Small World

Small World - Final Chapter

All the fighting had ceased.
Silence was the loudest noise in the shop. All of us looked to the spot where CJ stood last. There laid another burnt mark on the grey floor, and the keys sat in the centre. My eyes began to overflow with tears as I began processing what had happened. What was worse; the Possessor used some kind of force to pull the keys into his hand. He was standing, looking over to the mark.
I started to see nothing but red.
I got up real slow, gripping my spear so tight that my knuckles went white. Crying my eyes out, I stormed over to the Possessor. My shoulders heaved. My body and heart ached with pain and loss.
"Warriors! To me!" I heard Ahanu cry.
I watched as all of them began to gallop in a circle around the Possessor and myself. I focused solely on him.
"I hope you're happy..." I spat at him.
"That was her foolish choice to make," he said bluntly; but with no smile attached.
"By your own hand!" I screamed, lunging towards him.
I thrashed. I swung. I punched and kicked with all of my being. I could feel all of my body trembling with anger. He kept blocking my movements. The horses started to slow; soon stationary.
"I admire your determination. I meant what I had said before; 'you have gone farther than anyone ever has before you'," he said as we had paused.
"I don't care what you think," I immediately replied.
I lunged for him again. As we sprawled, I didn't notice Catori had come closer to the circle of stallions. Suddenly, the Possessor was hit with a powerful, white fog-ball. It knocked the keys out of his hand. With the last of my strength, I threw my body towards the keys and clasped them tightly in my hands.
Everything went black.

My head was heavy...
I felt my eyelids flutter gently open. Everything was white. All that surrounded me was an endless plain of pure white. Nothing more; nothing less."
Geraty."
I whirled around to see the Possessor standing a few paces behind me. He smiled sadly to me, which really caught me off-guard. He was wearing normal-looking clothes. Jeans and a black shirt, to be exact.
"Where are we?" I questioned him, my tone still angered.
"We are wherever you want to call this place."
"Are you ever gonna quit being cryptic?" I growled.
He sighed and looked up; like he was expecting something to appear.
"Geraty, I am not the Possessor that you know. I am the inside of him - his core."
I raised an eyebrow; totally not in the mood for his b.s. "Core?"
"Yes. I am, what was once, the good in the man you are fighting. Many moons ago, he trapped me in this place."
I was lost for words. He shut out his happiness?
"What happened to you? What led you to do something as awful as killing?" I asked, my tone now softer. A chuckle escaped his lips.
"I wanted to find the woman I fell in love with many years ago."
My eyes widened."Are you a human?"
"No. I am the concept of possession and want. Hence my name."
"That makes sense. Kind of like Karma."
"Indeed, although she is not an entity you want to cross," he smiled to me.
I almost smiled back. Almost.
"But why kill to find the one you loved?"
His smile faded with a sigh. He raked a hand through his black hair.
"She used to work at this store; much like you, Geraty. I became overrun with want. Until one day..."I tensed, awaiting his response.
"She never came back. I became angry; hateful. I wanted answers. I needed to know where she was. I started collecting human souls as a way to become a physical being-"
"-So you could find her and tell her how you felt..." I finished for him. He only nodded in response. After a few awkward seconds, I looked to him.
"Let's say you finally found her, but she had a boyfriend. Or maybe a husband - a family, even. What then? Take that away from her?"
He looked to me; lost in realisation.
"How do you think she would have felt? She would have turned you down on the spot. You can't just take things because you can," I told him, feeling the truth of my words as I spoke them. Suddenly, the white faded into black. The man before me fell to his knees, sobbing.
I felt... pity.
I felt nothing but pity for this broken man. I knelt before him.
"I know it's who you are as a concept; but we can't get what we want. A greater power decides that fate on all of us," I genlty spoke to him. He pulled himself together for a moment to look into my blue eyes.
"I'm a monster..." his voice trembled. I smiled a tender smile.
"Monsters make mistakes, too. Although I will never forgive you for what you've done; I believe that you can learn from this and change."
His face took on panic and some form of surprise.
"How can you not want me dead? I killed your friend. I have no reason to exist..." he asked.
"We can't live in a world without want. Then nobody would want to do anything. Nothing would be achieved. That's why you need to keep going. For everyone," I explained.
Suddenly, he stopped crying. Slowly, he stood up, drying his eyes.
"I am forever humbled by your capacity to forgive, Geraty. You make a valid point; although I don't know if I will ever truly forgive myself for my cruelty."
Boldly, I put my hand on his shoulder.
"That always takes time," I smiled.
"As promised, you will be restored to your original form. But, before you leave, I'm giving you a wish. You can ask for anything in the world. What do you want, Geraty?"
I froze for a moment.
A lot of things went through my head. I thought about getting a new car, getting good grades to help me graduate...
... or be with Ahanu somehow.
Then, it hit me. I knew exaclty what I wanted.
"Set them free," I said.He looked at me with wide eyes.
"The souls. Let them finally be put to rest."
I loved Ahanu with all of my heart - but the Possessor had taken the souls of countless people. I think I would have forever regretted not making that wish; had I chosen Ahanu over the other lives.With a wide, genuine grin, the Possessor closed his eyes for a second, and then opened them again.
"It is done. When you wake up, you will see your wish come true. Oh, and another surprise will await you, as well. As another reward for your selflessness," he winked.
"Wait- what-"

I gasped.
I bolted upright, my body on the cold, grey floor. I looked around. The early rays of sunlight peared through the store windows -
Oh my God. I was normal again.
I cried out in happiness as I took in my surroundings. Everything was to-scale again!
Then, amidst my celebration, I remembered Ahanu and the others. They would be on the ground, still. I crouched down to the little figurines who lay frozen in place. They had turned into antiques again. I smiled sadly and stretched out my hand to pick them up.
Ahanu was gone.
I felt my heartbeat quicken. Oh no... where was he?!
"Geraty."
I looked behind me, tears flowing freely once I registered what I saw.
My gorgeous Ahanu was standing as a human being right before my eyes. He was wearing a plain-white shirt with jeans. His hair tumbled behind his shoulders. His eyes shone with life. Human life. I hurled myself into his warm, strong arms.
"Ahanu! Oh my God!" I bawled like a baby.He spun me around with laughter and kissed me longingly. We broke apart and gazed into each other's eyes. Then, something else caught his attention.
"Look..." he whispered.I turned to see hundreds of glowing, gold orbs of light twirling around in the air. I could hear voices from men, women and even children from each orb.
"The souls! He really did set them free!" I grinned.
They all swirled together to form one blinding light, then dissapating into nothing. They were finally free...
Our happiness was cut short by the sound of car doors slamming outside. I looked through the windows. The police?! I then saw my parents climb out of my dad's car. They looked so worried and tired. They must have been worried sick about me. Holding Ahanu's hand tight, I grabbed my bag, the keys and we walked out the front door.
Cries of 'we found her!' and 'she's here!' came from officers as they ushered my parents to me. My parents hugged me tight, sobbing out their relief.
"Where did you go! What on earth happened?" my frantic mother questioned me.
"Who's this?" my dad asked, gesturing to Ahanu.
I smiled and looked to them both lovingly.
"It's a long story..."

THE END