In My Blood

Episode 14 - Studies

"The Mind Flayer," Dustin announced, slamming the Dungeons & Dragons encyclopedia on the kitchen table. The entire group had reunited for this meeting. The younger members stood by each other to Dustin's right, my father and Joyce side by side. My arm was over Steve's neck as he helped me support my weight to stand, Charity to my left as he stood at Dustin's. Jonathan and Nancy looked at each other in confusion at the junior-higher's words, a common expression from all of us.

"What the hell is that?" Dad asked the boy.

"It's a monster from an unknown dimension," he explained. "It's so ancient that it doesn't even know its true home." His speaking pace was quicker, excited for the chance to teach us all something. "Okay, it enslaves races of other dimensions by taking over their brains with its highly-developed psionic powers."

"Sorry, not all of us speak nerd," Charity muttered.

"Brain control," I dumbed it down for her, glancing around the group to see if anyone else had been confused. "Mind reading."

"Oh, my God, none of this is real," my father snarked in exasperation. "This is a kids game."

"No, it- it's a manual," Dustin defended, pointing a finger at the man before directing it back at the book. "And it's not for kids- and unless you know something that we don't know, this is the best metaphor-"

"Analogy," Lucas corrected him, and Dustin's eyes narrowed at his friend.

"Analogy," he repeated in annoyance before his voice raised. "That's what you're worried about? Fine! An analogy for understanding whatever the hell this is."

"Okay," Nancy caved in, trying to steer away from another argument. "So, this mind flamer thing-"

"Flayer, Mind Flayer."

"Just let her speak," I sighed, and Nancy looked grateful at my interference.

"What does it want?" she asked him.

"To conquer us, basically," he summed it up. "It- it believes it's the master race."

"Oh, like the- like the Germans," Steve piped up. I winced at that statement.

"Uh, the Nazis?" Dustin fixed it for him, and Steve's face turned pink.

"Yeah, yeah, yeah," he nodded, his voice a bit quieter. "The Nazis."

"Yeah, so if the Nazis were from another dimension, tot- totally," the younger boy continued on. My father rubbed his face in exasperation, turning away from the group in disbelief that this was what we had come to. "Uh, it views other races, like us, as inferior to itself."

"It wants to spread," Mike added, "take over other dimensions."

"We are talking about the destruction of our world as we know it," Lucas finished, and I blanched.