A small green bird man floats in an endless void. In here he has no power. In here he has no authority. In here he's the most powerless he'd ever been. Prince Ludo Avarius, a 23 year old bird monster, one of 50 heirs to the royal monster throne, is a flawed being. He is a confused ball of matter wrapped up in a blanket of self-loathing and desperation. Ludo wants nothing more than for people to appreciate him, but he has difficulty expressing himself in a manner that was in any way acceptable. All he knows how to do is be authoritative. He's spent his whole life under the talons of another bird thirsty for his own power, Lord Brudo.
Ludo is the result of everything around him: a result of disappointment, of aspirations reached for but never attained, of mediocrity. Ludo, no matter how flawed he is, believes he is destined for greatness and would do anything to achieve it. But what is it what he really wants? Does he really think that his goals would make him happy? These are the questions that plague him. Is Ludo truly destined for any sort of greatness?
Ludo: Well… here I am again… floating around in an endless nothingness, such is my life.
From out of nowhere another voice speaks. It says "you're not alone".
Ludo: What? Who's there?
Glossaryck: Down here.
Ludo: Glossaryck, you're here too?
Glossaryck: Yup.
The small blue man speaks matter-of-factly. He seems rather unconcerned by his predicament. Ludo is excited to see Glossaryck. He tries to swim aerially, awkwardly, toward the small blue being who just floats in place. Ludo becomes frustrated as the lack of gravity and friction defies him.
Ludo: How are you doing that? Floating in a single space like that? I can't stop floating around in circles!
Glossaryck grabs Ludo by the leg as he floats by, stopping his momentum and suspending him in place.
Ludo: Whew, thanks.
The two stare at each other awkwardly for a few seconds, making weird faces at each other until Ludo breaks the silence.
Ludo: So uh… where are we?
Glossaryck: You.
Ludo: No, us, where are we?
Glossaryck: We are inside you.
Ludo: What? That makes no sense. I'm inside myself?
Glossaryck: In a matter of speaking yes. We are inside your mind… very spacious and quiet in here. How uncanny.
Ludo: How do we get out of here?
Glossaryck: There is no getting out of here.
Ludo: What? That can't be possible. What's going on? How can I be inside me? I'm so confused.
Glossaryck: Alright alright, don't hurt yourself thinking about it. Allow me to explain. We, are inside of your mind. The reason you're here is because you aren't in control of yourself.
Ludo: If I'm not in control of myself, then who is?
Glossaryck: Toffee.
Ludo: WHAT?! BUT HE, BUT HE'S…
Glossaryck: Dead? I'm afraid that's not so… at least not anymore.
Ludo: How did this happen?
Glossaryck: His spirit was inside your wand.
Ludo: That voice… you mean the whole time I was listening to the wand it was… HIM?
Glossaryck: Precisely.
Ludo: I don't understand! That backstabbing charlatan was destroyed along with my castle! There's no way he survived!
Glossaryck: He didn't. When the wand was corrupted and became cleaved, it split into two wands, the one Star has, and the flawed one you had. I must ask you Ludo, didn't you notice anything peculiar about that wand?
Ludo: Well… it looked like a weird bony hand… with 4 fingers… one of them…
Ludo facepalms.
Ludo: How could I have been so STUPID?! So BLIND?!
Glossaryck: Mistakes happen.
Ludo: Sigh… what do we do now?
Glossaryck: I already told you. There is no getting out. All we can do is wait.
Ludo: We can't just do nothing! That madman is doing who knows what with my body, using whatever magic in the book he wants! He could go around destroying everything! He could hurt people!
Glossaryck: And I'm supposed to care why, exactly? Even better question is, why do YOU care? You never did before. Also, aren't YOU the guy that wanted to take over everything yourself?
Ludo: I thought that's what I wanted… but then I found peace out in the wild… and I think I might have actually been happy. That's when it called to me. It summoned me to it and I followed like a fool.
Glossaryck: So you abandoned your happiness to follow a strange voice? That doesn't seem logical at all.
Ludo: You're being awfully sassy with me. As your master, I command you to stop!
Glossaryck: You're not my master anymore. There is no book… there is no master… I have no master anymore.
Ludo: What happened to the book?
Glossaryck: Toffee consumed it, along with you, and me. He will not stop there either.
Ludo: How can you be so calm about this? How can you even be sure we'll make it out of this okay?
Glossaryck: I'm not. All we can do is wait and see what happens. So sit, and wait.
Ludo sits there for about a minute, antsy, he fidgets, changing positions silently for a little over a minute before breaking silence.
Ludo: Has anything happened yet?
Glossaryck: Nope.
Ludo: Argh! This is so boring! How are we supposed to pass the time? Ooh I know! We could play a game!
Glossaryck: Um... okay. What game did you have in mind?
Ludo: Uh... tag?
Glossaryck: Aren't we both a little... old for tag? Besides, we're floating in space. It won't be a particularly fun game.
Ludo: I don't know! Can't you use your magic to make some cards appear? A board game? Anything?
Glossaryck: Toffee took my powers as well.
Ludo: Oh I know! We'll play "I, Spy".
Glossaryck: How does that work?
Ludo: Okay so I say "I spy with my little eye something that's"... and then I pick a color and you have to try to guess what it is that I spy. Then it's your turn to do the same thing.
Glossaryck: Okay I guess. You be first.
Ludo: I spy with my little eye, something blue.
Glossaryck: Is it me?
Ludo: Yes!
Glossaryck: Well, that was riveting.
Ludo: Okay your turn!
Glossaryck: Okay. I spy with my BIG PURPLE DIAMOND-SHAPED EYE something green? Grey? I don't know. What color are you again?
Ludo: Ugh! You're not supposed to tell me what you see!
Glossaryck: Well, you're not giving me a lot to work with.
Ludo: Never mind I don't want to play anymore!
They sit in silence yet again. Glossaryck closes his eyes in a state of meditation while Ludo fidgets helplessly. He then inquires of him some more while Glossaryck maintains stasis, not even opening his eyes.
Ludo: Glossaryck?
Glossaryck: Yes?
Ludo: What do you think of me?
Glossaryck: I don't.
Ludo: What do you mean you don't?
Glossaryck: I don't have an opinion of you.
Ludo: That's nonsense. Everyone HAS an opinion.
Glossaryck: Opinions are trivial. They don't matter.
Ludo: I think your opinion matters.
Glossaryck: Really?
Ludo: Of course. I like you Glossaryck. There's something about your brutal honesty, I kinda respect that about you.
Glossaryck: Wow, it's just, I don't know how to respond. Nobody's ever asked me what I thought before.
Ludo: You mean to tell me that after all these years not one of those Butterflies ever asked you what you thought of them?
Glossaryck: Well, they all just assumed I was there to be a guide for the book of spells. The questions they asked me all pertained to the magic of the book. Nobody ever asked me how I felt about anything so I just assumed none of it really mattered.
Ludo: Well, what do you think of me? Please, Glossaryck, it's really important to me. You're the only person I trust anymore. Everyone else hates me.
Glossaryck: Sigh… I don't get it.
Ludo: Don't get what?
Glossaryck: What's with the facade Ludo?
Ludo: I'm not really sure I understand.
Glossaryck: I mean the whole "tough guy" act. What's up with that? It's like you're two different people at the same time. One second you're this sweet kid, and the next you're vicious. Unless you're suffering from some sort of disorder I don't know about, I'm inclined to believe that one of those people is a ruse, and not the real you. I'd like to believe it's the vicious one that's the imposter. I couldn't figure it out at first until you mentioned your father, Lord Brudo, then it struck me that you're trying to be just like him.
Ludo folds his arms, looking away in denial.
Ludo: My father is dead to me. I want nothing to do with him.
Glossaryck: I think he means a lot more to you than you allow yourself to believe, Ludo. Your attitude mirrors his own with uncanny accuracy.
Ludo: IT DOES NOT!
Glossaryck: There he is... Lord Brudo... always angry, vengeful, spiteful, in-denial.
Ludo: I AM NOT LIKE HIM!
Glossaryck: You're right, not entirely. You try Ludo. You try so hard. A lot harder than he ever did. The difference between you and your father is that you've actually succeeded at something in your life.
Ludo: I'm not a success. I'm a loser. I've lost my castle, my army, my clothes, my family... and now I don't even have my own body.
Ludo starts to cry.
Ludo: Stop looking at me! I don't even deserve you!
Glossaryck pats the sobbing bird on the back, reassuring him as best as he can.
Glossaryck: There there Ludo. I don't think you're a loser. Sure you've had nothing, but you made something of it.
Ludo looks up, his eyes glossy and wet.
Glossaryck: You've accomplished something I've never seen anyone do. You came back from nothing, like a phoenix from ashes, you crawled through the dirt, survived an alien existence, alone. You made new companions and you made a life for yourself. You even beat Star eventually! I'll be the first one to admit that I totally had it banked that you would never go anywhere, that you would never get her wand and that you and your bummy little crones would suffer defeat after defeat until you just gave up. But no, I underestimated you. Everyone did. You WON something. You kicked Star's butt and you even managed to steal the book of spells! You stole ME! While I don't entirely agree with your actions or your style of life, Ludo. I have to admit, I'm impressed.
Ludo becomes overwhelmed with joy over Glossaryck's words.
Ludo: Thank you so much Glossaryck! You have no idea how much what you've said means to me! But I wonder, what should I do now, I mean, when we get outta here?
Glossaryck: Well Ludo, if you want my opinion, I think it's time to grow up.
Ludo: I couldn't agree more. I'm gonna go and get my big body and I will rule ALL!
Glossaryck: What? that's not what I meant.
Ludo: So you don't think I should go and become large?
Glossaryck: What does having a big body have to do with anything?
Ludo: It means everything! I would think a man that's half MY size would care a lot about that!
Glossaryck: I am completely content with my size.
Ludo: Really? You mean to tell me you wouldn't be pleased to be even so much as a foot taller?
Glossaryck: Size doesn't matter, Ludo. I think you should stop worrying about being a bigger person on the outside and concentrate on being a bigger person on the inside.
Ludo: So, you want me to get fat?
Glossaryck: No. I mean, you could stand to gain a few pounds because quite honestly, you're skin and bones, but that's not what I'm talking about.
Ludo looks down, feeling the emptiness of his gut and agrees, wholly.
Glossaryck: I want you to act your age, like an adult. It's time to take responsibility for your actions Ludo. You've hurt a lot of people, burned quite a few bridges. It's time to rebuild them. It will take time, effort. I know you're no stranger to that. You should start by apologizing, to your friends, your family... eventually Star.
Ludo: Why should I apologize to any of them? THEY HURT ME!
Glossaryck: I'm well aware that you're not exactly on the best of terms with any of these people. I know that each of them, including Star, are in the wrong for their words and actions towards you, but it's about being the bigger man Ludo, on the inside.
Ludo looks at him, unconvinced.
Glossaryck: It won't be easy, but it's possible.
Ludo: I'm scared. I mean, what if they don't forgive me?
Glossaryck: It's not about them forgiving you Ludo, it's about YOU apologizing, and being a man.
Ludo: I understand. Thank you, Glossaryck, for everything, your honesty, for telling me the things I needed to hear rather than what I wanted to hear.
He seemed reluctant though, and Glossaryck could see it.
Glossaryck: I bet your family misses you dearly, Ludo. They might not admit it at first, but they all do, even your stubborn father.
Ludo lights up for a second.
Ludo: Do you think Star would forgive me? I mean, you know her better than I do.
Glossaryck ponders for a second.
Glossaryck: I think it matters on the sincerity of the apology. She might not ever trust you. You might not become friends or anything, but I believe, at the very least, she would forgive you and put it behind her.
Ludo: I think that would be satisfying enough to start. I don't want to be a bad person anymore, Glossaryck. I want to change my life. I want to be happy again.
Glossaryck smiles at him.
Glossaryck: Very well.
They sit across from each other.
Ludo: I hope they can stop Toffee.
Glossaryck: Me too.
Ludo's hope bares true. Ludo would eventually become rejected by Toffee's new form. Star would defeat Toffee, and Toffee would be reduced to a mucky pile of goop under a pillar pushed onto him by Ludo. Ludo would come to allow this fantasy to lapse into his subconscious as he moved on with his life. At his request, Ludo had Star thrust him back into the void once again. Ludo needed to think about his life, about how others felt about him. Ludo was certain though, that nobody really cared about him. Nobody could ever care about such a small and insignificant creature as he. Ludo stumbled upon the planet of trash, feeling like that is rightfully where he belonged, with the garbage of the universe. Here, Ludo could be alone, as he felt he should be. Little did Ludo know how much his absence meant to others. Little did he know that far away, a mother bird laid, thinking relentlessly about him, stewing in her own suffering as she laid, the head of a house divided.