TITLE: The Man Who Wasn't There
AUTHOR: Sanguinary
COPYRIGHT: April 2, 2001
RATING: PG 13 for Violence
SPOILERS: Invincible Fiend
DISCLAIMER: BWoC owns Vince and Merton. Pel is part of my own twisted imagination. All lyrics and poems belong to their respective authors.
FEEDBACK: Sanguinary_515@hotmail.com
SUMMARY: Vince, lonely and unhappy, runs into another Imaginary Friend. But as he learns more about her, he beings to realize that Pel isn't all that she seems to be.
AN: This fic has been a long time in the making. Almost four months if I remember correctly. Pel is a work in progress and I am considering a sequel. If you think I should, please say so if you review. Thank you very much. Now, on with the show…er… fic.
~~
As I was walking up the stair
I saw a man who wasn't there
He wasn't there again today
O how I wish he'd go away
~~
Vince leant against the fence surrounding the school. Off in the distance, children played, too busy to see Vince. He longed to join them but stayed where he was. He knew that he was punishing himself for failing Merton, for not loving him enough to make Merton want Vince to stay.
A small child ran by Vince, shrieking with delight. Suddenly he came to a decision, and stood upright. He walked towards the school. As he walked towards the entranceway, he noticed the woman sitting in it.
She sat in the entranceway of the school, watching the kids as they ran by her. He couldn't see her face because it was covered with long purple hair. As he walked closer, he could hear her humming a song he didn't recognize. She was wearing a baby t-shirt and jean short, both which were a dark purple. Flower flip-flops, also purple, adorned her feet. She sat with her knees up against her chest, arms wrapped around them.
He was about to pass by her when she spoke.
"Aren't you hot?" She raised her head and brushed the hair out of her face.
"You… you can see Vince?" He stopped in his tracks, stunned. Until now, only children had seen Vince.
"Of course." She smiled, "Now, aren't you hot? It's July and you're walking around wearing what looks like wool.
Vince sat down across from the woman. His eyes narrowed and his voice grew cold, "How come you can see Vince?"
She laughed, sounding uncannily like the wind chime that had hung outside of Merton's window as a child. "You're so paranoid. I see you because I was like you."
"Like Vince?"
"An Imaginary Friend," She smiled wryly, "Alone. Unwanted. Angry."
"You were an Imaginary Friend?" Vince looked in shock at the woman, "You're lying."
"No. At least not about this." She leaned forward, "I was the Imaginary Friend to a boy named Jeff Bunk. I stayed by his side for fifteen years, being faithful and loyal." Her tone suddenly turned bitter, "Until he left me in that park and told me to never come back."
Vince drew back, stunned by the hatred in her voice, "What did you do?"
"I left. I ran away as far I could go." She sighed, "And then…"
"Then?"
"Jeff died." She looked up at Vince, tears in her eyes, "And I became… almost real."
"Almost real? What do you mean?"
"When he died, whatever made Jeff real left his body and entered mine." She brushed away the tears, "I knew everything he knew, felt everything he felt… became partly real. I'm almost human."
"Almost?"
"I still have all the powers I had when I was imaginary. And though normally, most people can see me, I have the ability to drop out of their vision if I need to get away." She smiled, "And I don't age."
Vince frowned, "At all?"
"No. It's been almost 30 years since Jeff died and I haven't aged a day." She gazed off into space for a moment, remembering something, "I can't explain it and… I don't really want to either. Maybe it's magic or maybe its something else altogether. Either way, I'll never die."
Vince took in all of this in silence. The idea of living forever both scared and delighted Vince. He had suspected that he would live as long as Merton but to be able to live on, even after Merton death… that was something he had never dared even dream of.
They sat, the only two quiet beings on a warm July afternoon. Around them ran children, crying and yelling and pretty much just being kids.
"Do you want to come with me?" The question startled Vince and he looked up at the girl.
"What?"
"I said do you want to come with me? I don't mean to be rude but it's obvious that you haven't been free very long." She stood up and offered her hand to Vince, "I've been around the world. I'll take you places you never dreamed existed. I show you something beyond the white picket fence that has kept you staked down your entire life. All you have to do is trust me."
Vince stared at the hand. He had spent most of his life locked in a chest in the attic of Merton's house. This was the first time he had even been outside of Pleasantville. Part of him admitted that he was frightened at the prospect of going ever farther away. But…
But part of him wanted to know. And she might be the only other 'friend' who understands what he's going though.
Cautiously, he took her hand and stood up as well. A wide smile broke out across the girl's face. "You won't regret this. I'm going to blow your mind… wait, what's your name?"
"Vince. What's yours?"
"Pel." She dropped his hand and put her arm around Vince's shoulder. "I think that we'll get along just fine."
~
I hear you calling me
Yes I hear you calling me
Home from the great escape
1 Yes I can read you loud and clear
~Only Us, Peter Gabriel
~
He stared at the plate in front of him.
"Eat up," Pel picked up her fork and knife, "Try it. I bet you'll like it."
Vince doubted this but he was too polite to say so. Imitating Pel, he picked up his knife and fork. He watched her as she stabbed the knife into the pancake and used the knife to cut it into eight equal pieces. He attempted to do the same, but instead of eight neat cuts, his efforts only brought him seventeen ragged pieces, all different in shape and size.
"Don't worry. You'll get used to it." Pel smiled and stuck a piece of her pancake in her mouth.
Vince wasn't so sure about that. "Why does Vince have to learn to eat? Vince doesn't need to."
Pel swallowed the mouthful that she had been chewing. "Not yet anyway. But when you do become 'almost real' it'll be hard to get used to all of the things that your body needs. Sleep, food and so on. When I first became partly-real, I didn't eat for a week and I ended up in the hospital with an IV in my arm." She set down her fork and pushed up her sleeve to show Vince the make where the needle had been. "I didn't understand why it didn't heal right after I took the IV out. It turns out that when you become almost real, the first scar you get stays with you instead of fading away." She rubbed her fingers over the small mark. "I've had this mark for almost thirty years. A reminder that I need to do all the things that real people do."
There was silence for a moment. Then Vince picked up the utensils and took a bite of the pancake. Pel smiled with pleasure.
Vince just chewed.
~
I rise, looking through my morning eyes,
Surprised to find you by my side.
Rack my brain to try to remember your name
To find the words to tell you goodbye.
~Stay, Pink Floyd
~
He knows that he's staring but he can't help it. She's too busy driving to notice.
The sunlight streams in though the windows on her side of the car, making her hair seems a lighter colour than it is. The light makes a silhouette out of her, hiding the imperfections and making her solid.
But it is her hands that he stares at. Sunlight reveals the hidden lines and wrinkles. As she flexes her hands, the skin stretches, erasing some of the lines. A look at his hands reveals hands empty of any lines. No lines on his palm, no fingerprints. If the lines on a person's palm tell the future, it's obvious to Vince what his are saying.
He has no future, no past.
She, on the other hand, had inherited one from her past friend. The future that was his is now hers. Vince is slightly jealous but can't figure out why. He knows that there's nothing left for him. His purpose has been served.
So why is continuing this charade? Why does he stay instead of fading away?
He's not sure. Maybe Pel can show him.
"You'll love Canada," She catching him off guard, startling him out of his thoughts, "It's beautiful in the wintertime when it's covered with snow."
"Snow…" Vince said the word slowly, savouring it in his mouth, "That's the white, cold stuff, right?"
She nods, "Yeah. I bet you haven't seen any in quite a while."
"Vince hasn't ever seen snow."
"Never?" He could hear the shock in Pel's voice.
"Vince doesn't think so." He thought for a moment, "Maybe a long ago Vince may have seen some. But Vince doesn't remember a lot that happened before the Chest."
They were quiet for a moment. Pel knew that Vince was uncomfortable talking about the Chest and Vince didn't feel ready to explain everything to Pel quite yet.
They drove on.
AUTHOR: Sanguinary
COPYRIGHT: April 2, 2001
RATING: PG 13 for Violence
SPOILERS: Invincible Fiend
DISCLAIMER: BWoC owns Vince and Merton. Pel is part of my own twisted imagination. All lyrics and poems belong to their respective authors.
FEEDBACK: Sanguinary_515@hotmail.com
SUMMARY: Vince, lonely and unhappy, runs into another Imaginary Friend. But as he learns more about her, he beings to realize that Pel isn't all that she seems to be.
AN: This fic has been a long time in the making. Almost four months if I remember correctly. Pel is a work in progress and I am considering a sequel. If you think I should, please say so if you review. Thank you very much. Now, on with the show…er… fic.
~~
As I was walking up the stair
I saw a man who wasn't there
He wasn't there again today
O how I wish he'd go away
~~
Vince leant against the fence surrounding the school. Off in the distance, children played, too busy to see Vince. He longed to join them but stayed where he was. He knew that he was punishing himself for failing Merton, for not loving him enough to make Merton want Vince to stay.
A small child ran by Vince, shrieking with delight. Suddenly he came to a decision, and stood upright. He walked towards the school. As he walked towards the entranceway, he noticed the woman sitting in it.
She sat in the entranceway of the school, watching the kids as they ran by her. He couldn't see her face because it was covered with long purple hair. As he walked closer, he could hear her humming a song he didn't recognize. She was wearing a baby t-shirt and jean short, both which were a dark purple. Flower flip-flops, also purple, adorned her feet. She sat with her knees up against her chest, arms wrapped around them.
He was about to pass by her when she spoke.
"Aren't you hot?" She raised her head and brushed the hair out of her face.
"You… you can see Vince?" He stopped in his tracks, stunned. Until now, only children had seen Vince.
"Of course." She smiled, "Now, aren't you hot? It's July and you're walking around wearing what looks like wool.
Vince sat down across from the woman. His eyes narrowed and his voice grew cold, "How come you can see Vince?"
She laughed, sounding uncannily like the wind chime that had hung outside of Merton's window as a child. "You're so paranoid. I see you because I was like you."
"Like Vince?"
"An Imaginary Friend," She smiled wryly, "Alone. Unwanted. Angry."
"You were an Imaginary Friend?" Vince looked in shock at the woman, "You're lying."
"No. At least not about this." She leaned forward, "I was the Imaginary Friend to a boy named Jeff Bunk. I stayed by his side for fifteen years, being faithful and loyal." Her tone suddenly turned bitter, "Until he left me in that park and told me to never come back."
Vince drew back, stunned by the hatred in her voice, "What did you do?"
"I left. I ran away as far I could go." She sighed, "And then…"
"Then?"
"Jeff died." She looked up at Vince, tears in her eyes, "And I became… almost real."
"Almost real? What do you mean?"
"When he died, whatever made Jeff real left his body and entered mine." She brushed away the tears, "I knew everything he knew, felt everything he felt… became partly real. I'm almost human."
"Almost?"
"I still have all the powers I had when I was imaginary. And though normally, most people can see me, I have the ability to drop out of their vision if I need to get away." She smiled, "And I don't age."
Vince frowned, "At all?"
"No. It's been almost 30 years since Jeff died and I haven't aged a day." She gazed off into space for a moment, remembering something, "I can't explain it and… I don't really want to either. Maybe it's magic or maybe its something else altogether. Either way, I'll never die."
Vince took in all of this in silence. The idea of living forever both scared and delighted Vince. He had suspected that he would live as long as Merton but to be able to live on, even after Merton death… that was something he had never dared even dream of.
They sat, the only two quiet beings on a warm July afternoon. Around them ran children, crying and yelling and pretty much just being kids.
"Do you want to come with me?" The question startled Vince and he looked up at the girl.
"What?"
"I said do you want to come with me? I don't mean to be rude but it's obvious that you haven't been free very long." She stood up and offered her hand to Vince, "I've been around the world. I'll take you places you never dreamed existed. I show you something beyond the white picket fence that has kept you staked down your entire life. All you have to do is trust me."
Vince stared at the hand. He had spent most of his life locked in a chest in the attic of Merton's house. This was the first time he had even been outside of Pleasantville. Part of him admitted that he was frightened at the prospect of going ever farther away. But…
But part of him wanted to know. And she might be the only other 'friend' who understands what he's going though.
Cautiously, he took her hand and stood up as well. A wide smile broke out across the girl's face. "You won't regret this. I'm going to blow your mind… wait, what's your name?"
"Vince. What's yours?"
"Pel." She dropped his hand and put her arm around Vince's shoulder. "I think that we'll get along just fine."
~
I hear you calling me
Yes I hear you calling me
Home from the great escape
1 Yes I can read you loud and clear
~Only Us, Peter Gabriel
~
He stared at the plate in front of him.
"Eat up," Pel picked up her fork and knife, "Try it. I bet you'll like it."
Vince doubted this but he was too polite to say so. Imitating Pel, he picked up his knife and fork. He watched her as she stabbed the knife into the pancake and used the knife to cut it into eight equal pieces. He attempted to do the same, but instead of eight neat cuts, his efforts only brought him seventeen ragged pieces, all different in shape and size.
"Don't worry. You'll get used to it." Pel smiled and stuck a piece of her pancake in her mouth.
Vince wasn't so sure about that. "Why does Vince have to learn to eat? Vince doesn't need to."
Pel swallowed the mouthful that she had been chewing. "Not yet anyway. But when you do become 'almost real' it'll be hard to get used to all of the things that your body needs. Sleep, food and so on. When I first became partly-real, I didn't eat for a week and I ended up in the hospital with an IV in my arm." She set down her fork and pushed up her sleeve to show Vince the make where the needle had been. "I didn't understand why it didn't heal right after I took the IV out. It turns out that when you become almost real, the first scar you get stays with you instead of fading away." She rubbed her fingers over the small mark. "I've had this mark for almost thirty years. A reminder that I need to do all the things that real people do."
There was silence for a moment. Then Vince picked up the utensils and took a bite of the pancake. Pel smiled with pleasure.
Vince just chewed.
~
I rise, looking through my morning eyes,
Surprised to find you by my side.
Rack my brain to try to remember your name
To find the words to tell you goodbye.
~Stay, Pink Floyd
~
He knows that he's staring but he can't help it. She's too busy driving to notice.
The sunlight streams in though the windows on her side of the car, making her hair seems a lighter colour than it is. The light makes a silhouette out of her, hiding the imperfections and making her solid.
But it is her hands that he stares at. Sunlight reveals the hidden lines and wrinkles. As she flexes her hands, the skin stretches, erasing some of the lines. A look at his hands reveals hands empty of any lines. No lines on his palm, no fingerprints. If the lines on a person's palm tell the future, it's obvious to Vince what his are saying.
He has no future, no past.
She, on the other hand, had inherited one from her past friend. The future that was his is now hers. Vince is slightly jealous but can't figure out why. He knows that there's nothing left for him. His purpose has been served.
So why is continuing this charade? Why does he stay instead of fading away?
He's not sure. Maybe Pel can show him.
"You'll love Canada," She catching him off guard, startling him out of his thoughts, "It's beautiful in the wintertime when it's covered with snow."
"Snow…" Vince said the word slowly, savouring it in his mouth, "That's the white, cold stuff, right?"
She nods, "Yeah. I bet you haven't seen any in quite a while."
"Vince hasn't ever seen snow."
"Never?" He could hear the shock in Pel's voice.
"Vince doesn't think so." He thought for a moment, "Maybe a long ago Vince may have seen some. But Vince doesn't remember a lot that happened before the Chest."
They were quiet for a moment. Pel knew that Vince was uncomfortable talking about the Chest and Vince didn't feel ready to explain everything to Pel quite yet.
They drove on.