A Modern Lost Boy

It didn’t take Phil long to realize that something strange was going on. From the moment he ran into David and his friends on the boardwalk to now, riding on the back of David’s bike to the cliff’s edge, something felt off.

Still, he was unflappable as they pulled to a stop. “What are we doing here, a little sightseeing?” he said in the chipper way only he could pull off. He walked to the edge and looked at the sea.

David came up next to him and put his hand on his back. He smiled in a way that suggested he knew more than he was about to let on. “We’re taking you to our clubhouse, Phil,” he drawled. “You want to be one of us, don’t you?”

Phil laughed, looked off to the side, and mouthed “Help me!” to an unseen camera. “Sure, let’s go,” he said, his tone giving away how much he really wanted to do so.

When David gave him the rice in the clubhouse and asked how the maggots were, Phil didn’t blink. “I don’t judge,” he said. “They’re great.”

David looked put out at this. “It’s just a joke, Phil. It’s only rice. Try the noodles.”

Phil took a look in the take out box and saw worms. “Slimy yet satisfying,” he said, grinning around the cave. “I guess you learn to love them.” He picked up a fork and dug in.

Marco picked up a bedazzled bottle of what looked like wine to Phil, but David stopped him. “No. He’s not ready yet.” He leaned forward and looked hard at Phil. “What’s the plan, Phil? Do you want to be one of us or not?”

Phil wiped his mouth. “Actually, I should really be getting home. Claire’s away on business, and Alex is at college. That means Luke and Haley are by themselves, and that’s just a recipe for disaster.” He got up, grimacing for the invisible camera.

David nodded at his friends, and they grabbed Phil by the shoulders and sat him back down roughly. “Not yet, Phil, there’s still initiation left.”

At that moment, there was a sound like the horn of an eighteen wheeler truck, just as water began pouring into the cave. “What the…” was all David had time to say before the water hit him, and he began to scream, along with his friends.

Phil took the opportunity to look back at the camera that wasn’t there and give a thumbs-up, before he ran up and out of the cave. Upon reaching the surface, he saw a semi that was painted red and blue. Standing next to the semi was an average-looking boy who was, for some reason, juggling four giant drops of water.

The boy looked over. “You might want to stand aside, Phil. You’ll throw off my aim.” Phil moved to the side just as the boy threw one of the drops of water past him. It hit Marco square in the face, and he screamed, clutching at his face that was melting away.

The boy grinned at Phil’s dumbfounded face. “Holy water. I asked Optimus here to bless it. Who knew he was an ordained priest?” The semi, meanwhile, was shifting, with different parts moving back while others moved forward. A few moments later there was a giant robot standing there.

“Percy let me know that you were in trouble, Phil,” said the robot, leaning down. “We came as quickly as we could. I hope I didn’t startle you.

Phil grinned at the robot truck. “I had a feeling there was more to you than meets the eye,” he said with a wink to the camera, as Percy threw two more holy water drops at what he realized were vampires.

Optimus Prime looked at David, who had just come up from the cave and was baring his fangs at Phil. He leaned very close to him. “You will leave this human alone, along with all others. They are under my protection. Do you understand?”

David didn’t answer, but lunged for Phil instead. He got a face full of holy water as a result.

Leaving the howling vampires on the ground with holy water still melting their faces, Percy and Phil climbed into Optimus, who was now a semi again. “So how did you know I was in trouble?” Phil asked Percy as they drove off.

Percy shrugged. “You looked at the camera and asked for help.”

“Can you teach me to do that water trick?”

“Are you a son of Poseidon?”

There was a beat. “No.”

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Oh boy, this one was a big challenge for me! Thanks to Robert Gamboa and Laura Egmon for their submissions; I hope I did your favorite characters justice!

For next week, give a description of what you think an alien could look like. Submissions due in by Thursday, June 8, 9:00 pm CST. Don't forget to subscribe, share with your friends, and let me know how I'm doing!