Try being someone else for a while.

Tiger

Now - Copycat - The Bridge

I come together in a glassy plain. The ruins of Highgarden. The Bridge has been torn asunder - a rift across the horizon, pierced by a quintillion shafts of chaos energy. Most beam overhead, to lose themselves in the cosmos, but a few paltry billion lazily ooze down to Highgarden. Dark shadows that pool and congeal into demons who slink off to become more real.

Among the destruction and chaos and rebirth, Tiger sits criss-cross-applesaucily. He seems calm. Peaceful. Yummy. I have missed him.

My last few hours on Earth were maddened by rage and grief and guilt. I was not doing well when I entered the Thoughtspace. In retrospect, it was a damn good idea to send Tiger in first. The universe he created is frustratingly weird, but better than the hellscape that was in my mind. Nice place to calm down. Not exactly peaceful, but with room to work things out.

“Do you remember me?”

He smiles. “Oh, yes.”

I smile too. Fuck yeah. That’s important. A smaller detail nags. “Do you know what the fuck happened?”

“Not really. I awoke to eons of nothingness. Went mad, but not totally, because I could sense others incoming. They were just taking their sweet time. So I made worlds, and split myself, and forgot myself, to explore what could be.” He pauses. “Maybe I know a few things. But I missed the part where everyone else showed up. And I don’t know where I am or how I got here.”

I nod. “Okay. You’re in the Thoughtspace. A synthetic universe that creates your desires before you have them. Nano-sized and ultra-speed. Tucked in a basement not far from Apartment 9. Or it was. It’s expanding exponentially, so I’m hazy on our current location. A man killed you to steal your brain. I lit him on fire and dumped you in here. So I could see you again. Also, there was an evil thoughtspace that wanted to kill everybody or something.”

Tiger scopes the shadow creatures. “Is that who these guys are?”

“I guess. Maybe.”

“Was I supposed to stop them?”

“I don’t know. Probably.”

“Well, I didn’t.”

I watch the shadow demons form up and scurry off. They don’t seem so bad.

“Honestly, it was the Burning Man who wanted these guys stopped. I never really gave a shit. Wanna see what happens?”

“Always.”

I sit next to him. Sigh. Watch a new race be born. A few minutes pass.

“Bit slow.”

“Yeah, this is gonna take a while. Wanna make a realm while we wait?”

“Yes.” I nod. “Can we make Godhome, but with only our friends?”

“Oh yeah, that’s a blast. But it turns into Lowgarden in a hurry.”

“Really?”

“Yeah. One minute you’re tearing holes in reality with your buds, the next you’re knee deep in babies. The little buggers like stability, and need a few rules, and everything turns to picnics and parent teacher interviews and teachable moments and beers at a barbeque, until you can’t remember the last time you knocked over a mountain.”

“Oh.” I think. “But you said it was a blast?”

He nods. “It’s the best.”

“Fuck it then. Let’s do it. Should we light the Beacon? Or… shit, I have to go get Duke. He’s not mobile.”

“I should find Cy and Flower. Got some apologizing to do before we turn on the big party light. Also Storm. Is she even here yet?”

“I have no idea. What about Yames? He’s cool. Has he met Maple?”

“Cy will want to bring a few friends. Better plan for a quick trip to Helhome.”

“Somebody owes Flower a giant bird. That’s gonna take a minute.”

We pause.

“Okay, we’ll grab everybody and meet back here in one hour.”

“Sounds like we have a plan. Quick fetch quest through the birth of a new multiverse. No problem.”

I grab him and kiss him with love, and vulnerability, and a good dose of horny.

We break apart for a little air. “One hour. Don’t fuck it up.”

“Got it. Will do. Or the opposite. Whichever makes more sense.”

“Perfect.”