Competition: Through the Looking Glass

Finished
Through the Looking Glass

Most of the time we look through the glass of our computer screens and imagine what our characters do in the Brotherhood. Now let us take a look at this from a different angle. Let our creations step into our world or conversely, let us step into their world. The choice is yours!

Tell us a story based on one of these three prompts:

  • What if your character was dropped on present day Earth, with no knowledge of the planet?

  • What if your character appeared on your door step?

  • What if you suddenly found your real world self in the Star Wars/DJB universe and you met your character?

Tell us in no less than 500 words what you/your character would say, do, or not do in one of these scenarios. Entries will be graded using the Voice Fiction Grading Rubric.

Competition Information
Organized by
Colonel Len Iode, Councillor Turel Sorenn
Running time
2016-01-06 until 2016-02-15 (about 1 month)
Target Unit
Entire DJB
Competition Type
Fiction
Awards
Second Level Crescents and Clusters of Ice as per VOICE guidelines
Participants
40 subscribers, of which 16 have participated.
Results
Member
Maenaki Delavi'in
Submission
Maenaki Delavi'in opted out of publishing her submission.
Placement
1st place
Member
Alara Deathbane
Textual submission

I was going about my regular business at home on a regular Tuesday evening. I just got off work, I was thinking about what I would do for dinner, and I was just changing out of my work attire into something comfier. My rats were chattering away in their cage, waiting for me to bring them a treat. That’s when she showed up.

“AAAMMBEER!!! THERE IS SOMEONE AT THE DOOR FOR YOU!!” my mother called from upstairs. Confused, I ran upstairs to see what the commotion was about. Did I have plans? Was someone stopping by to say hi from church or something? Is my boyfriend playing a prank on me?

I walked towards the porch and spotted her: Alara. The beautiful, intense, powerfully confident figure that I created. Instinctively, I checked for her lightsaber. Assuringly, it was strapped to her belt.

“YOU. Are you this Amber girl I’ve been sent for?” Alara squinted at me, overlooking my appearance too.

“Uh.. Yeah.. Come with me,” I grabbed her arm and ran her down to my room.

“YOU DIDN’T TELL ME SOMEONE WAS COMING, AMBER. I WOULD’VE CLEANED UP!” my mother yelled with a tinge of embarrassment in her voice.

“IT’S OKAY MOM, SHE’LL JUST BE IN MY ROOM AND NOWHERE ELSE,” I yelled back. Alara cocked her brow at me as we fleeted into my bedroom.

I slammed the door shut, briskly locked it, and spun around. Alara was already inspecting every inch of my room, rolling her eyes at pictures, and cocking her brow at my rats.

“What are you doing here? Better yet, how did you get here?” I questioned her.

“Well, first of all, I’ll answer the questions I want to answer,” Alara stated plainly.

“Of course,” I rolled my eyes. I placed my hands on my hips as I awaited her explanation.

“I was sent on a mission to ... “ she looked down on me, “to get to know you better.”

“Okay.. I’m not interesting. I have five rats that live in my room, and I work an office job. That enough?” I gestured towards the door.

“First of all, I don’t understand this Earthen world, or any of those words you just used. Secondly, aren’t those creatures rabid? Thirdly, you are nothing like I imagined,” Alara pointed out, looking skeptical.

“Yes. I know. I’m a 5 foot 2 miniscule form of a human. I’m not impressive. As for my rats, they are NOT rabid! In fact they are amazing creatures that have similar brain patterns to that of dogs! They are highly intelligent, and mine are even litter trained. Well, partially… you see --”

“Enough! I’ll learn all this for myself, thank you. I’m going to be here for a day, after all,” Alara eyed her cuticles after speaking.

“WHAT!! A WHOLE DAY!?!” I panicked, trying to add all the scenarios together.

“Yes. A day. I’m to inspect whatever life you carry out, and once I have enough information, report back to the Brotherhood.”

“Of course. They sent you, of all people, to inspect me! You’re probably the second most critical person I know; and I created you,” I scoffed to myself, holding the hair out from my eyes.

Alara watched me for a moment, as if processing out scenarios as well, ``ANNNnyyywaayy. It took me quite a long time to get here. I`m rather famished. Do you have something I can eat?” she asked hopefully.

“Yes. Err.. I think. I’ll go check. For now, chew on these bugles,” I hand her a bag of snacks from my desk, “oh, and make sure to give one to each rat. They’ll get jealous.” Before hearing her response, I walk out of the room, shutting the door behind me. I walk up the stairs, and inspect the pantry, wondering what I can feed a Dark Jedi.

“Who is your friend, Momo?” my niece and nephew ask, wondering why I’m going through the pantry.

“Her name is Alara. She’s visiting for a while,” I respond quickly.

“Well have you guys eaten Dinner yet?” my mother asks.

“No… sorry. This guest was rather unexpected. Want me to call a pizza?”

My mother scoffs, “Yes. I don’t have enough to go around.”

“No problem,” I grab some apples from the counter, and head down the stairs again. I pull out my phone and quickly order some pizza from the local Pizza Hotline.

“Okay Alara, I managed to order us some food.. For now, here are some apple----WHa?!” I walk into the room only to find Alara on the floor, cuddling one of my rats in her hand.

“You were right, Amber. These rats are pretty cool,” she cuddled my rat Cedric into her cheek. He gave her an approving kiss. Unable to process this demeanor, I stare at the scene for a brief moment.

“Right.. I guess I created you to get along with animals, didn’t I?” I spoke tentatively.

“I’ll just pretend I can’t hear you when you talk about me as if I’m a painting or something,” Alara kept cuddling and petting Cedric, “What did you bring for food?”

I throw her an apple, “This is a fruit that grows on trees. Very sweet tasting. You’ll like it. I’ve ordered a food called ‘pizza’ to be brought to us. It will arrive here in about 30 minutes.”

“Ahh.. fruit. I love fruit,” Alara spoke happily, “What is a pizza?”

“It’s ... “ I tried to think of the best reply to that question, “It’s a form of thinly sliced bread with a thicker crust. It is usually dressed with meat and cheese…” her face showed slight confusion, “Err… animal milk aged and formed into slices..”

“That sounds.. odd,” she replied, “I hope it tastes good.”

“Getting back on topic here,” I said, “What is this inspection process for? Will I be graded on my ...er.. qualities?”

“Not really. The Brotherhood just wants to know a bit about you. They also want me to get to know you better, like I’ve stated before. No need to worry,” she then chomped on her apple.

“No need to worry..” I chuckled, “Except I will worry that you will think differently of me. Whatever assumptions you would have on my life, I will not match their standards.”

Alara seemed to ignore that statement, and kept chomping on her apple. She then bit off a piece and offered it to Cedric, “So. Tell me what you do. What is your occupation?”

“I..uh..” I was trying to think of what to say when Alara pointed out a huge flaw I knew about myself.

“Uh… UHh!?! Do you have an actual vocabulary? Or do you just stutter before every word you say? Are you that unsure of yourself that you can’t even form a sentence without trusting yourself?” she frowned at me.

“Yes, actually, I am. I work at a radio station. Radio is basically a form of entertainment that is broadcasted using tall towers. We emit music, talk shows, and news over air waves. We also put merchant messaging over the air so that merchants gain more business. I am the one who makes paperwork for the business to look at and decide if they want their messages broadcasted,” I answered, glaring at her.

She stared at me for a moment, “That’s peculiar. I guess I’ll just have to see myself when I go with you tomorrow.” she continued playing with my rat.

“You’re what? Coming with me tomorrow? To work?” my eyes bulged slightly out of my head.

“Yep. Stop questioning everything I say like I didn’t say it right the first time,” she responded. With that, I sat down next to her, inspecting her play with Cedric. We sat there for a few moments in slience.

“AMMMBBERRRRR… YOUR PIZZA IS HERE!” my mother screamed from above.

“Be right back,” I hopped up. I grabbed the pizza, along with some cups and a bottle pop. “Here,” I handed Alara a glass. She exchanged the glass for Cedric. I placed him back in his cage with the others as Alara poured herself a glass. She took a sip and her face soured. Hitting her chest, she managed to swallow quickly.

“AH! It’s so sweet. How do you people drink this stuff!?” she shook her head.

“It’s called Pepsi. I dunno.. we just do. In some places on Earth, it’s cheaper than water.”

“You Earthlings are rather odd. Pass me a pizza.”

I handed her a piece. Before eating it, she overlooked it carefully, “You said the dairy stuff was sliced.. this is stringy.”

“I’t melted due to being cooked. Just try it. You’ll love it.”

She eyed me skeptically, and went in for a bite. Her eyes began to widen and she started to gobble the rest of the piece down. “This is amazing,” she said between bites.

I laughed, “I knew you’d like it.”

After she was done eating, she went back to asking questions.

“So what else do you do in your spare time?” Alara asked, looking at me tentatively.

“Other than playing with rats, and working on fiction about you?” I paused, “Not much. I just play computer games, meet with my boyfriend, and a random craft here and there.”

She peered at me for a moment, and then looked away, searching for another piece of pizza, “You seem like the kind of person who requires a mate.”

“It’s not quite like that, but sure. I wouldn’t do life without him.”

“Never had time for that sorta thing. How odd,” she responded.

“Well I created you not to require the love of another… or at least I created you accustomed to not having it.”

We spent the rest of the evening discussing odd-ball topics, playing with rats, and using my laptop to review Alara’s progress. The next morning was rather hard for her to get up, but she managed to survive the early morning. Alara was definitely bored while at the office, but enjoyed meeting my elderly coworkers. When it came to the end of the day, Alara decided she had to say her goodbyes.

“Well Amber, it’s been rather fun. Thank you for showing me a side to you that I did not know about,” Alara shook my hand.

“Thank you Alara, and thank you for showing me to be a little bit tougher by stating what I think,” I shook her hand back and nudged her with my arm.

“Aye. Anytime, Earthen lass. Until next time.”

Placement
2nd place
3rd place
Qor Kith
Member
Qor Kith
File submission
ThroughtheLookingGlass.pdf
Placement
3rd place
Member
Kryy Vitaan
Textual submission

Public transport was just one of those things that are difficult to understand for almost every human, and I am talking about the ones that actually lived here. Kryy Vitaan, a young Dark Jedi, hailing from the Dark Jedi Brotherhood, had never seen anything quite like Earth.
This world is tiny, where is their military personal? Their towering citadel or command centre? Most of all what was this absurd means of travel?! The bewildered acolyte asked himself and he stepped aboard a long people mover thing with wheels. The concept baffled Kryy, everything remained on the ground, rolling around on wheels. This race is so primitive, why would master send me here? The people mover moved through the streets, Kryy unable to understand why the mode of transport had to follow a road, as opposed to flying over everything and getting to your destination much much faster.
He took off his backpack of supplies and sat down in the chair. By God! These chairs are horrible to sit on! Who on Zakuul would want to sit on this? Ignoring the, less than luxurious seating arrangements, Kryy syphoned through his supplies; a rectangular datapad of some sort, rather small to be a datapad he thought to himself quietly. a small plastic card, perhaps a security clearance card. But it had number on the front of it and a black stripe on the back. It had to be a security card of some sort if he had to swipe it. Earth wasn’t all that bad, but Kryy did not understand why the people mover kept stopping and starting and picking up more people. Kryy did not want to pick up more people, it was a stupid concept when you would take such a transport to get somewhere quickly. He grunted, “What on Zakuul is this place master? These Humans are nothing like the ones we know... their ways do not make sense to me. They are backwards, and unnecessary means of transportation means getting people from point A to point B in an invasion would be impossible and slow. Are the inhabitants of this planet not prepared at all?”
The bus made it final stop and with everyone hopping off, Kryy followed cautiously. He looked around at all the people and wondered just where they might be going or what their unit classification numbers were. Sitting in a car on the far side of the road, Ryan waited patiently for the crowd to thin so he may see his friend. The tall, red haired acolyte emerged from the madness with Ryan right there to escort him. The poor Jedi wearing a confused and disgusted look on his face as he hopped into the back seat of the car as they headed back to Ryan’s house.
“Please tell me I don’t have to go through that again. The ways of your people confuse me, you like to make more difficult for yourselves instead of making it easier...” Kryy protested before finally adding. “Oh... and next time, you’re coming to me...”

Placement
No placement
Member
Mako Henymory
File submission
ThroughtheLookingGlass-Mako7640.pdf
Placement
No placement
Member
Scion Tarentae
File submission
ThroughTheLookingGlass.pdf
Placement
No placement
Member
Corvus Corax
Textual submission

https://docs.google.com/document/d/132cbzzXBizxWSkv6RAM4eppqcflLkgXta-6czmkCfZw/edit?usp=sharing

Placement
No placement
Member
Sala Fe
Textual submission

There was a knock at the door.

I’m not lying when I say that whenever there was a knock on the door, my heart raced in my chest. I’m not lying when I say that any stranger at the door causes me fright, but when I gazed upon a tall pale skinned guy with no lips at my front door covered in blood, I peed my pants. I immediately knew who he was, the demon of my heart Samael Ozriel. My favored character had paid me a visit, and when I was done with my fear at the knocking on my door, and all too real horror struck me.

“Hello.” he said as he entered my apartment unimpressed by the surroundings.
“Uh, hey. Look, I’m not your type of victim, right?” I asked, trying to make sure I was safe before I ran behind me to grab one of the swords leaning against my bookcase. “And care to explain the blood?”

“Your neighbors. Parked in the driveway, couldn’t get in with my speeder so I killed them. I bathed in their blood and made a wind chime for you out of their ribs. I took the liberty of hanging them up. Also, their kids are gonna be leaving now cause, well..no parents. So, here’s to hoping your new neighbors are cooler, eh?” said Samael, giving me a thumbs up and raising his eyebrows up and down.

“I don’t know if I should say I appreciate it or lie to you and say I think that was horrible.”

“I wouldn’t thank me just yet, I’m probably going to kill you too. Nothing personal, I just haven’t gone through that change yet that you are planning to write, so you’re fair game still.” said the Umbaran as he grabbed me by the shoulder. He looked down, and saw the urine on my pants.

“My creator is a little wimp.” he said.

“Yeeeeah. Little wimp, me. Against a guy with magical powers that has no lips. I mean, seriously, what was I thinking of when I gave you no lips. And I wrote you killing kids, then immediately said I didn’t. That was weird huh?”

“Gave me whiplash.”

“Sorry bout that, had to try and make you more palatable. Tarentum is more dark roast, Odan-Urr not so much. They’re like a lighter roast, which is fine. It’s totally cool, right?”

“Am I killing you or not? A little torture, a little mayhem?” asked Samael, readying himself to attack me.

“You didn’t get your fill when you killed my neighbors?” I asked, indicating the blood on his chest.

“They were like an appetizer, you could be my main course.” said Samael.

“Or, you could always read this fiction I just wrote, and tell me what you think.” I said as I turned on my laptop and showed him my Facing The Mirror competition. “That’s going to be canon, so how do you feel about that?”

“Ya know, that is probably the cheapest way to get out of dying in a fiction I have ever seen. You made me read a fiction where I become at the very least Gray enough to not kill random people for random things, meaning I won’t kill you. You also just included this to make it over the 500 word mark you lazy man you.” said Samael as he left my apartment.

It was then I realized I needed to lay off the drugs.

Placement
No placement
Member
Edgar Drachen
Submission
Edgar Drachen opted out of publishing his submission.
Placement
No placement
Member
Kul'tak Drol
Textual submission

“Alright, open the holocron and we'll see what our forebears left for us.” The Zabrak paced behind the Krath sorcerer in his black armor, boots scuffing a path in the dust of the ancient temple. After a long year of searching, the treasure of Sadik Deris was finally about to be his. Legends held that whoever opened it was granted tremendous power, the usual spiel one might hear. However, Deris was rumored to have discovered a way to affect spacetime itself, manipulating its essence through the Force. Such knowledge would be instrumental in securing the Knight’s position within Plagueis.

The sorcerer nodded and placed her hands over the artifact. Crinkling her fingers in concentration she fed the Force through it, small waves of energy pulsating from it in response. She paused to make sure she had not set off some sort of defense mechanism, but after nothing eviscerated either of them for a second she continued. Kul’tak watched in bemused interest. He could feel the power emanating from the device. It was repressing yet alleviating all at the same time.

He almost went into a defensive stance when the sorcerer cursed under her breath.

“What's wrong, Rusa?” She bent her Togrutan head and gave a small laugh.

“I did it. I think I actually unlocked the thing. Ha ha! That knight promotion is in the bag!”

The Zabrak grinned from behind her as the holocron cracked and light spilled from its seams. Indeed, she had unlocked its secrets.
He reached a hand into his cloak.

“Well done…my apprentice.” His crimson saber burst to life and swiftly relieved the girl of her head. “Unfortunately, someone from Odan Ur has no place here. Plagueis spares no room for the weak.” He lifted a foot and pushed the decapitated cadaver to the ground.

He focused again on the holocron, which was beginning to hum and shake. Fluorescent light poured forth more violently than before. It began to rumble and rattle incessantly, making Kul think it was getting ready to explode. He ducked behind a crumbling onyx pillar and watched as the device burst open in a blinding flash. Air began to sluice into the opening, creating a vortex of sharp wind. It made a loud sucking noise, before exploding outward again. This time, however, something flew out.

Kul blinked to regain his sight and peered around the pillar half expecting to see the Sith himself, most likely enraged at being summoned from his eternal prison. If the being before him was indeed Sadik, he did not exactly cut an impressive figure. Short brown hair covered an oval shaped face, circling his cheeks to form a thick, scraggly beard. He stood approximately 1.7 meters, and wore some sort of blue coarse fabric on his legs, while adorning a durasteel colored jacket. He was most likely human; he bore no signs of being otherwise.

The boy (he appeared to be not much older than Kul’tak) stood and brushed himself off, wide eyes taking in the scene around him. He reached a hand up and twisted the skin on his arm. When he didn't wake up he muttered to himself: “Ohhhhh crap, I don't think we're in Kansas anymore, Toto.” His language was Basic, but there was a sort of twang to it. It reminded him of the tribal accents on Iridonia. He’d never heard of a “Kansas” before. The boy looked harmless enough; his presence in the Force barely registered. Kul stepped out from behind the pillar and approached, still holding his saber hilt, the blade withdrawn.

The boy immediately focused his eyes on the Knight, suddenly emanating a wave of surprise and fear. There was also a twinge of recognition. Kul couldn't understand why, he'd definitely never seen this human before. It began to fade a little as curiosity replaced the initial terror. The boy cocked his head slightly and rearranged the black-rimmed glasses on his face.

“Afternoon. You wouldn't perchance be a Zabrak, would you?” Kul lifted an eyebrow.

“Of course I'm a Zabrak. You mean to tell me you've never seen one of my race?”

The boy gave a soft laugh. “You might could say that. Not in person, anyway. You seem sort of familiar, though.” His eyes widened again as a thought passed through his mind. “For the love of...you're name wouldn't happen to be Kul’tak, would it?” Again the Knight was thrown off by this stranger.

“How do you know my name, human? Was Sadik aware of my coming? Or perhaps you were sent in his place to prevent me from finding his secrets? I will have them.” He took a step forward at the last question and pulled the boy into the air above him.

“Whoa, whoa, chill bruh. Who's Sadik? I don't even know where I am much less some random person you just mentioned. Though, I suppose I do know where I am in a sense. And I definitely know you, Drol.” Kul set him down. He just wasn't entirely sure how to react to this.

“And how do you know me?”

There was a brief pause as the boy mustered the courage to reveal his knowledge. The Knight was an imposing figure in his armor. “Because Kul, I created you. Technically. There's some biological stuff I didn't help with, the whole ‘when a man loves a woman’ spiel. But yeah, there ya go.”

Kul blinked as he processed this new information. His temple throbbed as his anger ebbed and flowed in spurts. Was he seriously supposed to believe this? His creator?! He said as much.

“Well let me prove it then. We’ve never met before, we're agreed on that?” Kul nodded. “Ok. Your master is Taranae Rhode, redhead extraordinaire. You practice Jar’kai but only wield one saber because you're not an Equite yet. You have a pet Vornskr named Shar’kala. Aaaand something no one else would know: your tattoos signify the loss of your family and the pain you try to hide as you struggle with your loyalties to their memory and your loyalty to Plagueis.” He tapped a finger at each one to outline them as a list.

Kul felt his mouth drop slowly as he gaped dumbstruck at this boy who claimed to be his creator. Everything he had said was true, and certainly not just anyone would know this information. But how was this possible? The sorcery of Sadik, perhaps? One puzzle revealed another.

“I don't know how you came to know this information, human, but you've peaked my curiosity.” Kul placed his saber back within the folds of his cloak.

“You aint the only one confused right now, bud. I just left a world in which there's not even space travel per say and the Force is a fictional story element.”

Kul and the boy blinked at each other in perplexed confusion. Kul spoke first.

“Say I agree to believe this. What now?”

“An excellent question, my friend. Or son? Does being your creator make me your father in a sense?” The boy stopped when he received a deadly look. “Friend it is. Anyway, you wouldn't happen to have a black hole nearby, would you? That's the way some people get back in movies.”

A grin passed over the Zabrak’s face. “No, but I'd be happy to find one and toss you in if you want.” Something about his tone made it understood he'd enjoy that outcome. The boy sighed.

“Nah forget that. I suppose if I can't get back I may have to make the best of being here.” He turned and picked up the holocron. “Better bring this just in case.” Kul immediately snatched it from him and stuffed it in his cloak beside his saber.

“I'll be the one to carry this. If what you say is true, and I'm not saying I believe it just yet, perhaps you could be of some use. It appears I'm not getting what I originally wanted from the holocron, in any case. Come, I'll bring you back with me to the *Anchorage.*" He paused and tilted his head. “I don't suppose you know what that is already?”

“Large metal station recaptured by Plagueis to use as a headquarters. Currently still possesses some sorts of dark energy and possibly beings. I might have heard of it.”

The two began walking to the shuttle awaiting Kul'tak to return to. The boy stayed a step behind, cautiously trying to stay aware of his surroundings. Upon boarding, he was tackled as a small black blur catapulted their way. A quadruped with short fur and wicked teeth pinned him down with a warning growl daring him to make a move. Kul laid a reassuring hand upon the Vornskr.

“It's ok, girl. He's with us. For now, anyway.” She backed away and sat, watching the newcomer curiously. The boy rubbed his backside and winced.

“So this is a Vornskr. She is indeed a beautiful specimen. Hello, Shar’kala.” He offered a hand for her to sniff. She refused at first, but curiosity eventually won out and she approached slowly. She huffed around him to his great amusement. Deciding he was indeed worthy to remain alive a bit longer, she padded over to her master and laid at his feet. The Zabrak took a seat in the pilot’s chair, spinning it to face his new acquaintance.

“If Shar’kala thinks you're ok, then that will satisfy me for now. You will remain with me, however. Until I decide if you're worth keeping around.”

The boy looked up from the Vornskr, who he had sidled up to and preceded to pet. “Oh I can be of great use to you. In fact, I believe I can give you a way to become great within Plagueis.” The boy stood slightly, putting him eye to eye with the Sith. “How would you like to know your enemy’s greatest weaknesses? Or better yet, your Clan’s weaknesses? You would be able to achieve the revenge you crave for your family.” Kul's eyebrows rose at that. His family had perished at the hands of a Jedi after being found by a Plagueis inquisitor. He'd never forgiven either side for that slaughter. “I can help you achieve all of this.”

“How?”

The boy tapped the side of his head. “It's all in here. Remember when I said I created you? Well the same place I did that has what you might call datacrons of information on everyone within the Brotherhood. Including their strengths and weaknesses. So you might say I could theoretically assassinate everyone in the Brotherhood, as long as I had the power to do it. That's where you'd come in. So how bout it? Wanna rule the world?”

Kul'tak pursed his lips and rubbed his face. The boy could be lying, but he'd sensed no deceit in him. If that was the case, his proposal was indeed a bold one. Taking on his own superiors? Normally the Knight would never have even considered it, but with the secret to their defeat so readily available he could not help but dwell on the possibilities this could open up for him. Striking a deathblow to his clan went against everything his father had taught him, but it was they who sanctioned his father’s death to begin with.

The boy knew his decision as soon as his tattooed hands tensed and curled around the armrests of his chair. “Yes. Tell me everything.”

Placement
No placement
Member
Kookimarissia Mimosa-Inahj
File submission
Through_the_Looking_Glass.docx
Placement
No placement
Member
A deleted dossier
File submission
Through_The_Looking_Glass.docx
Textual submission

Decided to end it as if I were writing a second part as it's so long already.

Thanks for this excellent idea.

Placement
No placement
Member
Adept Xantros
File submission
Vanguard_Xantros__11518__Through_the_Looking_Glass.doc
Placement
No placement
Member
Aurora "Aura" Ta'var
File submission
BladeTavar_ThroughLookingGlass.pdf
Textual submission

Please see the attached.

Placement
No placement
Member
Mauro Wynter
File submission
Cruel_World.docx
Placement
No placement
Member
Specialist Quo-Wing-Tzun
Textual submission

I didn't even see the car, all I heard was the crunch as it impacted my legs, and the thud of my head as it went through the windscreen, then....... black.

Feeling more than a little groggy I sat up, the feeling slowly returning through the fog. Sitting up slowly, my eyes gradually growing used to the dazzling, yellow........ thing that I was looking at. My head was throbbing, a blinding headache thudding inside my skull, like an epileptic drummer at a strobe light convention. Focus was gradually returning to my eyes, and it was dazzling, hot, very hot. I guess that it's the sun then..... right next to the other sun...... hang on, other sun? There was only one sun wasn't there? OK, close the eyes, relax, and open them again..... nope, still two of them. At least I was sat on......... what was I sat on?

Looking around, confusion building by the minute, I started to make some sense of where I was.... sat on a sandy beach, with two moons, and a rocky outcrop some two hundred yards away. This was starting to look familiar, but no, that wasn't possible. Pushing the thought to the back of my mind I slowly rose from my sitting position...... oops... dizzy, gently, take a few deep breaths.........and relax.

Standing erect now, with my hands on my thighs, I straightened. I scanned around me, looking left and right, my eyes seeming to focus properly now. Over on the next sand dune there was a huge skeleton, massive, gargantuan! It looked like somebody's pet lizard had died in the foreground, whilst the background seemed to cradle its bones. I reached out a hand to try and touch it, just to make sure...... no, it definitely wasn't really close, so in that case it had to be further away..... which meant.... which meant...... it was big! Really bloody big!

I was pretty sure that all my limbs were now reacting as they should have been, but these things I was seeing, feeling, smelling, and tasting couldn't possibly be. I couldn't be here, could I? Everything was saying "Yes!", apart from my brain, which was mumbling incoherently at the bar of the terminally flummoxed.

Turning, I headed for the rocky outcrop, at least there may be some shelter from the sun.... the suns over there. My legs were working....... but I'd just been hit by a car hadn't I? Why weren't they broken? How could they still be working? They'd taken the full impact of the car...... Where was the bloody car? Or the road come to think of it? No, don't try and work it out yet, get a grip, pull yourself together, there's a logical explanation for all of this.

Then I heard it, a high pitched whining, and it was getting louder.. getting louder quickly. Looking round quickly I saw something approaching across the sand, like a speeding bullet, so fast, before it decelerated, coasting to a halt as something........ someone leapt down from the hatch at the top of it.

Clad head to foot in black, and with strange markings on his face, almost like a tattoo design, tribal, in contrasting yellow and black. They covered his whole head, apart from his horns....... his what?! Horns?

"Huh, a, wuh, I, er, Who are you?" I asked "Where am I?"

He stood before me, his face looking almost as confused as I looked.

"Quo-Wing-Tzun." His eyes narrowed, and a strange snap, hiss noise erupted near to my left, closely followed by him shoving what looked like a red florescent lighting tube through my chest. Just before it all went black again, I heard the words "Tatooine, you were on Tatooine"

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Scarlet Agna
File submission
WakingUpToaNewworld.pdf
Textual submission

Fiction, where my human self-meets my character self.

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