New Justyce – Episode 1

Episode 1: The Meteors

Logan Kastala’s eyes widened in fear, and he lifted his arms to try and shield his face. The car hit Logan before he had time to try to get out of the way. Everything went black, and Logan felt himself lifted off the ground. Logan’s world started to spin, and he stopped just as quickly. Logan was in total darkness. He tried to move his arms, but a soft barrier wrapped entirely around him like a blanket of feathers. Logan felt another person in the darkness with him as he struggled to move.

“Hey! What’s going on? Who’s there? What happened?” Logan asked.

The soft barrier parted, letting in the light. Logan blinked and saw a face, his friend, Obadiah. “Obie? Did you push me out of the way of that car? You have always been helping me out of tough spots lately. I can’t believe you saved me again!” Logan laughed but cut his laugh short when he got a better look at his friend. “Obie?” Logan said, backing up slowly. “What’s going on? Why do you have wings? Am I dead? Are you an angel?” Tears welled up in Logan’s eyes.

Obadiah grasped Logan’s arms. “Don’t be scared, Logan. You’re not dead. I do have wings, but I’m still the same guy you’ve come to know over the last few weeks.” He tried to give Logan a reassuring smile. “I’m still your friend.”

“Are you an angel? An alien? Something else?” Logan didn’t pull away from Obadiah, but he was visibly shaking.

“You would call me an angel. We call ourselves Seraphim. We are not religious spirits from a place called Heaven. We come from an alternate plane of existence. The doorway from our world to yours opens in what you call outer space. A long time ago, a human saw one of us coming to Earth. They saw him “descend from the Heavens,” and the myth of angels sprang up from that sighting.” Obie guided Logan into the park while they talked. They finally settled at a picnic table off by themselves.

“Why me? Why would you befriend and help me? Do other people know about you?” Logan peered around behind him, looking for Obadiah’s wings. “I can’t see your wings anymore. Where do they go?”

“The wings are always there, but you can’t always see them. As far as helping you and befriending you? I genuinely like you. I sense great and special things in your future, Logan. You will do amazing things. I’m sure of it.” Obie said.

Logan blushed. “I’m nothing special.”

“Oh, but you are. I know it.” Obadiah’s smiling face turned suddenly serious. “I may face serious consequences for revealing myself to you. You may never see me again. My father sits on the Council of Judgement, though I doubt even his influence can save me. There is something I want you to have, just in case.” Obie’s wings reappeared, and he plucked one bright silvery feather, and then the wings vanished again. Obadiah handed the feather to Logan, saying, “Keep this close. You will feel my presence when I am on Earth, and I can sense if you are in danger.”

Logan clutched the feather close to his chest. “I’m trying to wrap my head around everything. I was almost run over by a car, and then an angel saved my life. An angel who happens to be my friend. I thought you were becoming my best friend, and then you gave me a magic feather plucked from your wing and told me it’s also a danger beacon. Could things get any weirder?” Logan huffed out a laugh. “All of this is overwhelming, but I mean it when I say thank you, Obie. I need a minute to process all of this.”

Obadiah reached across the table and took one of Logan’s hands. “Everything will be ok. I promise. I sensed remarkable things for you from the first time we met.” Obie leaned across the table, staring intently into Logan’s eyes. “You are special. Special to me, but also to the entire world.”

Logan blushed. “I appreciate hearing that, but I’m not. I barely know what I’m doing from one day to the next. How am I supposed to have an important destiny? You must have me confused with someone else.” Logan huffed out a laugh.

“I could never confuse you for anyone else,” Obadiah smirked. “I can’t see your future, Logan. I can only sense that you have an important destiny. You will have to overcome many difficult challenges soon, but you will not be alone. Others will gather around you. It is important that you lead them. Remember that as the events unfold.”

“Well, that’s frightening. I am not a leader. Won’t you be around to help guide me through whatever happens?”

“If I can be here, I will be. I fear that if my actions today are known to the Council, they will call me home to face judgment.” Obie frowned, his eyes downcast.

Logan reached over and lifted Obie’s face. “Your actions today were heroic. You saved my life. You didn’t do anything wrong. They must see that.”

“We are forbidden from interacting with humans. My intentions will not matter.”

“Let me talk to them. I’ll make them understand.” Logan reached across the table and took Obadiah’s hands in his own.

“That would only make things worse. I hope I am wrong, but I may never see you again after today. Please know that it wasn’t my choice to abandon you.”

“I hope you’re wrong! I care about you, Obie. So, if I might never see you again, I better do this now.” He closed the remaining distance between them and kissed Obadiah.

A bright flash of light caused both boys to quickly pull back from the kiss. Logan grinned and said, “Wow. That kiss made the sun brighter.” But then his smile faded. Three angels stood behind Obadiah. Two of them wore shining silver armor. They grabbed Obadiah’s arms and pulled him to his feet. The third angel wore a golden suit and black tie and was obviously in charge. Logan could see their wings. The two armored angels had silver wings like Obadiah’s. The third angel had golden wings.

The angel in the suit spoke first. “Obadiah, son of Samael, I hereby place you under arrest by order of the Council of Judgement. You are to accompany me to the Council Chambers for your trial.”

Logan sprang up from his seat. “No! He didn’t do anything wrong! He saved my life! How can that be a crime?”

Abathar glared at Logan. “Your words have no bearing on the business of the Seraphim. Obadiah knows our laws. He chose to break not one but three. Forget you ever saw us. Especially forget you ever saw him.” Abathar pointed at Obadiah.

“I’ll never forget him. We’ll find a way to be together again. You can’t stop us.” Logan scowled, then looked at Obie, and his smile returned. “I’ll wait for you, Obie. No matter how long it takes.”

Abathar scoffed. “Let us be gone.” He motioned toward the other two Seraphim.

Obadiah reached out toward Logan but looked at Abathar. “Wait! I….”

He started to say more, but Logan never heard what Obadiah would say. All four angels disappeared in a flash of light. Logan waited for a while but finally gave up and went home. He hoped that Obie was telling the truth about the feather. He clutched it tight and prayed it would someday lead him to Obie.

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The two Seraphim Law Keepers dragged Obadiah through the Council chambers and pushed him into the Judgement Seat. The Law Keepers fastened the restraints and left the room. Obie’s face contorted in rage as he turned to look at the third Seraphim. “You could have let me say goodbye to him, at least. Two more minutes would not have mattered to you, Abathar.”

“If you want mercy, speak to Zadkiel. I seek only to see you judged for your crimes against our society. Crimes which you added to just before our arrival.” A look of disappointment and disgust crossed Abathar’s face. “With these new crimes, even your father won’t be able to help you, Obadiah. You held such promise.”

Obadiah sat straight up in his chair and stared directly into Abathar’s golden yellow eyes. “I did what my heart commanded of me. If the Council considers that a crime, then so be it! I have no regrets!”

The doors at the end of the Great Hall opened, and six Seraphim entered, all with golden-hued wings. Abathar joined the other Council members. Three sat on each side of the table. The last, the High Judge, stood opposite the Judgement Seat. The High Judge, Azrael, spoke to the accused. “Obadiah, your father pleaded with the Council to show you mercy. We were inclined to accept his wishes until news of your added crimes reached us. Your crimes have tied our hands, and our decision is final.”

Obie glared at each member of the Council. His father wouldn’t even meet his gaze. He clenched his teeth and looked directly at Azrael. “I did nothing wrong. There is not one thing I did that hurt anyone here or on Earth. I saved Logan’s life and fell in love with him. He has an important destiny. I’m sure of it. Earth benefits from what I did. I committed no crimes!”

Azrael shook his head. “You know that interfering in a human’s life is not allowed. You also know that engaging in sex with a human is a crime. And just for your crime of same-sex activity, the punishment is banishment. All three of these crimes individually are serious offenses. You committed all three. We cannot ignore that.”

Obie blushed in embarrassment and anger. “I did not have sex with Logan! And besides, none of those things should be crimes. Love is not a crime. Humans are a lot like us. If we interact with them more, we can help them. They can even help us in some ways! Your views are ancient and bigoted.”

“My views are that of our people. They are the law. You kissed that human boy. If we allowed it to continue, you would have gone further. Obadiah, you know why we passed these laws. The last time a Seraphim became involved with a human, he impregnated her. The humans called it a miracle birth. They still have wars over it over two thousand years later! The Council cannot excuse your actions.” Azrael walked over to Obadiah. “Obadiah, son of Samael, you are forever banished from our kingdom. If you return, your sentence will be death.” Azrael pushed a button, signaling the Law Keepers to return. Azrael and the other six members of the Judgement Council left the room. Samael never once glanced back at his son.

Obadiah’s screams echoed throughout the Great Hall as the Law Keepers cut away his wings and dragged him to the Plains of Judgement. Obie saw his father in the crowd, “Father! They took my wings! Father! Help me!” Samael merely turned his back and walked away.

The Law Keepers opened a rift to the blackness of space above the Earth. They forced Obadiah to stand and then pushed him through the breach.

As Obadiah fell through space, his Seraphim power leaked out of the wounds on his back, mixed with his blood. The power attracted space dust and rocks that gathered around the young Seraphim like a meteor shower. Obie entered the Earth’s atmosphere as part of the most massive meteorological event ever recorded. So many rocks surrounded Obadiah that no telescope caught sight of his body at the storm’s center. The meteors, glowing with a bluish light, streaked through the warm August night sky on a collision course with a small town on the east coast of the United States. Newville, Virginia, would never be the same. The entire world was about to change forever.

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Carl Chambers pounded his enormous fist on the table. “Full house? How do you have another hand like that, Myers?” Carl threw his cards into the air.

Rick Myers shrugged his shoulders and grinned. “Lucky night, I guess.”

“No one is that lucky,” Carl grumbled.

“I don’t know why we play. You two argue every week.” Lisa Jenson complained.

“We’re here for more than playing poker. You know that, Lisa. Now that Rick has all our money, we can get down to business. We need to tighten control of our territory. I’m sick of these wanna-be street thugs thinking they can come to my docks and rob people. If anyone is getting robbed, it’ll be by us!”

Carl jumped to his feet as his speech became more impassioned. “First, we put a stranglehold on the docks. Every business must pay! Then, we take over the rest of the city, working out street by street, block by block.” Carl nearly yelled.

“Yeah! Let’s do this! First Newville, then the world!” Rick cheered.

Carl smirked as he looked around the table at his friends. He had them all convinced of his plans. Carl was ambitious. He intended to run more than Newville Heights and the docks. Carl wanted it all. He started to speak again but was interrupted as a massive meteor smashed through the union hall roof, ending the meeting with a loud, literal bang that would change their lives forever.

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The central meteor hit the high school baseball field. The force of the impact left an extensive crater and rattled the windows of nearby houses. A shockwave traveled deep into the earth, awakening an ancient supernatural force. The shadow peeled itself away from the wall, sensing great power directly above. More importantly, it could smell a world full of delicious evil. Evil that the shadow was eager to devour.

The shadow drifted upwards, sliding through the cracks and crevices in the earth. The world had aged over a thousand years since the shadow was last free to roam the land. The scent of evil was nearly intoxicating. The shadow began to search for a host. The being that had awoken it would not be suitable. The shadow had waited for a long time. It could wait a little longer.

———————————————————————————————

Logan Kastala woke up screaming from the worst nightmare he ever had. In the dream, Logan felt like he had been falling for hours. Even now that he was awake, his back was in tremendous pain! The pain slowly subsided, but he still felt it. “That’s weird,” Logan thought. He could never remember a physical reaction to a dream before. Logan started drifting back to sleep until a glowing blue light caught his eye. He leaned toward his nightstand and saw that the feather that Obadiah gave him was glowing! Logan picked up the feather and felt Obie’s presence nearby. His friend was back on Earth. Logan desperately hoped Obie had not gotten into trouble with the Seraphim. He clutched the feather close and finally drifted back to sleep. Tomorrow, Logan would begin his search for Obadiah. If he had looked out the window, Logan would have seen the blue lights streaking across the night sky right over his house.

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The boy groaned as he tried lifting his face from the mud. He was confused and disoriented by the unbearable pain in his back. It felt as if someone was ripping his muscles right off the bone. The boy could not remember feeling such pain before. As that thought crossed his mind, it occurred to him that he could not remember anything. The boy had no idea where he was, how he got there, or even who he was.

Attempting to clear his mind, the boy sat up. The pain in his back made concentration nearly impossible. He opened his eyes and wiped the wet, muddy hair out of his eyes. The cold rain that pelted his face and body helped ease the burning pain in his back just a little and helped him clear his thoughts. He was cold and wet. His clothes were torn, dirty, and smelled of smoke. The smell of smoke was thick in the air. The entire field was empty except for the fires that still smoked. The driving rain helped to put out some of the small fires.

The boy got up and stumbled off toward the one light he saw. He hoped to find help. Maybe someone might know who he was or how he got here. All the boy knew was that he needed to leave this field and escape the rain.

———————————————————————————————-

Everyone in the union hall jumped up and backed away from the glowing blue rock. Part of the ceiling collapsed, and the wall caught fire. Carl felt waves of power emanating from the stone and leaped into action. He grabbed a fire extinguisher and yelled to his friends. “Don’t just stand there! Grab the rest of the extinguishers or buckets of water. We have to put this fire out and cool this rock down. I feel like it’s important!”

“Carl is right!” Yelled Rick. “Cool that rock down and put out the fires immediately. Do not call the fire department! We have to handle this ourselves.”

As they sprayed water and chemicals on the glowing and pulsing meteor rock, the chemicals began to bubble and boil. The meteor exploded. Steam and dust completely enveloped the twelve people in the room. They started coughing as they breathed in the mist. Carl collapsed onto the floor. He looked through blurry eyes and saw his friends spread out on the floor around him.

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The boy stumbled away from the crater toward the light in the distance. Words and images kept flashing through his foggy mind. Tree. Road. House. Logan! He knew that Logan was important, but he did not know why. The boy crossed the street, walked through an empty parking lot, and into a dimly lit building. The doors would not open, but the boy saw a reflection of himself in the glass.

“Obadiah? Is that who I am?” He touched the face of the reflection, then drew his hand back and felt his own face. “Logan would know if that’s my name. I must find Logan.”

Obadiah turned and once more headed toward the light in the distance. The glow belonged to a house. Obadiah walked past a metal box with writing that said, “C. Justyce.” He continued past the mailbox and stood in front of the blue wooden door. Obadiah raised his hand and knocked.

A woman opened the door, and her eyes went wide with shock. “Who are you? What do you want?”

Obadiah started to speak, but dizziness overcame him, and he collapsed. Obadiah looked up at the woman with pleading eyes just before passing out. “Help me. I need to find Logan.”

When he woke, Obadiah was lying on a wooden floor near an ornate fireplace. He was still disoriented and couldn’t remember where he was. Then, the events of the night before played out in his mind. Obie had stumbled away from the muddy field and walked towards the only light in the distance, this house. He didn’t know what else to do, so Obie knocked on the door. A lady answered, and then Obadiah couldn’t remember anything after that. He must have passed out, but he couldn’t remember. When Obadiah tried to recall anything from the previous night, all that came to him was the feeling of falling from a great distance. Well, that wasn’t entirely true. He also remembered that his name was Obadiah, and he recalled another name, Logan. Logan was important. Obie needed to find him, but right now, all Obie could do was lay his head down and fall back to sleep.

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Carl struggled to roll over and push himself to a kneeling position. He felt weird. Strong, but weird. It was challenging to understand all the feelings that coursed through his body. Intense pain nearly caused him to blackout again. He noticed tan hair sprouting out on his arms and hands. His hands were growing and changing, nails turning into claws. He looked around for his friends, but the blue mist hung over the room. He tried to call out for help, but his voice sounded like a growl. Carl heard other growls answering his own, and just before he blacked out, he heard the distinctive clip-clop of hooves on the wooden floor.

Coming Soon – Episode 2: The Zodiac Club

Love: My Definition

Love is butterflies in your stomach.

Love is your quickened heartbeat every time you see him.

Love is knowing you want him, always.

The King

Screams of terror filled the air,

chaos reigned at the county fair.

Dragon fire burned each place,

even many a helpless face.

The dragon rampaged through the town,

knocking every building down.

The people tried their best to flee,

but many never ever got free.

Then one boy stood to fight,

he did not fear the dragon’s might.

The boy looked, and he finally found,

a bow and arrows upon the ground.

He picked up the bow, dropped to one knee,

pulled back an arrow and let it fly free.

The arrow flew just like a dart,

and struck the dragon in the heart.

The dragon fell right to the ground,

never making another sound.

The townspeople could now return,

and try to save what did not burn.

The town, once small, now grew and grew,

becoming a town that everyone knew.

Though the boy did not seek fame,

a king is what he soon became.

Missing Monday

Aaron lay in bed staring at the ceiling. He couldn’t decide whether to go back to sleep or get ready for school. What day is it? He wasn’t sure. Aaron knew it wasn’t Sunday, but it wasn’t Tuesday either. Something felt different. Something felt wrong. Maybe his mom would know. Aaron begrudgingly got out of bed, shivering when his bare feet hit the cold floor. “Mom!” He yelled, walking into the kitchen. “Hey, mom! Is today a school day? I… I’m not sure.”

Aaron’s mother wandered into the kitchen, still in her pajamas. “I’m not sure either. I can’t remember what day it is. It feels like I should go to work, but I know it’s not Tuesday. I don’t know what to do.” She sat down at the table and stared off into space.

Aaron felt like he was walking through fog. Maybe if he concentrated enough, he could figure it out. Aaron stepped outside and looked around. All over the neighborhood, people wandered around like they didn’t know where they were or what was happening. He called over to his neighbor. “Mike! Mike! What is everyone doing? What’s happening? What day is it today?”

The other boy burst into tears and fell to his knees. “Aaron, I don’t know. Look at me. I’m half in my school uniform and half in weekend clothes. My parents are sitting in their car but haven’t left yet. They don’t know if they have work today or not.”

Aaron returned to his house and thought about everything he’d seen. The fog in his brain began to thin. Aaron went to his room and sat at his desk. Aaron opened his laptop and searched Google for “How many days are there in a week?” He found “7.” Aaron searched for the names of the days of the week. He came up with “Sunday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, Saturday,” but that was only six. Aaron knew yesterday was Sunday. He searched for “What day comes after Sunday?” and got an error message saying that Google could not find that internet page. He researched several variations on that same question, and suddenly, his laptop screen cracked, and his laptop caught fire. Aaron ran to the kitchen for the fire extinguisher. Now, he knew something was wrong.

Aaron walked back into the kitchen. “Mom, I think there was a day between Sunday and Tuesday, but I can’t remember what it’s called. Does that sound familiar to you?”

“No! There’s nothing between… nothing… between…. nothing…nothing…” Aaron’s mother slid out of her chair onto the floor, drool dripping out of her mouth. Before he could help his mother, Aaron found himself somewhere else entirely. He wasn’t in his kitchen anymore. Aaron was in a long room, completely white, with no window or door. In front of him stood two tall, grey-skinned creatures. They looked just like pictures of aliens. Tall, slender bodies, silver almond-shaped eyes, and long fingers. Aaron stood there staring at them, unsure of what to do. One of the aliens spoke.

“Why are all you humans so displeased. We have studied you for centuries, and the most common complaint we have heard is about this day called “Monday.” We, Overlords, decided to remove Monday to see if overall human happiness improved. Your entire species fell into chaos and confusion within hours. You seem to grasp what we have done. Have you an explanation for our results?”

“Wait… what? Monday? Oh yeah! Monday! That’s it!” Aaron remembered everything now and looked up at the Overlords. “You removed Monday? I can’t even begin to understand how that’s possible or how you are possible! But if this is real and not some crazy dream, I think I may have an answer for you. You removed an entire day of the week but didn’t replace it with anything. You didn’t even move Tuesday up to fill the gap, so we all woke up, and it felt like something was missing… something was wrong. We didn’t understand. There was no Monday, but there was nothing in its place. We felt empty. We didn’t know what to do.” He spread his hands and looked at them. “You left us in an empty void of nothing.”

The Overlords considered this for a moment. “You are correct. Would it be better to move Tuesday into its place and banish Monday from your brains?”

Aaron shook his head. “No. It’s not exactly Monday that we hate; it’s just the end of the weekend. The end of fun. If Tuesday were there, we’d begin to hate Tuesday the same as we hated Monday. Just put Monday back where it belongs.”

The Overlords conferred with each other and then spoke to Aaron. “You are correct. We never considered this possibility. You are a complex species that requires much more study. The Overlord’s silver eyes flashed, and Aaron returned to his kitchen.

His mom sat at the table eating breakfast. “There you are, Aaron. Go get ready for school. I don’t know about you. Every Monday, you almost miss the bus. Hurry up. It’s an early workday for me, and I won’t be able to drive you to school. I hate Monday, too, but I have to go to work, and you have to go to school.”

Aaron smiled to himself. Everything was back to normal. His mother didn’t remember anything weird. Aaron wondered if he was the only one who would have memories of this crazy morning. “Ok, mom. I’m going. Mondays do suck, but you’re right. They’re a necessary evil.” Aaron laughed and got ready for school.

Today is the Day

Was I working or was I home?

It doesn’t matter, I was all alone.

In a group or with a friend,

my lonely thoughts never end.

So, if you hear my silent shout,

please don’t hesitate to reach out.

Then we can be alone together,

silently shouting into the ether.

Someday maybe we’ll find our voices,

and alone together we’ll make our choices.

A choice to reach out a hand,

a nervous touch, a smile so grand.

A warm feeling that pushes lonely away,

a distant hope that maybe you’ll stay.

Then you pull me close, whisper in my ear,

I’m here to stay, please don’t fear.

A tentative smile brightens me eyes.

Today is the day that loneliness dies.

At the River

The sky glowed like brilliant fire,

His eyes burned with hot desire.

The sun set behind the river,

His touch made my skin quiver.

As we watched, he held me tight,

And the evening turned into night.

Just before we turned to go,

He pulled me close, kissed me slow.

We walked home hand in hand,

Both of us feeling oh so grand.

We reach his street and must part,

My love for him is off the chart.

He touches my face, says I love you,

I say good night, I love you too.

The Waterfall Pool

The cascade of water flowed over the rocks,

as I sat on the bank and took off my socks.

I glanced to my right and saw my friend smile,

as each piece of clothing ended up in the pile.

The roaring of the waterfall was loud in my ears,

as his loving touch eased all of my fears.

I saw each possibility reflected in his eyes,

while to foam and spray splashed into the skies.

He guided me past the rapids and into the pool,

where the water was calm and refreshingly cool.

I swam naked for hours with the love of my life,

while the waterfall pool washed away all my strife.

The Frog’s Prince

The Frog’s Prince

Once upon a time, in a faraway land, there was a boy named Jonah. Jonah sat in the shadow of the old oak tree and chuckled quietly. He watched the parade of prancing princesses proceed to the pond, kiss the poor frog, and then storm angrily away when nothing happened. He chuckled because he knew his best friend in the entire world, Lucas, was having yet another dreadful day. He watched until all the princesses were gone, and the frog sat alone by the pond’s edge. Jonah left his hiding spot, walked to the pond, and sat facing the poor little frog.

“No luck again today, I see, Lucas. Just how many princesses are there in the world anyway?” Jonah grinned down at the frog.

“Ribbit.” Said the frog. The frog made a face as close to annoyance as a frog’s face can get.

“Oh, yeah, sorry,” Jonah said, reaching down and touching the frog’s head.

“UGH! Thanks. That’s much better. I still can’t figure out why that only works for you. I can’t even talk to my father or brother. As far as the princesses go, there seems to be an unending supply! I wish one would finally break this spell. I’m sick of being a frog!” The frog darted its head to the side, flicked out its tongue, and caught and ate a fly.

“That’s so gross!” Jonah pretended to gag but ended up laughing.

“I know, right! But I can’t help it. It seems to be instinct for this body. This curse really sucks!” Lucas groaned.

“Why were you cursed, Luke? We’ve never talked about that. Obviously, I know you are the prince of this kingdom. Is that why she cursed you?” Jonah asked.

“Get me out of this pond for a while. Let’s go for a walk, and I’ll tell you.” Lucas said. Jonah reached over and picked up his friend. He set the frog on his left shoulder, stood, and walked onto the path into the woods.

Lucas began his story. “Even as a small child, I was a spoiled rotten brat. My dad always told me I was meant to lead our glorious kingdom, but all I wanted to do was play and have fun. Book learning and army training were boring. I avoided my duties as often as I could. Then I turned thirteen, and my mind switched from my toys to girls. Honestly, I didn’t treat the girls any better than my toys. They were princesses who were sent to woo me and win the heart of the crown prince of Lerithia, and I played silly games with their hearts, kissed them once or twice, and sent them on their way.” Lucas blushed as much as a frog can be said to blush.

“That just doesn’t sound like the Lucas that I know.” Jonah turned his head, so he was looking at Lucas. “You’ve changed so much. Cut yourself some slack. Hell, maybe being a frog has been good for you.” Jonah snickered.

“Anyway.” Lucas rolled his little froggy eyes at Jonah. “To continue my story, I was mean to many people, especially girls. One night at dinner, this old lady burst into our dining hall and pointed at me. She shouted at me about how I broke her granddaughter’s heart.” Lucas sighed. “Jonah, I couldn’t even remember what her granddaughter looked like. She drew a wand out of her cloak and pointed it at me. My father’s guards reacted, but not in time. The wand glowed, and she said, ‘Shallow Prince with much vanity, like a frog you’ll now be. No cure for you shall they find until True Love’s Kiss clears your mind. If no love finds you before eighteen, you’ll end your days with skin of green.’” Lucas sighed again. “I’m doomed, Jonah. Tomorrow is my eighteenth birthday!”

Jonah gasped and sat down on the side of the trail on an old tree stump. “Oh my god, Luke. Why didn’t you say something before? Tomorrow? Is that why your dad has been bringing in even more princesses than usual the last few weeks?”

“Yeah. My dad thinks if enough girls kiss me, one will be the right one. The trouble is, I can’t even talk to any of them like I can talk with you. How can I know if it’s true love? Do I want some silly spell to decide my future even if the curse is broken?” Lucas sounded depressed, even in his froggy voice.

Jonah wanted to reach out and comfort him so badly, but how do you hug a frog? “What kind of girl would you want it to be if you could choose?” Jonah thought he could get Lucas talking and get his mind off tomorrow.

“Someone kind and caring and compassionate. Someone who listens to me and doesn’t just want to talk about herself and her clothes. Someone… well, someone just like you, Jonah. Why can’t you be a beautiful princess?” Lucas laughed.

Now, it was Jonah’s turn to blush. “Shut up, Luke. I’m trying to help figure this out for you.” Jonah got back up and started walking back towards the pond. Suddenly, the King’s Guards burst through the trees. One scooped Lucas off Jonah’s shoulder, and two more grabbed Jonah by the arms. The one in charge said, “Aha! We’ve found you! How dare you kidnap Prince Lucas. To the dungeon with you!”

Lucas was yelling at the top of his lungs for them to unhand his friend, but all they heard was the ribbiting of a frog. Jonah proclaimed his innocence, but they wouldn’t listen and dragged him to the castle dungeons. Jonah was yelling, “You don’t understand! He’s my friend! You don’t know what’s going on. You don’t even know who I am!” The guards refused to talk to him and locked him in the dungeon.

That night and the next day passed slowly for both Lucas and Jonah. Jonah couldn’t find a way out of the dungeon. No one even came to talk to him. He was concerned and scared for his friend. He wanted to be with him, especially since it was such an important day for Lucas.

Lucas was also worried about Jonah and blamed himself for his friend getting locked in the dungeon, possibly forever. If he couldn’t break this curse and talk to his father, there would be no way to convince his dad to free Jonah. So, hoping to break the curse, Lucas stayed in his pond instead of running off to be with Jonah and submitted himself to today’s parade of princesses.

Night fell without the curse breaking. The princesses were gone, and the guards were out of sight. Lucas decided that, since he didn’t know if he’d still be able to talk to Jonah after the curse became permanent, he wanted to spend his last few hours before midnight with his best friend. He hopped out of his pond and headed for the tree line. Once in the trees, he leaped towards the castle as fast as he could. Lucas knew precisely where his dad would have locked up Jonah, and Lucas knew how he could get to him. He snuck in, undetected, through the back kitchen doors when the cooks were bringing the night’s trash out. He stayed hidden amongst the pots, pans, and brooms and finally found his chance to sneak into the cellar when a cook opened the door. From the basement, he made his way to the dungeons. He hopped right into Jonah’s cell. Jonah curled tightly into a ball and, crying, didn’t see Lucas at first. Lucas hopped over to him. “I’m here, Jonah, I’m here.”

Jonah looked up, saw Lucas was still a frog, and started crying even harder. Through his tears, he said, “No luck with the princesses again? I’m so sorry, Luke. I’m just so sorry. If that witch could see you now, maybe she’d undo the spell herself. You’re not a spoiled, arrogant brat anymore. You’re the kindest, sweetest guy I’ve ever met.”

Lucas blushed. “Thanks, Jonah. You’re a pretty great guy yourself.”

“Luke, it’s almost midnight. What’s going to happen? Will I still hear you like now?” Jonah asked.

“I don’t know. I hope so, but I don’t know. I’ve never understood why you’re the only one who hears me anyway.” Lucas said.

Jonah reached down and picked up Lucas. He stared directly into the frog’s eyes. “If this is our last conversation, I have to say this aloud for you to hear. I love you so much, Luke. More than you know. You’re my best friend in the entire world. I… If you were a boy and not a frog, I might love you even more than that.” Jonah blushed a deep, bright red. “You have an amazing soul, Lucas. I’ll love you forever.” He bent down and kissed the frog.

Electricity crackled around the boy and the frog, and purplish-colored smoke swirled around them. When the smoke cleared, Jonah was looking up into the bright, crystal blue human eyes of Prince Lucas. Lucas brought both hands up and cupped Jonah’s face between his hands. He bent down and kissed him. After he broke the kiss, Lucas smiled and said, “I love you, too, Jonah.”

——————————————————————————————————————————–

King Samuel’s night of worry over his son Lucas’s predicament was interrupted by news that a small army, led by the neighboring king, had entered his lands. King Samuel led a small force out to greet the other king. King Edmond rode out from his army and greeted King Samuel when the two armies met.

“My guards last saw my son, Prince Jonah, enter your kingdom, Samuel. He has not returned home. I’ve come looking for him. Have you or any of your people seen him?” Edmond described Jonah to Samuel. One of the King’s Guards spoke up and told his King what had happened at the pond and that he thought Jonah might be that boy. Samuel relayed that information to Edmond with his apologies, and they rode together to the castle.

The two kings walked into the dungeon, turned the corner, and saw the two boys curled up together, sound asleep in each other’s arms. Both kings were momentarily speechless, and then Samuel yelled, “Lucas! You’ve broken the spell! What happened? Why are you in the dungeon? Guards, unlock this cell at once!”

The boys, shocked by the sudden intrusion, untangled from each other’s embrace and stood up. Jonah noticed his father standing behind the other king. Lucas spoke first. “Dad!” He ran and hugged his father when the guards opened the cell door. “I hopped in here when I was still a frog. I wanted to spend my last few hours with Jonah. Then, just before midnight, he kissed me and broke the spell!”

Both kings audibly gasped and turned and looked at each other. Samuel looked back at his son. “The spell said only True Love’s Kiss could break the enchantment. Is Jonah your True Love?”

Lucas blushed and looked down. “Yes, Dad. I’m in love with Jonah, and he’s in love with me. We want to be married. You always told me that whoever broke the enchantment was the one I would marry. I couldn’t talk to you, but I heard everything you said. I want you to keep your word. I want to marry Jonah.” Lucas told his father that Jonah could hear him for the last year, and they talked for hours every evening after the princesses left. He told his father everything.

“Jonah? Son, is this what you want also?” King Edmond asked, stepping forward.

Samuel stepped aside to let Edmond to the front. Samuel spoke to Lucas, “Son, this is King Edmond from Garlandia, Prince Jonah’s father.”

Lucas’s jaw dropped, and he turned to Jonah. “Prince Jonah? You never told me!”

“It wasn’t and still isn’t the most important thing about me. I love you, not your kingdom, and I wanted the same in return. I’m sorry I didn’t tell you, but I didn’t want it to get in the way of our friendship.” Jonah said.

“It’s fine, Jonah, I definitely understand,” Lucas said.

Jonah turned towards his father. “Dad, to answer your question. Yes. This is what I want. I know I’m just sixteen. I know you planned on me marrying some princess and having lots of babies, but I’ve never wanted those things. I didn’t know how to tell you. I’m in love with Luke. Like head over heels in love. The type of love I see between you and Mom. Please let me have this.” Jonah was looking at his father, but his hands gripped Lucas’s arm, and he leaned into the taller boy.

The two kings looked at each other and nodded in silent agreement. Samuel spoke. “I’ll put the proclamation out to the other kingdoms. The marriage of our sons, the crown princes of Lerithia and Garlandia, will take place one month from today. May fortune smile on you both and upon both our kingdoms.”

With both of their fathers and a dozen guards watching, Lucas pressed his forehead against Jonah’s and whispered: “I love you.” Jonah leaned in, and they kissed.