“Excuse me Sorry coming through,” a old man said. Lee, Maggie and Kellie turned in confusion as an elderly man in odd garb entered the home.
“Excuse me can I help you,” he asked.
“I’m sorry where are my manners I’m Merlin,” he said. “Your Lee Carlson and that’s your wife Maggie correct but the one I REALLY want to talk to is Kellie.”
Lee and Maggie looked concerned as Kellie shrank back behind her parents. “I’m sorry what does our daughter have to do with this,” he said firmly. Merlin sighed, he hated confrontation.
Waving his arms Lee and Maggie froze in place as Kellie looked around wildly. “Ugh I hated doing that,” he sighed. “But you and I need to talk young lady.”
“Don’t hurt me,” Kellie whispered as she covered her eyes in fear.
Merlin shook his head sadly as he looked at the frightened six year old. “Damn you don’t remember,” he sighed. “You wished away everything. And I had such high hopes after watching you and Katie.”
Merlin waved his arms as the girl blinked. Looking around Kellie now took in her surroundings. “What’s going on,” she asked. “Where am I?”
“So you remember now,” he said firmly. “Well your in Katie and Lisa’s house. Well it was their house before YOU unmade them.”
Kellie gasped as her last wish now flooded her mind. She had unborn Lisa and Katie not of teenage spite. She had been so mad about Katie being irresponsible with the ring she had ceased her and Lisa’s existence.
“What have I done,” she whimpered as tears began to fall from her eyes.
“I’ll tell you what you did,” Merlin fumed. “You ended a great story and destroyed the only two people that ever gave a damn about you. The real you, not the magical you that’s standing her right now. Ugh freaking Reality Alteration always gives me a headache. Fun story plots but I think it causes brain tumors.”
Merlin looked down at the young girl who was wailing at the top of her lungs. He felt bad for the girl but was still very upset she had basically killed Katie and Lisa.
“Look Kellie,” he said rubbing his neck. “Don’t cry Okay? I’m...sorry I scared you. It’s just....well I really liked Katie and Lisa. They’ve been two of my favorites to follow with the Ring of Age. That you...well...killed them. It kinda pisses me off okay.”
Kellie fearfully looked up at the old man, fearful that she would meet the same fate as Katie and Lisa. “Wha...what are you going to do to me?” She stammered.
“Well I’m not going to unmake you that’s for sure,” he grumbled. “Damn teenagers and their damn hormones. You know you two were adorable as a couple even if you were technically her mom at the beginning of the story.”
“Wait,” Kellie yelled. “Katie was my daughter. What the heck.”
Merlin buried his face in his hands, he had forgotten Katie had changed it so that Kellie didn’t remember. As he looked at the six year old girl with her old memories he sighed. “Sorry give me a sec,” he mumbled. “It’s weirding me out talking to you when you look like a six year old yet have teenage Kellie memories.”
With a wave of his hand Kellie instantly transformed back into her 16 year old self. The girl looked at her reflection in the mirror. “Okay this is too weird,” she said. “Now What is this about Katie being my daughter.”
“Ugh crap,” Merlin sighed. “Fine let me show you.”
Placing his hand on Kellies head he now showed Kellie everything that had happened in the branches of the stories of the Ring of Age. Kellies eyes bulged as every reality that had ever been created in every chapter flooded her skull. “Om my god what the hell,” Kellie stated as she held her head.
“Yeah I know,” Merlin grunted. “Some of them are very sweet, others are welll a little out there. The whole Katie meets the latex anthro people at college chapter was a bit off.”
“So let me get this straight,” Kellie said as she rubbed her head. “In this reality, MY reality. Katie was originally my seven year old daughter. She made me 16, made herself 16 and I was a lesbian.”
Merlin nodded. “Yep and your little sister was taking care of her.”
“I need to sit down this is crazy and a little icky. I made out with my kid.”
Merlin nodded as he now conjured a chair for the girl to sit down in. Kellie now sat as she looked at her frozen parents. “Sooo originally those weren’t my parents,” Kellie said as Merlin nodded. “Katie gave them to me because they were lonely and were willing to accept me even though in this reality I’m gay.” Once again Merlin nodded.
“Wow...Just..Wow,” Kellie stammered. “And now I made Katie and Lisa unborn and inside me.”
“Well yes but they won’t be them when their reborn in this reality,” Merlin said with a frown. “Their essence exists but basically....you killed them.”
“Jesus Christ I’m an asshole,” Kellie cried, tears slowly leaking from her eyes.
Merlin fidgeted slightly as he looked at the crying teenage girl. “Wellllll, sort of,” he stammered. “See here’s the thing. I needed to come quickly because well....I really like the Katie, Kellie and Lisa stories. Unfortunately that’s not going to be possible anymore in this reality. I refuse to let them die though. So I flew in here quickly to kinda fix this.”
“Well,” Kellie asked. “What are we going to do. I mean their gone in this reality but isn’t there one where the sleepover was a success and were still dating?”
“Yeah,” Merlin stated. “The thing is though the guy that sees that reality has a bit of a block. You see the realities come into existence through”authors”. Their kind of tuned in and I help them explain it. Kind of a joint creative process, you see what I’m saying.”
“No,”
“Ugh well trust me on that Okay.” Merlin said. “Anyway I refuse to let Katie and Lisa Just well....not exist so you and me are going to fix that. The thing is though your out.”
“Me,” Kellie exclaimed. “Why am I out!”
“Hello their dead!”
“Does that mean your going to kill me too,” she asked meekly.
Merlin sighed as he looked at Kellie. “No,” he said flatly. “You can stay in this reality with your two loving parents as a happy six year old girl but you are never going to see Katie and Lisa again. Those two. Their going back to the other reality, with out you or your folks. Probably means Katie’s single again too, which sucks.”
Kellie nodded as she understood the consequences of her actions. “I understand,” she said sadly. “So what do you need me to do?”
“All you have to do is pick up the ring and wish Katie and Lisa back,” he said. “Once that’s done they go back into existence without you anywhere in that reality. You in turn can go about your life and grow up normal. Who knows maybe you get a magic item yourself one day.”
“Okay I can do that,” she said. Kellie picked the ring up as she now thought of her former girlfriend and her aunt.
“Hey Kellie,” Merlin said. “Listen I’m sorry it went down like this. I was really pulling for you. I’ll check in from time to time until then take care of yourself. Oh and one more thing, after you make the wish you go back to being a happy six year old with no knowledge of this conversation or anything else we talked about.”
Kellie nodded sadly as she made her wish.