The Cardboard Box Adventures - Part 17 (858 hits)
Category: GeneralLabels: cardboard_box_Adventures
Rating: 1.95 on 29 reviews (Rate this item) (V)
Submitted by <brdn_nkd.at.yahoo.com> (View user info) at 2006-01-20 17:44:17 EST
Part 16 - http://www.ubersite.com/m/82606
Granddad and I ran through the maze, I opened the path ahead of us giving us a straight shot and closed it behind me to delay Pickle. I knew he'd eventually win through the maze but I wanted as much time to think as I could get. Granddad and I finally made the exit and came out in the throne room where I'd previously met the Big Man. I grabbed granddad's hand and pulled him after me, out into the hall, down the stairs, and finally we were standing in front of a large steel door. I thought of a key and found the one I needed in my hand. I opened the door and stepped into the room.
I didn't know what it would look like but I wasn't ready for this at all. Granddad and I were standing in a huge room, the biggest I'd ever seen, full of gold pieces, mounds and mounds of gold pieces. There was a single path through the mass of gold carpeted in a thick, plush, and red carpet leading to a throne with smaller chairs on either side of it. I looked at granddad and had to laugh, his jaw was hanging wide open and his eyes were open wide, I'd never seen him so shocked before.
"Come on Granddad!"
I took his hand again and led him to one of the chairs next to the throne and then I sat down. The seat was the softest I'd ever felt before, it was so comfortable that I almost wanted to curl up and take a nap until I thought of Pickle trying to navigate the maze.
"What am I going to do?"
"It's ok Ben, you have all the power now. Pickle was mistaken to push you so far, so hard. You can control it all from here, you can stop him."
"The bangers, they're all Pickle?"
"Yes, I don't understand it all but now that I see your representation of the source I know that it's yours to control, yours to spend. What you want to do is up to you but I think you should destroy him. He has taken so much from so many. I know he was there when I lost most of my imagination and I would bet he was there with your dad too. Pickle steals from children, if you let him go he'll continue to do it."
"I know granddad but that doesn't seem very fair. I don't want to hurt him."
"Like I said, this is a decision you will have to make but be ready for anything."
Pickle stepped through the door then and I saw the same look of shock on his face that I'd seen on Granddad's before Pickle finally spotted me and said hello.
"Hi Pickle. I have decided that you will stand trial for your crimes today Pickle. Please come to the podium to state your case."
I pictured a podium like I'd seen in TV courtrooms near the center of the room and waved Pickle forward. He started down the path but before he had even taken ten steps he stopped and started yelling at me.
"You don't tell me, I tell you, you snot nosed little diaper wearing baby! This is how it's going to go. I have an extractor with me, I am going to harvest as much of this beautiful imagination as I possibly can while you watch. I will allow you to leave this place so that you can live on the outside instead of trapping you but only because I really do like you. And last but not least, I will visit every one of your friends and take as much from them as I possibly can too. Mind you, with the harvest of your imagination I normally would not have to work for a while but because of you it will be a great pleasure to take your friends imaginations right away."
Before I could say anything I found myself tied to my throne. I looked to granddad and saw him struggling against ropes as well. Pickle was grinning in the mean looking way he has. "Sit tight Ben."
Granddad turned to me and told me to get rid of the ropes, he told me I had to imagine them gone. I thought about it and tried to do it but it felt like the ropes were fighting against me even as I tried to break them.
"Please Ben, this will go a lot faster if you don't fight me on this. This close to so much pure imagination I can imagine my way out of anything so I'm certain I can keep you contained. Now chill out I have work to do."
Pickle opened the bag he'd been carrying and took out a strange looking contraption and began putting it together.
Granddad started whispering to me. "C'mon Ben. You can fight this and have to. Pickle knows how to use this effectively but it's YOUR imagination. Take control of it. Spend it as wisely as you can. Make Pickle pay."
I closed my eyes and thought harder than I remember ever thinking. I imagined the ropes lifted off granddad, I felt the resistance again, the ropes kind of shaking as I pushed harder. Still they held so I dropped them again and pictured a giant pair of scissors cutting my ropes. I turned my thoughts to pickle and I could see him staring at me. "No Ben! You need to stay put." Suddenly I saw a big glob of glue flying at me as though Pickle had thrown it. I pictured a big red rubber ball just in time to bounce the glue right back at Pickle.
Pickle dove out of the way just in time and snarled at me. "You're messing with the wrong guy kid. I've been at this a long time and I will squash you like a bug." With that I saw a giant fly swatter coming towards me. I pictured myself as twenty feet tall, I looked down at Pickle as I caught the fly swatter and laughed to myself. Pickle was trying to hurt me but I was having more fun than ever. Pickle looked up at me and I thought he looked afraid. Suddenly pickle jumped at me turning into a giant tiger in mid air. With so little time to react I turned into the first thing I thought of, I'd seen some tigers at the circus last month jumping through a hoop, I turned into a hoop and then thought of it flaming. The flames leaped out from my body with a great rush, I thought I could feel the heat but they weren't hurting me. Pickle changed from tiger to a puddle of water. As he hit me the flames went out and I found myself beneath Pickle, both of us in our regular forms again.
"Get him Ben! Take him out!"
"Shut up old man, you're next!"
"Don't talk to my granddad that way. I hate you!"
I could see the word hate leave my mouth and hit Pickle hard in the face. Pickle flew across the room landing on top of one of the gold piles.
"You will both pay for this!"
Suddenly where Pickle had been a great dragon appeared. It had horns on its head, spikes on its tail and great big wings. In a low growl it hissed: "Come on then."
"Ben, remember it's all yours, you don't have to fight, just take control."
I tried to figure out what granddad meant and as I finally understood a great burst of flame shot out of Pickle's mouth. I've never felt so relieved to be able to understand something but in that moment I got it all at once. It is all mine, I do not have to fight, take control. I pictured everything at a standstill, looking around everything was frozen in place. I couldn't help but touch the flame; I put out a finger and then felt really dumb when I was burnt. Control.
I pictured Pickle in his regular form and put him in a box, I pictured Granddad standing next to me, and when I looked up it was all as I'd pictured it. Granddad was looking at the flame curiously. "Put it out Ben." He said. I blew gently and watched the great ball of fire turn to smoke as though I'd blown out a candle.
Pickle was struggling to get out of the cage. I remembered to stop Pickle from being able to use imagination but didn't give a reason. I could feel him trying to imagine and then I thought of the imagination inhibitor's side effect of pain. Pickle quickly stopped trying to imagine and began to plead with me.
"Ben, please let me go, please I promise not do anything bad."
"Your promises are worthless Pickle. You stood trial and have been convicted. I have decided that you will stay in that cage. I will move you to the top of my mountain and there you'll stay during my life. What happens when I die I'm not real sure, maybe you'll die with me or maybe you'll be free. By that time you won't be able to hurt me in any way."
As I went to flip Pickle to the mountain I heard him in my mind; "This isn't over short stuff. I think I have one last gift for you but you won't like it."
User Reviews
Submitted by Stagger_Lee (user info) at 2006-04-12 02:57:14 EDT (#)
Ranking: 2
No Comment
Submitted by Crystle (user info) at 2006-03-15 21:18:11 EST (#)
Ranking: 2
Submitted by Pentameter (user info) at 2006-02-03 16:56:39 EST (#)
Ranking: 2
WOOOOOOOOOOOO! This one was awesome!
This got me though...I thought you wrote, "Put out, Ben," instead of "Put it out Ben." Then when I read, "I blew gently," I almost died from shock.
I'm glad I backed up the truck and read it again.
Submitted by MyNameIsTim (user info) at 2006-01-27 16:21:02 EST (#)
Ranking: 2
BEST YET
Submitted by fried-green-potatoes (user info) at 2006-01-27 12:42:34 EST (#)
Ranking: 2
Got an ETA on this series? I still want to give it a clean, wire-to-wire read.
Submitted by inion_de_trua (user info) at 2006-01-25 20:26:32 EST (#)
Ranking: 2
yay. i had to dig to find this.
Submitted by AshK (user info) at 2006-01-24 15:22:24 EST (#)
Ranking: 2
I am really enjoying this. I know it must end *sigh*, but I will look forward to the next series. Don't let the anti series crap slow you down. Those of us who actually like to read will stick with them.
Submitted by LadyPlural (user info) at 2006-01-23 22:23:16 EST (#)
Ranking: 2
No Comment
Submitted by Nellypaal (user info) at 2006-01-23 08:59:25 EST (#)
Ranking: 2
I'm sorry to say I'm kinda with Woody and am ready for a conclusion now.
Has still been awesome though!
Submitted by Davros (user info) at 2006-01-22 05:22:49 EST (#)
Ranking: 2
Still liking this.
There are a lot of series' worth reading on Uber if you can be bothered to take the time. (and if the wankers writing them ever get them finished).
-Dave
Submitted by pen_name (user info) at 2006-01-21 12:54:40 EST (#)
Ranking: 2
it's just as easy to review something without reading it as it is to pass over something completely. why not review it?
Submitted by Susie_Derkins (user info) at 2006-01-21 12:39:08 EST (#)
Ranking: 2
Submitted by pen_name (user info) at 2006-01-20 20:03:34 (#)
Ranking: 2
still haven't read it.
why should i
--------------------
You don't read them, but you insist on posting comments on them. Why?
Submitted by pen_name (user info) at 2006-01-20 20:55:22 EST (#)
Ranking: 2
what a buzzkill. were you ever an RA?
Submitted by DCWoody (user info) at 2006-01-20 20:50:29 EST (#)
Ranking: 1
The reason this is too long when the others weren't is that this isn't as interesting its well written and the idea is inventive but it doesn't grab the attention like great stories do.
Submitted by pen_name (user info) at 2006-01-20 20:04:41 EST (#)
Ranking: 2
isn't it funny how your fiction posts have taken a political importance, not from their content, but for your right to actually post them.
Submitted by pen_name (user info) at 2006-01-20 20:04:02 EST (#)
Ranking: 2
i mean...shit.
Submitted by pen_name (user info) at 2006-01-20 20:03:34 EST (#)
Ranking: 2
still haven't read it.
why should i
Submitted by ghola (user info) at 2006-01-20 19:46:33 EST (#)
Ranking: 2
Submitted by Jacobt26 (user info) at 2006-01-20 17:45:37 (#)
Ranking: 2
This is probably good, but this series is too long. Come up with something new already
---------
No.
It should never end.
Ever.
Submitted by Phinch (user info) at 2006-01-20 18:28:15 EST (#)
Ranking: 2
Smack That Pickle!
uh...
I mean good post!
Submitted by thorpe (user info) at 2006-01-20 18:11:56 EST (#)
Ranking: 2
The best yet.
Submitted by Snark (user info) at 2006-01-20 18:11:33 EST (#)
Ranking: 2
WOOOOOOOOOO!
Take that nasty Pickle!!!
Submitted by ripple (user info) at 2006-01-20 18:10:02 EST (#)
Ranking: 2
oh man. just fabulous.
Submitted by The_Yellow_Dart (user info) at 2006-01-20 18:03:10 EST (#)
Ranking: 2
If trees could scream, would we be so cavalier about cutting them down?
We might, if they screamed all the time for no good reason.
Submitted by Jacobt26 (user info) at 2006-01-20 17:57:39 EST (#)
Ranking: 2
I'm new to Uber, I haven't quite gotten the whole being an ass thing down to 24/7.
Submitted by Brdn_Nkd (user info) at 2006-01-20 17:49:29 EST (#)
Ranking: 0
Thanks for not being an ass about it though.
Submitted by Brdn_Nkd (user info) at 2006-01-20 17:48:45 EST (#)
Ranking: 0
Too long? My Survivor series was over fifty posts.
I think the anti series attitude is unfortunate. I think my stuff is ok but some of the other series on here have been / are fucking awsome. your loss though.
Submitted by Jacobt26 (user info) at 2006-01-20 17:46:14 EST (#)
Ranking: 2
Wow, beaten by 1 second, well... good to know my advice wasn't that far fetched.
Submitted by Jacobt26 (user info) at 2006-01-20 17:45:37 EST (#)
Ranking: 2
This is probably good, but this series is too long. Come up with something new already.
Submitted by Brdn_Nkd (user info) at 2006-01-20 17:45:36 EST (#)
Ranking: 0
One more to go I think. I'm also not sure about this ending so when I'm done I may write an alternate because I do have one other idea. Sorry I'm so late in getting this done, busy day at work today.
Thanks all for reading. B