SHADOWS MOVE OVER the dark ground; they flutter and clash. The sound of hail gets me moving a little quicker. Beaks and bird feet clack off of everything. I look up to see the murder of crows got too close to the Pterodactyls. It would seem that even in death we must feast to sustain us.
‘Kind of Good Monster’ has a house carved right into the mountain face. I enter the door and can see tables and chairs carved out of the rock. I peer around; no bed on the account that we don’t sleep.
“You having fun peeping around my place?”
His voice booms from the shadows. My eyes search for him, and his unmistakable peepers are emanating green light in the darkness.
“I never saw a house carved into a mountain.”
He smiles and nods his head.
“Yeah, it’s pretty sweet.” He replies.
He moves about the room and places things in piles: clothes, a backpack. He’s getting ready to go.
OLD TV
“Where is he now?” He asks.
“Well, he attacked, so he’s gone back to the pyramid like Mumra, the ever-living.”
He curls his lip, then snaps his fingers.
“ThunderCats, wow, that takes me back. Tomato soup and grilled cheese with my mom. It was the only thing she knew how to cook, but man, she made it well.”
“Tomato soup?”
“Yeah, when we were home alone, she’d make it for us.”
He has fond memories of his mom. The other Monster acted like his upbringing was all bad. Maybe he had a case of selective memory. Morons tend to remember only the bad times.
“Morning cereal with my mom,” I state.
He nods his head and looks up at the cave roof.
“Sounds like the Thunderbirds have moved on.”
“Your dinosaurs just left?” I ask.
He puts the stuffed backpack on his shoulder and nods.
“They do that sometimes. They’ll find me again; they always do.”
THE JOURNEY AHEAD
I guess he’s ready. I walk to the entrance of his cave house. The ground is littered with crow parts. I tried not to step on them, but there was some crunching. Monster didn’t seem to care at all; he marched through the discarded corpses of the crows like a bulldozer.
Still no sky, just black for as far as you can see. We float down the mountainside like water strider bugs. It is a thing of beauty.
Nothing but air all around me, and yet I don’t fall. The ground coming closer, leisurely and at my command. Our feet touch down like a leaf touching gently to the forest floor.
Each step we take brings us closer to possible doom. There is no room for fear; we have to do this. There is no conversation needed; we both know what is to come. We are going to battle an entity of darkness.
I’m coming for you, Monster. You ate me, you halfwit, and now I’m going to give you indigestion!
The trail is not far from here, but I get the feeling we are not going to follow the rules Monster tried to lock in as dark Cowboy; nah, we gonna fly!
We look at each other, and I guess my permagrin is contagious because ‘Kinda Good Monster’ has one too.
“I’m gonna learn to fly.” He says.
“Yeah, you are. We are going to do this Boogeyman style.” I state.
“Spread your arms like a phoenix.”
He does.
“Instead of trying to fly, push the whole world down.”
I lift into the air, followed by a hulking, flying mass of glowy greenness, fondly called ‘Kind of Good Monster.’
“I’m in the air.” He states.
“Yeah, you’re doing it.” I state.
A FEW MINUTES LATER
I got too excited. ‘Kind of Good Monster’ is not smiling anymore.
“I said I was sorry. It was funny when Demon did it.” I state.
He looks at me, his brow all angry, his mouth squished in embarrassment.
“Shut up. Demon did not do a barrel roll and moon you.”
I can’t believe that no one ever believes me when I tell them this story.
“Yes, she did, I swear.”
He is staring at me, no expression on his face. I can feel him analyzing me. It gets pretty creepy when Monster does this strange talent of his.
“You’re telling me the truth.” He states.
“Yes.”
“That’s hilarious.” He smiles.
He clears his throat.
“Did she have a nice butt?”
“Absolutely.” I state, in a matter-of-fact kind of way.
We both erupt into laughter.
No thin poisoned clouds; no orange sky, just the blackness of Monster’s spoiled soul. We soar over the trees, and one of them is getting quite large. Oh, someone threw a tree at me.
I roll out of the way, but it shatters on ‘Kind of Good Monster.’ Guess I forgot to yell, "Look out!" He shakes his head. That barely bothered him. This Redeemed is a beast!
Down below, there are many Monster split-offs, pointing and yelling at us. We were going to come down, but instead I started shooting them with my green lightning, hurling branches of bolts from my solar plexus.
Using my hands was stupid; this way the bolts are enormous and just keep getting wider as they leave my chest.
Some of the many Monsters teleport away, and the rest are smoking on the ground where they belong.
I drop out of the big black sky and land on a group of them. I am soon followed by ‘Kind of good, Monster.’ Many a bum is kicked!
The new and improved ‘Kind of Good Monster,’ is dominating them, as he is good at doing. They try to surround him, but I think that just makes him happy; he can attack in any direction.
I let out one more bolt that spreads out of me like chain lightning, and they drop. I have gotten so surgical with it that I am able to bounce the shot between them without hitting ‘Kind of good Monster.’
THE ARMY
We are left with a small army of Monsters. They lay there, their bodies smoking on the ground.
“Why should he sit on the throne? He is not strong enough to care about you. We don’t die. Are you going to stay alone forever? Maybe, if he stays in power.”
One of the Monster’s sits right up. He turns his head and looks at me. Streams of the smoke from the lightning are waving off of his body.
“Why would we help you?” He asks.
“Don’t help me. Help you, like you always do. Helping this Monster Helps all Monsters.”
I point at the obvious trail back to the pyramid. The steps to the front doors are within walking distance. I am so close.
“There is the pyramid. All we have to do is pull that imposter out of the throne, and this place goes into the hands of somebody who still thinks you matter.”
Some of them are nodding their heads. Good enough for me. I start pulling them up to their feet.
My hand grasps around the oversized palm of the last one still on his bum. I yank him up to his feet. His eyes don’t leave mine for a few intense moments.
“Why would we trust you?” He asks.
“Trust yourself. You have been around long enough. Look inside yourself and ask: What more do you have to lose?”
He is on his feet now. He is a big one. Most are.
Without another word, I begin walking to the cobbled path leading to the pyramid doors. They are following.
Many others come from the wilderness as they see us moving with purpose. They know what is about to go down, and, for their own reasons, they have to see this through.
We are coming, Monster…