(Governor Tom's Note: I whipped up this lil' somethin' somethin' in September 1997, the beginning of my senior year at Temple University. I'm not sure, but I think that was the semester I took a creative writing elective offered by the journalism department. I took that class either in the spring or fall of '97. My computer tells me the last time I saved the story's file was September 1997, so if I took that class in the spring of '97, then I have no idea why I'd write this story. I took the English department's token undergrad creative writing class my sophomore year, spring of '96. Temple, like lots of schools, I reckon, saves the meat of their creative writing offerings for grad students. This is a simple story, but there's more going on here than you might realize. Or even I realize. I mean I wrote the thing, and it still intrigues me.)
__________
“So what are you going to do now?” Nick asked from his bed, looking at the wounded Mini-Rin which stood at its full height of seven feet in front of his closet, twenty feet away on the other side of the room. Because the lamp next to Nick’s bed was the only light on, the Mini-Rin’s little black marble eyes were almost hidden in the darkness. Its mouth, however, was very visible. It was a long, deep slit that divided the Mini-Rin’s narrow face in half. Whenever it smiled, the mouth stretched so wide it looked like the entire hairless head was split in two. But it wasn’t smiling now. The mouth was closed, and the Mini-Rin was looking down at its three-toed feet, occasionally toying with the plum-growths on top of its six-fingered hands which, along with the growths covering the rest of its inverted arms, gave it the ability to fly.
“I’m afraid I’ll have to do what I warned would happen,” it said. Its voice sounded more male than female to Nick, and it always sounded like there was something caught in its throat.
“But why, Rex?” Nick complained. “What’s the big deal?”
“Don’t get mad at me,” Rex said. “I’m not leaving because I want to. I have to. It’s the law to which I’m bound.”
“I promise it won’t happen again,” Nick pleaded. “Isn’t that enough to make you stay?”
“If it were up to me, perhaps. But, again, it isn’t up to me.”
“How can I-?”
“Ouch!” Rex cried out. Nick could hear the slime on its skin shift as the Mini-Rin placed a hand against its chest, its eyes closing to the pain, which made it look like it had no eyes at all. Its foot-long fingers massaged the wound.
“It still hurts?” Nick asked.
“Of course. It’s only been a day. We’re faster healers than you, but not that fast.”
“You could have defended yourself. You could have beaten the hell out of him. I know it.”
“And you wanted that just because of a girl?”
“Harry O’Dea is a weasel, Rex. Everyone in school knows that. And when I heard he was going out with my Gina, that was it. I wanted him hurt bad.”
“Why?”
“I just explained why.”
“You’re 13, Nicholas. You’ve got plenty of time to find girls. No one should be worth so much trouble, especially now.”
“All I wanted you to do was hurt him some, that’s all. I wasn’t asking you to kill him or anything.”
“It doesn’t matter. I just can’t do it.”
“Because of your law?”
“That’s right.”
“Can’t you break the law? We do it here.”
“It’s a little more serious down where I come from. Breaking any of the laws, no matter how small they might seem, can mean death.”
“And what if you didn’t have that law? What if there was nothing that held you back from hurting Harry last night? Would you have hurt him then?”
“No,” Rex answered without thinking. “What happened to you, Nick? When you first summoned me a month ago, you were just interested in doing the fun things, the things I could do: Shape-shifting, flying, becoming invisible. And we had a great time. At least I thought we did. And now all of the sudden you’re interested in hurting people.”
“Not just anybody. Harry.”
“Harry is just anybody, Nick, no matter how you see it.”
“I thought the Mini-Rin were supposed to be great warriors as well as magicians. That’s what my book told me.”
“Your book was written by a human, not a Mini-Rin.”
“You could have at least defended yourself.”
“Harry was scared out of his mind when he saw me. Things get really complicated when someone is that frightened. It’s happened to me before. They become more vicious at the same time. I’m lucky he didn’t kill me. He could also report me to your authorities.”
Nick smirked. “You don’t have to worry about that. No one would believe him.”
“We don’t take such chances.”
“So you’re just going to leave? Just like that?”
Rex remained silent before answering. “I’m afraid so. But I just want you to know that I’m not mad at you, just a little......surprised that you changed so quickly.”
“That’s stupid, Rex. I didn’t change. I’m the same person I always was.”
Rex didn’t say anything. Then, after a few more seconds of silence, it said, “Well I better depart. The longer I delay, the more trouble I’ll be in when I return.”
“Fine,” Nick said with a taste of bitterness. “I’m sorry things didn’t work out.”
“If you ever choose to summon one of my kind again, it won’t work. It’s a one-shot deal. You must understand that.”
“I can always take care of Harry by myself. I’ll just get a couple of friends and he’s mine.”
“Good bye, Nicholas.”
“Yup,” Nick said. “Harry’ll be sorry he ever knew me.” He reached over and turned off the light. In the darkness he could hear Rex slide open the closet door, the ruffling of the clothes, the clinking of the metal wire hangers, and then silence. The Mini-Rin had gone back home. Nick began thinking of who could help him get Harry.
“So what are you going to do now?” Nick asked from his bed, looking at the wounded Mini-Rin which stood at its full height of seven feet in front of his closet, twenty feet away on the other side of the room. Because the lamp next to Nick’s bed was the only light on, the Mini-Rin’s little black marble eyes were almost hidden in the darkness. Its mouth, however, was very visible. It was a long, deep slit that divided the Mini-Rin’s narrow face in half. Whenever it smiled, the mouth stretched so wide it looked like the entire hairless head was split in two. But it wasn’t smiling now. The mouth was closed, and the Mini-Rin was looking down at its three-toed feet, occasionally toying with the plum-growths on top of its six-fingered hands which, along with the growths covering the rest of its inverted arms, gave it the ability to fly.
“I’m afraid I’ll have to do what I warned would happen,” it said. Its voice sounded more male than female to Nick, and it always sounded like there was something caught in its throat.
“But why, Rex?” Nick complained. “What’s the big deal?”
“Don’t get mad at me,” Rex said. “I’m not leaving because I want to. I have to. It’s the law to which I’m bound.”
“I promise it won’t happen again,” Nick pleaded. “Isn’t that enough to make you stay?”
“If it were up to me, perhaps. But, again, it isn’t up to me.”
“How can I-?”
“Ouch!” Rex cried out. Nick could hear the slime on its skin shift as the Mini-Rin placed a hand against its chest, its eyes closing to the pain, which made it look like it had no eyes at all. Its foot-long fingers massaged the wound.
“It still hurts?” Nick asked.
“Of course. It’s only been a day. We’re faster healers than you, but not that fast.”
“You could have defended yourself. You could have beaten the hell out of him. I know it.”
“And you wanted that just because of a girl?”
“Harry O’Dea is a weasel, Rex. Everyone in school knows that. And when I heard he was going out with my Gina, that was it. I wanted him hurt bad.”
“Why?”
“I just explained why.”
“You’re 13, Nicholas. You’ve got plenty of time to find girls. No one should be worth so much trouble, especially now.”
“All I wanted you to do was hurt him some, that’s all. I wasn’t asking you to kill him or anything.”
“It doesn’t matter. I just can’t do it.”
“Because of your law?”
“That’s right.”
“Can’t you break the law? We do it here.”
“It’s a little more serious down where I come from. Breaking any of the laws, no matter how small they might seem, can mean death.”
“And what if you didn’t have that law? What if there was nothing that held you back from hurting Harry last night? Would you have hurt him then?”
“No,” Rex answered without thinking. “What happened to you, Nick? When you first summoned me a month ago, you were just interested in doing the fun things, the things I could do: Shape-shifting, flying, becoming invisible. And we had a great time. At least I thought we did. And now all of the sudden you’re interested in hurting people.”
“Not just anybody. Harry.”
“Harry is just anybody, Nick, no matter how you see it.”
“I thought the Mini-Rin were supposed to be great warriors as well as magicians. That’s what my book told me.”
“Your book was written by a human, not a Mini-Rin.”
“You could have at least defended yourself.”
“Harry was scared out of his mind when he saw me. Things get really complicated when someone is that frightened. It’s happened to me before. They become more vicious at the same time. I’m lucky he didn’t kill me. He could also report me to your authorities.”
Nick smirked. “You don’t have to worry about that. No one would believe him.”
“We don’t take such chances.”
“So you’re just going to leave? Just like that?”
Rex remained silent before answering. “I’m afraid so. But I just want you to know that I’m not mad at you, just a little......surprised that you changed so quickly.”
“That’s stupid, Rex. I didn’t change. I’m the same person I always was.”
Rex didn’t say anything. Then, after a few more seconds of silence, it said, “Well I better depart. The longer I delay, the more trouble I’ll be in when I return.”
“Fine,” Nick said with a taste of bitterness. “I’m sorry things didn’t work out.”
“If you ever choose to summon one of my kind again, it won’t work. It’s a one-shot deal. You must understand that.”
“I can always take care of Harry by myself. I’ll just get a couple of friends and he’s mine.”
“Good bye, Nicholas.”
“Yup,” Nick said. “Harry’ll be sorry he ever knew me.” He reached over and turned off the light. In the darkness he could hear Rex slide open the closet door, the ruffling of the clothes, the clinking of the metal wire hangers, and then silence. The Mini-Rin had gone back home. Nick began thinking of who could help him get Harry.
