Q: How does a billboard talk?
A: Sign Language!
Click here for the PDF file containing Chapters 1 to 34.
Andy and The Zodiac Crystal – Chapter 35
At first it wasn’t so bad adjusting to time standing still. In fact, it had been pretty cool to see everything in pause mode initially not just with my mother holding a strange position with phone in hand, which looked rather comical, but also with things like ground animals jumping in mid-air outside, birds hovering in flight, flags frozen in rippled waves, and people in mid-action pulling garbage cans to the street or getting out of their cars. But when the days of seeing this turned into weeks, it began to grow old and quite lonely. Even worse was the fact that it was constantly dark outside, as the sun had set prior to me using the Libra sign.
I had never gone this long without talking to anyone and was beginning to lose track of just how much time had really passed. I had read about monks before who spent years in silence and couldn’t imagine how they did it, yet here I was starting to do the very same thing. Life was becoming monotonous though with every day repeating the same routine over and over again.
After getting some sleep, which felt odd because I was always waking up at night, I’d start my days by riding on my bike over to Chris’s, hoping he might have returned and was maybe frozen in time somehow with everyone else. But it was always to no avail. My next destination after this was about a mile away, where I’d go to the local grocery store to pick up a few things to eat to hold me over for the remainder of the day. I realized pretty early on that I couldn’t consume all the food in the house because I wouldn’t be able to explain that to my mother when I unfroze time.
And if by some chance you’re wondering what I ate, most of it wasn’t good and I constantly felt guilty about the reality I was stealing it from the store. I wish I had had some other solution, but I ultimately hoped Chris would return soon, as I honestly couldn’t imagine continuing to sustain my life by eating a combination of Doritos, string cheese, and fizzy water for much longer.
After each of my daily treks to the supermarket, the rest of my waking moments were then usually spent reading books or magazines or taking walks around the neighborhood. I totally missed doing things like watching television or movies, but sadly every channel was paused on the same scene and I couldn’t seem to make the DVD player work either.
With no real concept of time, I also wasn’t really even sure of whether 24 hours were passing during each of my waking moments. There was one good thing that was coming out of this though. I hadn’t seen Carl Dillard since I activated Libra, so I assumed he wasn’t fully exempt from my crystal’s abilities either and was frozen like everyone else.
Nevertheless, if I had to guess on how much time had passed since I had activated Libra, I would have to say it was coming close to a month. Knowing that was tough, especially given that I hadn’t seen my father or my sister during any of that time at all. My Dad had still been on his way home when I used the Zodiac ability while Laura had been out on a date with some new guy in her life. I did find a little comfort though in seeing my mother in Chris’s kitchen every day and occasionally I’d talk to her passively or give her a hug, usually in tears.
I was lonely, more than I had ever felt before and wondered whether Chris was ever going to return. What if it did last for several years? Could I survive for that long? Would I go insane seeing all these strange mannequins around me every time I walked outside or went to the store? How long should I leave life like this before I give up? These were the questions I pondered every waking moment and the only thing I knew was that it felt like I was beginning to lose my mind.
My stomach suddenly grumbled for something to eat, as I had just woke up a short bit ago on the couch downstairs and was reflecting on all the time that had already passed. It was still the evening outside of course, yet my body clock felt like it was time for breakfast. Man did I have a craving right now for eggs and bacon, but unfortunately, I discovered you can’t cook in Libra mode, as things like using stoves don’t work the way they do in real time. And as embarrassing as this is to mention, because of the limitations of using Libra, I haven’t been able to take a shower or flush the toilet at all the entire time. I really feel like I’m starting to stink and bottled water to freshen up can only go so far. As for going #1, that was always done outside. #2 on the other hand, well let’s just say that most of the neighbors aren’t going to be happy when time gets un-paused.
Regardless, it was time to start my daily “morning” trek to Chris’s house, which most likely was only going to end in frustration. As I hopped on my bike and headed down the road, I looked at two squirrels nearby who had been chasing each other across one of the neighbor’s yard. A few houses down, I glanced for the what seemed like the hundredth time at a man and woman who were apparently screaming and yelling at each other on their front porch when I had paused time. I continued to wonder what could have made them so angry with each other.
I soon pulled into Chris’s driveway and left my bike laying on the pavement. When I approached the front door, I noticed it was slightly opened. Did I forget to fully close it yesterday? I must of. I walked in and headed upstairs. As I entered his room and expected to see it empty as always, I instead saw the looming figure of Carl Dillard sitting on Chris’s bed.
“What? Did you think pausing time was going to freeze me as well?” He said mockingly to a very startled-looking me.
“You…you’ve been around this entire time?” I stammered out.
“Uh huh. And I’ve been watching you cry and remain miserable during all of it, as you keep hoping desperately that your friend will return from Council with some way to get rid of me for good. Good luck with that!”
“So why now? Why show up weeks later and let me know you’ve been around all along?”
“Because I wanted to see you suffer for a spell and I also decided to give you one more chance. One more opportunity to give me your crystal. All you have to do is say you release it to me and I will leave you and Chris and both of your families alone from here on out.”
“I told you already I don’t have the crystal! It’s with Chris…”
“If you release it to me right now, he will be forced to return with it immediately.”
“Yeah right, I know you’re lying!”
“I can understand why you might think that, but actually I’m not.”
I half considered his offer for a moment. In all actuality, I was tired of living with time paused. What if releasing the crystal to him really did force Chris to come back? At least then he’d be home safely and we could just return to a normal life again.
“You want your friend back don’t you? Wouldn’t it be great Andy to return to your old life where your only worries were getting your homework done and when would it be time to play outside again?”
“Shut up! Get out of my head!”
“For once, I’m not actually in your head Andy. But I can tell you’re seriously considering my offer. Think about it. Chris would be back and I would then disappear for good. Wouldn’t it be great to have a new assistant principal who isn’t trying to come after you every day?”
“How do I know that releasing the crystal to you would really bring Chris back and that you’d disappear from our lives for good?”
“You’re going to have to trust me on that one Andy. But I give you my word and I rarely do that for anyone.”
“Well, it would be great to stop dealing with all these worries. I haven’t had fun with this Zodiac thing since you came along anyway.”
“See, you already know what to do Andy. All you need to say now is “I RELEASE THE POWER OF THE ZODIAC CRYSTAL TO CARL DILLARD.” and that’s it.
“That’s it? It’s that simple?”
“That’s it Andy. It’s that simple.”
I really was tired of my life and it sounded like a much better option than waiting around for who knows how long for Chris to return. At least he and I could get back to a normal life and just be friends, hanging out and doing normal friend things. I’m sure in time I’d totally forget about the Council, the crystal’s powers and everything else that had been part of my life the past bunch of months.
“Ok. I’ll do it.”
“Finally! So you’re not going to fight me anymore on this then?”
“No, I’m tired of this. You’re right. I’m sick of all the responsibility that comes with having the crystal’s abilities.”
“Well then you know what to do next.” Carl Dillard said with an extremely cynical smile sprawled across his face.
I knew I was making a mistake but I just didn’t care anymore.
As I started saying the words, I felt a strong sense of guilt inside…
“I RELEASE THE POWER…”
BOOM!
A rush of wind abruptly interrupted the release process and was followed by a torrent of paper flying around the room. Chris then abruptly shot out from the center of the mini-tornado and shouted at the top of his lungs a single word as soon as he saw Carl Dillard.
“Foteinos!”
“Aaaah! Dam you!” Carl screeched as a huge beam of white light appeared around him. It apparently was having a very painful affect upon him.
Within seconds, he muttered Capricorn and was gone…
“It’s about time you got back…” I said with a weak smile, glad that my exile in a paused world could now be finally over…
Peace, love, light, and joy,
Andrew Arthur Dawson