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Hero Inc.
Chapter 52

Chapter 52

In a dog park deep in the city, a man sits across from two dogs a Shepherd and a Harehound. The two look at the man as dogs do serious and silly all at once. Nicki just sat across from them with a contemplative stare. “Uh-huh.”

“Ruff,” The Harehound said as the Shepard seemed to nod.

“Oh?”

The Harehound looked at the Shepard, “Arff” The Shepard looked at her looking almost affronted.

“Really, and what do you have to say, Zeus,” Nicki asked the Shepard. This was an entirely surreal experience Nicki admitted to himself. How did going to a dog park turn into this therapy play-act?

“Grrr” He growled at the Harehound.

“That is no way to talk to your wife.” Nicki chastised. “Did you ever try to look at it from her side?” What am I even saying?

“Ur?” Zeus chuffed turning his head in confusion towards Nicki.

“Yes, just think about it.” He tapped his forehead. “You were running around and ...what was it again Hera?” He turned to the smug-looking Harehound.

“Arf arf.”

“Yes exactly. What would you have done if she had done that to you?”

Surprisingly the Shepard Zeus looked thoughtful, at least as much as a dog could. He sat there for minutes before letting out a long whine. I've been a bad body wahaha wah.”

“Zeus, I don't think I've ever seen you like this.” Hera put her nose close to his face.

“It's alright Hera this is good. He is genuinely reflecting on his actions. At least I hope he is.” Nicki said still in disbelief at the fact he had stumbled into a colony of magically psychic dogs. He had just been walking by the dog park attempting to follow a string when he overheard some of the dogs talking. He thought he was nuts for a few minutes before a few of the animals turned to him and they realized he could hear them. He still didn’t know how he ended up being a magic dog therapist.

“I'm a bad boy. Whahaha” Zeus continued even adding the crying sound inside his head.

“You’re not a bad boy, just a little lost,” Nicki said kindly placing his hand on Zeus’s head

“Sniff. Sniff”

Hera was looking at her husband, shock clear on her face, and a little bit of pride.

Zeus sniffed before looking up at his wife, “Do you think I can be a…Good boy?

“Of course. But it will take a lot of work.”

“I think. I think I want to try.”

Nicki nodded, “That is the first step.” He then looked at Hera, “The next is being open with your wife.”

“Hera.”

“Zeus.”

“I... I don't know what to say.” Zeus said his voice filled with emotion.

She nuzzled up against him, “That's alright we have all the time in the world to work on ourselves.”

“You two will be ok. Just remember to communicate. Try to look at things from each other's perspective and most of all try to just enjoy each other's company.” I really hope this is actually good advice.

“Thank you.”

“You’re welcome.” The two then ran off into the park already starting to play.

Before he left Nicki almost asked for help finding the book, but any scent would have been long gone at this point. So he just smiled, learning the world was a bit more magical than he thought.

#

Sixteen days. Sixteen days to read a single damn page. A single page that just repeated the word mana over and over. It was only now that she made it through the page she could even remember what the damn thing said. None of it made sense. How could repeating one word over and over account for the things she’d seen ever since she started reading it? She was going mad. They would send her back to that awful place, but she needed help. It might not be the worst. Except maybe she wasn’t crazy maybe it was all real. The people stopped flickering, now they showed what they were. The people came in a rainbow of colors now, and she saw a horn or two, growing that could easily be mistaken for a hair ornament or even a cowlick on some. It was magically mundane.

Somehow the simplicity of it all made her feel it was all too real yet. She couldn’t help but doubt. Should I just walk up to someone and ask? She scoffed at the idea. Sure Alice walk up to someone and ask, “Are you human? Because your skin is blue and red and I don’t think people normally have that color skin.

There was a knocking on her front door. Please be Lilly. Lilly was her best friend since they were kids. She had been there when she had gone through her episodes. If anyone could convince me I’m sane or not it’s her. A single call was all it took for her to agree to come over.

Opening the door seeing her friend she pulled her into a hug. “Alice is everything ok? You sounded off over the phone.”

She stepped away from her friend letting out a long sigh. “That’s just it I don’t know.” Alice grabbed the book off the table. It was time for her to bring someone else in. Someone who could tell her she wasn’t crazy.

With the book in hand, she turned to Lilly, “It all started—” Alice froze book clutched tight against her.

“Alice?” Lilly asked concern etched on her face. Her face was covered in rainbow freckles, iridescent and unreal. “Alice.” Lilly took a step towards Alice reaching out a t hand only for Alice to step back in fear. “Alice! What’s wrong?” True fear leaked out as she pulled her hand back only for her to notice where she had been looking. Lilly’s hand covered in so much color some changing, others static.

A case of literary theft: this tale is not rightfully on Amazon; if you see it, report the violation.

“Lilly. Did.” Her voice trembled. “Did you get a new tattoo, or are you going to a rave later?” Alice desperately reached for some logical explanation. It can’t be her, not her. She can’t.

Lilly stood there eyes showing disbelief, wariness, not to mention confusion. She looked down at her jeans and t-shirt looking lost. Tentatively she answered, “No?”

Her heart beat faster. “Then are you getting ready for a rave? I like the colors?”

“Alice, what are you talking about? What’s wrong?”

Her heart was beating quickly, her lungs couldn’t hold a single breath. Her entire world was closing in on her as tears formed. As she took in every bit of her best friend remembering the days growing up with Lilly right next door. Their garden was always in bloom. Always a bright vibrant green. The weird ritual of dancing in the gardens that she swore the plants danced with them. So many signs and so much strangeness.

Lilly ran forward and grabbed Alice into a hug. “Alice I don’t know what’s going on, but whatever it is I’m here for you.”

Something in her words brought her back. “Lilly.” Her throat tightened as she feared what she would ask, “Lilly” She pushed her friend back and looked her in the eyes. “Lilly, Are you human?”

Alice didn’t miss the sudden panic in Lilly’s eyes or the sudden inability of hers to look her in the eyes. “What kind of question is that? What happened to you.”

“LILLY!” Shouting panic starting to return. “Are. You. Human?”

She was better at controlling her emotions this time, “Why are you asking Alice? I thought that all was put way behind us.”

Hearing what she said, panic left only to be replaced by an overwhelming heat boiling in her chest, something inside stirred. A power she’d never felt before, it leaked out filling her words with power, “Lillian Ainsley Quille!” Lilly froze, her eyes wide with terror as all her speckled colors glowed at the sound of her full name. “Are you human?”

Lilly’s mouth moved, “No.”

One word. One betrayal. Alice held onto Lilly tears falling down her face, feeling completely hollow. “You could have stopped it.”

“No, we couldn’t. You were seeing things. Things unlike us, things that weren't real. Ghosts aren’t real Alice. Your imaginary friend wasn’t real, and you got hurt. We were all afraid for you.”

Alice and Lilly talked into the night, and Lilly was finally able to talk to her best friend about the rest of the world.

Alice for her part was surprised to learn other races existed but for the most part, were just humans with their own little quirks. Like dancing under the moon, or being really good with plants. “People are just people. Half of them can’t even see the world for what it is. Others just ignore it. A lot don’t even know of their own heritage.”

It had taken hours of just talking with Lilly before Alice could accept it, and she still had so many questions and was struggling to not simply yell at Lilly for lying to her.

#

In an office deep, in a place that may or may not exist a giant woman sits in a very nice three-piece suit as she calmly sits. There just beyond her desk walks a pig in an unkempt disheveled suit yelling. “I don’t care who you think you are! I will not be treated like this!”

Drystia was quickly losing patience with the creature. Ever since he showed up he would not shut up about talking with a secretary. Demanding to talk to someone actually in charge. She could have gotten past that. The pig-man could have just been scared and lashing out. But when she had calmly said she was the agent assigned to his case. He started going off about being treated like a second-class citizen. That no woman could possibly help a dignified Pig such as he. All while he was scratching his exposed belly or scratching his ass.

By this point, his snout was covered in snot and he was frothing at the mouth. He continued for a solid three hours. She was annoyingly impressed.

“Sir!” She shouted when he finally took a breath. “You’ve been screaming for three hours! Can we move forward?”

“I will not speak with an incompetent woman with her tiny brain. You cannot possibly understand-”

Drystia grabbed the pig by his dirty lapels pulled him close and slapped him hard. “Shut it.”

The pig-man stared in disbelief. As she let go, the man fell to the floor. Immediately he pulled out his phone. “I’m calling the police! You’re going to get fired and go to jail. Then I’m going to sue this place for everything it’s worth you bitch.”

That was the last straw for Drystia she stood and grabbed the pig-man who was trying to figure out why his phone wasn’t working. “I can’t say I didn’t try.” She said with a bit too much sweetness.

“What are you doing? Let me go?!” The pig squirmed and began to squeal as she dragged him to the door, and tossed him through.

“Congrats you get a permanent vacation!” She yelled as the door shut.

#

Bartholomew J. Esquire the fourth landed in a lovely little mud pit. Seething in rage at the audacity of a female pig handling him. He had worked hard and scraped his way up the corporate ladder. Never taken a single vacation in the last ten years. Now he was in a literal mud hole.

He squealed for help. Looking around for someone anyone. When he checked his phone he let out a loud frustrated, “Skreee!!” His phone was covered in mode and shorted out. He kept walking finding only more mud, until he found a sheer stone wall. Quickly he found that the entire area was surrounded by this stone wall. He fell to his knees in defeat running his hooves through the mud as he collapsed down into the warm disgusting mud. Actually, it was kind of nice.

The mud was warm and inviting, he didn’t notice until he lay down now it seemed to call to him. He was too tired and freaked out to care. Half convinced that this was some kind of dream. His clothes felt too tight, they were in the way of him enjoying the pit. If this is a dream. All around him for what felt like miles was this wonderful mud.

Before he even realized it he found himself quickly going feral. Rolling around, digging deep, and running all around the massive pit. He no longer felt any of the old aches and pains. Running on all fours for the first time since he was a babe. This all felt right, correct. Time passed and he never even tried to keep track. His mind slowly drifted to nothing but the present.

He never noticed when the plants began to sprout. When the edges of the pit turned from brown to green. Or when the trees began to cover the entirety of the pit. He only remembered the taste of the delicious fruit. The feeling of rough bark on his thick hide scratching that itch he could never reach. There was never even the slightest thought of how a new energy had been moving through him and this place.

Time became meaningless as his pit slowly shrank, till a paradise of a jungle replaced it. Bartholomew himself missed the mud. It was perfect and lovely. The place was nice still, actually quite lovely in fact. But for him the feeling of a nice warm mud-hole was heaven. Maybe I can find another. So He left.

#

Somewhere in a little village. A no-name place, where people love simple lives. Where the magic has long left lost to myth and legend. Just outside a farm on an open stretch of land where the forest was once cleared for wood. It had rained recently and the place was filled with soft dirt and mud.

A delighted squeal resounded through the area as a boar the size of a house appeared tromping through the mud. Playing, jumping, rolling, and wallowing in the mud. Happy as can be.

A farmer hearing the squeal afraid one of his pigs got out, made his way out to the woods to see the frolicking beast. Only to run away in fear. The beast paid no mind as it had the time of his life, the mud slowly disappearing as he had his fun. All too soon for the boar the mud was gone, as he dripped with what was left of the mud. Satisfied it lifted its snout searching for the next mud pile. With a new destination set, it shifted and moved; popping out of existence, as it searched for its next vacation spot.

Outside a small village with no name. A farmer and a group of hunters went out to put a stop to the massive boar before it could harm their village. Not to mention a boar that size would feed the village for months if not years if they could preserve the meat. When they arrived they found a place devoid of mud, empty of tree stumps, and filled with new greenery with plants they’d never seen. Only tracks leading nowhere were found. The only other evidence of the creatures passing.

The farmer for his part, examined the plants finding he did not recognize them. Curious he grabbed one only for a wave of power to channel into him. Leaving him wide-eyed, and forever changed. The story quickly spread, as stories do. People suddenly found new groves of trees, a swamp that seemed endless, a jungle filled only with flowering vines. Places of magic and mystery. Places that made people more than they once were.

With each story, the legend grew, and at the core was always a squeal of delight and a pig frolicking in the mud.

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