//------------------------------// // A very special chapter // Story: Shackles and Friendship // by Zaibatsu //------------------------------// Shackles and Friendship A very special chapter Not edited. “We ready for this?” I asked. The two men seated across from me looked at each other quizzically. To the left was Andy Grey, dressed in a simple yet elegant suit with groomed hair. He carried himself with an air of grace and proper manner. The other, Holly, was practically the opposite; jeans and a t-shirt with a long sleeved business shirt over it. His disheveled hair worked well with his overall appearance which further strengthen his laid back personality. Me? Well you could say I’m a bit of both. We were all inside a lavish study room, the kind most would imagine when they think of manors from England. Books lining up the wall, a fireplace at the center, a small coffee table nearby, and four leather seats to which three are occupied by us. However there is one oddity in the room; a door with it’s frame standing upright some distance away. It wasn’t installed into the walls or anything, just a door with it’s frame randomly placed in the room. “I still say this is a bad idea,” Andy spoke. “Considering what you’ve done to him and all.” “Ditto,” Holly added. “Oh sure he might be a bit upset.” I smiled and looked at the door expectedly. “But c’mon, you gotta admit this is pretty cool right?” They glanced at each other before nodding at the same time. “Alright then, let’s get this started.” I reached over the side of the chair and pulled out my laptop, nothing fancy but decent enough to get stuff done. As it woke up from sleep mode I immediately opened my writing software and started typing earnestly. “You really think this is going to work?” I heard Holly whisper. “He certainly thinks so,” Andy answered. There was a pause before Holly spoke again. “I think he needs help.” “I can hear you,” I told them. “And done.” I closed the laptop and stared at the door expectantly. Andy and Holly stared at it too but with mixed feelings, like watching someone attempt to do something that was clearly a bad idea. “I don’t think this will work,” Andy finally spoke after some time. “Give it a minute,” I argued, eyes glued to the handle. CLICK The sound of the handle turning echoed across the room. And and Holly had a look of surprise and confusion while I was smiling from ear to ear. By all reason we should see the other side of the room through the door, but instead there appears to be nothing but whiteness behind it. The room brightened as the door swung open, revealing a young man modestly dressed with long pants, a simple shirt, and a light blue jacket to top it all off. He had a piece of paper in his hand and was busy reading it to notice the three of us, or the fact that he had just crossed dimensions. “Twilight are you sure about….this…...” His voice slowed as he finally took notice of his surrounding, and us. “What dafuq?” “Hello Rodney,” I greeted excitedly. “Screw me sideways!” Holly cursed. “Well I’ll be,” Andy mumbled in a more controlled surprise. “It actually worked.” “You guys are human,” Rodney spoke eyes wide. “Am…,” he looked around the room, “am I back?” “Uuhh, yes and no,” I answered. He looked at me, eyeing me up and down before doing the same to Andy and Holly. “Who are you people?” “Well,” I started. “Those two there are Andy and Holly.” I leaned forward and looked at him in the eye. “And I’m Zai, your creator.” His surprised expression disappeared, replaced but a look that asked ‘are you stupid?’. “The hell do you mean by that?” I gestured to the fourth chair. “Take a seat. This will take a while to explain.” “I’d rather stand thank you,” he replied suspiciously. “If you say so.” I cleared my throat and began to explain. ==========[A long time later]========== “Ok, so I’m just an imaginary character in your fiction,” Rodney finally conceded, after I finally convinced him of the truth; with help from Andy and Holly. “Yup,” I replied. “And you’re my creator, the author.” “Yup.” Rodney closed his eyes and rubbed them as if fighting a headache while exhaling a sigh. He did that several times as the facts slowly sink in while Andy, Holly, and I waited patiently. “Am I correct to assume,” he finally spoke, “as the author you control everything?” “Yup.” “.....Including all the pain and hardship?” He asked but the way he looked at me showed he had already figured it out. “Here we go,” I heard Holly whisper. “All the times my junk was crushed like a nut is on you?!” “I-” Before I could say another word Rodney suddenly ran at me, his right hand pulled back with a fist. It hit me square in the face with enough force to flip the chair, sending me rolling off uncomfortably close to the fireplace. But Rodney didn’t stop there, I felt his hand on my legs as he pulled and continued beating me. Holly leaned towards Andy with an open hand. “Called it.” Andy merely grumbled as he pulled out his wallet and handed Holly a twenty dollar bill. “Imma fucking kill you!!” Rodney screamed, punching me in a mad craze. Andy looked at the fight with worry. “We better stop him before he really does kill Zai.” “Ah give it a few more seconds,” Holly suggested with a smile. “Fuck you Holl-ah!!” ==========[Several struggles later]========== “So what the hell do you want from me?” Rodney asked, seated on his chair while still glaring at me with murderous intent. I had to admit, I didn’t think he was going to go that far. But still; a black eye, a bleeding lip, and a tissue shoved up one nostril, it was still worth it. Seeing as I was still recovering from the assault to answer, Andy started to explain. “It’s his birthday.” “Basically,” Holly interrupted, “his wish was to meet you in person.” Rodney turned to Holly with a surprised expression. “I know right!? Personally I would’ve wished for a car or something materialistic like a normal person.” Rodney looked at me again and chuckled. “The hell do you want to meet me for? Considering you created me and all.” “Is it really such a surprise?” I finally spoke with a grimace. “Haven’t you ever wished to meet your favorite character in a book or a movie? I’ve only started writing recently and I’ve realized that it’s the same for authors.” I stood up and, with some caution, approached Rodney. “Authors would love to meet the characters they’ve poured so much heart in.” I raised a hand to him in greeting. “You have no idea how happy this makes me.” Rodney stared at my open, somewhat injured hand in silence. “Well, I suppose the very least I could do is wish you happy birthday.” He reached out and shook my hand. “Happy birthday Zai.” “Happy birthday you bastard!” Holly yelled joyfully, slapping my back. “Happy birthday Zai,” Andy congratulated. “May good health follow you.” I gave them all a grateful smile. “Thank you everyone.” I turned my attention back to Rodney. “But I think it’s time for you to go back.” He turned and looked at each of us, then at the room. “None of this is real is it?” “What makes you say that?” I asked. “Like you said, I’m nothing but your imagination. This is probably a dream you're having.” I chuckled. “I did make you to be smart and sharp.” I pulled the tissue out of my nose, the edge stained with blood. “If it is, this is the most realistic dream ever.” I pulled him into a hug. “But even if it is, doesn't mean it I can't appreciate it any less.” When I released him, everything was gone. The room was gone, Holly was gone, and Andy was gone. I find myself in an infinite expanse of white, with nothing but me, Rodney, and that simple door from before waiting to the side. It creaked open just a tiny bit and I could hear all kinds of noises and chatter. Most noticeably the sound of many hoofsteps. “Looks like that’s for me,” Rodney spoke with a heavy sigh. “I suppose that is.” I watched him walk towards the door and grabbed the handle. Just before he pulled it open, he turned and looked at me. “I hate to ask but,” he hesitated, “how popular am I?” The question caught me by surprised and made me laugh hard. “Ah Rodney, does it matter?” I look at him straight in the eye. “Even if everyone suddenly stopped reading, I will never stop writing. I can’t stop.” He smiled, turned, and walked through.