For a moment, Lloyd
could help but shake; chill after chill ran through his body, and for a moment
he thought he might buckle over again.
But he didn’t; he held his ground, and in spite of his cooled body he
felt a surge of heat from his toes all the way to his crown. I’ve
almost done it, he thought, his smile tingling as it embraced that
surge. I just need to press onward.
I’ve got all I need; it’s just a matter of reaching out and touching her
heart!
Unfortunately, Mrs.
Overdose looked anything but receptive.
With a face like hers, she could scare off a horde of mountain lions --
clenched teeth with lips curled into a snarl, hair bristling and sharpening,
and even her eyes seemed to shrink a few sizes.
She held her position on the stage, but with her forward lean she looked
as if she might pounce onto Lloyd’s desk.
Even her mole-faced mask looked incensed, in spite of its hidden eyes.
“You seem to have grown
a bit agitated, Mrs. Overdose,” said Lloyd as he pressed a hand to his
chin. “Could it be that your lack of a
husband could affect you that deeply?”
“But I have no
intention of doing this just to get a rise out of you. I merely wish to help you -- but as I said,
in order to help you I’ll have to break you.
I’ll gladly break through your defenses if it means getting closer and
closer to your heart.”
“You little --!”
“I’m afraid your
outcries will have to wait. We have more
pressing matters to attend to.” He waved
a hand dismissively. “Now then. It would seem that for all your talk of
finances and realism, you seem to be using the common coin as a rather
fantastic defense. Do you earnestly
believe that wealth alone will bring you happiness? Surely you’ve realized in your years on this
earth that even the ‘almighty’ dollar can’t buy love. And even if it could, I suspect that no
amount you make could ever be enough to win a man’s heart. If your standard is to be as sour and
unpleasant with other men as you are with me, then I may be able to see why you
remain unwedded.”
Mrs. Overdose’s brows
started to twitch. But before she could
start to bellow, Lloyd held up a finger.
“HOWEVER! Know this, my fair
lady: I know without question, without hesitation that a beating, glowing heart
still resides inside you. I can see it
clearly. It calls out to me…calling my
name…begging me to do all I can to see its full splendor! And therefore, for its sake -- for YOUR sake
-- I’ll break through any wall, and pledge myself to your service!”
Mrs. Overdose leaned
back; she started to step backwards, as if Lloyd held her at gunpoint. “You’ve gotta be…”
“I’m quite
serious. I can’t say that I know if I
can give you precisely what you want, and I can’t say that I’m an appropriate
husband…BUT!” He slammed his palms
against the desk, and lowered his head.
“Mrs. Overdose! I swear, on my
very life, that I will do all I can, for as long as I can!” He slammed them down again. “I will fill the void that remains within
you, and if need be help you find your better half!” Another slam.
“For as long as you need me…”
Another. “For as long as you call on me…”
Slam. “I will always be…A PART OF YOU!”
With that last
exclamation, Lloyd had nearly left himself breathless. He sucked in air as rapidly as he could, and
his head bobbed about with each motion.
For a full minute, a silence stood between them; Lloyd just stood there
with his head hung low, and his hands pressed deep into the desk. Mrs. Overdose just stood there, refusing to
take another step. But even so, her body
began to change -- the tension that had gripped her began to dissipate. Her hands, legs, and face began to
loosen. Her frenzied twitching came to a
halt. The scalding rage she’d summoned
and laid bare in her face faded, and her stoic gaze took root once more.
She reached toward
Lloyd. “Hey, kid --”
“I made a promise,”
Lloyd began suddenly, his head still hung. “I swore to myself that I would do
whatever it took to spread love -- to create the world that I envisioned. I told myself, over and over, that I would never
fail another person again, as long as I drew breath. And I stand by that creed. I will keep reaching, again, and again, and
again, and build my future with my own two hands. But…it’s not a future I want to build, or
even see, on my own.”
He looked up at Mrs.
Overdose, and offered her a serene smile.
“I want you to come along with me.”
Mrs. Overdose stared
blankly at Lloyd, then folded her arms and glanced at a distant wall. “You really think it’s that simple, huh? All you’ve got is passion. Still a long-ass way from savin’ the world,
or whatever it is you’re after.”
“That may be true,
but…” Lloyd’s eyes widened. “Wait.
I thought I was all talk?”
“You are. Or…at least, you were. I dunno, you’re REALLY hard to pin down,
kid. And it’s seriously pissin’ me off.” She snorted, but with almost none of her
typical bile. “I’m startin’ to think
that I’ll never figure you out. Probably
because…because maybe…I need to figure myself out first.”
The stars spiraling
around her wobbled and glittered -- and before Lloyd’s eyes, they began to
change. The half that his actions had
dimmed returned to its shining splendor…and it wasn’t alone. The star closest to it -- which had once been
a dull topaz -- filled halfway with a golden light. Her mask changed in kind, from a fur-faced
fury to a look of contemplation; at times, even content.
I…I actually made some progress?
Lloyd almost rubbed his eyes to make sure he hadn’t imagined it -- but
before he could, he shook his head and stood back up. Yes. Yes, yes, yes! This is what I’ve campaigned for! This is the result of my resolve! And now, with one last push, I’ll ease her
heart once and for all!
“Mrs. Overdose. I have sworn to become a part of you -- if
you’ll have me. The reason I do so is twofold; firstly, I recognize all too
immediately the nature that inspires me so.
I know that you are the embodiment of a steel wall -- resolute,
unmoving, dedicated to deflecting the foolishness that would challenge your
innermost temples. Those that would test
their strength against your own would come face-to-face with an unflinching
aegis, the realized and repellant form of your very creed. To say that it is admirable would be a grave
understatement. And yet, it is a flawed
wall. It is one that can be pierced and
assaulted, and in doing so you risk harm to your being. And yet again, even if your wall was flawless, it carries with it certain
risks; to become an immovable object is to become a cold, unchanging monument,
worn down not by life’s passions but by the passage of time itself.
“And yet…it is an
immovable object that I want to be a part of.
It is flawed. You are
flawed. But then again, so am I, as is
every man, woman, and child alive. The
key difference, the determinant in whether we remain flawed or become something
more, is how much and how well we synergize with others. So long as we can come together and merge as
one, we can surpass the limits and imperfections we house within our
beings. And that is exactly what I hope
to accomplish, for your sake and mine.”
He pressed a hand against his chest.
“Become a part of me. Stand tall
and firm as the foundation, the defense I so desperately need. And I will become a part of you -- the
obtuse, insignificant fragment you need to become the ultimate defense. Or perhaps, as the key ingredient to have
your gleaming walls reach ever skyward.”
Mrs. Overdose just
pressed a palm against her temple, and her throat rumbled as she groaned to
herself.
Did that do it? Lloyd thought, feeling his breaths grow
shorter. Was I finally able to --?
“Money is the most
important thing in the world.”
For a moment, Lloyd
felt his knees start to buckle.
“Money. That’s how you get anything accomplished
nowadays. Money to make a living. Money to get what you want. Money to show just how well off you are. You can’t do anything, or be anything without
it. It’s as simple as that.” She scratched at her forehead. “At least, that’s what I thought.”
“Mrs. Overdose…?”
She dropped her hands
to her sides, and looked down at Lloyd -- and with a fraction of the scorn
she’d shown at the outset. “If you wanna
make the big bucks, sometimes you need to think like a crazy-ass kid. Sometimes, it’s all about the passion. Can’t help but get swept up by it.”
Lloyd’s eyes started to
glisten. “You mean --?!”
Mrs. Overdose nodded
slowly. “You win, kid. I’m yours -- and you’re mine.”
The stars that orbited
around her quivered -- and then, began to pick up speed. From a peaceful pace to a legless jog, then a
sprint, then an all-out dash -- it didn’t even take half a minute for them to
meld into one blurred line of gold. And
it certainly didn’t take a half-minute for them to shoot into the corners of
the stage, with enough force to make the wires and curtains rustle about.
All four stars, all
four golden bright, had moved into position.
Mrs. Overdose glanced
at each star in turn, showing no more concern for them than she would a blade
of grass in the distance. “Huh. Well, I’d say that’s the strangest thing I’ve
seen all day, but I’ve still got a pretty clear view of him right here.” She looked back down at Lloyd, and --
“I did it…”
Lloyd’s legs gave
out. By chance alone he managed to
topple backwards and fall into the director’s chair; the moment he did, he let
his arms dangle on the sides, and tilted his head upward. He clapped a hand against his forehead, and
laughed to himself. “I…I actually did
it…!”
He couldn’t restrain
his smile; it stretched from one side of his face to another, all too eager to
reveal his joy…and to offset the streams of tears pouring down his cheeks. “Finally…finally, I’ve moved forward! I really can help people! I…I…!”
He choked on something between a laugh and a yell, thanks in no small
part to the tears sliding into his mouth.
So he just sat there, smiling and crying, sniffling and chuckling.
For a moment Mrs.
Overdose thought about asking if he was all right. But she didn’t. She already knew the answer, or at least the
one he would give her. Even amidst all
those tears, and even in spite of the failures inherent in his being, she knew
it all too well.
Lloyd was happy. Now more than he’d ever been, he was happy.
So she just let him sit
there for a minute -- then two, then three -- to vent a bit. She just stood there, arms folded, and let
him cry and smile, and gave him plenty of time to do whatever else came to
mind. And as the fourth minute started,
and his eyes finally began to dry, she picked up the script. “I’m guessin’ you’ve got one hell of a show
planned, right?”
Lloyd leaned forward in
his seat and stared up at her, with the same wide eyes as the common
preschooler.
“Ehhhhhhhhhh…I don’t
really get any of this, but whatever.”
She eyed the script carefully, thumbing through the supposedly-blank
pages. “You want me to act, right? So what do I say? What do I do?”
Lloyd wiped a few
straggling tears from his face, and offered a slow nod. “I think you already know what you have to
do. You already have the role; all I
want to see is a bit of confirmation.”
“How do I do that?”
“Isn’t it obvious? You are as mighty as a steel wall; the sheer
amount of conviction and credibility you bring to the stage can likely bend any
heart to your persuasion. You very
nearly did the same to me, after all.”
He tapped a few fingers against his chest. “I certainly hope I can recover from the
thrashing you gave me.”
“So what, you want me
to…I dunno, say somethin’?”
“Something,
anything. You have everything you need
to prove yourself; it’s merely a matter of acting upon it now.”
Mrs. Overdose sighed
heavily. “Guess I’ll give it a shot,
then…even though I still kinda think this is pants-on-head stupidity.” She took a deep breath. “I’m in this for the money -- always have
been, always will be. But as of right
now, I’m gonna start lookin’ for somethin’ more in my life. Somethin’ that’ll get me as fired up as a kid
like you.”
Lloyd smiled.
“I really wanna see
what it’s like to have my own slaves. Or
maybe some servants, at least.”
Lloyd’s smile started
to quiver. “D-did you just say…?” But he shook his head quickly. “Well, no matter. A dream is a dream.”
The mask that had
guarded Mrs. Overdose melted away, becoming a part of the swirling sphere it had
shielded. Wispy chains shot out at rigid
angles, linking up with the rest of the audition room and melding with whatever
they touched; as they did, the original sphere dissolved, while the room’s
knickknacks gained newfound filling.
Glimmering steel spilled in between each line, and every surface rumbled
as a chain-link lattice grew atop it.
The outlines, once a wavy black, transformed into pipes of pure
chromium; each one shimmered as if basking in the morning sun.
It’s done, Lloyd thought. You and I both have taken our strides this
day, Mrs. Overdose. And may we venture ever forward, towards even higher
plateaus and brighter days. We can do it
together. And we will.
“A new star has been
born,” he said softly.
--STAGE OUT--
TO BE HEARTINUED…
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