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+--- Thread: Deadhead Dreams (/showthread.php?tid=4276)
Deadhead Dreams - Harlan Higgs - 04-26-2016
"....and he just up and disappeared one night. That Mr. Hendy made a tidy profit selling off the rest of the business, though, eh?" A man wearing a top hat nudged his travelling companion with a chuckle. Dressed in a thick scarf and a warm coat, the surly looking ruffian shot Top Hat a glare. "Oi didn't arsk for an 'istory lesson. Just if anyone knew where 'e went. Rotten barstard owed me a bag of silver and a barrel of salt pork."
Perched on top of a travelling stagecoach, the two men waited for their passenger to conclude her business in the bank. Across the street, rain pattered on the dilapidated building that had been empty for nearly a year. Above the door, a sign with peeling bronze paint said "GOLD'S MERCANTILE AND SHIPPING".
The whole scene filled Grundy with a searing rage, although he did not understand why. As it faded away, he realized that he did not have a body with which to crush and destroy. Momentarily confused, he vaguely recalled previous instances of such a situation, although he could not recall what he had been doing before this. Walking? He had been walking with people somewhere...no, he had been with friends! Exploring an icy cavern and tunnel system..but after was a blank. Maybe they had stopped to rest?
It was an odd feeling. Grundy knew he hadn't died, but the only time he experienced this feeling was deep in the comforting, crushing muck of the swamp before he was reborn once more. He didn't need to sleep either, although perhaps the Smiling God and his own unique version of reality required it from the zombie. Perhaps he was sleeping, sleeping and dreaming. Settling down, he waited to wake up.
Your life. Brief. Your death. Long and unending. Like us.
Solomon became aware once more, trying to pinpoint the source of the voice. But with no body, he had no voice. Silently, he accepted his inability to respond and returned to waiting.
You are simple. But effective. Requires familiarity. A memory. Yes.
Suddenly, the zombie found himself in his body, standing in a familiar place. A huge glass dome, sunlight filtering through the panes. Plant life bloomed in abundance, flowers half his size and trees dropping odd fruits on the ground. He's been here more than once. It was owned by one of his friends before the Omniverse. A woman, a botanist.
Just as he thought of her, there she strode out of a flowering bush. Beautiful and intimidating, vines and leaves snaked around her body to serve as clothing. Her skin was pale green, although something seemed odd about the blue moss that wound its way around her neck and torso. A name of fiery red hair was also shot through with streaks of blue. Her namesake wound its way up her shoulders, creating epaulets of dark green and only adding to her presence. Grundy opened his mouth in delight and called out to the woman.
"IVY! GRUNDY VERY HAPPY TO SEE YOU HERE! DID SMILE GOD BRING YOU HERE TOO?"
Ivy smiled demurely, waving a delicate hand at the white hulk. "Solomon....It's good to see you as well. Thriving. You've made new friends, too. I'm glad." She stepped closer as Grundy nodded eagerly. "GRUNDY MAKE MANY FFRIENDS. GOING ON ADVENTURE NOW!"
The green woman pulled something from a nearby plant, the seed pods growing round and blue, almost crystalline. She placed it against Grundy's forehead and nodded. "Yes...I want to give you something that will help. It's going to be dangerous in your adventure, but as long as you listen to what your head tells you, you and your friends will be safe. Be good, Grundy." With a short, sharp press forward, Grundy felt the orb sink into his head, the pale, wet skin reforming over the hole it made.
Ivy stepped away and disappeared into the bushes. The zombie waved goodbye, feeling the garden fade away once more, along with the feeling of his body. He returned to waiting for consciousness again, ignorant of just how crystalline and blue all the plants and structures inside the dome had been, that orb inside his head making a pleasant vibration...