Work Text:
A young brunette woman walks into an old movie theater that was pretty empty, why would an average woman walk into some place? Well Deliah was here in Miami for a small trip and she heard of this old movie theater and there was a 15 missing peoples incident in 1952. The rumor is that they all just disappeared into thin air then returned three months later no one really knows the real truth because from what witness said the police didn’t believe.
So being curious and wanting to do something then sit in an hotel room for her final day here. So she walked around the place it was mostly dusty and looked a bit oudated but it was said they were gonna renovate the place.
“This isn’t so creepy” she said to herself and walked into one of the theaters, it was dark and some debree on the ground she began to walk up the stairs and look between the seats then the sound of a light being turned on was heard and the whole theater was now lit up “what the heck?”.
Her nerves started to act up, was someone in here with her? She felt about leaving now, then the sound of someone walking with tap shoes on drew her attention. It sounded like it was coming from the stage she just stood on the step she was on, too petrified to move, but she could at lest say something “is anyone there?”. “Tada!” In a split second something that looked like it came from an old cartoon just came behind the curtain. Deliah was confused, shocked, a bit freaked out.
“Golly, I must of ended up in heaven cause I see myself an angel” he had an awe look on his face. Deliah was surprised from the compliment but still more surprised from the fact there was a living cartoon in front of her. “What are you?” She asked and the being only smiled, “well dear ma’am, as you can see I am a cartoon”.
“I am Mr Ring a Ding, but although my true identity is Lux Imperator, the god of light at your service” he took a little bow while Deliah just stood there more confused.
He got off the stage and walked up to her “now, what’s your name sweetie pie?” He smirked and she realized she really shouldn’t be unfazed. “Um..I’m Deliah” she replied looking down at him, he was about below her waist in height.
“That’s a wonderful name for a wonderful woman, so from the looks of you, and this ol’ place much time has definitely passed since I last been here”.
He inspected her and she moved away “ok, please stop, this isn’t happening, did I hit my head or did I just inhale too much debris? Cause I’m not talking to a cartoon right now, I’m not talking to one, I’m finally going crazy”. “Yeah keep telling yourself that, while I’m here and being very much real, anyway, I wonder how long I’ve been gone for..”.
“Ok, ok, look, what exactly are you?! I’m still confused! A living cartoon? God of light? Like what?!” Deliah yelled, she was feeling full on stressed from confusion at this point.
“Alright, I think you need to sit down for this” he gently took her hand and they walked down the stairs and he made her take a steady on the front row.
“Alright, I’ll spare you some details but long story short, I took on the form of this cartoon cause I had no physical form and then some Time Lord defeated me, I became one with all light in the universe, I was happy in the cosmos until I got bored, regained this form and came back to earth”.
Deliah just looked at him and was still a little more confused “you were bored? You were all light and you got bored?”. “Well what do your except when your all alone up there in the universe?”.
“Ok true, but what is a Time Lord?” She asked “that is another long story” he replied. “Anywho, so mind catching me up to date with everything? I’m sure I wasn’t gone for too long”.
“Um..how long do you think you were gone for?” Deliah asked “I don’t know, a couple of decades perhaps?”. “Uh…when did you exactly leave? Like what year?” Deliah was feeling a bit more comfortable in the situation “it was 1952 to be exact!”.
“Ok uh..hang on” she pulled out her phone from her jacket pocket and Mr Ring a Ding looked confused “what is that?”. “It’s my phone, they’ve come a long way since your time”.
“That’s a phone?! It’s so small and thin!”, that’s made Deliah chuckle a bit “ok so apparently you’ve been gone for, 73 years”.
He went wide eyed “what? 73 years? That long? I really lost count” he looked over at her phone “and how did you figuer it out with your phone?”.
“I used the calculator app, so I guess 73 years being apart of the universe is enough to get a god bored” Mr Ring a Ding didn’t answer and still looked at the phone “light is emitting from this? Golly…”.
“Yeah…” Deliah got up and put her phone away “well, this has been a trippy experience to be honest, but I better go now so, nice meeting you?”. She awkwardly said and went up the stairs but Ring rolled her but that was tricky for his height “wait! You can’t leave! It’s been so long since I’ve talked with anyone!”.
She looked back at him and he had a desperate guilt tripping look on his face as he was trugglging to climb up the stairs “look I’m sorry but it’s not like I can stay here, I’m going home tomorrow and this is still unbelievable experience for me”.
“Then take me with you! I can make a good companion, or maybe more, I mean, you are a pretty woman” he winked and she got a bit embarrassed. “No! I just met you! And I’m not gonna take some so called light god with me, people will think I’m crazy or something”.
“Come on beautiful, have a heart” he managed to get up the stairs and look up at her “my answer is no”. He got a little frustrated “please, come on! You won’t regret it!” He bad a full on puppy dog look and some sad violin music started playing out of nowhere.
“Where is that music coming from?” She looked around and Ring kept this desperate act up “pleeeeeeeeeeeaaaasseeeeeee?????”.
“No, no, no, and still no, why me?” She was getting very annoyed “because I’ve been alone for so long and your the first person I’ve met so far so it must be a fate”.
“No, it’s just a coincidence, I’m sorry but I just can’t”. He let out a huff and the sad music stopped playing “look missy, not only do I want someone to talk to but also someone that can bring me light, this place will be nearly out of power and I can’t just be in the dark forever”. “Can’t you just make your own light? You’re the god of light” Deliah said “I can control light, not necessarily make it” he replied.
“Then can’t you just go outside? There’s plenty of light out there” she insisted, “I can’t, that’s how I became one with the universe, just faded into everything and nothing, so if I take up too much that happens again”.
“Well uh..I’m sorry but I don’t know if there’s anything I can do then, I should really get going” she was about to make her leave but Mr Ring a Ding stood in her way “please don’t leave me here, your a good person I can tell, just think about it at least?”.
She sighed “I won’t make any promises” she went around him and went to leave and he let her “hey Deliah!” He called out “what?” She shouted back.
“Maybe put me in something to bring with you when you come back!” He replied “I’m not coming back!” She yelled and walked out of the theater.
Me Ring a Ding didn’t even go after her just stood there “she’ll be back” he said with smug look.
────────────────────
During that night, Deliah just lied down in bed in her hotel room and couldn’t sleep, not after what she just encountered, and his pleases of wanting to go with her didn’t leave her mind, I mean he was out of pocket but she kinda felt bad for him. She didn’t know what to do! “If I do bring him how am I gonna get him on an airplane?” She asked herself, took her a good few minutes to think of a plan that just might work.
As soon as morning came she got her stuff and checked out and went to a hardware store nearby and got a metal like box and goes back to the movie theater. She walked into the same theater where Mr Ring a Ding was and no one was there “hello? Mr Ring a Ding? Or Lux? Whatever, I’m back”.
She kept looking around but no sign of him, did she really go crazy? Was he just not real from all that debris? She almost felt like giving up until he came from behind the curtain and up on stage “sunshine! You came back! I knew you would!”.
She has a small smile “I thought about it, and I guess I can take you with me”. He had a huge smile on his face “that’s amazing!”.
“Yep, and we have to go now, sooo” she opened the metal box “get in the box”. He looked inside “what? You expect me to get in that dark cramped thing?”.
“Well if you wanna come with me yes, it’s so no one sees you”.
“But there will be no light!”.
“There’s a key hole, and I’ll put in a flashlight if you want”. “But it will still be cramped!”.
“You’re a toon, can’t you shrink your self or something?”. “I’ll definitely shrink with the lack of light in there”. Deliah sighed “you won’t, now come on I don’t have time for this”. He crossed his arms “nope, I’m sorry angel, I wanna go with you but I am NOT going in there”.
“I don’t have time for this, I’m sorry” she said Ang got up on the stage. “Sorry for wha-HEY!” Deliah put the box above him and forced him in there, she thought with cartoon logic it will work.
And it did, but Mr Ring a Ding struggled and Deliah held the box close to her and closed it with all her might then locked it. “There we go! You ok in there?”.
“What the heck was that?!” He yelled “you didn’t corroborate so I had to, now come on it won’t be so bad”.
────────────────────
After one five hour flight, somehow managing to get through security, Deliah managed to get home, it was an average apartment and it was pretty homey.
She unlocked the box and Mr Ring a Ding crawled out looking exhausted and layed on the floor “that was the most uncomfortable I’ve ever been, and I can go through small spaces but I still felt cramped”.
“But it was worth it right?” She put the box down and turned on the light “well this is my apartment”.
He stood up and looked around, this whole area was new to him, he’s only known the theater and all the universe. “Wow, this looks like a nice home”.
“Thanks, and you can probably sleep on the couch, that’s if you sleep”.
“What? On the couch? I thought we could share a bed~” he smirked and she looked at him with disgust “the hell? No!”.
“It’s either the couch or on the floor” she crossed her arms. “The floor? You’d really let poor little me sleep on the hard cold hard floor?”.
“Probably if you’re gonna be like this all the time”. “Then our friendship is gonna be very interesting”.
Deliah sighed, she knew from this point on things in her life were gonna get intriguing.
