Devi's body was sore. This thought was the only one she could sustain for
the time... the feeling pounding through her body, she had never realized
this kind of life. She was alive, and she could feel the sting of blood at
the cuts and bruises embedded in her skin. She could feel the wind
prickling her skin and the dust settling softly around her. She was alive.
Even though she could only see dark greys and browns, she was quite happy to be able to see a world left at all. The boy Todd was shakily standing up beside her, and when he caught her eyes he smiled with a brilliance she had never seen in a person before. "Look!" He whispered, and then pulled his hands down in a long parallel pattern. Devi watched, numb, as Todd began a seemingly-choreographed dance, molding the air and shaping the sky. And slowly, colors and shapes began to drip out of his hands, and a small patch of the grey-brown was now covered with a deep red soil, on which a mutated looking alien blinked.
"I'm a god." Todd squealed with joy. He continued his dance, which slowly caught fervor, as if some kind of spirit was telling him the moves. And out of his own jig, gnomes and tepees and spaceships grew out of the ground with vivid color, sparkling technology, realistic detail. When he finally stopped, Devi was just looking at him dumbly, unable to speak with the beauty of the world he was making. Todd noticed her look and wiped the air clean with another wave, leaving the original brown and grey. He sat down next to her to explain. "This is only the beginning." He told her, like a wise mentor helping an invalid. "These are only recreations of the old world. But we are left to create something that has never been thought of before. We have the power to know our minds, and let our thoughts take physical manifestation."
"I really don't know where to go with this." Devi told him.
"Of course. You're an adult. You're already too distant from your own mindthoughts. But you're here, so you have some original thought in you."
"I should. I'm an artist." Devi thought, and then tried to pull them outside of her head. A scene slowly faded into the grey, and there was a brilliant night sky behind a car. She watched it sadly and then let it dissipate back into the muted colors.
"It will take a while." Todd told her reassuringly. "It took me this long to get to fantasy, and I'm a kid. Just be patient."
"What," Devi said slowly, "If I don't want to see my mindthoughts take form?"
"But why wouldn't you?"
"It's frightening. It's happened before. Even if we're left because we're Real People... that doesn't mean we're good."
"And what's wrong with creating something that's not 'good'?" Todd laughed. Devi sighed and tried to force something out of her again. The scene with the car came back, the sky more powerful than the car. Shadows lay on the car and the sky was filling up the area, and then Devi shed light and Johnny sat peacefully at the car, faced off with the sky as if it was about to dissolve him.
Todd froze at the sight and slowly looked up at Devi. "So this is what you mean by not good." He said, shaking his head.
"No," Devi whispered with a smile, "this *is* good."
"Well, you cannot live forever with dreams. You have to come back to Reality." Todd told her. "This is nothing, a scene. And I can assure you He is nothing."
But Devi watched the shadow Johnny and said "He was the only Real one I knew. He was someone, even if it wasn't good, he was alive."
"He's no one." Todd said loudly. "He's the epitome of nothing. Don't bother with it."
"But if I see beauty in terror and reality in this life, you can't tell me that." Devi said. "It is my mind, after all."
"I suppose. Then we should go our own ways." Todd bowed clumsily. "Good luck with your journey, and thanks for your help."
"Thank you." Devi said politely, wanting him to go.
"But..." Todd looked back, fear in his voice, "be careful." And then he disappeared into a shadow and Devi was alone.
She walked into the night sky and the shadow Johnny looked over at her. "It's so beautiful sometimes." He said, and she could hear it in his voice, and she knew the boy was wrong. This was someone, no matter how lost.
"Yeah." She replied, sitting on the car and crossing her legs. And the sky was so blue or purple, and the stars were about to rain on her, and she could feel the blood oozing out of her scars. "Sometimes, the world's just fucking beautiful."
Even though she could only see dark greys and browns, she was quite happy to be able to see a world left at all. The boy Todd was shakily standing up beside her, and when he caught her eyes he smiled with a brilliance she had never seen in a person before. "Look!" He whispered, and then pulled his hands down in a long parallel pattern. Devi watched, numb, as Todd began a seemingly-choreographed dance, molding the air and shaping the sky. And slowly, colors and shapes began to drip out of his hands, and a small patch of the grey-brown was now covered with a deep red soil, on which a mutated looking alien blinked.
"I'm a god." Todd squealed with joy. He continued his dance, which slowly caught fervor, as if some kind of spirit was telling him the moves. And out of his own jig, gnomes and tepees and spaceships grew out of the ground with vivid color, sparkling technology, realistic detail. When he finally stopped, Devi was just looking at him dumbly, unable to speak with the beauty of the world he was making. Todd noticed her look and wiped the air clean with another wave, leaving the original brown and grey. He sat down next to her to explain. "This is only the beginning." He told her, like a wise mentor helping an invalid. "These are only recreations of the old world. But we are left to create something that has never been thought of before. We have the power to know our minds, and let our thoughts take physical manifestation."
"I really don't know where to go with this." Devi told him.
"Of course. You're an adult. You're already too distant from your own mindthoughts. But you're here, so you have some original thought in you."
"I should. I'm an artist." Devi thought, and then tried to pull them outside of her head. A scene slowly faded into the grey, and there was a brilliant night sky behind a car. She watched it sadly and then let it dissipate back into the muted colors.
"It will take a while." Todd told her reassuringly. "It took me this long to get to fantasy, and I'm a kid. Just be patient."
"What," Devi said slowly, "If I don't want to see my mindthoughts take form?"
"But why wouldn't you?"
"It's frightening. It's happened before. Even if we're left because we're Real People... that doesn't mean we're good."
"And what's wrong with creating something that's not 'good'?" Todd laughed. Devi sighed and tried to force something out of her again. The scene with the car came back, the sky more powerful than the car. Shadows lay on the car and the sky was filling up the area, and then Devi shed light and Johnny sat peacefully at the car, faced off with the sky as if it was about to dissolve him.
Todd froze at the sight and slowly looked up at Devi. "So this is what you mean by not good." He said, shaking his head.
"No," Devi whispered with a smile, "this *is* good."
"Well, you cannot live forever with dreams. You have to come back to Reality." Todd told her. "This is nothing, a scene. And I can assure you He is nothing."
But Devi watched the shadow Johnny and said "He was the only Real one I knew. He was someone, even if it wasn't good, he was alive."
"He's no one." Todd said loudly. "He's the epitome of nothing. Don't bother with it."
"But if I see beauty in terror and reality in this life, you can't tell me that." Devi said. "It is my mind, after all."
"I suppose. Then we should go our own ways." Todd bowed clumsily. "Good luck with your journey, and thanks for your help."
"Thank you." Devi said politely, wanting him to go.
"But..." Todd looked back, fear in his voice, "be careful." And then he disappeared into a shadow and Devi was alone.
She walked into the night sky and the shadow Johnny looked over at her. "It's so beautiful sometimes." He said, and she could hear it in his voice, and she knew the boy was wrong. This was someone, no matter how lost.
"Yeah." She replied, sitting on the car and crossing her legs. And the sky was so blue or purple, and the stars were about to rain on her, and she could feel the blood oozing out of her scars. "Sometimes, the world's just fucking beautiful."
