Succubus

Chapter 3: Charles Muller

Chapter 3: Charles Muller

When people created cartoons they were creating them for people like Charles Muller. His first experience with numbers had been to memorize the TV channels his favorite shows were on. His weekly ritual was to retreat down into the basement and enjoy whatever his favorite characters were up to.

Of all the characters Charles liked, his absolute favorite was Claudia the Dreaded. She was the initial antagonist of a show called Straying from the Path, where a group of heroes ventured into the wilderness to save their town from an encroaching darkness that was causing everyone to turn into dust. Claudia was the daughter of the Dread Lord, and carried out his bidding in the physical world since her dad didn't have a body. She had long black hair and carried a morning star made out of ebony.

Claudia had been there when Charles first realized that his feelings toward girls were changing. Claudia's character designer had taken a few liberties with how someone might be portrayed in a kids show. Maybe it was the low shirt that kept her belly exposed. Somewhere the wires in Charles' head had been crossed and he carried those feelings with him into adolescence.

Charles didn't have a problem until he first saw Tara. She was walking away from Bridgeton High on a windy November day. Her hood was pulled up, but her hair hung out the bottom and was tossed around in the wind. She had dark circles under her eyes and seemed oblivious to everything around her.

Eighth grader Charles didn't have any experience with high school. He didn't realize that each year students became more and more tired. He couldn't imagine not giving one-hundred percent at gym class, because everyone was giving one-hundred percent.

When he saw Tara shuffling home it was like Claudia had come to life. He told his best friend Trevor about it the next day.

"You should go after her," Trevor said between bites of his sandwich.

"You think so?"

"My dad told me that we only get one chance to fall in love, and that if we don't take it we end up regretting it forever. That was how he ended up with my mom."

"Woah. I guess I better go for it."

So Charles decided to follow his feelings. He felt that with enough perseverance that he could win Tara's heart. After that he'd be the coolest middle schooler ever. How many middle schoolers can say they're dating a high-school sophomore?

Charles's big moment had been at the park. He'd looked for the perfect way to break the ice with Tara, and all his mind had come up with were swings. He'd asked her opinion on swings.

After Tara left Charles sat there feeling adult levels of shame for the first time in his life. It would be one of those memories that never really went away. When he went home his parents asked him about his day, but he kept his answers vague. His mom and dad gave each other knowing looks and didn't push the subject.

Even his favorite show didn't have the answer. Straying from the Path wasn't about romance. The characters got into fights or made friends with each other. Charles felt truly stumped.

Late that night, once Charles was sure his parents were asleep, he called Trevor.

"Trevor, how do I talk with girls?"

"I don't know."

"Okay, good night."

Charles figured there had to be some secret he was missing. All across the planet billions of people had met and decided to be couples. The survival of humanity depended on it. How could anything so intrinsic to a species' survival be so difficult?

During computer class Charles used the school computer to search how to get a girl to like you. He skimmed articles that covered everything from how to dress to the importance of eye contact. The one common trend among the articles seemed to be finding something you had in common with her.

"Charles, you're supposed to be doing typing exercises," Mrs. Bowdich, the computer teacher, said. "What are you looking at?"

Mrs. Bowdich looked over Charles' shoulder at the site he was on. She chuckled once then didn't bother him again for the rest of class. Charles couldn't explain why he felt ashamed.

The shame was not enough to deter Charles from his goals. Armed with knowledge, Charles decided that the next time would be different. He vowed to figure out what common interest he and Tara had. Next time they would have something besides swings to talk about.