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I found myself nudged back against my end as I woke up with another headache, my mind swirling with the memories of the night running by. Last night was odd to say the least. I could hear the soft rumbles of Fiddleford beside the other wall, always so loud. I wish my grant money guaranteed thicker walls, oh well. As they say, what comes goes. I knew, as he slept, it was the perfect time to reflect.
I flung myself right into my desk, bashing my knee right into the roughness with a grunt from my lips as I pulled out a pen and my well-loved journal. It’s been with me through thick and thin, having various copies, all with my valuable research and hard work struggles. I loved this thing as if it were a child. Well, that’s how people describe childbearing…right? I felt my shoulders shrug at the thought as I spread the book, turning the pages until a satisfyingly empty one flashed me. I felt the relief sting through my body as the words flowed from my mind, straight to the page:
‘Last night was yet one of my weirdest discoveries, as I found myself once again visited by my muse in the mindscape. Instead of his usual calm demeanour, inviting me to a game of interdimensional chess, he flew to frighten me, reliving how we first met. My muse was speaking of how he could control the mindscape, as if it hadn’t occurred to me before, though I allowed him to speak further.
“IQ, you know, I have all the power here, right? Well, I’ve been cooking up a surprise for you!”
“A surprise? How exciting,” I found myself reciting his own glee.’
As I expressed the memory from my mind, I couldn’t help remiss on the event myself, translating as I thought back.
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I remember tilting my head as I watched the triangle do a silly little spin, his bow tie twirling with him as he vanished a chair into my mind, placing me as he giggled.
“Your socks are going to fly off when you see this!” Bill huffed silly, his little legs kicking the air around, making me quizzical. He knew how to tease me.
“Just tell me, my muse. My excitement will explode any longer,” I chuckled weakly. It was hard to follow his antics sometimes, like when we had karaoke night. Gosh, that night was something else. It lingered in my mind sometimes when Fiddleford was rambling on about something.
“Oh, hold your horses, Fordsie,” Bill chuckled once more as he floated down to my eyes just to flick my flushed nose, “I’ll just show you.”
With that, I watched with awe as Bill’s perfectly calculated shape morphed, from one of symmetry and angles to a much more complicated form, one that bears the look of flesh and blood of a man, yet it was nothing but an illusion. Like the line between good and bad had been crossed to something I never knew existed. My eyes lay onto his, despite the new form, he only had one eye, and I found myself letting out quite a pathetic wheeze. One that would have made me embarrassed if I weren’t so curious.
The form was somewhat human, yet wasn’t. It was a mix of 3D as well as 2D, making my mind hurt looking across each of his parts as I watched his new mouth smirk upon my gaze. Bill, in his usual fashion, brought up a staff, twirling it across his new, larger fingers before he stuck a pose. I felt stupid as my jaw dropped and my glasses slipped past my nose.
Bill’s devilish smile shone brighter than the mindscape itself as he proudly swooped back to me, his form now taller than my own, “Look at that, I made you speechless. You usually never shut up!”
“I-Wow,” I gasped in awe, and without even asking, I jumped over, running my fingers through Bill’s new body with interest, which made the once-triangle pause, “Interesting. Your form is so confusing that it doesn’t even make any sense. How are you flat, round, two-dimensional, as well as three-dimensional? Most fascinating. Did you make this form out of your own imagination, or was it a natural transformation?”
Bill, to my shock, faltered, his eye blinking a couple of times before he choked out, “Ha! Like, I’ll give you that answer. It makes me happy to drive you up the wall trying to decipher me! Think about it all day and night, write me in your lil’ diary. Think about me all the time, would ya, Fordsie?”
“Why did you word it that way?” I sneered, my face morphing through disgust at his weirdness, yet delight. His personality ignited my soul, “Well, I suppose you speak nothing but the truth. You are plaguing my thoughts with this new form, my muse.”
“You like it?” Bill mused, his hands trailing across my own before he gripped my wrist, taking my hands up to his chest. It was both round, like my own, but flat. I could feel lines etched into his skin like geometric shapes, just like his triangle form, but different. His touch always made my heart flutter, as if I were a teen once more. It was embarrassing, especially since it seemed the notion pleased Bill.
But, as I looked upon his face, I felt myself freeze, analysing each area, from the slope of his nose, his strong jawline and chin, the freckles that kissed his skin, and those same cat-like eye staring deadly, yet loving at me. I found myself frowning, “No, not really.”
“What, no?!” Bill spat out, his face grinning, failing to hide his frustrations, “What do you not like about it?”
“I don’t know,” I found myself shrugging, as my hands gripped the fabric of his suit tightly, “It’s just not you, I suppose. I miss your true form, Bill.”
“‘My true form’...” Bill hummed in regards to my thoughts, he animatedly tapped the tip of his chin before he chuckled, “Aw, you like me for me? You’re such a sweet talker, Sixer!”
I didn’t really know how to respond other than a soft smile upon my lips as I tilted my head toward my muse. It was nice that he understood me. He always did. Unlike everyone else. People were annoying. Bill wasn’t them. I pulled my hands away as I watched Bill morph back to his iconic angles for my pleasure. It was good to see his true form. That’s how I preferred it.
“There,” Bill’s eye crinkled, even without a mouth now, I knew he was proud of himself, “just how you like it! I’ll keep in mind next time I think of a new look, aye?”
“Yes, my muse. Thank you,” I nodded in agreement, my hands finding his body once again. This time, I felt content. “Is this why you decided to visit tonight?”
“Mhm!” Bill lit up, “Well, to check on that portal of ours, of course! How’s it going?” Bill conjured up a fresh table and a seat for himself, as he as well created a little tea set. The eyes across the porcelain stared at me as Bill poured me a drink.
“Great,” I proudly puffed my chest as I took my drink in hand, “F and I predict it will be ready for its beta testing phase in two weeks.”
“Amazing!” Bill clapped his black hands in joy, “Don’t give all the credit to that Third Wheeler, Sixer. It was just us! We did this. We must celebrate after the testing has been completed. We can do another karaoke night if you like?”
“Oh,” I blushed, “you sure? Last time I really went off the rails.”
“That’s because you know how to party, my dear.”
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‘After that sentence, I had found myself conscious once more. It took me a while to process, but I know my muse has been doing things such as displaying this form to keep me on my toes. Rewarding me for my achievements with gifts he assumes I like. Usually, my muse wasn’t one who was great at gifting, but I am grateful my muse is so thoughtful.
It is all so fuzzy what his “human form” appeared, but I shall draw it on my best recollections. Now that I have this event off my chest, I need to focus on the portal. I feel my bones begin to shake and my breath quicken with excitement. After all these years, I am getting closer to solving this town’s mysteries, and I couldn’t be happier. If only Stan could see me now!’
And with that, I shut my journal, preparing for the day ahead. I had to wake up sleeping beauty before anything else, as his snoring was beginning to irritate me.