“Well.. alright, but let me finish up first. I’ll be right out, okay?”
Daniel grabbed the pen and wrote in the journal. While a journal may look and feel great, Daniel thought it might draw too much attention, if he suddenly started to carry around a journal, he’d have to turn the implement into something else. Something you can have with you at almost all times and use without sticking out or drawing attention, a smartphone. He knew it couldn’t just turn it into any phone, it had to be his or people might notice he suddenly had two phones, which would bring a lot of unwanted questions.
He thought about how he’d word it and then wrote: “This implement is a smartphone, which looks identical to my current smartphone.”
Daniel watched the journal cautiously, as it slowly transformed into an exact duplicate of his phone. He picked it up and put a small sticker on it, to help prevent him from mistaking it for his ordinary phone, then he slipped it into his pocket. He then headed to the living room.
“Hey Danny, you’ve met Abigail.”
“Sorry about before, I was lost in thought and wasn’t paying attention. Didn’t see you there and afterwards I was so startled, I forgot to properly apologize. I’m really sorry. Hope I didn’t hurt you or scare you too badly.” Daniel said looking at Abigail, before turning his attention back to Greg.
They talked for awhile. From what Daniel could tell, while it initially seemed like Greg had just age nearly two decades, keeping his general personality and mannerisms, he could see some other things besides the obvious physical transformation had changed.
Greg seemed more stressed, which apparently lead him to develop a stress eating habit, he grabbed for food anytime he got nervous in their conversation. He also made a less confident and competent impression and was quite obviously embarrassed it’s been taking him this long to get his degrees and that he’d been stuck with a job going nowhere, since he got out of high school. Daniel assumed what he wrote caused Greg to take on some of the previous manager’s qualities.
One thing was clear to him, he couldn’t just use the implement without thinking and he had to be very careful with his wording. Leaving things too vague or open, could cause any kind of change. His future sentences would have to be clear on intent and meaning. This was going to be quite the challenge. Right now he was just happy nothing notable happened to him when he used the implement before, well other than him suddenly sitting on Abigail.
While Greg and Abigail continued on with their conversation. Danny held the implement in his pocket, thinking of what he wrote about Greg. He wondered what would happen, if he tried editing it or even deleting it. If he deleted what he wrote, would Greg turn back or would he remain the way he was now. What about, if he tried to go back and specify his initial statement, would Greg change to fit them or would the edits be rejected. While he wanted to try it out, Greg definitely was not the best test subject, he was after all his friend.
Not that Daniel wanted to hurt anyone, but if something went wrong he’d rather it happen to someone he didn’t like or at least didn’t personally known.
Daniel decided he’d try to change Greg back and if that didn’t work out he’d just try again later, when he had a better handle on how to work the implement’s reality altering magic.
“Danny, you still with us buddy? Everything all okay?” Greg asked with a concerned sounding voice.
“Yeah, sorry. I’m just a bit tired, had a bit of a rough night.” Daniel lied.
“Alright. So do you two want to go grab some late lunch at the Italian restaurant down the road?”
“Sounds good to me, I haven’t eaten all day.” Abigail said.
“You know, I’d love to, but I really have to get going. I got distracted this morning and didn’t get around to doing anything I actually planned to do. How about we meet up for dinner at the chinese restaurant near broadway, you know the one we usually go to, at about 7 o’clock?”
“Sure thing. See you there! Bye!”
As soon as Abigail and Greg had left, Daniel pulled out the implement and started writing hoping to help improve his roommates situation. “My roommate Gregory Nettermann is a 22 year old student at the Columbia University, who is a competent, well paid and respected employee at the company he’s currently employed at.” Daniel hoped this was precise enough. As soon as he finished writing, he hurried out the door hoping to see, if Greg changed back.
He only caught a short glimpse of Greg as he and Abigail drove off in her car, but from what he could tell he looked younger and a bit happier, even if he didn’t seem any slimmer.
“Oh well, I can fix that later” he said walking to nearest subway station. Daniel decided to the best place to go right now was Central Park, on a nice day like this, it was the perfect spot to test the implement and if the Scribe were to somehow show up, he should be able to getting away without to much trouble.
Once at the park he looked for a nice shady spot to people watch. He took out the implement as soon as he started approaching a good looking spot and almost dropped it as soon as he saw what was written on the screen: “LAST CHANCE KID! GIVE! IT! BACK!”
Sacred Daniel looked around for the Scribe, but he couldn’t see the man from the train or anyone with his orange eyes, he had hoped that without his implement the Scribe might not be able to shapeshift anymore. As soon as the implement had reverted back to normal. Daniel quickly wrote: “The Scribe can’t find or see Daniel Stephens, unless Daniel Stephen consciously and intentionally wants to be found or seen by the Scribe.”, that should keep him safe or so he hoped. Daniel then got up looked for another spot and then started to looking for a suitable test subject.
Elsewhere in a place unknown to man, the Scribe approached a large woman sitting at the shore of a lake, she was known as the All-Seer. She was said to be the source of power for all seers in existence.
This 8 foot tall, in purple robes clad black woman had three eyes. Her left eye was green, it saw into all pasts, her blue middle eye located on her forehead right above where her nose begun, could see the present and her red-colored right eye saw all possible futures that occurred in the multiverse.
“All-Seer, my old friend, I need your help!” the Scribe said approaching her. “As you probably already know my implement has been stolen and the thief is now hidden from me, I need you to find him for me.”
There was a long lasting silence as the giant woman stared with all three eyes at the unnoteworthy looking man standing before her. All that could be heard was the singing of the bird in the trees surrounding them and the sound of the waterfall splashing into the lake.
Finally majestic woman broke the silence. “No”
“What!? Why?” the Scribe said startled. He had been so confident she’d assist him, as she had in the past.
“You’ve been boring me. In days long past, you altered past, present and future in glorious ways, writing true epics, unrivaled by anyone in existence. You created exciting unpredictability in an otherwise boring predetermined existence. But now you just wright boring fluff, your changes to reality have become a primitive, stale and a true bore. So, no, I won’t help you nor shall any other seer. I want to see this play out, hopefully this will be entertaining. Also I hope this will reignite your spark... Besides you’re still powerful, resourceful and cunning, you should be able to handle this yourself.” she elaborated in her calm almost monotone voice.
The scribe was at a loss of words. Angered by her words he headed back in silence. Not being used to being treated by her anyother way then favorably.
He was going to find this thief and when he did, he’d show the All-Seer what he could do, she’d see that his writing hadn’t become boring, primitive or stale, as she put it. The thief would wish he had never been born.
The All-Seer slowly turned back to the lake looking at her reflection with just her blue eye open, smiling she said “This should be exciting”