Megan's Bout with Deminity - Chapter Two - Book One

Chapter 2 - The Big Bang1


Megan was lying on her left side, drooling all over the cool grass under the shadows of the impregnable tree. At first, she couldn't understand where she was. The background noise of chirping birds and swirling winds were all lumped together, as if she were listening to it in a confusing dream. But slowly, her head started to throb more vigorously, disturbing the chaotic harmony of the whooshing melody like a boy with his first set of drums. 2

The beating of her temples awakened her other dormant senses, starting with the unique scent of grass being wafted into her nasal passage. Her brain processed this information, and then shipped out commands to her resting fingers. 3

After a few test wiggles, they accepted the brain's orders of exploration and set off on their promising mission. In only a matter of seconds, a couple fingers struck land. They found a sleek and pointy blade of grass and placed it between Sergeant Thumb and Private Pinky, who slowly raised their flag up the green flag pole. Now that they had conquered the new land, they sent word back to the brain that they had discovered a patch of grass.4

With this knowledge, the brain sent word to the rest of the units in the body, informing them that they were no longer in the tree, but lying in the grass underneath it. The eyes couldn't believe that the fingers had discovered this without their help, so they opened up nice and wide in surprise. Sadly, they confirmed the painful deduction.5

'How could I fall', thought Megan sadly.6

Although she felt a searing pain burning underneath her skull, she was a tough enough girl from all the times she had battled monsters in her living room, so she managed to lift her head off the ground. There was a mixture of dirt and spit decorating the left side of her smooshed face, and a stray piece of grass fell into the corner of her half-opened mouth. Pursing her lips, she spat wildly to dislodge the cow food off her tongue, fearing that it would get stuck in her appendix. The last thing she needed was to have a stabbing pain in her stomach, and she didn't like the idea of relying on a human to remove parts of her body, particularly when the appendix tube was so valuable to her. She swore she had one time stored a valuable treasure map in there, and hence didn't accept the scientific opinion that it was a useless organ.7

Once she had wiped her face with her right arm (she still felt like she could use a shower), she checked to make sure the rest of her body was unharmed before she stood up. 8

She shook her legs, first the left, then the right. Then she wiggled her toes one at a time in her white running shoes, all the while rolling her neck in jerky circles. Other than a large reddish bruise on the side of her left upper arm (incidentally she had landed on and cracked a dry twig), some stiffness and a pounding headache, she was good to go. It was rather lucky, considering where she had fallen from, but Megan had a different opinion.9

She was disappointed by her lack of powers, knowing that Squirrelly would never have fallen out so easily. As delusional as she could be at times, her rational mind was always churning, bringing her back to reality like the ultimate party pooper. Lately she could even manage to banish her common sense into her subconscious mind, but it would always resurface when it mattered most. Sometimes it took something drastic, such as falling out of a tree, just to remind her that gravity would always win against a mere human.10

There was just something so appealing about being a hero, that she couldn't bear to live her ordinary life anymore. As a human, she felt like a walking zombie amongst many, powerless and insignificant in every way. She couldn't imagine living a life of loneliness in a world with too many rules to guide it. It was these types of thoughts that she tried to suppress, searching for a place where her life would have meaning, a world where others would lean on her shoulder for support. And was it too much to ask to have super speed as well?11

Since her mind was so focused on analyzing her recent tumble, her feet were forced to choose a path for her. She was only partly aware of the sliding scenery as she walked across the empty football field and around the rickety school to the front of the building. By the time she had reached the public sidewalk that zig-zagged towards the downtown area, the wiry freshman was back at the apple tree with the angry principal, staring mystified at the squirrel comic book that Megan had left behind.12

While Megan was walking along the lonely sidewalk, checking out each and every crack and hoping that an ant would come out and ask her to tango, a strange and dark voice whispered out to her from the back of a long alleyway between a few shabby buildings. The downtown area had long been run down from the big business superstores opening near the suburbs, which made many local business' close up or avoid expensive repairs on their rough exteriors.13

"Megan." 14

Megan stopped in her tracks. She wondered if she was just hearing voices, which wouldn't be unnatural for her, but she could have sworn she heard her name. The chilling alleyway was too dark to see all the way to the back, however, but she wasn't one to pass so easily on a potential adventure.15

"Who's there?" asked Megan, her curiosity swimming amongst the butterflies in her stomach.16

"Come back and find out."17

Megan rolled her eyes. 18

"Do you think I'm stupid?" 19

"No Megan, I don't." 20

There was her name again.21

"How do you know who I am?" 22

"I've been watching you." 23

Megan could feel her heart pounding, but her legs wouldn't move. 24

"Listen creep, I'm not interested."25

"Oh? I think you will be, once you've heard what I have to say."26

Cardinal rule number one, never talk to strangers. It was the first thing any parent, whether responsible or not, told their children when they went to their first public place together. But Megan didn't like to play by the rules, particularly when the voice was as intriguing as it was distressing.27

"Who are you?" said Megan.28

"An eternal being from another dimension, but my name isn't important for now."29

Normally, such a statement would cause a ruckus at the loony bin, but there was nothing odd about it to Megan. In fact, it was just enough to bring life back to her shaking legs. Gradually, one foot went in front of the other towards the voice in the darkness.30

"Another dimension huh? Why should I believe you?"31

"Because you want to believe me, isn't that enough?"32

Of course it was enough, except for the throbbing in her head that was trying to remind her otherwise. 33

"Why have you come here?"34

"I came from Deminity in search of the next hero. My compass led me right to you."35

Her feet were moving a little quicker now.36

"Me?...a hero?"37

"Yes Megan, it's your destiny."38

"A compass told you all that?"39

"It doesn't lie."40

She was approaching the voice.41

"I'm more than interested."42

"I knew you would be."43

For a brief moment, she felt like she was floating outside herself, leaving her human body to deal with the sweaty palms, tingling stomach and pounding heart, but she was sucked back inside her quivering self once she stood before the one with the dark and luring voice. Although her eyes weren't fully adjusted to the darkness of the alleyway, she could see that his entire body was hidden by a dark cloak, right down to the hood that was covering his face. She gulped at his scary appearance, triggering a swarm of terrified, microscopic geese to lay eggs under her skin, creating a patch of bumpy skin to protect their young. That was how she envisioned goose bumps to be made, anyway.44

"Great...it's the Grim Reaper," said Megan, her tone leaking with sarcasm to chase away the jitters in her voice.45

"I'm afraid I don't know who that is," said the Hooded Man.46

"The bringer of death."47

The Hooded Man laughed, the rhythm of it sounding hollow and deep.48

"You walked back here impulsively and full of trust, then doubt my intentions?"49

"I'm sorry," said Megan, feeling silly. He didn't have a scythe after all.50

"Only the weak apologize for their actions. We need you to be strong."51

"The beings of your world...Dem...em...ty..?"52

"Deminity. We are in grave trouble, I'm afraid. An arrogant tyrant has forced his rule upon us, imprisoning many of our peaceful senate in a tortuous fate and attacking those who dare to defy him. One is even considered a criminal for shooting him a dirty look. I, however, defied and mocked him for his sack on our government, so he tried to kill me in a fury. He obviously felt I was a threat to his unjust throne, but luckily I just got away in time. That was when I infused my compass with the last of my fleeting strength, asking it to direct me to the one who could bring an end to our suffering. I was surprised when it opened a gateway to another world, but I had no choice but to follow its instincts. It was a desperate hope...until I met you."53

Megan grinned from ear to ear, amazed that the compass chose her out of all the dimensions and beings.54

"Wow really..." she started to say, but she realized it was kind of rude to be beaming in her own glory, considering everything the poor Hooded Man had gone through just to get here, so she shook her head with disgust and sported her largest frown. "...I mean...gosh. That tyrant sounds really terrible."55

"It's O.K., I know it must be hard for you to contain the happiness you feel. We both know how much you suffer in this world. It doesn't deserve you."56

The fact that he could cut to the core of her so easily only strengthen her trust for him, but still she was curious.57

"How could you know that?" 58

"I can see everything in this simple, one dimensional world." 59

"It's three dimensions," said Megan, unable to help herself.60

"Perhaps that's how you conceive this world, but to one with an eternal mind, it might as well be a dot on a piece of paper. Everything here is so...drab. Even as I watch time flow around you, the pattern is monotone at best."61

"I know what you mean. I used to just stare at my watch for hours, wondering if I could speed up time... but it was so boring that I think I slowed it down instead."62

"I see."63

"Is it boring being eternal?"64

"No."65

Megan's pupils widened.66

"But you must be pretty old."67

"The effects of time are irrelevant. It does not age me, nor does it change at great speeds."68

He was beating around the bush, so Megan knew he was an old geezer.69

"Then why are you hiding behind a cloak. Are you sure there isn't a gray hair or two?"70

The Hooded Man sighed deeply, which prompted her to change the topic.71

"Would I become eternal in your world?"72

"I don't know, you would be the first mortal to ever go there. It's all mind over matter anyway."73

"... umm"74

The Hooded Man shuffled his feet. He was getting anxious to leave Megan's world, it was all very static and a hindrance on his weakened form. However, it was better to discuss such things here, where he couldn't be overheard. It was important she understood a few of the basics, or she wouldn't last a second in his hectic world. There was a fine line of how much information he would give her though, in case his plan was foiled. 75

"Deminity is a land of belief," said the Hooded Man, choosing his words carefully.76

"Make believe...I knew it was too good to be true.'77

"No."78

"What did you mean then?"79

"Can you touch your sun here?"80

"Of course not."81

'In Dimenity, you could."82

That seemed unbelievable to Megan. No superhero had ever done that before, or at least none she had read about.83

"You're telling me I could go right up to the sun and slap it silly."84

"Only If you believe it beyond the absolute."85

"I absolutely don't believe you."86

"Well you better start, or you'll burn your hand off quickly."87

Megan laughed awkwardly and looked at her hands, trying to make sense of this bizarre information. It all sounded too easy, but maybe she hadn't understood him properly.88

"I really can't dwindle here much longer," said the Hooded Man, growing impatient. "Will you accept my plea for help?"89

There really wasn't much of an internal struggle. Did carnivores want meat? Do banks want to swindle their customers? 90

"Of course I will," said Megan, overflowing with false confidence. "Just tell me exactly what I need to do."91

The Hooded Man smiled under his dark hood, but Megan couldn't see his excitement. It didn't matter if she had the eyes of an owl in the dark alleyway, nothing would penetrate the darkness of his hooded cloak.92

"Take this, then."93

He reached into a pocket on the outside of his cloak and brought his arm over Megan's outstretched palm. A glass ball about three inches in diameter rolled out of his sleeve and onto her hand. As her fingers clutched the ball in a soft grip, she let out a quiet yelp. It felt like thousands of frigid needles were poking at her finger tips. 94

"What did you give me this frozen thing for?" said Megan. 95

"The weird sensation will go away in just a second, it's just probing your hand so it knows who its new master is. I'm entrusting you with it for a while, you'll be a mess without it. It will guide you through the chaos and onto the right path. Just don't lose it, it could be too late by the time it comes back to you."96

"Thanks..." said Megan.97

The Hooded Man nodded. 98

It reminded her of the time she had sat purposely on her hand to lull it to sleep, only to regret that decision a few minutes later when it had awoken in a fury. Now, if she would have done that same thing in the arctic circle, sitting on her bare hand in the snow, it would have been exactly the same feeling.99

She breathed warm air on her finger tips, and gradually the feeling of pins and needles went away. With the glass ball near her mouth, she decided to have a peek at it, so she lifted it up to her eye and could see bright misty air swirling on its inside. 100

'What am I, a seer?' she thought. It certainly didn't look anything like a compass.101

"I can't find the arrows in this weirdo ball," said Megan sarcastically.102

The Hooded Man couldn't help but laugh at her confusion, but he returned to his serious state soon enough. 103

"Don't worry about such things. The more you hold on to your past, the harder it's all going to be."104

She tried to understand what that could mean, but it made her head pound even harder than it already was, so she put the compass into the right side pocket of her jeans. It made her leg look rather unsightly, like she had some weird growth popping out of her skin. It was rather uncomfortable too.105

While Megan was rubbing the outside of her jeans unhappily, the Hooded Man whispered, "My past...It's all Silka's fault..." 106

"What was that?"107

"Nothing, nothing at all."108

Megan was sure he said something, but she didn't feel the need to pry. There was something else on her mind anyway. 109

"I have another important question."110

"Make it quick, this world is insufferable."111

"What's the evil tyrant's name? I don't want to be caught with my pants down when I see him."112

She decided she would have to stop using expressions she heard on TV about partying celebrities.113

"Won't say. There will come a time when both his name and mine are clear, I promise. Trust in the compass' judgment, you will know when the right moment arrives."114

"...and then-"115

"-Be yourself."116

"Which me?"117

Even her rational mind knew that Megan liked to believe herself a wide variety of characters, being the side of her that was always fighting to reinsert itself. The Hooded Man knew this all to well.118

"Regardless of who or what you hope you are, you're still Megan the girl. That will more than suffice."119

Her expression was dreary at best. Megan the girl had never demonstrated any heroic traits, which had been why she had so eagerly chosen others to mimic. But if all that was required was to believe in the impossible, then how hard could it be? If anything, the impossible was what she always believed in, or at least tried to. Besides, the Hooded Man was here to help her figure things out.120

"I guess I'll give being Megan a shot. I wasn't exactly good in the tree tops anyway."121

"Good," said the Hooded Man, sounding quite delighted. "But before we part ways, I -"122

"Part ways! - I hoped you would answer more questions along the way."123

The Hooded Man shuddered at such a notion. It was difficult to explain such common knowledge to an outsider, more frustrating than he ever thought it would be. He needed her, though, so he swallowed his irritation for the sake of his suffering comrades.124

"Listen. I could tell you everything there is to know, but you'll never understand until you experience them yourself. Plus, I'm afraid this mission will only work if you go alone. I will only blow your cover, and trust me, you don't want that."125

"That sucks."126

"Be confident," he said with emphasis, "and you'll manage."127

She stared at him blankly, her blue eyes cold and scared. She wished he would have just whisked her away without warning, like she had always imagined it would happen. At least then, her mind wouldn't be clouted with doubts from his vague answers.128

'Maybe all heroes feel anxiety before the unknown', she thought, which raised her spirits slightly.129

"To our last order of business..." said the Hooded man, reaching into his pocket once again. He pulled out a bright green bottle with a cork in the top and handed it to Megan. The jar itself was colorless, but there was a stunning, sparkling greenish gas on the inside that gave the jar its radiant color. "This is the gas of Myriad, taken from a divine nebula that is said to contain the essence of Deminity. It won't change who you are, nor will it make things easier once you get there, it will just awaken another sense inside so that you can perceive a world without limits. How you will manipulate the variables of the world once you can see it, is entirely on you." 130

"I'm not even gonna ask," said Megan sarcastically, staring down at the bottle.131

In her hands was the symbol of the end of a lifelong search. Finally she would be free from all the silly rules, but still her hands were shaking as she supported the bottle with both her hands. It was the most illuminated green color she had ever seen, and by golly, she was going to do it. There was no way she could turn down this generous offer, it was win-win situation for all parties, except the tyrant she would gleefully beat up.132

Then, looking up, she started to say, "I guess I won't need my toothbrush...", but never finished her sentence. The Hooded Man was nowhere to be seen. "Huh..." 133

She tried to walk around the alleyway to find him, but she couldn't move. Every time she tried to take a step, it felt like her legs weighed at least a thousand tons. Confused, she held the bottle in front of her and started to shake it. The green gas sparkled more. She then tried to set the bottle down on the ground so she could move around, assuming that gaseous bottle was somehow crippling her legs, but it was glued to her hands. 134

"What the..." said Megan, flustered. "What a weirdo. I said I would help him. He didn't have to hex the bottle."135

In for a penny, out for a pound. She shrugged her shoulders and uncorked the bottle with all the courage of someone running into a scorching fire to save an eggplant, and wafted the sparkling green gas into her nostrils and mouth. The gas had a strange flavor to it, and Megan decided that it tasted exactly like egg yolk. As she gulped the mystical fumes down her throat, she started to panic, because all the saliva in her mouth was evaporated away, and it left her entire mouth and throat area brittle and dry. As the gas made its way into her lungs, she could no longer breath. Her lungs were dried out like prunes left out in the sun.136

"I'm...poisoned..." cried Megan, her voice crackling from the lack of oxygen.137

She fell to her knees, allowing the bottle to slip from her hands and drop to the ground. It shattered violently on impact, but there wasn't an ounce of greenish vapor left inside of it for this to be any concern. Gasping desperately, her free hands lunged for her throat as a natural reaction, but no matter how hard she tried, she couldn't draw a single breath. As the fumes made their way into her blood stream, the skin of her entire body began to turn a vibrant green, even the pupils of her eyes. She was glowing in the middle of the darkness, which would have scared any drug dealers had they decided to come back there in that moment. 138

"...no..." she gasped, but it was barely a whisper.139

She couldn't believe she had been taken in so easily, particularly by one dressed like death. She promised she would never be fooled so easily again if she would survive, but by that point, the green fumes were already seeping into her brain through her greenish colored blood. 140

Then something stranger happened. 141

The gas collapsed and started spinning around her neural pathways. Her brain cells expanded like popping popcorn, exploding outward and enlarging the top half of her head. The pain and pressure was intolerable, like someone had opened up her noggin and tossed rocks in it. She wanted to scream as her eyes felt like they were about to be shot out of their sockets like a cannon, but she couldn't express herself vocally.142

And then, like magic, the shadows and walls of the alleyway began to spin wildly. She reached out weakly with one her hands, trying to stop the scenery from going in circles, but it was too late for prevention. The walls were being replaced by a variety of colors swirling around; the colors of a rainbow in fact. She felt dizzy as the blues and greens and yellows and oranges and indigos and violets and reds spun faster and faster and faster. Then a gateway opened and sucked her inside, pulling her through the rainbow vortex. She was barely conscious as her twisting and flipping body hurled towards the infinite. 143

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