Violet Gets Educated

Violet strolled aimlessly to the outskirts of town, looking at the ground as she walked, deep in thought.

She didn't know how long she'd been walking, but she was getting tired, her legs sore. Thoughts were playing and replaying in her mind as she tried to sort things out, she needed to sit for awhile and think, but was too restless and decided to keep going.

A few minutes later, she came across a brick retaining wall, a little over a two and a half feet high and a foot wide, just right to sit on and rest…so she did. Violet sat on the wall, put her feet up and pulled her knees to her chest in a fetal position. Hugging her legs, and resting her head on her knees, she continued to think.

'Sure, Dash and I had arguments before,' she thought, 'and even stopped speaking a time or two…for a little while anyway. But, why did he say what he said? Does he really hate me that much?'

The idea seemed too remote to even give it much thought.

'Why am I being so sensitive about stuff…what's happening to me?

He probably didn't mean it…I never gave him a chance.

Why am I doing this?

What's wrong with me?

Who am I anyway?'

Violet took of her mask and gazed at it for a moment, slowly running her thumbs over it, "Who are you?" she asked rhetorically.

Violet replaced her mask, closed her eyes and thought.

The sound of running water broke her thoughts, she looked to her right to see what was making the sound. The water was coming from a highly patinated 19th century looking bronze thing, the centerpiece for the fountain she chose as a resting place.

Something past the fountain caught her eye. About fifty feet away was a large stately looking building, Victorian, more than likely. An original city office building? Government perhaps? Maybe an old college? It was hard to tell, there was nothing to hint at its use; no signs, no people, it didn't even appear to be in use for that matter. There were no curtains or blinds on the dark, empty windows. It was deserted but not abandoned. It was very well kept, from the extensive gardens and grounds to the new paint and solid bricks; it had all the appearances of just being built, only the tell-tail thickness of decades of paint on the woodwork gave a clue as to its 19th century construction.

It's simple, quiet grandeur was intimidating, but Violet was drawn to it. She entered through the large front doors into a great hall, only the light from the domed rotunda lit the interior. Even in the dim light, Violet could see the deep paneled walls and columns. The aromatic smell of old leather and dark, aged wood surrounded her, she felt this was a place of faith, wisdom and trust, long before she read those same words engraved on the rotunda's open, second floor framework. As she looked around, she began to feel what little self-worth she still had slip away; it seemed to her, that a deserted building possessed qualities she would never have.

Uncertainty and despair filled her, she started thinking that perhaps her brother was right and that he meant exactly what he said, she was useless. Useless to her family and everyone else; but worse, to herself…a total failure.

Unable to reconcile events in her mind or fill the emptiness that that weighed so heavy in her heart, she sat down by a column, and started to cry.

-III-

"You could use a friend." The soft, fatherly voice sounded close.

Violet looked up to see a man standing about five feet in front of her, an older man in nondescript clothes. She didn't hear him come into the rotunda and should have been startled, but for some reason, she was comforted by his presents.

"Who are you?" she asked through her tears.

"A friend" came the simple reply.

"You wouldn't want to be mine." She said quietly, looking at the floor.

"Why?"

"Because…"

"Because why?"

"I'm a failure." she said after a pause.

"Why are you a failure?"

She thought for a second, then answered.

"I don't understand my powers, I can't use them…I have no control." she began, "A lot of people think the supers are freaks of nature. Sometimes I wish I could just be normal" she added with a little frustration, "If the supers have powers they understand and use them to help people…if they're freaks…" she paused, "what does that make me?"

"A young lady with a very special gift." he said kindly, "Violet, if you gave up this profound power…the world looses. Everyone is special in their own way, they all have something to give. If they hide their gift, whether great or small…never using it, were would we be?" "If you allow a few people to make you become less than you are, you and others will suffer.

"Sweetheart, don't hide what makes you special, develop it, work to make it greater, be the best you can possibly be."

She thought for a moment.

"Well, my mom said that I had more power than I thought. Don't think…don't worry, she told me…" Violet reminisced.

"…and that, when the time came, I would know what to do…that, it was in my blood." she continued.

"Your mom's started you in the right direction."

"Yeh, she was right, I mean, I did do better, but I think she overestimated the power in me...I've done good with small problems, but the really big ones…I always failed…" she stated factually.

"…little people do little things I guess." she sighed.

"You say your mom overestimates you; I say you could be underestimating yourself." the friend suggested.

"Maybe, but how can anyone estimate something they don't understand?"

Violet, you've always known about your powers. Your intuition, your instinct, has full understanding of every aspect of your gift.

"So why don't I understand it myself?" she asked puzzled.

"If by that, you mean your consciousness…your intellect, it's because the intellect is seeking knowledge it can't possibly use".

"For instance, if your facing a dangerous situation, your intellect would think it illogical to turn control over to a part of you that it considered weak."

"Sometimes when you trust your instinct you do things that seem illogical to your intellect. But you do it, and in the final analysis, it proves to be the best action. Sometimes it's better not to think." the friend said, reinforcing Helen's words.

"That's what mom said."

"Your mother's wise." he said thoughtfully.

She continued, eyes looking past the walls. "But I don't understand…someone my size…have that much power."

Her eyes turned to her friend.

"What is it in me that makes it? How can a little person produce enough power to defeat something as big as Thanatos? It's…it's impossible."

Her friend stood there listening quietly, then said:

"Intellect sees the impossible, instinct doesn't understand the concept. Instinct sees what eyes can't, fully understands what can't be comprehended, it has no boundaries, or fear."

He paused for a second, "The only way for your intellect to understand, is to shut down totally and give complete domination to the intuition".

"How can I do that?"

"You can't, but even if you could…it would be very dangerous". he said with concern, "Just learn to yield to your intuition Violet, use it, it's your greatest power."

"But how can I use something I don't understand?" she questioned with frustration.

"Everyone else knows what they have; they see it, touch it, they understand it. I have things in me…about me…powers…that I just…" frustration and anger causes her to choke up momentarily. "Just let me know…I need answers…I need some understanding of my power." she said, almost begging. "Please."

Violet looked earnestly at him through moist eyes, expectations of pure wisdom to guide her, keys of ancient understanding to unlock the door to her cluttered mind and set her free.

But what came was just a simple analogy, too simple perhaps, for her to grasp its deeper meaning.

"Violet…" Her friend began, "…'power' has more than one meaning, don't always focus on the obvious."

"A dying general isn't weak." he concluded.

Violet sat there waiting for him to continue. But after a few seconds, it was obvious this cryptic message was the answer.

"I…don't understand." she said a little puzzled, still turning it over in her mind.

"You will" He said softly, "When the time comes, you will."

"But, if I go against Thanatos now…I'll die…won't I?" Violet asked, searching.

"That's up to you." he replied.

"But what if…" Violet stopped herself in mid sentence, her friend was gone.

"Trust your instinct Violet." her friends words echoed softly of the walls, then faded out.

Wisdom had been transferred. She just didn't know it…yet.

-III-

Violet leaves the old college, but stops for a minute to contemplate the encounter with this mysterious man she calls her friend. Standing on the portico, she thinks about the puzzling wisdom of the dying general. Then slowly walked away from the main building towards the fountain, where she paused a moment before leaving to rejoin her family. Again, she sat on the fountain's wall, pulled her knees to her chest and contemplated the events of the past half hour. Her thoughts were interrupted by a strange silence; the water had stopped, as she turned to look at the fountain, what she saw made her gasp.

The fountain was dry and the building…gone.

Violet jumped down and slowly walked towards the remnants, starring at the emptiness in disbelief, looking around trying to figure out what went wrong with her mind. All she saw was an old commemorative marker placed on what remained of the portico, it was the only indication that a structure ever existed. She cautiously approached the marker and read the plaque; the inscription was simple, but shook her to the core, she starred at the last line, reading several times 'Destroyed May 27, 1961.'

"1961...that was three years ago." she said softly to herself.

'It was so real.' she thought, 'I'm losing my mind, I just know it…it was so real.' she thought again trying to convince herself she wasn't going insane, 'It has to be…everything happens for a reason.'

Violet turned slowly to leave, half expecting to see Rod Serling there welcoming her to the Twilight Zone.

Something inside though convinced her that all was well and that what she learned would be of the greatest importance when the time came. 'Don't worry, just go with it,' it seemed to say. Intuitively she knew the mission and that time was short, the petty problems of the past were forgotten.

As she started to leave, she looked back at the emptiness, "Trust instinct." she said thoughtfully to herself, then made an irrevocable decision: never again would there be any doubt in her mind, she knew who she was and what she must do.

Driven by new hope, an uncertain confidence and a dying general; she ran towards the temple to be with her family and face the harbinger of death like the superhero she was.