Part 2:
The final battle raged to its conclusion. R flipped upside-down in precise revolutions.
Moves of rhythmic funk sent shutter-speed kicks that battered L.
The crafty L recovered and stiffened like a spear, giving R no time to jerk away.
L’s maneuver sheared R’s top half clean off!
The severed section rolled until falling flat and silent.
L began celebrating his victory. His lower stem thumped back and forth, strutting like a dancer on a Broadway stage.
We moved toward L with anger, ready for payback … until someone beat us to it.
R’s top half was somehow up and flying!
He snagged L’s upper stem and launched into a barrel roll, wrapping L in knots.
R smashed his rival until victory was no longer in doubt.
L flopped down all squiggly, as if a hairball from a drain.
“R … how did you do that?” we asked.
“Not easy,” he grunted, reattaching himself. “I’ve been working on that for a while.”
Moves of rhythmic funk sent shutter-speed kicks that battered L.
The crafty L recovered and stiffened like a spear, giving R no time to jerk away.
L’s maneuver sheared R’s top half clean off!
The severed section rolled until falling flat and silent.
L began celebrating his victory. His lower stem thumped back and forth, strutting like a dancer on a Broadway stage.
We moved toward L with anger, ready for payback … until someone beat us to it.
R’s top half was somehow up and flying!
He snagged L’s upper stem and launched into a barrel roll, wrapping L in knots.
R smashed his rival until victory was no longer in doubt.
L flopped down all squiggly, as if a hairball from a drain.
“R … how did you do that?” we asked.
“Not easy,” he grunted, reattaching himself. “I’ve been working on that for a while.”
“Impressive,” said the letter A. “Quite impressive.”
R stood silent.
“No clever retort?” asked A. “No grand statements?”
“I’m still leaving,” R said. “Nothing has changed.”
“The Alphabet is the most important thing to me. Do you understand?
Above friendship, above right and wrong, above even my own life.
And most certainly above your petty dreams.
Gather your friends and get home. That is where you belong.”
“Your friends? I asked. “Aren’t they … ”
“Dead? No. It takes more than that to kill our kind. They’re healing as we speak.”
The victims began attaching severed segments and straightening crooked stems.
Even J and K seemed to be morphing back to normal.
“I’m not returning,” R said. “The Alphabet survives without me.”
“Your selfishness sickens me, when I think of all I’ve sacrificed for this collective.”
R stiffened and pulled his weary frame fully erect.
“Never.”
“Very well. I hope you enjoy your new life in back of Z.”
Sinister vibrations hummed and the land began shuddering.
Then I realized it wasn’t the land – it was A himself.
He was increasing in size, larger and larger until ten times bigger.
Little bubbles flew out of him, emanating in slow eruptions and … advancing our way.
As they drew closer, we saw that each bubble was a lower-case ‘a’ – thousands of them – identical and all descending upon us.
R stood silent.
“No clever retort?” asked A. “No grand statements?”
“I’m still leaving,” R said. “Nothing has changed.”
“The Alphabet is the most important thing to me. Do you understand?
Above friendship, above right and wrong, above even my own life.
And most certainly above your petty dreams.
Gather your friends and get home. That is where you belong.”
“Your friends? I asked. “Aren’t they … ”
“Dead? No. It takes more than that to kill our kind. They’re healing as we speak.”
The victims began attaching severed segments and straightening crooked stems.
Even J and K seemed to be morphing back to normal.
“I’m not returning,” R said. “The Alphabet survives without me.”
“Your selfishness sickens me, when I think of all I’ve sacrificed for this collective.”
R stiffened and pulled his weary frame fully erect.
“Never.”
“Very well. I hope you enjoy your new life in back of Z.”
Sinister vibrations hummed and the land began shuddering.
Then I realized it wasn’t the land – it was A himself.
He was increasing in size, larger and larger until ten times bigger.
Little bubbles flew out of him, emanating in slow eruptions and … advancing our way.
As they drew closer, we saw that each bubble was a lower-case ‘a’ – thousands of them – identical and all descending upon us.
The oncoming force proceeded zombie-like toward our position.
Chills went thought me. I sensed ... death?
The little a’s meant the end. The end of everything. I knew it.
We stood facing obliteration, terrified of the small horrors coming at us.
Until protection swooped in above!
Something blocked each ‘a’ before it could do damage.
They bounced like hailstones off a tin roof, never touching us.
Our defender? Equal in size to the enormous A, yet with only a single stem.
The whirling motion resembled a pinwheel.
The stunned A returned to his normal height. The symbol overhead shrunk as well.
We had never met, but I instantly recognized our hero.
R rushed excitedly toward the letter P.
“How did you do that?” R asked.
“Your friend has many abilities,” said A. “It’s a pity he doesn’t share them with us.”
“There is more to life than the Alphabet,” answered P.
“Not today. You are strong, but I’ve yet to unleash my full power. Even you can’t handle that.”
“Perhaps not on his own,” said a new voice. “But he is not alone.”
Three more letters – B, H and X – advanced boldly on the scene.
Chills went thought me. I sensed ... death?
The little a’s meant the end. The end of everything. I knew it.
We stood facing obliteration, terrified of the small horrors coming at us.
Until protection swooped in above!
Something blocked each ‘a’ before it could do damage.
They bounced like hailstones off a tin roof, never touching us.
Our defender? Equal in size to the enormous A, yet with only a single stem.
The whirling motion resembled a pinwheel.
The stunned A returned to his normal height. The symbol overhead shrunk as well.
We had never met, but I instantly recognized our hero.
R rushed excitedly toward the letter P.
“How did you do that?” R asked.
“Your friend has many abilities,” said A. “It’s a pity he doesn’t share them with us.”
“There is more to life than the Alphabet,” answered P.
“Not today. You are strong, but I’ve yet to unleash my full power. Even you can’t handle that.”
“Perhaps not on his own,” said a new voice. “But he is not alone.”
Three more letters – B, H and X – advanced boldly on the scene.
“B? Please tell me you’re not party to this.”
“Sadly, I must stand against you,” said the formally loyal aide.
“Do not let these fools divide us, here on the cusp of grand tomorrows.”
“The Alphabet is fragmented. Only you have the means to right the course.”
“You blame this on me?”
“Take not as blame, but advice.”
“I wish no disrespect,” the letter H said, “but I also side with R.”
“X marks the spot!” The 24th letter spoke in crazy, uneven tones. “Tic-tac-toe!”
“We do not want to oppose you,” B said. “But war on our brothers and sisters? No.”
“Times are changing.” P said. “Changing for the better.”
The leader of the Alphabet did not balk. He did not rage.
The letter A merely turned to the group he’d led against us and bade them to leave.
This left B, H, J, K, P, R, X, Semi-Colon and us.
“What I say next must stay private,” A said. “Even you three from the Material Plane.”
“For real?” I said on accident.
“Oh, didn’t think I knew your true heritage? It became clear.”
Rick, Dale and I pledged secrecy, although really, he had just tried to kill us. But whatever.
“Plans are underway to make us greater than ever. Including our stewardship of Punctuation.”
“Punctuation?” asked H.
“Exclamation Point is a buffoon. We will restore Period to power. He will work under our auspices.”
“The realm of Shape supports us,” B added. “Math Symbols, too. But then again, we do share a common enemy.”
“Impossible!”
“Amazing!”
“I don’t believe it.”
“The Alphabet will challenge the Numbers,” A said. “And assume authority, by force if necessary."
“Sadly, I must stand against you,” said the formally loyal aide.
“Do not let these fools divide us, here on the cusp of grand tomorrows.”
“The Alphabet is fragmented. Only you have the means to right the course.”
“You blame this on me?”
“Take not as blame, but advice.”
“I wish no disrespect,” the letter H said, “but I also side with R.”
“X marks the spot!” The 24th letter spoke in crazy, uneven tones. “Tic-tac-toe!”
“We do not want to oppose you,” B said. “But war on our brothers and sisters? No.”
“Times are changing.” P said. “Changing for the better.”
The leader of the Alphabet did not balk. He did not rage.
The letter A merely turned to the group he’d led against us and bade them to leave.
This left B, H, J, K, P, R, X, Semi-Colon and us.
“What I say next must stay private,” A said. “Even you three from the Material Plane.”
“For real?” I said on accident.
“Oh, didn’t think I knew your true heritage? It became clear.”
Rick, Dale and I pledged secrecy, although really, he had just tried to kill us. But whatever.
“Plans are underway to make us greater than ever. Including our stewardship of Punctuation.”
“Punctuation?” asked H.
“Exclamation Point is a buffoon. We will restore Period to power. He will work under our auspices.”
“The realm of Shape supports us,” B added. “Math Symbols, too. But then again, we do share a common enemy.”
“Impossible!”
“Amazing!”
“I don’t believe it.”
“The Alphabet will challenge the Numbers,” A said. “And assume authority, by force if necessary."
The entire group stood speechless at that revelation.
“Do you see why there can be no disharmony? We must pull together for this new crusade.”
“K and I didn't want to leave,” said J. “Just to be together.”
The letter A mumbled something about “letting it pass.” His comment lacked clarity; I thought it a rare display of petulance.
J and K began celebrating, talking garble and gibberish.
P answered them with total nonsense.
I looked to R for answers and saw him gleaming strangely, luminous and distorted.
Fatigue washed over me as I desperately searched for Rick.
My call for him came out muddled.
The world lost focus.
Everything faded to black.
“Do you see why there can be no disharmony? We must pull together for this new crusade.”
“K and I didn't want to leave,” said J. “Just to be together.”
The letter A mumbled something about “letting it pass.” His comment lacked clarity; I thought it a rare display of petulance.
J and K began celebrating, talking garble and gibberish.
P answered them with total nonsense.
I looked to R for answers and saw him gleaming strangely, luminous and distorted.
Fatigue washed over me as I desperately searched for Rick.
My call for him came out muddled.
The world lost focus.
Everything faded to black.