My Reflections So Far / Meeting the Perceptive Girl Again
1648 Words
It has been ten weeks since that fateful day.
I never knew, in my wildest dreams, that I would live the life of a superhero I could only see in Saturday morning television during my youth.
I never knew that I would be fighting monsters and finishing them with powerful attacks.
I never knew... that I would be whom they call the Resounding Horn, Gjallarhorn.
Every week since that day, a monster attacked near the hospital or other significant places within my hometown of Rain Marginal.
The usual stuff happened: I rushed to the rescue, all innocent civilians were mostly not harmed in some way, there were minimal amounts of collateral damage, I swallowed the five magical ladybugs, I got to transform into Gjallarhorn, I got to defeat the monster, and I ensured that my secret alter-ego would not be exposed to anyone to ensure my normalcy.
The only difference, of course, is the diverse rogue's gallery of monsters. From a humanoid sheep with a stupid name but could climb walls and spew acid, to a monster born out of spam emails, to a so-called social experiment monster fashioned out of a limousine.
And of course, I've had the honors of defeating an evil god and nipping an otherwise growing national security problem right in the bud.
However...
Something is not right with this weekly pattern.
Can it be...
...that all this is all a ploy for me to finally grasp what I've been searching for all my life?
Yeah, I may be a normal person in the most literal sense of the word, but the extraordinary occurrences that happened to me in those recent weeks somehow teach me a valuable lesson.
I need to have that spark hidden deep inside me unlocked.
A need I have buried deep intentionally, as part of my normalcy facade.
But something else bugs me more.
Where was Lilette when all those monster attacks happened?
I've visited her house several times, but she was nowhere to be found.
Her parents even said one time, “She was out on a very long vacation to God knows where. We've tried to call her many times, but she wouldn't reply even just once. We were even concerned that she mysteriously disappeared, and we're considering calling the police for an extensive search-and-rescue operation.”
Yes, her sudden disappearance during all this is extremely suspicious.
And so, I do the pragmatic choice. Or maybe I'm doing it all along.
I devote ample amounts of time to three things: my real job as a medical transcriptionist, my secret job as Gjallarhorn, and my search for my childhood friend. Of course, I also have to factor in sufficient amounts of sleep and other diversions.
The answer... the spark inside me... is still yet to be found.
As I'm still finding the answer, I'm trying to let my body rest in preparation for the day to come.
And now...
I'm in a void.
And a glowing light is in the middle of that void.
And that light is speaking to me.
“Young man... You are indeed worthy of the gift of a warrior like me, who lived fifty years ago.”
“Who are you, really?”
“A warrior from a tribe now lost to the pages of history and the hands of time. Though my body is no more, my will and my strength are still contained in a special treasure that used to belong to my tribe.”
“I see, But why are you speaking to me, an ordinary American man?”
“Because I am about to bequeath you a gift... and also a warning.”
“OK, give me the good news first.”
“You are particularly capable of amazing combat feats. You grow with every battle you are engaged in. You use your mind and your willpower to defeat those who would disturb the peaceful balance.
“And thus... in the near future, you will be blessed with two artifacts that will amplify your already powerful combat capabilities even more.”
The warrior then shows two floating and glowing artifacts that are situated between him.
On his left, a red protective arm brace.
On his right, a hand axe, elaborately designed with runes on its blade.
“The arm brace shall amplify the defensive capabilities you already have. It also shall bequeath you the ability to fly, which will be useful when dealing with certain enemies.
“The hand axe shall amplify the offensive capabilities you already have. Utilize the runes inscribed within it to power up your offense, and even enemies more powerful than you will fall with one full swing.”
“Good thing you'll be giving me useful power-ups. After all, I must brace for the worst. And speaking of the worst...”
The two artifacts then disappear with his upcoming warning.
“Yes. The warning.
“I confess to you, young man, that I once desired the power of the treasure that now houses my soul. It awakened my lust for power... as well as lust for a woman I have once fallen for.
“Due to those two lusts, I clashed blades with a friend and fellow warrior – all because we both desired these two for our own selves. Our actions led to the downfall of the entire tribe; and even in this dream, we have to apologize many times to the people who are planning and will plan to utilize the power of the treasure for themselves and for other people.
“Hence, please heed my warning, young man: Do not repeat the mistakes we have committed; and never give in to desires that will befall even the mightiest of warriors!”
“Good. It's human nature to err, but it's never too late to atone for our mistakes... as well as the mistakes of the likes of you who came before us.”
“Indeed. We are now a tribe with no future. So please... shape our future in our place.
“With those messages imparted, I shall bid farewell to you, young man.”
“Yeah, see ya again.”
The dream ends with the void turning into a field of light.
The next day.
Sunday.
Since I have no work for today, maybe I should talk about that dream to someone who knows them well.
The perceptive girl, Aurielee Metzinger.
I arrive at her establishment by 9, which is also the opening time.
Good. I'm an early bird.
“Good morning to you, Bernard! How's it been?”
“Pretty good, actually. Trying to keep the peace as Gjallarhorn.”
“Yup. And by my word of honor, I don't and won't reveal your secret identity to any soul. Living or dead. Cross my heart and hope to die.”
“Hah.”
“Here, have a seat.”
We then sit on opposite sides of her table, which contains all the typical fortunetelling equipment. Tarot cards, a crystal ball, palm reading manuals, the works.
“Alright. I'm not beating around the bush any longer. I have this dream last night...”
I then relay the exact details of my dream to her.
“I see. You know what, this much is for sure... this is a sign of things to come.”
“Come... when exactly?”
“Two days from now.”
“I hope by that time, you'll nail the prediction, or else your powers are all for nothing.”
“Tee hee. And also, the details of your dream reminds me of something. Let me search my shelf of books first...”
Aurielee then leaves her table and goes to a room which has “Storage Room” plastered on its front door.
Five minutes later...
“Ta-da! Here's a book that's published just last year.”
The book's title is The Search for the Lost Native American Tribe: The Mystery of the Kipalwi.
“Kipalwi? Now that's a name I've never heard before. Not even in history class.”
“That's because this tribe was never thought to exist by anthropologists and historians before... until someone laid his hands on a mysterious orb he found in an obscure American valley fifty years ago.
“According to John Paul Langdon, the explorer who found the orb, that thing whispered to him, saying that it wanted to divulge the history of a tribe that isolated itself from the rest of the world and also warned the world to never repeat the mistakes the tribe made.
“And so, Mr. Langdon, utilizing the seance method, recorded everything the world wanted to know about the Kipalwi tribe. This book now contains all the stuff he found out.”
I open the book, and she flips the pages to the parts that are relevant to the dream I have.
So it's all true. The story of two warriors who competed for both the possession of the orb and a woman they desired is all true.
And that girl the two warriors pined for was none other than the tribe elder's daughter herself.
Indeed, history has no shortage of two or more dashing men who would stop at nothing short of bashing one another's skulls just to get the sweet yes of the woman they profess their love to.
“I see. So then... whatever happened to the orb afterwards?”
“Great question. Believing that everything revealed in that seance was everything people wanted to know, Mr. Langdon then sold the orb to an antique collector; and since then, the orb changed hands several ways. Auctions, robberies, misplacement... you know the drill. “
“OK. I believe that's everything my brain can take.”
“Oh, and before I forget... about your friend, Lilette...”
“Ah, yes! I've searched for weeks for even a clue on where she is, but I always came up with nothing but hot air.”
“Two days ago, I dreamed of her wandering the grass fields outside of town. But then she said that she doesn't want to return home yet, or even contact her parents and especially you – until the time is right.”
“What time?”
“She's keeping it a secret.”
“Man, not even your accurate predictions are immune from those gosh darned 'secrets'!”
“Sometimes, it all boils down to the will of the person in that dream. But all the same, be prepared for it.”
“Yeah... And I believe that's all the time I have here in your humble workplace.”
“I see. Well... have a safe heroic journey ahead, Bernard! I'm wishing you nothing but the best.”
“And may you help people with your predictions, you hear?”
“Bye!”
As I leave Aurielee's Psychic Services and More...
...the life I have as Gjallarhorn will have a little added spark.
How will that turn out?
I don't need any fancy-schmancy predictions.
Only I will know via the element of surprise.
- Writer
