Tale of Theo

“Um… well… actually I was headed to a local café for some coffee.” She paused ominously. A small feeling of dread started welling up inside me. What if I’d pushed it too far? After all we did just meet… by crashing into each other. “B-but it’s kinda in a seedy area, so I’d lov-like to have an intimidating presence to keep the bad guys away.” She tilted her head awkwardly and started batting her eyelashes. If this was flirting it was no wonder guys are so terrible at it. I was drawing a blank. I had no idea what to do now. So, I attempted some comedy. Something I hadn’t done in years.

“Well, I guess I can help you find someone who’s at least mildly intimidating then.” I must’ve sounded pretty sincere, because she started giggling and, once again, my face flushed red. However, this time, I didn’t mind. In fact, I felt even better than before.

“How ‘bout this? While we’re on the way the café, we’ll look for someone intimidating and ask them to protect us?” She was still letting out an occasional giggle, and despite my lack of flirting capabilities she took my hand and started pulling me back the way I came. Despite how terribly awkward and embarrassing this encounter should’ve been, we were both having a great time.

“Dad, I need your help. There’s a pretty girl out in the dining room who expects amazing croissants. We need your special recipe… What’re you smiling about?” As I was talking my dad had started grinning wider and wider. He rubbed the back of his hand across suddenly damp eyes. He looked almost exactly like me, except a little pudgier and with brown eyes instead of blue.

“You sound like you… the real you. Don’t you worry, I’ll make this date the best either of you has ever had!”

“Sooo…” I looked around desperately for something to talk about. “How’s the weather?”

She blinked twice. Again, a situation that should be terribly embarrassing was cheerful and fulfilling. Perhaps because we shared the same social inadequacies?

“Umm… it’s… it’s completely dark!” She burst out of her chair and nearly knocked the table over.

Stunned, I looked outside not knowing what to expect, but what I found was certainly not it. It was like the windows were oil paintings, and when I said paintings, I meant it. There wasn’t just one shade of black. It was like someone had taken great care to stroke a large brush across the windows several times in different shades of black. I didn’t even know there were different shades of black until now. After having got up myself, I took a good look around the room, and realized there was no room. Everything was being enveloped by this artistic blackness.

“Don’t move.” It was just a hunch, but I had a feeling that if either of us took even a single step in this darkness we’d end up just like Kiera’s shout, lost in an endless void.

“Your friend has it right.” A new voice entered my mind. Smooth, yet sharp. Like stroking the edge of a piece of paper. If you’re not careful, you’re bound to get cut.

“Boy, tell me your name.” It wasn’t a question. It was as if he already knew he would get what he wanted. Kiera looked at me with concern. She looked like she almost recognized the voice. She shook her head vehemently, as if she had heard something completely different.

Her concern struck me. After all, that voice only wanted me to say my name. I tried to reassure her that things were ok, but suddenly I couldn’t move or talk. Kiera wasn’t moving either. It was as if time had stopped.

“Oh, no. You seem to misunderstand the situation you are in. Tell me your name!” As voices have substance in this… strange fantasy the last four words felt like… well they felt like the past three years, all at once. I would’ve passed out if my body had cooperated with me. I couldn’t accurately explain what that feeling was like, but it was mind-breakingly horrific. I did the only thing I could… I said my name.

“Theo Strong.” The darkness suddenly gained color. There were patches of green, blue, and red being brushed onto the blackness. Those colors reminded me of something, but I never got the chance to remember what. The last thing I remembered was hearing the thunk of my head hitting the floor.