The Trials

********

#364: Dear Diary, I don’t know why I write that every time. It’s not like you are a person, because there are no more people. This is it! Me, myself, and I. I can’t even remember what it was like to be with other people. I stare into this heart shaped locket and I know this is my mother. I remember her. I remember she took me to a place called school. She drove a car. I must remember things like cars and mothers and schools. That is why I write in this stupid book so I can remember, remember a time when other people existed, when it wasn’t just me. It has been only me for nearly a year. I don’t think there are things like mothers or schools anymore, and soon there will be no more me.

********

#365: Dear Diary, something happened, at least I think something happened. I was gathering wood for a fire and I heard this voice. It said, “Trial one has been completed.” I looked all around but couldn’t find anyone. I probably just imagined it, weird thing to imagine but whatever. We both knew I would crack up some day.

********

#366: Dear Diary, he said his name was Nathan. He just appeared out of nowhere. Who the hell is Nathan? What the hell is Nathan? Sorry, let me back up. I was running my drills and was at the part where I balance on the log when this voice said “Hello”. I, of course, fell off the log; executed an impressive roll (if I do say so myself) and grabbed my knife from my belt. There he stood, a person, a man. A 7-foot-tall BLUE man. Once I figured out, he wasn’t about to kill me, we talked.

Chapter 1

Socium

“Who the Hell are you?” I said as I straightened to my full height of 6’1. He cocked his head to the side, stared straight into my eyes and said “Who the Hell are you”? He said it with MY voice, not cool.

“Stop that! I want to know who you are, where you came from, what you are doing here, who sent you, and……” he put his hand up for me to stop, then he put his head in his hands and his shoulders started shaking. At first I thought he was crying, then he lifted his head to the sky and screamed “WHY HER?” On the bright side, he was using his own voice, on the downside I think I was just insulted. “Um, hello? Still standing here, who are you?”.

“My apologies, my name is Nathan and I am from a planet called Dexxan. This does not appear to be my planet; can you PLEASE tell me where I am and who YOU are?” He looked angry, really angry.

“Um, hello Nathan, my name is Paula and you are on Earth. Feel free to leave.” I started walking towards the stream. How dare some big blue guy come onto my planet and throw a little hissy fit. He doesn’t even know where he is, you would think he would be a little nicer, I am always nice when I stop and ask for directions.

“Wait, Paula” he called as he started following me. I just kept walking. Then he grabbed my arm.

“No YOU wait! I have been alone here for a year hoping someone would come along, anyone, and then you show up and you are a jerk. I’d rather go back to talking to the squirrels.

“I am not a jerk, I am a Dexxian, and I do not know what a squirrel is but if you just answer my questions you can go talk to them again.” I stared at him for about 10 solid seconds, then I took a deep breath and put on a big smile.

“A jerk is someone who is rude. Someone who say, finds themselves on an alien planet and rather than talking to the only other person on the planet, a JERK screams at the sky and tries to bully and insult her. I don’t talk to jerks. Good day”. I continued down my path.

“My Mater may have had a point” Nathan grumbled. “Wait Paula, please wait, can we start over? I am very sorry, my Mater always told me that when I am aggravated, I tend to take it out on those around me. I haven’t seen her in over a year, I haven’t seen anyone in over a year. I am very sorry that I was a…a jerk, can I please talk with you for a moment”?

“You haven’t seen anyone in over a year either?

“No, I woke up a year ago in my bed, but it was like the rest of the people on the planet had vanished. Everyone was just gone. The communication devices did not work, the transports did not work. Nothing worked. I broke into other domiciles looking for people and supplies but there was no one. “

“That sounds exactly like what happened to me too.”

“I think we are in The Trials.”

“What are The Trials? Yesterday I heard a voice in the woods, and it said Trial one was completed. I thought I imagined it.”

“You did not imagine it; I heard the same. It is the Gods.”

“Which Gods? I know a few of them, are we talking Greek or Roman?”

“What is a Greek or a Roman? I am talking about the Gods and Goddesses that watch over your planet and its people”.

“Well, when there were people here, you could have a debate for about a year on if God was real or not and which God was THE God. Not much talk about Goddesses, well except for some of the Pagan religions, but I don’t know much about them, but we don’t really do the whole “Gods” thing on this planet.”

“Are you telling me the Gods and Goddesses do not rule your world? You don’t pledge oaths, or make sacrifices in their name?”

“I am sure you could have found someone sacrificing a chicken or something if you looked around really hard, but for the most part that worshiping and sacrificing thing, we stopped doing that a few thousand years ago.”

“Your people stopped. They just stopped worshiping the Gods? And yet you live?”

“If you want to call this living Sparky then okay, we, meaning ME, still live.”

“I do not understand. The Trials are a way the Gods and Goddesses find the next ruling family. Every ten thousand years they chose 20 people in all the universes to compete. These 20 people are divided into 10 teams, or Sociums. Whichever Socium wins, their planets can continue to receive the bounty of the Gods. For the others, their planets and civilizations are wiped from the Universe.” He delivered this news like a damn sledgehammer.

“Are you telling me that I am one of the 20 in this Trial game thing, and that if I win my world goes back to the way it was?” He nodded. “I have to tell you that is just great.” I laughed and may have sounded a bit hysterical when I said “I am in a game of the Gods, Gods which no one on my planet even worships anymore. HA! They just zapped away 8 billion people and the one chance they have of coming back is a girl who is so lame she couldn’t even make her cheer squad in high school?” I collapsed into a heap on the ground, laughing at the absurdity of this. All those people are lost, there is a chance to get them back, but I have to play this game. A game of the Gods. A game I have never heard of and don’t know the rules. “Okay how do I play”?

*******

#367 : Dear Diary, Nathan says we are a team, a Socium. We have to endure 9 more trials before a winner is declared. I really wish my Mom or my best friend Peggy were here. They would have advice for me, it may not be great advice, there was that time that Peggy let me get bangs, but I digress. Should I go with the big blue guy? I don’t know this guy; he could be an axe murderer. Of course, an axe would be super helpful to have so why not. Okay, I have decided, I will go with him and see if I can bring my planet back.

P.S. If anyone is reading this because I’m dead, please find the big blue guy named Nathan and kick him in the balls for me, he got me into this mess.