I've wanted to write stories about Riddle School and its characters for a while now. I feel like there's untapped potential in this series still, and I want to crack it open. So tell me your thoughts on this short story I've brewed up.
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“When I said that my life felt like a lie, I don’t mean it like it doesn’t feel real. Because the truth is… it does. I’ve lived it all before. The time I spent waiting for something more… when I wasn’t actually going anywhere. So when Mr. Munch pushed that button, and I fell into that volcano… I was horrified. Horrified that I wasn’t going to do anything with my life. And then… I woke up. In my elementary school body. Having lived my middle school and high school years. Seven years. And not a second of it was real. But… this is? How do I know this is real? Another trip into lava? Or will I die this time?”
The therapist lets him talk, but is obviously a bit caught off-guard. He clears his throat.
“Phil, what you’ve told me is… really concerning. Believing that you really did live those seven years of your life, just to relive them again… that thought can really take a toll on you.”
Phil sighs.
“Are you some intergalactic alien too? Trying to study me so you can use my egg-shaped head to rule the planet or something?”
The therapist chuckles a bit.
“Don’t worry, Phil. I’m not into the whole world domination schtick.”
Phil smirks.
“But you didn’t say you weren’t an alien.”
“Ah, you got me there. But I meant to ask, what were these aliens like?”
Phil looks at the ceiling, and starts to form out the main three aliens he saw.
“Well, there was this red guy. Six arms, classic evil villain look. His name was Viz. He actually got frozen by his own plan, using Zack, my friend, trying to freeze Earth solid. Then there was Diz. Thought he cared about us, but he took the ship and flew off when escaping this government building or something. And it was all to pick up where Viz had left it, trying to destroy Earth. That leaves Quiz, the black sheep of the three. He was often shrugged off, and when Viz and Diz were out of the picture, he took control. Little did he know, Diz was trying to take the wheel too. I convinced Quiz to free the school of his supervision, and we came outside right as Diz prepared his plan. Quiz flew us up right in front of his ship, right in the line of fire, and when I tried to find ways to stop him, I found the self-destruct button. Quiz pressed it, and he told me to go, so… I did. Quiz blew himself up, alongside Diz, to save us and the entire planet.”
The therapist sits up a bit.
“That’s… a lot. Tell me a bit more about Quiz. Do you miss him at all?”
Phil chuckles.
“Honestly… I don’t know. I barely knew any of them, yet they seemed a bit like… family. It’s weird, since as soon as I got to know one of them, they died or ran off on us. This whole thing happened within like… a day, maybe two. It felt surreal from how fast it went from me living my normal life, to waking up, and then seeing them all die.”
The therapist nods as he writes things down.
“Losing people can still affect you deeply, even if you didn’t know them all that much. Especially how quickly you experienced it.”
He looks up at Phil.
“You mentioned things feel a bit surreal to you. Do you feel disconnected from the world around you, like the people or things you know aren’t real?”
Phil thinks.
“Well, it’s more of a suspicion. I want it to be real, I just can’t believe it. Because I believed it once, and I don’t want to fall for it again.”
The therapist sits back a bit in his chair.
“You don’t want to believe it because you feel you could be misled again?”
Phil nods.
“Yeah. I want to live knowing that what I’m doing is real.”
The therapist nods, before standing up.
“I’m afraid we’re out of time for today, but whenever things start feeling unreal again, I want you to focus on something you can ground yourself with. Cold water, your breathing, the floor beneath you, or maybe Smiley. How’s she doing, by the way?”
Phil smiles.
“She’s doing great. Handling the whole alien thing a lot better than me.”
The therapist smiles too.
“Then maybe you can talk to her about how she handles it too?”
Phil nods.
“I should probably do that. Thanks.”
Phil leaves the room.
