a little Pud measured people’s brain activity with a strange contraption. The machine flashed over each participant like an x-ray.