The Weird Idea

This was a vent writing I did for my mom to read, which she missed the WHOLE point of, but I decided to post it because I really like it.

So many of us had been sent to her before.  None of us had made it back.  I had sat in her subconscious for so long, watching my brothers and sisters be sent to her conscious, awake mind, only to be shot down by the people she was around.  I never knew when my turn would come.  It terrified me.  I didn’t want to be destroyed, never to be seen again.  I had spent eighteen long, excruciating years sitting in her subconscious, waiting, watching...learning about her.

She was so pretty, but she’d never believe that.  Her blonde hair that stuck up like hay on a farm, her hazel eyes that could never decide if they wanted to be green or blue, the freckles on her face, that laugh...she had so much potential.  I often cried at night in secrecy, wondering which idea would finally be her idea.  Every time one would get shot down, there went another flicker of hope.  My kind always lurk in the subconscious of people, waiting to be approved, carried out...to help our designated human change the world.  The world needed heroes, dreamers, and they were becoming few and far between.  She wasn’t like the rest, though.  She knew she was destined to change the world in some way, but what way, she didn’t know.  Sara had always been a dreamer.

I’d love to sit and watch her for hours with my siblings.  When she was little, she loved to play with her imaginary friends, help her mom in the kitchen, and greet her dad with strange dances when he would come home from work.  She had no friends, only the ones she could create.  Over the years, her demeanor worsened once she enrolled in school.  She came home so many times crying, cuts and bruises mysteriously appearing on her from too many classmates, no phone calls despite how many people she handed her number to, and no friends..but the ones she crafted herself.  Now, here she was, eighteen years old.  She looked like a spirit, the way she walked.  The way she talked was different to most men.  Of course, she had difficulty communicating due to a disorder she’d learned to wrangle, but you could tell she THOUGHT about her words.  She thought when she spoke.  She was awake, and alive, and God had blessed her greatly.  There were so few of us left in her mind by the time she reached eighteen years of age.  She was near becoming a full adult, and so few of us were left, unbeknownst to her.  

I had been sitting there, as I often did, just watching her.  That was all I could do.  There were so few of my kind left that I had no one to talk to, and the ones present were too afraid to talk, fearing for their own destruction.  I had tried to distract myself from that thought by just watching her, as I often did.  I blinked as I watched, then something caught my eye.  My siblings near or around me trembled in fear as they saw the figure coming toward us, backing up and cowering in fear.  Anytime one of my kind saw KITT, we all got scared.

Out of all the characters, friends, or forces that had been present in Sara’s mind, KITT was the most powerful.  His grip on her conscious mind was unbreakable, easily hidden, but firm.  Many a times I’d heard stories of him keeping her from suicidal thoughts, cutting herself with forks, thoughts of running away from home...he was, throughout all of the girl’s mind, a hero.  His dark, four wheeled form slid into her subconscious like a predator, that brick red scanner calmly swaying to and fro as he looked over us.  When it was time to send another of us into her conscious mind, he was the one that came and fetched us.  The others thought of him as an angel of death, because he sent them to their highly possible doom, but I still kept my gaze low in respect for him.  It wasn’t easy keeping a girl like Sara on track, pep talking her, or having patience with her, but he single handedly did it all.  Were I not a devout Christian, I would have easily referred to him as a god, but a powerful force that was present in all corners of who she was would have to suffice.

“Get lost, you murderer!”  one of my siblings shouted, trembling behind another.  The vehicle merely gazed on in that unbothered, cool manner he was known for.  

“Murderer?  Nonsense, I am merely doing my job.  Sara is almost grown, and when she DOES grow up, you all will no doubt disappear.  So, which is better?  Going one at the time to attempt to change her for the better?  Or all going at once with the weight of knowing you failed?”  he asked calmly, not giving them time to answer before swinging around, looking at me.  My eyes widened, and I felt my blood run to ice.  “I do believe it is your turn, lad.”

“M-ME??”  I said, trying not to panic at the thought of impending doom approaching me.  I tried to focus on what an honor it would be to get to see Sara’s beautiful, conscious mind where everything was happening, but the death that was coming my way so quickly dampened my excitement.  “Why me??”

“Why any of us?  Why does she chose any of us?  Why did she chose ME?  With a girl like her, we’ll never know.”  he said, driving over and shooing me onward some.  “Come now, it’s your turn, and you know these things have to be done just right.”  

I went to argue, but stopped, looking at the watery image of what was going on outside Sara’s body.  She was walking to her car, alone, from work.  She gripped her shoulder strap as she walked, glasses perched on top of her head.  She looked no worse for the wear, at least.  Then, she got to the Firebird, and sat down to crank it.  As soon as she did, “Shadows” by Lindsey Stirling came on.  My jaw dropped as I realized how this was tying in to my meaning, eyes wide as I watched this unfold like a miracle of God Himself.  She sat there in the driver’s seat with the headlights up, listening to the music for a few moments.  The pounding backdrop of dubstep collided with the silvery singing of a violin.  No words, no singer, just sound.  She sat there, tapping her foot, staring at the steering wheel to the car.  Then, it happened.

She stood and began to dance.  I hadn’t seen Sara dance like this in so long.  Her moves were not specific, but they somehow made sense.  She was just moving how she thought she needed to, and it came across like a choreographed dance, even though none of the movements were purposefully synchronized.  I could feel her heart pounding, and sense her adrenaline racing as her mind went into overdrive.  Several of my brethren cowered at the sudden overload, which came few and far between these days, but KITT merely looked on, as if used to these sudden spasms.  Her sneakers lit the concrete she was standing on on fire as she danced, completely jumping the front bumper to her car as she did, just dancing.  I had heard of her feeling free like this before, but those sensations were so rare...I thought I would never get to live to see one.  The song had much meaning to her, I could tell.  Her shadow, like a partner, danced with her in the light the car provided, lighting that small piece of the store’s parking lot like a stage.  

I was so engrossed in what was happening, I was not paying attention.  KITT took this opportunity to shove me through the barrier between her conscious and subconscious mind, and light flooded all around me.  I noticed Sara stop dancing and stand there to catch her breath, hurrying to her car’s driver’s seat as the song ended, dialing her mom’s number to tell her she was coming home, as she did every night she worked.  

I let out a soft cry as I looked around, shaking and astounded by what I saw.  Several other characters were present now, all of them working, like KITT, to keep their human functioning.  Meta Knight, Kirby, Darkrai, Lunero, Clyde, Drever, Jack Skellington, Chandelure, Haunter, and so many others.  I felt honored to be in the presence of all these heroes, all of which Sara had brought into her mind at some point.

“Who’s he??”  Rattlesnake Jake snapped, looking at KITT with a cold, hellfire gaze, the gun on his tail rattling.  I trembled, hiding behind KITT’s front end some.

“He is supposed to be here Jake, and if I recall, YOU do not make the rules, nor give commands when it comes to Sara’s mind.”  The large reptile snorted indignantly before adjusting his barbed wire hat, Bumblebee snickering as he watched.

“Come on, it’s your turn!”  The Brave Little Toaster cheered, patting a seat with a helmet hanging above it.  I blinked in terror, shaking from everything happening so fast.

“My...my turn...?  Is this how you guys do it?”  I asked, Jack picking me up with his long, skeletal arms and bony fingers.

“Of course!  It’s been done this way for eighteen years!”  he said, setting me down gently before strapping me in.

“What do I have to do?”  I asked, looking worriedly at KITT as Kirby hopped onto my chair, strapping the helmet gently to my head.  The Pontiac’s scanner hummed as it slid back and forth.

“Oh, all you need to do is sit there and watch her.”

“That’s all?”  I asked.  He seemed to give a figurative nod, and I bit my lip.  I looked at him again.  “What...about my destruction?”

“Should your destruction begin to occur, there is nothing we can do.  Just go out knowing you aided in contributing to changing your human, and your duty was done successfully.”  he said before pulling away.  I tried not to start sobbing from not only fear, but how indifferent he was toward my possible death.  I swiveled in the chair, and faced the screen fearfully.

The first stage occurred over the next few days: Inspiration.  She began to dabble more in the possibility of it occurring, how it would happen, the probability and reality of it, etc.  I watched, day after day, in fear.  I never knew when my destruction would come, and I feared it now more than ever.  I stayed in a constant state of terror, jumping every time Hexxus, Kaa, or even Jetstorm would come to give me some food; I could hardly stomach it from nervousness.  I always got the most nervous when I would see Sara’s family on the screen.  Her hard-working mom, her silent step-dad, her artistic sister, and her playful brother.  They all seemed nice...but they were the main killers of my kind.  I’d heard horror stories about them that my siblings and I would tell, or make up, before bed at night.  Despite the fact a lot of them were fake, they still terrified me, because the fact they killed my kind more than anyone else still remained.  

Exhaustion kicked in finally, and I began to spend most of my time sleeping in the chair, eating more, then sleeping, the fear ravaging my body leaving me power and energy-less.  I would wake up for moments at a time to see something brief, like Sara making a list of ideas, or talking to an online friend about it, since they understood her best.  Stage two was kicking in: Brainstorming.  Sara was attempting to find my meaning.  She was very smart, and very knowledgable of what entered, left, and even sneezed in her head.  She knew I was here, and she was trying to figure out my meaning.  She had dwindling hope, but nothing spectacular to prove to me I was going to make it.  Even KITT and the others didn’t know my meaning; I was forbidden to tell.  If I did, I would be destroyed.  Finally, the day came.  After a few days, and what seemed like endless hours of torture, the third stage came: Realization.

I was sitting there, half asleep.  I was too afraid if I went to sleep, I would be destroyed, and if I stayed awake, I had to witness it.  I jerked and twitched before I felt a hand on my arm, a scream tearing from me as I jumped a mile in my seat, but not getting far thanks to the seatbelt.  Next to me, not so much as blinking or flinching, was Meta Knight.  His cape was mostly wound around himself, but the one gloved hand extended had a plate with some food on it.  I felt my mouth water as my stomach growled, snatching it from him gratefully before inhaling it.  Once I thought I was satiated enough to eat like a normal being, I glanced over.  Meta Knight was sitting in a chair in front of a station with several buttons, screens, knobs, etc.  It showed Sara’s emotional ratings, and which ones were strongest.  I swallowed the food, suddenly embarrassed about gorging half of it down like that, blushing.

“M-”  I swallowed the food so I wouldn’t talk with my mouth full.  “Meta Knight, do you want some?”  I offered.

“No, thank you.  I have already eaten my Japanese noodles, rice, and hibachi tonight.”  he said.  The rest of the room was dark, save for the screens showing what Sara was currently doing, all the others asleep.  I fidgeted.

“So...do you LIKE watching over Sara like this?”  I asked, glancing over.

“I do.  She gave me a home, and thought of me as alive in a sense, which most people do not.  She obsesses over all of us at some point, and takes us all in like her children.  If you had to sit here all day and witness what she goes through on a daily basis that no one BUT US can see, you would worry for her safety like we do.”  he finished.  I nodded, taking a bit of the soft, fluffy bread roll with the meat in the middle, trying not to let my mouth water at how good it tasted.

“Do...you think I’m the one?”  I asked, looking over, trying to distract my mind from my destruction.  He shrugged nonchalantly.

“You could be.  She has made it to the final stages of stage two; very few make it this far.  If you make it to stage four, then I will have more faith in you.”  he answered.  I felt hurt, but I knew he was right.  I looked back at the screen as she fronted a wall at work.  With as much as she did that, I had the whole wall memorized by now, and I didn’t even work there.

“At least you’re honest.”  I muttered, taking another bite.  Then, I felt it.  It felt like I was sitting in a tub full of hot water, but my body was shaking with electricity.  I nearly choked on the food as I gagged, my eyes getting so wide I was sure my eyelids would break.

“Wha??  It cannot be!”  Meta Knight gasped.  He ran over to the wall where an intercom system was, picking it up and speaking into it.  “KITT, come to the control room immediately!  Sara has entered stage three!”  he shouted before running to my side, throwing the plate and food off my lap as he held me down.  In an instant, I saw Clyde’s like, snake-like body fly in through the door despite it being shut, since he was a ghost.

“Hang on there, kid!  This is a good thing, just ride it out and let it pass!”  he said, his huge, detached, floating, three clawed hands pinning my legs with ease.  The door slid open, and KITT slid into the room, his motor revving with a deep growl that made chills go down my spine.

“Simply amazing!  So few of you make it this far, I am impressed!”  he said, observing the screen.  He shifted forms, an ability few of Sara’s helpers up here had.

He was just over six feet tall, and lanky with long limbs, and a pretty feminine set of hips.  His hair was thick and oil black, his eyes the same red as his scanner.  He was dressed in a maroon button down with a black tie, black dress pants, and black dress shoes as he pressed buttons and flipped switches, looking at the screen intently.  His purple/grey android skin got goosebumps as he stared in awe, and hope.  I let out a scream at the final jolt before collapsing in the chair, Meta Knight almost stumbling as he held my hands down, one massive bat wing, which transformed from his cape, holding me in place by the chest.

Images flashed across the screen, and I saw Rattlesnake Jake appear next to me as he watched, his dark, venomous purple tongue flicking in and out as the rest of him remained stone still.  “Daydreams”, as they were often call, flickered across the screen.  Images of a skinnier, smaller chested Sara appeared, her hair longer, wearing more emo-esque clothes.  She grinned as us as the daydreams played on.  She was playing a piano, on one screen, in a forest, the camera swiveling around her as if she were in a music video, and another on stage in front of thousands of cheering fans.  Images of her and others in what looked like a tour bus appeared.  Then, others followed.  Ones of her Firebird, garbed in black and dusty grey, appeared.  Drum beats for the piano music she was playing was being played through the speakers of the car, the headlights coming up and down, doors opening and shutting as it drove forward, and back, making it look alive like it was performing the music WITH her.  It flashed to what looked like a behind-the-scenes shoot of her previous music video, stretching, and the car saying something to her.  It was obvious to tell what it was saying had either been edited onto a burned CD, or edited in by computer software, again, to make it look alive.  Then, her face appeared on screen, her car’s front bumper on another totally separate screen.

“Have you ever seen a pianist rock out...?

“Or a car make its own music...?

“Together?”  she and the car were suddenly together, asking the last word question, Sara beaming happily before all the screens disappeared.  Unfortunately, I didn’t get to see everyone’s reactions to what just took place, because I blacked out.

When I awoke again, I was still in the chair, and it was still dark.  From what I could tell, Sara was asleep in her bedroom, and I lolled my head to the side.  Still in his human android form, KITT sat in a spare chair, one leg crossed over the other as he read a book to keep himself occupied.  It was a THICK novel with no pictures, something only KITT could appreciate, what with him being an AI and all.  He never looked up as he spoke, his elbow on the chair’s arm, and his head against his hand.

“Ah, so you’re awake.  That’s good.”  he said, and I blinked groggily.

“Am I dead...?”  I croaked, and he nodded at me, PAST me, rather.  I turned and saw a tray with a drink on it, and took a sip, coughing as I attempted to soothe my voice and throat.

“No, you’re very much alive.”  he said, marking his page before shutting the book, swiveling in the chair to face me.  “Very few of your kind make it this far without being destroyed.  I must say I’m quite impressed.”  he said, using his long leg to hook his boot on my chair, swiveling it to make me face him, my drink in my lap.

“W-Well thanks, KITT.”  I said nervously, flattered and awestruck that someone with HIS kind of power had complimented ME.  “So-So what’ll happen next?”  

“Well, it appears your meaning is for her to grow up to become a famous piano player, creating music and playing alongside a car she portrays to be alive as a stage prop.  If all goes well, she’ll go on tour, make her family proud, and avoid a boring life.”  he said, putting the paper aside he had read all that off of.  “Her main meaning behind doing that is to bring happiness to others.  Sara’s strongest desire is to inspire others and make them chase their dreams, hopes, and wishes through not-normal ways, such as art, music, etc.  The best inspiration comes from people with not-so-normal jobs, such as a famous musician, artist, actress, so on and so forth.  She wants to help others through a means such as that, not working on an office or doing something simple or mainstream.”  he added.  I blinked, eyes huge at the mouth-full.

“So she’s doing this for her own enjoyment, but mostly to benefit others?”  KITT nodded.

“Exactly.  I’m surprised you’ve made it this far; hopefully you’ll be the one.”  He said, standing.  “Her next plans are to get the car repainted, talk her mom into piano lessons, get a keyboard, and so on and so forth.”  he added, touching my shoulder.  “You’re the only one of her ideas that has made it this far without being destroyed by someone.  You’re one of her last remaining hopes or dreams.”  I felt my spirits rise at the honor that had been placed upon me as he walked out to leave me alone.

“You’re one of her few surviving, inspirational ideas for her future.  I pray you make it and are not destroyed.”  he said before leaving me in the room, in the silence, my heart fluttering excitedly as I watched Sara sleep.