DR. PARTHIBAN AND THE PECULIAR CASE OF THE HUNGRY ALIEN DEMON

 

DR. PARTHIBAN AND THE PECULIAR CASE OF THE HUNGRY ALIEN DEMON

 

The acrid, dusty air flowed down the stairs of the freshly unfurled attic. Dr. Parthiban Swaminathan. PhD, standing at the foot of the stairs, winced and coughed as he inhaled. God, that’s why I never go up here… he thought as he elevated himself in the abandoned cavern that was his attic. That blissful day in the tranquil suburbs of Houston, Texas, Parthiban sought to unearth his stowed memories with an old friend. This, however, wasn’t any ordinary mortal fleshling from the United States or the beautiful, enchanted land of India. Rather, this peculiar acquaintance was a little more…extra terrestrial , evil, and immortal.

 Having made his short journey to the summit of his attic, he unlocked a small leather box containing a banded bundle of photos. A smile spread across his face, and glee washed over his soul as he reminisced over the few weeks he had shared with the alien demon from the moon titan. Parthiban, in that moment, put a significant amount of effort into manifesting his old friend’s name in his thoughts: Ostycronox. All of a sudden, his mind wandered into the past…

It was exactly a decade ago when Parthiban had observed quite a peculiarly shaped object come hurtling into the quaint backyard of his cottage. Recalling his initial terror at the situation, he smirked. “Thank god I was foolish enough to step foot onto that ship,” he remarked, humorously. Upon further investigation, he was greeted by the haunting, disfigured, and frankly hellish face of a Titanite. The name was the politically correct term used to address their species across the observable universe, Ostycronox had explained all those years ago.

 His new ghoulish guest was in a predicament that was not so uncommon for one of his kind. The space craft he had arrived upon (Ostycronox had made strongly worded statements to the astrophysicist that his vessel must not be referred to as an UFO) had taken a lot of damage in the unfortunate crash. Summoning all his hard-earned knowledge regarding space travel and space vessels, as well as with a healthy helping of reading, Dr. Parthiban had managed to repair the space craft. That took four days. The rest of their three weeks spent together consisted of mainly learning about the human race and playing video games. When it  finally came time for the demon alien to go back to his home, Parthiban had remarked “If you need anything, I’m here bro.” With a swift peek backwards, Ostycronox asked “What’s a bro?” Chuckling, the doctor simply explained that he was willing to help his new friend any time he requested. With that statement, and the passing of time, the eccentric acquaintance went from being a new friend to an old one.

His mind back to the present, he continued digging through his collection of memories. A few moments later, quite an astonishing event occurred, although in relativity to Dr. Parthiban’s life it was not so out of the ordinary. The floorboards around the doctor radiated a deep, mesmerizing blue. Out of the blue, a figure manifested in front of his eyes.

I can either materialize my thoughts, or I’m delusional, thought the doctor as his old friend stood across him. Or rather, a highly detailed, bluish hologram of his old friend hovered in front of him. “My friend, this is an emergency. You are the only one I can trust for this mission….Actually that’s not true but I hoped in accordance with what you taught me about humans that it would motivate you to embark on it.” Both amazed and perplexed, Parthiban continued to stare at his hollow companion. “If you do accept this task, which for the sake myself I hope you do, press the red button that will teleport to your position in ten seconds.” As per cue, a miniscule box capped with a bright red button revealed itself underneath him. Wanting so badly to assist his friend, he accelerated his hand towards the button without a moment’s hesitation.

The journey of hundreds of thousands of kilometers was completed in seconds.

 In a moment’s notice, the decorated doctor found himself on the surface of a desolate, snow-white landscape, sporting a very familiar helmet. “I am on the moon!” he exclaimed. Unfortunately for Parthiban, he wouldn’t be provided the few minutes required to actually get accustomed to this ludicrous scenario, for he was approached by a pair of what seemed to be elder human beings. Unaware of where he got the courage to crack a joke, Parthiban chuckled as he asked, “Weren’t you in the movie Up?” Unamused, the pair spoke in perfect harmony, “These whimsical annunciations of homo sapiens’ lexicon will get us nowhere today. Our objective today is to retrieve a weapon of great power.” Before Parthiban could enquire any one of the fifty questions he had in his head, he was met with another barrage of words. “You will first be assisted in crafting a vessel capable of transporting you to Titan within a matter of seconds. You will land in the foot of the mountain of anger, make the climb and retrieve the life-giving sword. Following, you will continue north and proceed to cross the river that drains life, defeat the foul demon of a thousand famines, and finally hand over the weapon to Ostycronox who will be waiting for you on the other side of the gates guarded by the beast.” Dr. Parthiban stared blankly back at the two for a moment.

Finally breaking the silence, he said, “Well that was… a lot to take in. Can I ask-’’ Completely ignoring the concerned fleshling in their presence, the pair immediately began to construct a very oddly shaped structure. In blinding speed, an egg-shaped contraption stood before the doctor, beaming in the barely present atmosphere of the moon. Realizing that his questions would not be catered to, Parthiban took off in his new vehicle. However, he could never have expected what was to follow…

Landing on the surface of the second moon for the day took merely seven seconds. As expected, he stood afoot a colossal mountain, bathed in a crimson red hue. Unwilling to disappoint his brother in arms, Parthiban began his herculean task. Battling the inner demons of his thoughts which urged him to stop this madness, the astrophysicist turned knight in shining armor struggled up the mountain of anger.

After the longest and most strenuous hour of the scientist’s life, he was finally at the summit. As promised, what stood before him was a sword, sharp as a hawk’s eyesight. Relieved, he stepped toward the weapon and grabbed it. Taking a few minutes to rest, he begrudgingly trudged onward. Arriving at the banks of a rapid river, Parthiban prepared himself to cross. To his surprise, the water was actually quite soothing and warm, and the speed of the water was merely a mirage, for it did not carry the doctor along with it. The only problem was, as he continued swimming, sword gripped tightly in one hand, he grew substantially hungrier. The hunger multiplied exponentially as he continued to swim…

 By the end of the crossing, the struggling doctor’s stomach was clenched, and his head was in agony. All he could think of was the scrumptious dishes his mother made him as a child. “Oh, I could go for some food,” he claimed. As if the universe was to play the cruelest joke on his struggling soul, the beast that attacked him had a certain inviting aroma. Looking up, the doctor screamed as he saw a giant bowl of cottage cheese dipped in a buttery, spice-filled stew came hurtling toward him. The blow struck grounded Parthiban. His will shattered. The sword slid in front of him. This was where he’d have quit, but he didn’t. He didn’t quit, for he remembered the words of his friend. It doesn’t matter what you do when you’re comfortable, but it is what you do when you are struggling that counts. Those words rung through his mind as he willed himself up. With a last gasp of energy, Parthiban grabbed the sword and sprinted towards the deliciously terrifying beast. Feinting to the right, he shoved the sword into the center of the ogre, and watched it evaporate into a screen of smoke. He had done it.

With immense relief, he walked through the gates staring at him. Within moments, he found his old friend in front of him, standing in all his three-eyed, two-horned, four-armed, eight-legged, red-skinned glory. Following the briefest of greetings, he grabbed the sword and ate it. “Thanks for lunch my friend,” Ostycronox said. Suddenly, all the food-themed challenges made sense. “You made me go through all that for lunch! Why?” Smiling, the alien demon uttered, “You’re the one who said that if I required help, I could ask.”

Following a second’s pause, Parthiban shrieked, “That’s not what I meant!”

 

THE END