Kyle was skinny, a bit awkward-looking, shortish. He had messy hair, jeans and a tee-shirt, and glasses. Glasses? When he could have anything he wanted? Where were the toned abs? Where were the wings?
"You're probably wondering why I brought you here," said Kyle.
"Wha? But I thought-"
"The universe is more complicated than you think," said Kyle. "Am I the Kyle who cursed you, or his alternate? And if the latter, then how do I know about that curse? That's what you're wondering right now." He shrugged. "The answer is, it's just not that simple. Neither answer is quite correct. But I can't possibly explain to you, so don't worry about it."
Jen considered this. "Kyle," she said, "I don't know what you're talking about, and frankly, I don't care."
"Such lack of curiosity! That could serve you well here. Or possibly it will damn you." He shrugged again. "Or perhaps both. I guess it depends on your perspective."
"Perspective?"
"Yes. Perspective is very important. That, in a nutshell, is my answer to your question."
"Which question?"
Kyle merely shrugged once more.
"Geez, what are you, Yoda? Just tell me what's going on! In fact, I WISH you would tell me what's going on!"
Kyle smiled faintly. "If only it were that easy, Jennifer. But I'll tell you what I can - that's why I'm here. Simply put, you're here to learn a lesson."
"What? What sort of lesson?"
"That's up to you."
"What if I don't want to learn a lesson? What if I just want to enjoy having my every whim delivered to me?"
"Even in an infinite space, you'll run up against a boundary eventually. That's the thing about infinity - it has everything in it, you know." He shrugged. The gesture was starting to get on Jenny's nerves.
"I wish you'd stop shrugging," she said.
"Selfishness," he said. "I think that will be the first thing you learn about here. There's a lot of it around, after all. Lots of opportunities to experiment with it - to learn what it can and can't do." He shrugged yet again, as if to demonstrate. "Then again, maybe not," he added, watching her with maddening placidity as she flinched. "Time will tell. Incidentally, have a stick of celery."
"I- I beg your pardon?" Jen found herself automatically taking the celery he handed her.
"Take care of that. It's your escape lever. You can snap it when you get tired of having everything you want."
"You think you're so smart! You say this is all some lesson? 'Be careful what you wish for' or some such? Hah! If I get tired of it, I'll simply wish to be interested again!"
He shrugged. "Then you will become interested again. Don't presume to know your lesson before you've learnt it! If there's any place where you don't have to worry about what you wish for, it's here." He shrugged. "Or maybe there is no such place. Again, it all depends on perspective. But I have nothing more to say to you. You'll have to figure out the rest on your own. The celery is only because I think everyone should have an escape lever."
She threw it on the ground. "It's stupid, and you're stupid. I wish you'd leave and take your stupid celery with you!"
He nodded. "Then I shall do one of those things." He waved a hand and the celery vanished. "The celery is only a symbol, though. I can't remove it from you."
"I wish I'd never heard of celery! I wish there were no celery in the entire world!"
"Even still," said Kyle, "these things find their way back in. It will be there when you need it."
"What will?"
Kyle hesitated, then shrugged. "Don't worry about it," he said. "I guess it's nothing, now. For the time being."
"What? What are you talking about? Didn't you just hand me something?" She looked down at her carefully manicured hands.
"I said not to worry about it! In any case, I was just leaving." Kyle smiled at her, then shrugged a final time, then vanished abruptly.
"What a weirdo," said Jen.