Chapter Two - An Attempt At Freedom
"Dib, you've been trying at it for hours; why don't you take a rest? It's getting tedious for the both of us."
"No. I'm determined to get these things off of you without you dying."
"Just face it - it's hopeless! I'll be stuck in these darn things forever!"
"No, I'm going to free you if it's the last thing I do! I swear it!"
"Well, I guess it is sweet of you to sacrifice your time doing this for me. It means a lot. Thank you."
"It's no trouble at all. Not for you."
"You're even missing Mysterious Mysteries! You told me how much you love that show! You could be watching it right now, but you want to do me a favor. It's a huge one. I can't tell you how much I appreciate it."
"I'm glad." He continued to work the neck encirclement for a few more hours. "I'm so sorry. I don't think I'll ever get it right. Is there any way I can make it up to you? Any way at all?"
"Well...there is one thing you could do for me."
"What is that?"
"I want you to promise me something," her voice turned solemn, "Please, tell me. Do you really like me? Or do you just want to take special care of me because I'm an alien? I've learned since I first landed here that inhabitants of other planets are unique to have confrontations with your people except for in government exchanges. I'm not accusing you, but I need to know. I want to be your friend. I just need to know this."
"I like you for who you are. You're nice. You took the time to get to know me. A good friend would do that. That's what I expect from a friend. You are the type of person that would make the perfect companion for me."
"I trust your words. I think you speak the truth. I'll rely on that. I have a good feeling that you'll be the perfect comrade for me." Dib set down his tools and sat down next to her on the sofa.
"I'm sorry I couldn't get the rings off."
"That's okay; it's perfectly understandable. Even masters of engineering have a difficult time."
"So, how was your day?"
"It was okay. How was yours?"
"Are you kidding? I made the first friend in my life! Well, that's not entirely truthful. You're the best friend I ever had."
"Really? Tell me about the first one."
"Well, some of the kids used to like me okay in kindergarten..."
Flashback
"Hey, Dib, do you want to come play video games with me today? I've got some real good ones," a kid requested.
"Okay. I'll be there."
"Bye."
"Bye."
End of Flashback
"It all happened in first grade. I wasn't a popular kid, but I had friends. Let's see, there was Jonathon, Stephan, and Brandon. They liked me okay, and were nice, until -"
"Until what?"
"Well, they had decided at that age that it was just a little kid's notion that aliens existed."
"Oh, come on, that's absurd! How could they possibly think that?"
"I don't know how they work. Well, they basically thought that I had 'read too many comics' so to speak."
"Tell me the rest. There's more to the story. I know it."
"Well."
Flashback to First Grade
"Hey, Brandon, how's it going?" The kid ignored him and continued talking to his other friend. "Brandon, I'm talking to you. Brandon, didn't you hear me?"
"Get away from me!" the child snapped.
"What's wrong?"
"I don't hang out with weirdoes, that's what."
"What? I'm not a weirdo! Who said that?!"
"Everyone else."
"Come on, that's ridiculous! You know me, you know I'm not a weirdo!"
"Yeah, right. Saying that aliens exist! That's bologna!"
"It's not! I was abducted by them; I saw them!" This only triggered a series of cackles. "Stop it! Stop it! Just shut up!"
"I think he's crazy!"
"I am not crazy! I am not crazy! I am not crazy.!"
End of Flashback
"It echoes in my mind each day, a cacophony of mocking laughter at my expense."
"Does it matter to you?"
"Huh?"
"Do you care about their friendship now?"
"It's not exactly that.it's just that, we were friends and they betrayed me. I went without friends for a couple years."
"What about your sister Gaz?"
"Well, Gaz never did like me, but it's probably mostly because we're brother and sister. She used to not think that I had a weird obsession. Just over-obsessed in her mind. She thought I was okay though. A few years ago, she actually liked me halfway. I guess that losing that fondness was the greatest harm. Losing the bond between us was the end of the world to me. Do you know when I lost it?" Syntillia nodded her head no, "One year from the day I lost my friends. May 31st."
"Dib, that's.that's."
"That's what?"
"That's.today."
"Wow. That's.unusual."
"I'm sorry to hear about the kids though."
"Don't worry about it. You're my true friend."
"I am very honored to be considered your friend."
"You're honored? What makes you feel that way?"
"Everyone else laughed at me because I didn't know some things about Earth. Why didn't you laugh too?"
"I wanted to be polite. They don't even believe you're from another planet."
"Oh. What do they think, then?"
"They think you're - crazy. Like me," Dib put his head down in dejection.
"You're not though! We know that very well."
"How do I know?"
"Oh, stop that kind of talk now! Do you think you're insane, weird, or stupid?"
"No."
"You're not. Trust yourself. Friends should trust other friends, right?"
"Yeah."
"Trust me. You're not insane. You're not weird. You're not stupid. Who else spotted out Zim?"
"No one."
"Who else treated me kindly when everyone else ignored me, laughed at me, or wished me off my own planet?"
"No one."
"And tell me this - who else spent five hours attempting to free me from the rings that bind me, which is punishable by law, just to fix an injustice?"
"No one."
"See, even if you don't feel like you're making a difference any other way, always remember that you've showed me someone cares about my happiness - you."
"Thanks. You've cheered me up. I owe a lot to you."
"It's no problem. The only thing that you could possibly owe me is a trustworthy friendship though."
"That's nice, but I still want to do something for you to compensate. I know, I'll... No, wait, um."
"The best thing you could do is to keep yourself happy. I wouldn't want a sad friend. When a friend of mine is sad, I get sad too."
"Okay. I think I can manage that."
"Dib, you've been trying at it for hours; why don't you take a rest? It's getting tedious for the both of us."
"No. I'm determined to get these things off of you without you dying."
"Just face it - it's hopeless! I'll be stuck in these darn things forever!"
"No, I'm going to free you if it's the last thing I do! I swear it!"
"Well, I guess it is sweet of you to sacrifice your time doing this for me. It means a lot. Thank you."
"It's no trouble at all. Not for you."
"You're even missing Mysterious Mysteries! You told me how much you love that show! You could be watching it right now, but you want to do me a favor. It's a huge one. I can't tell you how much I appreciate it."
"I'm glad." He continued to work the neck encirclement for a few more hours. "I'm so sorry. I don't think I'll ever get it right. Is there any way I can make it up to you? Any way at all?"
"Well...there is one thing you could do for me."
"What is that?"
"I want you to promise me something," her voice turned solemn, "Please, tell me. Do you really like me? Or do you just want to take special care of me because I'm an alien? I've learned since I first landed here that inhabitants of other planets are unique to have confrontations with your people except for in government exchanges. I'm not accusing you, but I need to know. I want to be your friend. I just need to know this."
"I like you for who you are. You're nice. You took the time to get to know me. A good friend would do that. That's what I expect from a friend. You are the type of person that would make the perfect companion for me."
"I trust your words. I think you speak the truth. I'll rely on that. I have a good feeling that you'll be the perfect comrade for me." Dib set down his tools and sat down next to her on the sofa.
"I'm sorry I couldn't get the rings off."
"That's okay; it's perfectly understandable. Even masters of engineering have a difficult time."
"So, how was your day?"
"It was okay. How was yours?"
"Are you kidding? I made the first friend in my life! Well, that's not entirely truthful. You're the best friend I ever had."
"Really? Tell me about the first one."
"Well, some of the kids used to like me okay in kindergarten..."
Flashback
"Hey, Dib, do you want to come play video games with me today? I've got some real good ones," a kid requested.
"Okay. I'll be there."
"Bye."
"Bye."
End of Flashback
"It all happened in first grade. I wasn't a popular kid, but I had friends. Let's see, there was Jonathon, Stephan, and Brandon. They liked me okay, and were nice, until -"
"Until what?"
"Well, they had decided at that age that it was just a little kid's notion that aliens existed."
"Oh, come on, that's absurd! How could they possibly think that?"
"I don't know how they work. Well, they basically thought that I had 'read too many comics' so to speak."
"Tell me the rest. There's more to the story. I know it."
"Well."
Flashback to First Grade
"Hey, Brandon, how's it going?" The kid ignored him and continued talking to his other friend. "Brandon, I'm talking to you. Brandon, didn't you hear me?"
"Get away from me!" the child snapped.
"What's wrong?"
"I don't hang out with weirdoes, that's what."
"What? I'm not a weirdo! Who said that?!"
"Everyone else."
"Come on, that's ridiculous! You know me, you know I'm not a weirdo!"
"Yeah, right. Saying that aliens exist! That's bologna!"
"It's not! I was abducted by them; I saw them!" This only triggered a series of cackles. "Stop it! Stop it! Just shut up!"
"I think he's crazy!"
"I am not crazy! I am not crazy! I am not crazy.!"
End of Flashback
"It echoes in my mind each day, a cacophony of mocking laughter at my expense."
"Does it matter to you?"
"Huh?"
"Do you care about their friendship now?"
"It's not exactly that.it's just that, we were friends and they betrayed me. I went without friends for a couple years."
"What about your sister Gaz?"
"Well, Gaz never did like me, but it's probably mostly because we're brother and sister. She used to not think that I had a weird obsession. Just over-obsessed in her mind. She thought I was okay though. A few years ago, she actually liked me halfway. I guess that losing that fondness was the greatest harm. Losing the bond between us was the end of the world to me. Do you know when I lost it?" Syntillia nodded her head no, "One year from the day I lost my friends. May 31st."
"Dib, that's.that's."
"That's what?"
"That's.today."
"Wow. That's.unusual."
"I'm sorry to hear about the kids though."
"Don't worry about it. You're my true friend."
"I am very honored to be considered your friend."
"You're honored? What makes you feel that way?"
"Everyone else laughed at me because I didn't know some things about Earth. Why didn't you laugh too?"
"I wanted to be polite. They don't even believe you're from another planet."
"Oh. What do they think, then?"
"They think you're - crazy. Like me," Dib put his head down in dejection.
"You're not though! We know that very well."
"How do I know?"
"Oh, stop that kind of talk now! Do you think you're insane, weird, or stupid?"
"No."
"You're not. Trust yourself. Friends should trust other friends, right?"
"Yeah."
"Trust me. You're not insane. You're not weird. You're not stupid. Who else spotted out Zim?"
"No one."
"Who else treated me kindly when everyone else ignored me, laughed at me, or wished me off my own planet?"
"No one."
"And tell me this - who else spent five hours attempting to free me from the rings that bind me, which is punishable by law, just to fix an injustice?"
"No one."
"See, even if you don't feel like you're making a difference any other way, always remember that you've showed me someone cares about my happiness - you."
"Thanks. You've cheered me up. I owe a lot to you."
"It's no problem. The only thing that you could possibly owe me is a trustworthy friendship though."
"That's nice, but I still want to do something for you to compensate. I know, I'll... No, wait, um."
"The best thing you could do is to keep yourself happy. I wouldn't want a sad friend. When a friend of mine is sad, I get sad too."
"Okay. I think I can manage that."