Tales From Talimara

Meganna's Multiverse

Author's note:

This story is a concept based on an idea the real-life Meganna Royin and I constantly toyed with. We suddenly spelled the character names from Universal Dancer and The City In the Sky backwards, and she blurted out "Anna Gem." Almost instantly, "Anna" became the Meganna Royin from a parallel universe.

She was always tickled with the idea. I knew that for what the parallel universe concept had grown into, the existing stories would not be able to accommodate them. But it was still an awesome idea, which I eventually decided to put on paper. As such, Meganna's Multiverse is strictly NON-CANON. Characters mentioned in this story are real in existing storylines, but this adventure will be confined to the tentative Talimaran Apocrypha for now.

The fact that a Multiverse exists is inspiration enough for an endless multitude of concepts. And it's an awesome way to make references to popular culture- or in this case, the stories that AXTheCoolKid is so passionate about. This story features three of her original characters: Alan, Ross and especially Bonoko, whose infant stories I'm a fan of but never blossomed into reality.

This story is for her. Enjoy every word of it, my mentally-misplaced friend <3 (:

The man listened closely. His face was wrinkled with concentration as he cradled his little daughter in his lap. Together they listened as the girl across the table from them told her story.

"So the naughty cat continued playing," Meganna Royin said in a hushed whisper. Although she had two listeners, she'd chosen a story for the young girl, and fixed her with a suspenseful gaze as she spoke. In the space between them danced Meganna's pointed finger, which bobbed with every syllable she said. "What do you think happened after that?" Meganna continued with a prompting jut of her chin.

The girl raised her eyebrows thoughtfully. Meganna enjoyed her grin; it was a smile commonly seen on her listeners' faces, especially during mischievous stories like this.

After a few seconds of silence, the father gently gave his daughter's shoulders a squeeze. "What happened, honey? Take a guess."

The girl glanced down at the table. "He got into trouble."

Meganna retraced her finger into her fist. "Exactly! The cat's parents came in and saw what he was doing. And then they looked down at the floor-" Meganna pointed both index fingers downward- "and they saw what he had done. Do you remember what the naughty cat did?"

Another few seconds of silence.

Meganna Aurora Royin stood quickly enough to cause the girl to flinch. The storyteller's chair toppled to the ground with a metallic clang, and Meganna spread her arms to either side. "There were broken plates and cups and bowls everywhere!"

"That's a real naughty cat," the girl chimed, still with that mischievous grin.

"That's exactly what the parents said," Meganna nodded. "He got into big, big trouble. And from then on, he was only allowed to eat two meals a day until he learned his lesson." Meganna pulled her chair upright and sat back down. "Would you like to eat only two meals a day?"

"No," the girl replied instantly.

Meganna smiled. "Then the moral of this story is not to get too excited about anything. No matter what it is. If you find you enjoy something, you can always find yourself enjoying it too much. The end!"

The father took his hands off his daughter's shoulders to clap, but the girl pouted. "The end?" she repeated.

"Oh yes," Meganna said sympathetically. "Some stories never end, but this one does."