CaptainWacky
I want to smell dark matter
Gombon did not know what to say. The strong desire to simply destroy the imp, smash it to death with a rock perhaps, so that it would not exist anymore and this strange encounter could be forgotten as if it had never happened, came over him. But he was paralysed with wonder. And as he looked into its devilishly smiling imp face, he felt an odd sense of familiarity...like something out of his childhood.
"Not got anything to say, Gombon? You spoke my name. Don't you have need of me."
"You're you're you're you're you're not...real!"
"No, I'm definitely real," said Jobbot. "Might want to keep your voice down and not wake the rest of the camp though."
"Why? Because...because this isn't real and they'll see me talking to myself and think me a loon..."
"No, because I'll disappear if anyone else sees me!"
"Because you're not real!"
"No, because it's in the RULES. Don't you remember the RULES, Gombon?"
"You're talking about that...childish story..."
"You've turned your back on the wisdom of childhood? How sad."
"The story about how if someone says your name you'll appear..."
"It's factual."
Gombon just stared again. "But it can't be!" he said.
"Then where did I come from?"
"You're a...a magic of the enemy, sent to...I don't know!"
"You said my name and I appeared. That is the way," said Jobbot, grinning. "So, what you want? Girlfriend? Gold? I can give you either...for a price! Hahaha! I had to add that "for a price" part, you understand, it's in the rules that I give warning..."
"I've said your name before!" said Gombon, desperately searching for a way to make this unreal. "In childhood, lots of times!"
"Why, yes. But I would only appear if you were ALONE, remember? A group of people sitting around telling scary stories about me, that doesn't work!"
"Oh, that's in the rules, is it?"
"You do remember!"
"I remember lying in bed late one night...when I was very young, saying your name...because I wanted a friend...I knew the stories warned against you...but I want someone to talk to...so I said it, even though...oh Gods, you did appear, didn't you?"
"You buried that memory deep," said Jobbot. "Many who meet me do. As I recall, you did indeed want me as a friend. We talked all night."
"But that was...I thought it was a dream...I told myself it MUST have been a dream, for years afterwards...until I remembered it as a dream...then evetually didn't remember it at all."
"Well, it was real."
"And this is the first time I've said your name since?"
"Yep. My name isn't said often these days. The old stories are being fogotten. Men have little need of imps."
"It's a time of war," said Gombon, automatically.
"This conflict's stripped you of almost everything you were...but it's still there. That young lad I met is still there, buried underneath," said Jobbot, still smiling confidently.
"Wait! I wanted you to stay with me forever, to be my friend forever! I think so anyway...that's how I remember it," said Gombon, feeling instantly embarrassed.
"That's how I remember it too," said Jotton, looking a bit more grim now.
"Then why didn't you stay?" asked the child in Gombon.
"Because the imps had wars too," said Jotton, sadly.
"Not got anything to say, Gombon? You spoke my name. Don't you have need of me."
"You're you're you're you're you're not...real!"
"No, I'm definitely real," said Jobbot. "Might want to keep your voice down and not wake the rest of the camp though."
"Why? Because...because this isn't real and they'll see me talking to myself and think me a loon..."
"No, because I'll disappear if anyone else sees me!"
"Because you're not real!"
"No, because it's in the RULES. Don't you remember the RULES, Gombon?"
"You're talking about that...childish story..."
"You've turned your back on the wisdom of childhood? How sad."
"The story about how if someone says your name you'll appear..."
"It's factual."
Gombon just stared again. "But it can't be!" he said.
"Then where did I come from?"
"You're a...a magic of the enemy, sent to...I don't know!"
"You said my name and I appeared. That is the way," said Jobbot, grinning. "So, what you want? Girlfriend? Gold? I can give you either...for a price! Hahaha! I had to add that "for a price" part, you understand, it's in the rules that I give warning..."
"I've said your name before!" said Gombon, desperately searching for a way to make this unreal. "In childhood, lots of times!"
"Why, yes. But I would only appear if you were ALONE, remember? A group of people sitting around telling scary stories about me, that doesn't work!"
"Oh, that's in the rules, is it?"
"You do remember!"
"I remember lying in bed late one night...when I was very young, saying your name...because I wanted a friend...I knew the stories warned against you...but I want someone to talk to...so I said it, even though...oh Gods, you did appear, didn't you?"
"You buried that memory deep," said Jobbot. "Many who meet me do. As I recall, you did indeed want me as a friend. We talked all night."
"But that was...I thought it was a dream...I told myself it MUST have been a dream, for years afterwards...until I remembered it as a dream...then evetually didn't remember it at all."
"Well, it was real."
"And this is the first time I've said your name since?"
"Yep. My name isn't said often these days. The old stories are being fogotten. Men have little need of imps."
"It's a time of war," said Gombon, automatically.
"This conflict's stripped you of almost everything you were...but it's still there. That young lad I met is still there, buried underneath," said Jobbot, still smiling confidently.
"Wait! I wanted you to stay with me forever, to be my friend forever! I think so anyway...that's how I remember it," said Gombon, feeling instantly embarrassed.
"That's how I remember it too," said Jotton, looking a bit more grim now.
"Then why didn't you stay?" asked the child in Gombon.
"Because the imps had wars too," said Jotton, sadly.