Chapter 3. Time Warp
As he hit the water, everything went hazy, and Scott closed his eyes. He suddenly felt small, paw-like hands grabbing his arms and legs and dragging him deep into a stream that began to swirl like a whirlpool, sucking him down through a dark tunnel. It was really a portal into another dimension, a unique point in space and time peopled by strange creatures.
When Scott opened his eyes, he found himself in a dark room, stretched out on a table like the one he had seen in Dr. Gandy’s office. His hands and feet were bound with sticky string, and strange creatures were jumping up and down around the table chattering about what they were planning to do to him.
Angroid, the big red ugly one shaped like a flame with warts, horns, pointy ears, and piercing lime-green eyes, said, “Where shall we zap the anger ray, Fearoid? In his chest or in his brain?”
Fearoid, a small purple creature with wide, frightened eyes, was holding tightly to Scott because he feared the boy might break free.
“Let me at him, Fearoid!” Angroid growled, aiming a zapper at Scott.
Scott began to panic and struggled to free himself.
Fearoid leaned over and stuttered, “H-h-here, A-a-angroid, I th-th-think his h-h-head is the b-b-best p-p-place for t-t-the a-a-anger z-z-zap.”
“Get away from me!” Scott screamed.
“H-h-he’s g-g-getting l-l-loose!” Fearoid yelled. “U-u-use your z-z-zapper N-N-NOW, A-A-Angroid!”
Scott was squirming and turning his head from side to side. Angroid pushed Fearoid aside and shouted, “Get out of the way, you stuttering fool!” He proceeded to zap Scott in the chest. Scott screamed and writhed as he tugged at the ropes that bound his hands.
Angroid, smiling his wicked smile and laughing his evil laugh, rasped, “Once we get control of him, he’ll be ours forever! Ha-ha-ha-ha-ha! And if we gain control of the children, we will eventually control the world! One bad apple can spoil the whole bunch. If we plant a few seeds of anger, we can get a chain reaction of anger going from kid to kid… from household to household… from school to school… from state to state… country to country… and then all the children in the world will be under our control. The media will help by spreading the worrisome word of social tensions everywhere. They are like parrots; they repeat information over and over. There will be no stopping us; soon everyone will be under our control – which means out of control! Ha-ha-ha-ha-ha!”
“W-w-what ab-b-bout the ad-d-dults?” Fearoid interjected.
Angroid shrieked furiously and shoved Fearoid, “You dimwit, just who do you think the future adults are?” He was losing his patience with Fearoid’s lack of comprehension.
“A-a-all th-th-these k-k-kids?” Fearoid spit out.
“Yes, you simpleton, I don’t know how I put up with you.” Angroid growled, as he turned to acknowledge his name being called by a two-headed, green, spiderlike creature, with four legs, four arms, and an enormous potbelly who had crept up to Scott. He was the one who had tied Scott up with the sticky string that dripped from his fingers. “Got your zapper, Graboid?” Angroid inquired.
“Sure do,” chortled Graboid, “This will make him gross and greedy!” And with a sinister laugh, he zapped Scott in the belly.
As Scott shrieked again, Angroid jumped around gleefully shouting. “Yes, yes, total control! If we can control kids’ emotions, we can dominate the world!”
Seeing Angroid’s excitement, Fearoid became more courageous. “I c-c-can r-r-radiate a f-f-fear virus. I c-c-can z-z-zap him with f-f-fear. F-f-fear c-c-combined with a-a-anger and g-g-greed! He w-w-will s-s-spread them l-l-like the f-fflu.”
The three creatures joined hands and danced around Scott screeching and bellowing, “If we control the children, we can control the world, control the world, c-c-control the w-w-world. We can spread fear everywhere, spread fear everywhere, s-s-spread f-f-fear e-e-every wh-wh-where!”
“Get away from me!” Scott yelled, “Help! Somebody help me! PLEASE!”
Scott’s anguished “PLEASE!” a magic word in any language, brought forth a flash of light. Suddenly a small, smiling, turtle-like being with a shimmering silvery shell as buoyant as a bubble appeared on Scott’s shoulder. As the turtle appeared, the Viroids backed off into a corner. Scott could feel that positive energy radiating from the turtle’s shining shell dissolving the negativity of the weird creatures. Viroids are loathsome creatures that love the dark and cannot stand intense brightness. It caused them to immediately scatter and disappear as quickly as you can change your mind.
“Who are you?” Scott asked in amazement.
“I’m Taki, your soulman,” the turtle proclaimed in a loud, clear voice as he proceeded to set Scott free. “I’m your alter ego, your inner friend. You called for help, so here I am.
Scott was near tears with relief. “Those creatures were trying to kill me!” he wailed.
Taki ejected from his shell and, skipping around to Scott’s chest, he said, “They’re Viroids, which are negative emotions. They were trying to ruin your life – not take it.”
“What are emotions? I’ve never heard of them.”
“They are that part of you that involves your feelings – happiness and sadness; love and hate; joy and sorrow.”
Scott groaned, “Well, now I feel awful.”
“Exactly! They were trying to control your emotions – to aggravate you and make you feel bad and mean.”
“What can I do to feel better, Taki?” Scott asked in desperation.“
You have an important life to live,” Taki explained cheerfully as he sat on his shell and crossed his legs. Pointing his index finger at Scott, he said, “The world needs you. There is a job that only you can do, but you must conquer the Viroids, and master your emotions. Where’s your courage, kid? You’re not dying, kid. Quit all that crying. Are you listening? Are you hearing? Brace up, smarten up, and listen to my song.” Suddenly, Taki jumped up on top of his shell and started to sing boisterously…
Destiny Song
Performed by Grandmaster Melle Mel
(Visit www.theportalinthepark.com for audio)
Be what you wanna. Do what you really wanna.
Learn what you wanna. Live where you really wanna.
Have what you want to. Give what you really wanna.
Go where you wanna. See what you really wanna.
Whenever you feel the art of the deal,
Reinvent the wheel and be relentless at whatever is real.
Nothing is signed and sealed or prearranged.
Everything is subject to change.
Anything can be rearranged.
Things readjust, can be realigned, can be calibrated,
Moved, distorted, it could be shortened or elevated,
Manipulated, but one thing’s true’
Do what you do, ’cause Destiny means that you were meant to be you.
Be what you wanna. Do what you really wanna.
Learn what you wanna. Live where you really wanna.
Have what you want to. Give what you really wanna.
Go where you wanna. See what you really wanna.
The power is yours, the hours and the minutes,
And the days and the weeks, in the peak of the tower is yours.
The truth and the light source, the brightness,
The heights of righteous as far as it gets, it’s infinite,
It’s eternity, farther than the mind can see.
It’s reality, visions even the blind can see.
Sounds that even the deaf can hear.
Destiny, it’s meant to be, please don’t have no fear!
Be what you wanna. Do what you really wanna.
Learn what you wanna. Live where you really wanna.
Have what you want to. Give what you really wanna.
Go where you wanna. See what you really wanna.
Be a tutor, teacher, preacher, pastor, be a governor,
president, a judge, or grandmaster, doctor, lawyer, a se
nator,
A general, town council, city, state, or federal,
A lieutenant, an entrepreneur, the inspector, a movie star, the producer,
Or the director, a songwriter, a singer, a chef.
Destiny, whatever you do, make sure you do it your best.
Be what you wanna. Do what you really wanna.
Learn what you wanna. Live where you really wanna.
Have what you want to. Give what you really wanna.
Go where you wanna. See what you really wanna.
With great effort, Scott tried to get up. “I’m so weak,” he gasped. “Taki, I can hardly sit up.”
Taki looked him over and exclaimed as he donned his shell, “Scott, this is a critical time. You’ll need all your inner strength to understand and control your emotions. Don’t crumble on me, boy! We have to make it to the Battle Meadow before the Viroids come back with reinforcements!”
Taki pushed a button on the front of his carapace and a tortoiseshell cell phone popped up. He flipped it open and made an urgent call uttering a secret password, “Bonabakula!” Then he said, “The Viroids are trying to take over another child! Send the Cortex Rescue Team to the Battle Meadow, immediately!”
Snapping the phone shut, he attempted to rouse the fainting boy by singing more of the “Destiny Song”…
Be what you wanna. Do what you wanna.
Learn what you wanna. Live where you really wanna.
Have what you want to. Give what you really wanna.
Go where you really wanna. See what you really wanna.
Scott felt drained of every last bit of energy. As he closed his eyes and fell into a deep sleep, an owl, whom Taki called Gamba, swooped down and whisked the slumbering boy away.
The Portal in the Park Page 4
