by Patrick Hatt
“With a mongrel, I can rebuild Atlantis to its former glory. No more stealing information. Yenny will be eliminated and all will be right with my realm.”
“All will be right for all of us,” another being added.
“How can she do that?” Lester asked.
“From the knowledge we attained from the giants…”
“You mean you stole,” Max interrupted.
“I apologize for our history like I have to you before, but this could work to all of our benefit. The giants had a tale about the mongrels that started it all. They devised a way to control the few remaining through a special collar. They could get them to do whatever they wanted. Think of it. We could rebuild Atlantis, save all of those my kind has hurt, rebuild a whole species like the giants, and the realms would live in harmony.”
“And all it takes is making a slave, right?” Lester curled his nose up toward Atlantis.
“That is their purpose. To create and serve. Don’t let one life deter you from what could be a grand undertaking.”
“I’m so glad Brozen never grew up with you,” Trudesile said, no longer caring about ticking off the army of beings.
“Yeah, he’d be a power-hungry slaver just like his father then,” Lester added.
“No way we let any of what you said happen. You can’t change what you’ve done. You are all dead and this is where you will all stay. Whether you like it or not.” Max could sense the hostility coming from many of the beings in Atlantis’s army, preparing himself for a fight.
“I’m sorry that you feel that way. But this is right. This is how we all make up for what we have done and make the world better. We’ll send you back to the abyss and figure out how to get her here without your help.” Atlantis nodded toward Death’s table.
“Screw that. Take them,” Max declared.
Lester dropped pots of gold in front of them, surprising himself that his imagination worked. They fell, simply shoving the lingering beings aside, but crushing the few of Atlantis’s army that they hit, causing them to vanish.
“We need to find Death or Ra,” Max instructed.
“That’s not going to be easy.” Trudesile turned into a giant python and slithered around the beings. She sunk her teeth into the legs of any being she came across.
“This place is never ending. They could be anywhere.” Lester cringed as Atlantis stood smug before him. “I can’t believe that Oxom guy was right.”
“Right about beings who are dead and will stay dead.” Max made a holy water device appear and heaved it at Atlantis, causing him to vanish. He then brought forth his favorite dragon and flew into the air on its back. He signaled for it to burn many of his army and it did while the flames only bounced off the lingering beings.
Lester used his portal trick to cut many into pieces, which caused them to vanish as well.
“That was way too easy,” Lester stated, as Max’s dragon fried the last of Atlantis’s army.
“And I see why!” Trudesile reverted to her true form. She pointed to both sides of Death’s table as Atlantis and his army one by one returned from their respective sides.
“You can’t kill what isn’t alive, kids. For saving my son I will overlook this and send you back, but make no mistake, I will have that mongrel.”
“Over my dead body.” Max hopped off his dragon and joined his friends.
“Keep pushing it and it can be arranged,” Atlantis replied. His water eyes widened as Death stepped forth from behind Max, not saying a word, only pointing toward him.
“Looks like someone is going back to his happy place. Or maybe not.” Lester pointed downward.
“This isn’t possible. Sir Dreadvent trapped you and Ra. There is no escape from there.”
“Thanks. That was all we needed. Let’s go.” Max grabbed Trudesile and Lester. “Hold on.”
Lester and Trudesile both wrapped their arms around him as Max reached up and grabbed the foot of his dragon. His dragon lifted them up and flew them to the side of the table where the top half of the sandwich resided. Max let go and the trio tumbled into the entrance before Atlantis could stop them.
“Why did you bring us here, Max?” Lester cringed as the glistening stone floors reminded him of the tune that they had to whistle the last time.
“Wasn’t the side we went through the top half last time?” Max questioned.
“They must have got swapped in the chaos,” Trudesile stated, recalling the memories she still had of her dark side concerning the bad half of the sandwich.
“Either way, it doesn’t matter. We now know where Ra and Death are.”
“Wasn’t that Death back there?” Lester asked, realizing what Max had done from his grin. “Oh, that was you. Smart move.”
“What?” Trudesile’s mind tried to catch up to the pair.
“As soon as he said they were trapped, I knew where they were.”
“Do we really have to go back there?” Lester whined.
“We free them, we stop this chaos, and we get home.”
“Do you mean they are in Eden? How do we get there?” Trudesile questioned.
“Our imagination works here now for some reason. So…” Max looked to Lester.
“All right. I’ll do it. But his boney butt better not make us go through realities again to get back or I’ll have Trudesile turn me into a dog and chew him to death.” Lester grinned. “Get it? Death chewed to death?”
“You are so lame.” Trudesile giggled.
She and Max waited for Lester to create a portal and grew worried after he failed. They each tried their imagination and found it lost as well.
“At least the door’s still here,” Lester stated.
“But you can’t access it any longer.”
The three swung around to find Miss Clasteroff floating off the ground toward them. Her torso now much like Ra’s other form had been, letters of the alphabet donning the spot where it should be when she neared anyone.
“What are you doing here? I thought she was back on Camelot?” Trudesile asked.
“Come to think of it, I saw Vlad, Slister, and many of the others, but not her,” Max whispered.
“She got left behind.” Lester tried to hold in his laughter, finding it rather funny. He then burst out laughing after her old face scrunched up atop the L that now appeared on her torso.
“I am too good for Sir Dreadvent. He failed back in the middle of this miserable place and I don’t stay behind failures. I will rule here and make all I hate remain.”
“Sounds like someone is searching hard for an excuse.”
“You will never leave here, half breed.” Miss Clasteroff glared at Lester. She squinted further, expecting something to happen, clearly confused when it failed.
“I think she thinks we’re going to start whistling her tune,” Max stated.
Her torso turned into an M and then an S, each time failing to result in anything. She glared at them and threw her arms in the sky, her torso turning into an infinity sign.
“We already forgave ourselves. Found our happy place. Did all that stuff,” Lester stated.
“Something you clearly will never learn to do.” Trudesile tried to use what her father had taught her to break through the barrier covering the way back.
“It’s no use, Miss Marick. You, Mr. Blizzard, and the half breed aren’t getting away from me this time. My imagination works, and that barrier isn’t breaking.”
“Then we’ll make sure you have no more imagination.” Max leaped at Miss Clasteroff but she only floated higher off the ground and cackled at him.
“I guess we do this the hard way. Oh the irony.” Miss Clasteroff made pots of gold appear overhead and they began plummeting at the trio. She cackled as they each avoided them, narrowly escaping a few. “Time for round two.”
“Lester, run,” Max shouted, as her torso became an L again.
“She looks confused,” Lester whispered.
“Not confused. Annoyed.”
“Do
wn, my young friends.”
The trio fell to the stone flooring and watched as a sword flew overhead, going right through Miss Clasteroff’s torso and causing it to spin in a tornado whirl. She shouted and tried to make a letter appear.
“Al?” Lester rolled over to find Lancelot standing over them.
“The cover of the door is weakening,” Trudesile stated.
“Yes. She has yet to grasp Ra’s power and hasn’t his control. We beat back this monstrosity now and you shall be freed.” Lancelot tossed a sword to Max and Trudesile. He lifted a third with his foot and sent it to Lester. He then pulled another from his back satchel and got ready to strike.
“You just happen to have all of these lying around?” Lester asked.
“I’ve come and gone many times to try and end her. I’ve left many swords. When I saw you three I collected them and now…”
“Enough rambling. Now we end this.”
“Preciously.” Lancelot nodded to Max.
The four surrounded Miss Clasteroff and began swatting at her. She screamed and made more pots of gold appear overhead.
“I see now how me pot of gold trick may get old. Maybe I need to use anvils or something.”
“Later, Lester.” Trudesile pulled him aside and then the two climbed up on top the pot of gold that narrowly missed them.
Trudesile jumped from it with the sword out in front of her. She nicked Miss Clasteroff’s foot and then Lancelot chucked his through her torso, causing it to spin again.
“You will die at my…” Miss Clasteroff’s eyes widened as Lester’s sword went right through her open mouth.
“All those years of clicking me heels together provided me with great leg strength.” Lester stood cockily as Miss Clasteroff shook and began to burst.
“Everyone behind me.” Lancelot shoved Trudesile behind him and Max and Lester scurried to her side. He stood before the group as letters burst forth from Miss Clasteroff before she vanished.
“What are they doing?” Max asked.
“They need a host. She was nearest when Ra got sent away. So she got them. Now they need another host or this whole place will crumble, taking along the top and middle with it.” Lancelot pushed the trio back and then jumped beneath the swirling letters, letting them consume him.
“I think Al was a better look for you than this.” Lester smirked.
“I fear what they do to one as small as I, but you three have life left in you yet. Go.”
“What do you mean?” Trudesile asked.
“This power eats away at you. Unlike the other dead, I may not come back from this one.”
“Lancelot, you shouldn’t have. We could have grabbed one of those beings out there.” Max pointed to the now open doorway.
“There was no time. I did what needed to be done. But never fear, my young friends, my story isn’t over yet.”
“Whether you think it or not, you sure aren’t small to us,” Trudesile stated.
“Thank you, Miss Marick. I am glad we got to meet again and that I was given the chance to see how far you’ve come. Merlin was right. You are destined to save us all.”
“Couldn’t someone else do that for a while?” Lester grinned.
“Even you, Lester.” Lancelot’s torso changed into an L as he smiled at Lester. “Now go. Save Ra and Death. Only they can put things the way they were.”
“Can we use imagination in the top half?” Max asked.
“How do you think I have so many swords?”
The trio waved to Lancelot and then ran back through the doorway. They appeared beside Death’s table, spotting Atlantis sitting behind it. He grinned and pointed to the open portal behind him.
“Time you went home.”
His water arms stretched out for them until Lester hit him with a holy water device. Trudesile turned into a dinosaur and the pair hopped on her back. She used her tail to whip the rest of Atlantis’s army away and then darted to the other side of Death’s table, entering the doorway to the top half.
“By me pot of gold, this is crazier than Max’s crazy girlfriend’s reality.”
“It’s like the happy places of everyone have broken free and are colliding,” Max stated.
“This can’t be good. Lester.” Trudesile nodded to him after she reverted to human form.
“Oh, right.” Lester stopped gawking at the mish mash of happy places before them and concentrated on Eden. He made a portal appear and could see them on the other side.
“You will not be allowed to…” Atlantis extended his water arms toward them, missing as they hopped through and the portal closed behind them.
“Time to get off your boney butt and fix this.” Lester pulled himself to his feet and stared at Death relaxing against the tree.
“You know. I haven’t had a vacation ever. This is kind of nice. This just be stuff really works. I always thought Ra had his undies on too tight.”
“It’s useless. We can’t just be. We are stuck. No use.” Ra paced around the tree, having already killed the grass with his pacing.
“What he said, man. Just relax.”
“Death’s gone hippie and Ra’s depressed. No wonder things are so screwed up.” Max rolled his eyes over the sight of such powerful beings acting like children.
“God never should have made that deal. This is all his doing. Such a sad state,” Ra mumbled.
“What deal?” Trudesile asked.
“You didn’t think he and Eve created the first beings by themselves, did you?” Death laughed at the trio.
“Foolish children. Realms have no hope with them involved.” Ra swung his arm and the trio flew through the air, slamming against the deceptive wall that depicted the land stretching further.
“Ra, let us down. Just be!” Max shouted.
“Just chill,” Death mumbled.
“Everything and everyone has gone nuts. Max has a crazy girlfriend who’s Trudesile’s sister who’s some crazy being who’s…”
“Just be quiet.” Ra waved his arm again and Lester lost the ability to speak.
“Silence. So much better. Enjoy it, kids, because there is no way out short of splitting ourselves. And who wants out? All those rules and whiny beings. Plus you causing fuss and starting all of this mess. It’s so overwhelming. I’d rather just chill here and be whelmed.”
“Max, how can we revert them? Adam wrote something on the scroll to get them here?” Trudesile whispered.
“Sir Dreadvent wrote we’d go here and have no want to escape. Chaos followed. So glad we’re here,” Death replied. He then clasped his fingers together. “Now quiet.”
“Ra, you must stop just being and be yourself,” Max blurted out before he and Trudesile both could no longer speak.
“Be myself? The guy who says just be. Such a waste of life. Had it great until we dealt with God and Eve. So great. Now so bad.” Ra continued to pace, completely ignoring the group.
Max, Trudesile, and Lester each began using their imagination to try to break free. They found themselves able, but every time they used it, Death or Ra would snap their fingers and cause it to vanish. They kept trying, knowing that the pair were only toying with them.
Trudesile nodded toward Death, exhausted from using her imagination. The group could hear him snoring, finding the fact that Death snored and slept, rather amusing. She moved her eyes toward the apple above him and Max smiled. He glanced at it and Lester caught on to their plan.
Lester and Trudesile both summoned what they could of their imagination power at the same time. Ra snapped his fingers to stop their efforts while Max sent an arrow flying from his toward the tree. He quickly made his cloak appear and when the arrow hit the apple stem it broke from the branch.
Death gagged and spit out the apple that landed in his mouth. He stared at the portal that had opened from it, having no want to leave.
“You are more trouble than you are worth.” Death leaned back and sighed. “What?”
“Then let us go through the portal.
We’ll do what you won’t, and you won’t have to bother with us again.”
“Fine. You are all such a nuisance. Go, Mr. Blizzard.” Death snapped his fingers and the trio fell from the wall.
Max kept his cloak out and extended it around the pair, pretending that he feared Death and Ra as they neared the portal.
“Lester, can you make portals on an angle?”
“I never tried. But doesn’t sound too hard.”
“Good. Get ready to make one appear beneath both of them. Trudesile, swat them through. I’ll make sure the portal stays open.”
“Say when,” Trudesile whispered.
“When.” Max retracted his cloak over just himself and Trudesile hopped from it, turning into an ape.
Lester made a portal appear beneath both of them and they fell into them. They quickly appeared diagonally from another portal above the portal out. Trudesile swatted them both through and then the trio jumped into the portal behind them.
“That would have been so much easier if the way out was the same as the way in. You should fix that whole apple thing one of these days. No one stays trapped there anyway.” Lester grinned at Death as he rose to his feet, glaring out at Atlantis, the army, and the endless beings before him.
“I think we’d be better off to just scrap that whole cage. Now to get to work.” Death cracked his boney knuckles and waved his hand. He smirked as Atlantis flew from his chair into the correct side and then took his seat.
“Mr. Blizzard, you have my thanks. You have mastered just be and so much more. Sir Dreadvent should have chosen his words more wisely. For once we were freed, such emotions were freed from us and we returned to our normal state.” Ra bowed to him. He then waved his arm and Lancelot appeared beside him. “I’ll see your friend to a fine place.”
“Told you my story wasn’t over.”
“Then why the theatrics? Just like Al, always moaning about something.” Lester smiled as Lancelot waved goodbye to them.
Ra sucked the alphabet torso from Lancelot back into himself and then Death sent him back to his happy place. The pair quickly dispensed of the army that Atlantis had amassed, sending most of them to the bottom half.
“And now to get back to it. After an eternity of nothingness, I can’t believe I wanted to do nothing again,” Death mumbled.