The Return

"And so that is how at the age of twelve I saved the world. I mean I guess it could have been age thirteen hard to say honestly." Takes his third shot after finishing his story.

"Uh… "was the response his drinking companion gave him.

"I *hic* know what you're thinking," the strange man responded cutting his buddy of from finishing a reply he wasn't ready to give "you're thinking that I'm crazy and there is no way any of what I told you is true."

"Well yes, but more I wonder why you told me this. I have a foot in height on you, I'm built like a rock and I could probably crush you like I was one. I look like I would do it too. I'm perhaps one the scarier looking guys in this bar. Yet you come and confide this to me. You're not bragging but sharing your story with one person, me. Honestly you kind of scare me so I got to ask why me?"

"I don't *hic* know maybe because you're a stranger. Because the neighborhood sees me as the man whose livesss alone now and never leavesss his housse. I think the current rumor is that I'm a mad scientist hehheheh. Because the only people who seem to know me, besides sister, are from a town most have never ever ever heard of, and if they heard of it they believe it doesn't even exist. And I know you aren't from there because then you would have recognized me if you were from there."

The strange mans drinking buddy was silent for a second thinking of how to respond to this. As the mysterious man downed his fourth shot too much for a man his size he responded.

"Why don't you tell someone from that town how you feel?" he finally asked.

"They would never believe it." The strange man responded trying to order another drink but his companion signaled the bar tender to cut him off.

"Listen kid, "he said kid with some hesitation. While the stranger was obviously quite younger than him this stranger clearly had some sort of worldly experience, even if it was a weird experience. "I get it. I too know what it is like to be isolated or abandoned. To be a loner separated from everyone else. Hell, it's probably what attracted you to me, but I have learned you can't go it all alone. You should treasure the friends and family you have and talk with them let them help you while they can't. They won't be with you forever."

There was a long silence for a while before finally.

"You know what you're wright pehap… may… I… I will make a visit . Bar tender my friend here's tab is on me." And the mysterious man gets up and begins to try and stubble to walk away.

As he leaves his new friend finally gets the courage to ask "Hey, wait a minute what is your name."

The stranger finally straightened turned his head with a slight smile on his face "Names DiPPPEr PineS, DamNIt why is my voice still CrAcKing."

The strange man turned to leave only to trip and fall on his face. He then began to give an uncontrollable high pitch laugh like a school girl while rolling on the floor. His new friend picked him up and helped him home partially because he was afraid of what this man would do to the poor officer who pulled him over, and because it had been a while since he had slept in a house.