Melody – Five

Melody drained her glass of wine after sitting up. She was getting tired, and it was almost two AM. At the same time, she felt she couldn’t go to sleep. There were too many questions buzzing around in her head, she rolled her eyes around, trying to maintain focus. How did this work? Why did this work? And were there any limits?
From the next room, Miranda asked, “Anything on TV tonight?”
Melody thought, “There’s never anything on.” She made a two-minute search for the remote, eventually discovering it between the couch cushions along with 50 cents and some stale looking Oreos.
The TV said, “Iraq.”
Pass.
The TV said, “Justin Timberlake.”
Pass.
The TV said, “Limited time off-.”
Off.
From the next room, Miranda put on a CD. It sounded like Guster. Knowing Miranda, it’s was probably burned by some friend.
Miranda walked in, lazily dancing to the music. She said, “So now what?”
“I’m tired. But I’m afraid to go to sleep.”
“Afraid of what? The dark?”
“You.” And Miranda laughed.
Melody felt something. Not something inside, something outside. She couldn’t explain how, but it was a person, a person with intentions for her. Good intentions it felt like. Someone who was looking for her. Someone with answers. She couldn’t put the feeling to words, which didn’t matter since Miranda seemed to feel it too, when her countenance changed from a bemused smirk to a curious and genuine glow of interest.
Someone knocked on the front door. The clock on the wall said: 2:12AM.
Miranda walked over and looked through the peep-hole.
“Twenty-something. Not Steve though. Bleach-blond, white T-shirt, khakis. A yuppie, but seems harmless.”
She opened the door. Whoever it was said, “Hi. I need to talk to you. Both of you.”
Melody and Miranda looked at each other.
“Oh.”
“I just want to talk to you. I’m not here to force you two to do anything. But I think I have a few more answers that Steve did.”
“Answers?”
“Yes. Because, I know you must have questions.”
“Yea. We sure do.”
“Okay. Well, I don’t know if I can tell you what you want to know. But the thing about magic is, it’s like anything else in that sense. The more anyone finds out about it, the more they realize they don’t know anything.
“But anyway, that’s not what you want. Well, all we know about magic is this: not many people can do it. Those who can, we call ‘The Gifted.’ We don’t know why or how, but some are just able to control the world around them in ways that others can’t. Some are more powerful, and some people, even some who aren’t gifted, are altogether immune to magic.
“We, being the gifted, don’t know much about the history of magic either. According to some ancient text, which had no title or author, a very long time ago magic was widespread in the world. The gifted functioned as healers, leaders, or priests, in a sense. Then, something happened, some catastrophe, and all the gifted ones were called together to combat some nameless foe. This was all guessed to be 3,000 BC. Another text, in ancient Chinese, suggests that there still exists a community of the gifted in some remote location. That’s mostly all we know.
“Beyond that, today we have somewhat of an organization of the gifted that we know about. Today there are almost 50 of us, with varying degrees of power. I’d ask you to join, but I also know you’d accept. The gift seems only to be bestowed on those with noble hearts, those who will not be mired by governments, greed, or power. So, to ask you never to lend your services in these pursuits would just be redundant.
“As for varying powers – most are able to control their own bodies in any way. Most are also able to manipulate others and the environment around them. Some have magic so strong that other gifted ones cannot undo it. Almost everyone finds a limit sooner or later. However, there are one or two, their names, I believe, are Rahim Sidow and Evia Dinsowki, who are only as limited as their imagination.
“Now what you do with your gift is up to you. Some, like Steve, chose to perform for others. You may choose that, you may wish to involve your friends. The biggest risk of this is discovery by the media. I’m sure you can imagine the result – governments lobbying us for our powers, and if we refuse, controlling us. After all, what weapon could be greater than the ability to control reality?
“For this, some have found an answer. There is a spell, called ‘Normalcy.’ When this is in effect, it will alter the reaction of anyone witnessing your magic. It can be used in varying forms as well – you could simply use it as Steve does, which is to subdue panic, or to cause everyone to ignore you altogether, dismissing whatever oddness you have created as perfectly normal and not even worthy of their attention. The most extreme version will cause all who bear witness to your magic to forget the incident altogether. Now, I could go through the process with you, but you already know it don’t you?”
“Yes,” replied Melody and Miranda in unison.
Melody explained, “Somehow, just your explaining the effect led to the process. I don’t know how, but it did.”
“We call it magical insight. It works backwards – jumps from effect to cause. Magic seems to be a force that is beyond human logic, and is only graspable through subconscious means. The hardest part is we never understand how we change things, it just happens.”
“Yea. I get it.”
“Well. I guess I’ll leave you two alone now. Have fun.”
Melody and Miranda exchanged another look.
“Oh, believe us, we will.”
“So… Now what?” asked Melody.
“It’s like, 2:30. You tired?”
“Hardly.”
“Me neither.”
“We could always…”
“Yea. I don’t have any ideas right now though. You?”
“No. Well, yes. We should find out where our ‘limit’ is, I think. Then at least we’d know.”
“Okay. Well, lets see…” Miranda smiled evilly and he eyes glimmered red for an instant.
“That was cool.” Melody flashed her eyes neon green.
“Ok. Don’t move.” Miranda left forward, and grabbed Melody’s arms. Before Melody could react, they were both gone.
“Uh…”
“Now see if you can regenerate.”
Melody tried. She imagined her arms sprouting out, like branches from a tree. Nothing. She pushed harder, pushing with her hands that she didn’t have, pushing, pushing, and pushing just to bring her arms back, to existence again. “Nothing.”
“Nope. Can’t.”
“Cool. This is gonna rock!”
“Okay. My turn. Gimme back my arms.”
“You really should say please,” Miranda giggled. Melody felt her arms blink back into reality.
Melody didn’t say anything, just looked at Miranda for a second. Then, she stepped up behind her, and took a handful of Miranda’s hair.
“Whoa,” said a surprised Miranda as her body vanished, leaving only a swinging head dangling from Melody’s right hand.
Melody laughed and set Miranda down on the coffee table. She giggled harder and harder as she watched Miranda close her eyes and concentrate harder and harder.
“Give it up.”
“Okay. Yea. Well I was hoping it would be just me, but I guess fair is fair.”
“Yea. Guess so.” Melody imagined the pranks that would soon commence.
“Hand on a second.” said Miranda, “We can’t regenerate our bodies, but we should be able to do something else right?”
“I don’t see why not.”
“Okay.” Miranda’s head started floating.
“Cool!” shrieked Melody, as another spell flicked through her head. In an instant, she too was nothing more than a head hovering about 5 feet off the ground.
Miranda’s head flipped upside down and back again. Then is shot across the room and ricocheted off the wall making the same noise as a basketball. Melody immediately copied.
It was a strange sensation, as her head impacted against the wall. Instead of just a thud, she felt her entire head squish down, then spring out again, all in a fraction of an instant. It reminded her of a physics teacher trying to explain how everything bends a little bit under pressure.
“That was cool. What else can we do like this?”
“Uh…” Miranda seemed at another loss. Meanwhile, Melody shot her head into the couch, making a slight thump sound, and leaving herself lying on her cheek.
Melody said, “Let’s watch a movie like this.”
“As heads?”
“Yea. Think about it. It’s all you need really. Besides, its not like we’ll have to get up to use the bathroom or anything.”
“Okay. Sounds fine.” Miranda set her head down in the middle of the couch. “She looks adorable,” thought Melody as she hovered her head over to check out the tapes.
After a minute of deliberation, she selected Lord of the Rings – it fit with their mood – and floated the case up and open with her mind. She then flew the video over to the VCR and started it.
Melody laughed to herself as she realized that Miranda still didn’t have the power to restore herself, as she levitated back to her seat.
About halfway through the movie – right where the heroes were about to enter Moria – Miranda too figured this out. She asked politely, and Melody, hoping this might serve to lessen the impending pranks she was sure were coming, complied. Miranda stood up, hugged her body for a moment, and then sat down again. Melody rotated her head to see Miranda’s body disappear. Except, Melody noticed, her hands and feet were still intact. Miranda smiled a little bit and floated herself into a small pile surrounding her head. Absent mindedly, Melody wondered if that had been some sort of fetish.
Melody let her mind wander, and yawned a little. Slowly, as Gandalf confronted the Balrog, she fell asleep.
And still, magic persisted to invade her thoughts. She dreamed of a boy she’d known a while named Jay. Jay was also a senior, though he went to a different school. The two had known each other seemingly forever – their parents worked together – and had dated off and on throughout high school. Jay was going to college in Alaska.
In her dream, Jay was carrying her head around, while her body held his hand. Nobody paid them any attention, as if a guy on a date with a headless girl was just a usual thing. She dreamed of them kissing, while her body sat elsewhere. She dreamed of desires, of love, and she resolved to call Jay tomorrow to show him her new tricks.
And that was where she woke up.
The movie was over or stopped, and she was still on the couch. She noticed her body had returned, once she stood up without thinking that she had only been a head before falling asleep.
She looked around. And burst into hysterical laughed. Hysterical laughter that sounded like a chipmunk.
She was 8 inches tall. Miranda had set her in a small glass terrarium, too high for her to climb out, and besides there was a lid with a book on top for weight. Miranda was nowhere in sight. The clock said 4:33.
Thinking to even the score, Melody set about devising a plan. She could float, but there was the screen in the way. She could break the glass, but Miranda wouldn’t like it, and besides, that felt like cheating. She couldn’t grow, because Miranda had placed the spell, and she couldn’t break it.
Remembering the tub earlier that night, Melody smiled. She concentrated for a moment, and looked down at her legs. They were gone. Instead, there was a clear pinkish cloud where they had just been. Melody found that controlling the cloud was just as simple as flying. With a slight laugh, she evaporated the rest of herself.
The feeling was amazing. She had no eyes or ears or anything, yet Melody was still very aware of everything around her. Could see in all directions at once, and the air seemed to breeze through her, becoming a part of her, as she drifted upwards.
The screen lid of the tank tickled a little as she passed through. Once free, Melody floated straight to Miranda’s room, still as just a cloud. For kicks, she formed herself into different shapes on the way. She also took care to avoid any vents, as it felt like the slightest wind would scatter her across the house.
Melody found Miranda right where she expected to, in her bed, and fast asleep. She floated down and condensed herself back into an 8-inch tall girl on top of Miranda’s stomach. Melody laughed a little, thinking how much like a cartoon this all felt.
Melody sat down to think. She needed something, and it had to be better than Miranda’s prank.
To be continued…