The Alternate, Happy Ending!
About This
When I wrote my fanfic, "The Real Truth?" my first thought was "I can't put this up... it's just too sad." Yet nevertheless I knew I had a good story on my hands. So, immediately afterwards, I added the following to the ending, changing the outcome of an otherwise tragic story.
Immediately afterwards, however, I couldn't decide wether or not it had been a good idea. A part of me just didn't want to write a story with an unhappy ending, but the other part of me said that if I amended this to it, it would totally destroy an otherwise good story. I couldn't decide, so I compromised with myself: If enough people asked for this ending, I would make it available to them. Even then, though, I don't want to just put this ending up, otherwise people will think they have to read it, which in my opinion would be a disaster because the people who liked the original sad ending would walk away with a bitter taste in their mouths. But still, this is there for those that want it. For everyone else, you may safely turn back.
Enough talk. Onto the Alternate Ending already!
"Well," Abigail answered, "You and Wallabee got along quite nicely. He respected you, because you were the only kid who could beat him in hand-to-hand combat. Now, Kuki, well... Kuki was a brat, basically. She would lead guys on by acting all nice and stuff, then suddenly turn all snobby and mean. What did you think she was like?"
Nigel laughed. "So that's Kuki, huh? Well, in my two-year delusion, she was always this nice, cheery girl who was always oblivious to danger and thought life was one big party. She was always prancing around in this sweater which had sleeves longer than her arms and hands combined. It was kind of adorable, actually, but she did sometimes get on my nerves when she would cause me to worry about her and the team."
"Sounds like one great dream."
"Yea. It's kind of strange, actually, to think of her as a 'brat'," he didn't notice Abigail had stopped hugging him, and now was giving him a "what the heck?" look. He continued, oblivious, "I mean, somehow, thinking of her the way you described just doesn't click, you know?"
"What the heck are you talking about?!"
"Huh?" Nigel said. He opened his eyes and found himself just where he thought he was--under a cover, on his bed, just waking up. Over him was Abigail.
"Hey Abby," he said sleepily, "What's up?"
"Nothin' much. Numbuh Five just dropped in cuz I hear ya'll talkin' to yourself."
"You don't need to disassociate from yourself anymore. I'm over my delusions now."
After a hesitant pause, Numbuh Five exclaimed "What the heck is that supposed to mean?!"
This made Numbuh One jump to full wakefulness. "Whoa... You're really here?"
"Last I checked. You feeling all right? You've been saying some weird things all morning. You moaned about Hoagie being dead and something about Wallabee going to Lock-Up. Totally mind-blowing stuff. Just now you were saying something about having a crush on Numbuh Three..."
"Numbuh Five, hit me."
"Say again?"
"hit me."
"Aw right...." She punched him across the face. "Now, mind telling me why I did that?"
But Nigel was analysing the results. Hmmm... Pain... there was pain... but the problem is, there was pain in the dream, too, so this test couldn't be that reliable. But his mind soon realized there are some levels of pain that can't be replicated in a dream. "I'll explain momentarily, right now, I need a cup of hot water." He wasted no time hurrying to the working kitchen of the KND headquarters, where he warmed up a coffee cup of water in the microwave. When it was so hot that it burned, he said to himself "Here goes nothing..."
Abigail watched in horror as he dumped the scalding liquid on his face and down his shirt.
"OWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWW!!!" he cried. "OWWWWW! It's hot... it's hot... yes! It's hot!"
"You flipped a lid or something?"
"No, Numbuh Five. It's just that pain from burning can not, to the best of my knowledge, been reproduced in dreams. And any sensation of wetness is known to wake one up from dreams and thus can also not be reproduced by them. Therefore, I can safely conclude that I am not dreaming."
"Geez man... you must've had one crazy dream."
"Indeed. Do you mind if I tell you about it?"
Nigel spent the next ten minutes on the sofa drinking hot cocoa with Abby while summing up his dream in a nutshell. Finally, he finished. "I guess it was silly of me to worry like that though..."
"I dunno man. If I had a dream like that, I'd be scared to. Can't be anything worse than waking up thinking your entire life has been a lie."
"Yea."
"But that Dr. Stressum did say one thing that's true. You do have a fear of change, Nigel. We all do. I think that fear is the sole basis of what the Kids Next Door is all about."
"You know, you've got a point. We fight adults... and what will we be in the next ten years? Damn those irrevocable facts of life."
"Not quite irrevocable. After all, we've been chased after by an age- changing ray before."
"And I destroyed it!" Nigel blurted out in a mouthful of self-pity. "God, I am such a stupid leader."
"Oh calm down. After all, it seemed like a good idea at the time-- besides, we learn from our mistakes." she sighed and caught her breath. "Anyway... I'm not sure I like the idea of immortality anyway. There is something to be said for watching the world die around you while you stay the same forever."
"True..." Nigel sighed, and looked to the side. "But some people have everything to lose by growing up."
Abigail looked in the direction Nigel was facing, and the moment her eyes layed rest on the door with the number three on it, she knew instantly what, or rather who, Nigel was talking about. She smiled.
"Numbuh Five thinks everyone will agree on that one."
And so, another day rises in all it's morning glory on two young adventurers. No one knows what this new day might bring for our heroes. Love, loss, eternal life and instant death are all possibilities for anyone, anywhere. But no matter what happens, they will always be the Kids Next Door!
Thank you for reading. Look in my FFnet user info/bio if you must know where to find
more KND fanfic works by myself.
About This
When I wrote my fanfic, "The Real Truth?" my first thought was "I can't put this up... it's just too sad." Yet nevertheless I knew I had a good story on my hands. So, immediately afterwards, I added the following to the ending, changing the outcome of an otherwise tragic story.
Immediately afterwards, however, I couldn't decide wether or not it had been a good idea. A part of me just didn't want to write a story with an unhappy ending, but the other part of me said that if I amended this to it, it would totally destroy an otherwise good story. I couldn't decide, so I compromised with myself: If enough people asked for this ending, I would make it available to them. Even then, though, I don't want to just put this ending up, otherwise people will think they have to read it, which in my opinion would be a disaster because the people who liked the original sad ending would walk away with a bitter taste in their mouths. But still, this is there for those that want it. For everyone else, you may safely turn back.
Enough talk. Onto the Alternate Ending already!
"Well," Abigail answered, "You and Wallabee got along quite nicely. He respected you, because you were the only kid who could beat him in hand-to-hand combat. Now, Kuki, well... Kuki was a brat, basically. She would lead guys on by acting all nice and stuff, then suddenly turn all snobby and mean. What did you think she was like?"
Nigel laughed. "So that's Kuki, huh? Well, in my two-year delusion, she was always this nice, cheery girl who was always oblivious to danger and thought life was one big party. She was always prancing around in this sweater which had sleeves longer than her arms and hands combined. It was kind of adorable, actually, but she did sometimes get on my nerves when she would cause me to worry about her and the team."
"Sounds like one great dream."
"Yea. It's kind of strange, actually, to think of her as a 'brat'," he didn't notice Abigail had stopped hugging him, and now was giving him a "what the heck?" look. He continued, oblivious, "I mean, somehow, thinking of her the way you described just doesn't click, you know?"
"What the heck are you talking about?!"
"Huh?" Nigel said. He opened his eyes and found himself just where he thought he was--under a cover, on his bed, just waking up. Over him was Abigail.
"Hey Abby," he said sleepily, "What's up?"
"Nothin' much. Numbuh Five just dropped in cuz I hear ya'll talkin' to yourself."
"You don't need to disassociate from yourself anymore. I'm over my delusions now."
After a hesitant pause, Numbuh Five exclaimed "What the heck is that supposed to mean?!"
This made Numbuh One jump to full wakefulness. "Whoa... You're really here?"
"Last I checked. You feeling all right? You've been saying some weird things all morning. You moaned about Hoagie being dead and something about Wallabee going to Lock-Up. Totally mind-blowing stuff. Just now you were saying something about having a crush on Numbuh Three..."
"Numbuh Five, hit me."
"Say again?"
"hit me."
"Aw right...." She punched him across the face. "Now, mind telling me why I did that?"
But Nigel was analysing the results. Hmmm... Pain... there was pain... but the problem is, there was pain in the dream, too, so this test couldn't be that reliable. But his mind soon realized there are some levels of pain that can't be replicated in a dream. "I'll explain momentarily, right now, I need a cup of hot water." He wasted no time hurrying to the working kitchen of the KND headquarters, where he warmed up a coffee cup of water in the microwave. When it was so hot that it burned, he said to himself "Here goes nothing..."
Abigail watched in horror as he dumped the scalding liquid on his face and down his shirt.
"OWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWW!!!" he cried. "OWWWWW! It's hot... it's hot... yes! It's hot!"
"You flipped a lid or something?"
"No, Numbuh Five. It's just that pain from burning can not, to the best of my knowledge, been reproduced in dreams. And any sensation of wetness is known to wake one up from dreams and thus can also not be reproduced by them. Therefore, I can safely conclude that I am not dreaming."
"Geez man... you must've had one crazy dream."
"Indeed. Do you mind if I tell you about it?"
Nigel spent the next ten minutes on the sofa drinking hot cocoa with Abby while summing up his dream in a nutshell. Finally, he finished. "I guess it was silly of me to worry like that though..."
"I dunno man. If I had a dream like that, I'd be scared to. Can't be anything worse than waking up thinking your entire life has been a lie."
"Yea."
"But that Dr. Stressum did say one thing that's true. You do have a fear of change, Nigel. We all do. I think that fear is the sole basis of what the Kids Next Door is all about."
"You know, you've got a point. We fight adults... and what will we be in the next ten years? Damn those irrevocable facts of life."
"Not quite irrevocable. After all, we've been chased after by an age- changing ray before."
"And I destroyed it!" Nigel blurted out in a mouthful of self-pity. "God, I am such a stupid leader."
"Oh calm down. After all, it seemed like a good idea at the time-- besides, we learn from our mistakes." she sighed and caught her breath. "Anyway... I'm not sure I like the idea of immortality anyway. There is something to be said for watching the world die around you while you stay the same forever."
"True..." Nigel sighed, and looked to the side. "But some people have everything to lose by growing up."
Abigail looked in the direction Nigel was facing, and the moment her eyes layed rest on the door with the number three on it, she knew instantly what, or rather who, Nigel was talking about. She smiled.
"Numbuh Five thinks everyone will agree on that one."
And so, another day rises in all it's morning glory on two young adventurers. No one knows what this new day might bring for our heroes. Love, loss, eternal life and instant death are all possibilities for anyone, anywhere. But no matter what happens, they will always be the Kids Next Door!
Thank you for reading. Look in my FFnet user info/bio if you must know where to find
more KND fanfic works by myself.