REMNANT

Chapter Two - Hmmm.

Well, it turned out that the explosion outside was nothing, just something the author had used to end the last story on as he had felt like ending it with excitement and then starting the next chapter off with a disappointment. Awww, what's the matter? Were you expecting it to be something real COOL?! Ha ha, that's what you get.

"You were saying?" Jeremy couldn't help but be a little let down by the false alarm. Though he had been scared…that could've been the alarm clock, bringing in reinforcements…he inwardly shuddered, deciding that he was glad it hadn't been anything.

"Ahhh…yes. What was it, again?" The small man adopted a thoughtful, blank expression, apparently able to contradict himself in such a manner. Jeremy groaned, closed his eyes for a moment, then pointed his finger at the man in a rather threatening gesture.

"Listen here, you Oxymoron (heh heh. Get it? Okay, so it was lame…Shaddup…), I'm gonna be late for school if you just stall…I don't care about being late to school, really, I just care because I don't have an excuse! I also don't care about any punishment my school might dish out on me, as I wouldn't abide by that punishment, whatever it may be, anyway…however, I AM concerned about what my mother might do when I give her some lame excuse that doesn't make any sense. YOU came here, so stop stalling and talk, Arnold!"

"Arnold" paused for a moment. "I told you my name was Frank…" He scratched his head. Jeremy looked at him quizzically, then "Frank" realized his blunder. Yes, he had indeed referred to himself previously as "Arnold". Wait…did he have any real reason not to tell the kid his name?

"Uhhh…well, whoever you are…" Jeremy began, but the other man cut him off.

"Screw it, what's the harm? My name's not Arnold, nor is it Frank…My name is Friff, or…that's what you can call me." He smiled. Jeremy nodded, somewhat confused.

"That's an interesting name." Jeremy remarked, rubbing his chin as if pondering something.

"You think so? It seemed a little bland to me, but my mother wanted that to be my name…my father wanted Gaarghakballz, which I thought would fit me better. Not simple, yet not far-fetched, eh?" Jeremy simply nodded, though inside he was beginning to get a little creeped out.

"But anyway…the message I have for you! Ah, yes! Here you go, Jeremy."

He handed him a massive envelope, easily three feet wide and about a foot or so high. Jeremy opened it with difficulty. He found that there was no real reason to have such a large envelope or paper, as the writing on the massive letter could have easily fit on a normal sized sheet of paper. Friff seemed to read his mind.

"Ah…where I come from, that's the smallest size available." Jeremy looked up at him incredulously. Friff just shrugged, and Jeremy began reading the letter.

Dear Jeremy,

Greetings! I do hope you're doing well, boy. Ah yes, I remember my days of youth. I often found myself admiring things old people admired. My mother always told me I had "old people eyes". I asked what she meant, and she said that I saw things the way they were meant to be seen. I later discovered that old people eyes were either the eyes of a child or eyes of understanding, or both. Erm…I believe I have dawdled. I did not send my messenger all the way to your land simply to talk to you about old people. You don't even know who I am, after all, and therefore I would assume that, after reading me talk about old people so openly with one whom I have never encountered (though I know of you), you would be a little freaked out.

My apologies, dear boy! I shouldn't go on like that. I really should erase all that…but I am a busy man, and there is little time left.

You are a young man, yet you happen to bear a great responsibility. You do not know this, and it was not known unto us until a few days ago. Though we had been searching for you for years, in a sense…allow me to elaborate.

You see m'boy, you are confined to your "world"…though it was discovered long ago in another that it was possible to travel to different galaxies via doors. Yes, doors. Regular doors…how was this discovered? It's an odd thing, really. A man who had just finished using the john was about to exit when he realized he had forgotten to flush. He had also let the tapwater run in the kitchen, and had placed a spoon in a cup on the table in a certain formation that apparently was part of a very complex procedure. He, of course, was a normal man and did all of this unintentionally. So, he flushed the toilet, though in the process of reaching over knocked over the toothbrush. Catching it in midair, unaware of what the rest of his body was doing, his foot ventured outside the door at a precise timing that no man who actually understood what he was doing could have done. However, it was by pure chance that this man had his foot sticking out the door at this precise timing. It's funny…a man who knew exactly what he was doing couldn't do this, but this man, who knew nothing of what he was doing, managed to do so without even trying to.

I believe I might have bored you or numbed your mind with that explanation, and I apologize. There's more, but it's so vastly complicated I couldn't possibly write it all down. My point, though…is that you are like this man, in a way.

You have unconsciously altered forever the destiny of yourself and all of your friends and family through a series of seemingly unconnected, random events…your feud with the alarm clock is scheduled next, and this will be the final step. Of course, I am writing this before this event has occurred, so it is up to friff to deliver this message after the matter has been resolved, lest we risk the process's certainty. Confused? Don't worry, in due time…and by that I mean, maybe a couple years…you will understand.

This process started when you were six years old. It couldn't have possibly completed itself if you had knowledge of what you were doing. Strange, isn't it? A lot of greatness has come about on accident.

I have little time, as I must leave on an errand soon. You will probably remain utterly confused, dumbfounded, and speechless after reading this. Don't worry, I will explain it all to you, when we finally meet. I actually don't know it all myself, so you're not exactly alone…in fact, you're going to effect a lot of people in time. A lot of people.

The land you will be taken to is known as Gaal, a desert region where you will begin your "education" anew with friff as your teacher. He will explain to you certain aspects of what I have already discussed in detail, as well as things I have not informed you of at this time due to the uncertainty of whether or not things will still happen as they are supposed to if you are aware of what I haven't told you.

Your friends are all a part of this too…I apologize for confusing you so, but I really must be off. Once again, forgive me for ending this so abruptly and without a full, proper explanation…I'm sure friff will help you.

Know this…you cannot choose to abandon the path that has opened before you. If you do…an entire world and more is at stake.

May you be blessed, and I pray we shall meet soon.

Sincerely,

Lord Fraff

Jeremy was utterly confused, dumbfounded, and speechless.

TO BE CONTINUED