Dan & Phil: Not of This Earth

11 | Dan & Phil: Est. 1400-Something

Word Count: 926

     There, Dan and Black Opal sat encased in a bubble for the next 4,000 years or so, untouched and imprisoned once more. This time, however, nothing could be done. This imprisonment was far beyond their powers as individuals.

     It wasn't until the year 1400-something, when a family of travelers found the bubble. A small girl had been running ahead of her family throwing rocks at each tree's trunk. She held a basket full of stones and pulled each one out in her tiny hand. She heaved each one with all her might and watched them bounce of the trunks, sometimes reclaiming them as she went.

     This little girl approached a large, ancient tree covered in moss. Rather than grabbing one stone, she grabbed a handful in her fist and heaved it at the trunk. The stones flew through the moss with a displeasing result. She had heard the rocks bounce off of something but they didn't come back through the green wall before her. So, she grabbed the biggest rock in her basket which was also the sharpest rock in her possession. By throwing that rock through the moss and popping the bubble, the girl singlehandedly rescued two alien beings.

     After hearing the bubble pop, the girl's father ushered her away from the tree and took it upon himself to investigate the abrupt noise. When nothing occurred and nothing emerged from the tree, he moved the moss aside to discover two gemstones. He removed them and presented them to the elder of the group, a grandmother.

     The grandmother held the gems in her hands, observing them closely until they glowed and two humanoids emerged from them.

     Black Opal turned to Dan instantly. "Dan! You weren't shattered!" He felt his own chest and laughed. "Neither was I!"

     Dan tightened his fists. "Oh, the nerve of that Bismuth! Who does she think she is?!" There was a quick succession of taps on his shoulder.

     "Uhhh, Dan?"

     The darker Gem snapped his head to the paler and then at the family of humans. All the color drained from his face and he held up a hand in greeting. "Hello... humans," he said, deadpan. When all they had to offer in reply was a stare, Dan continued his attempt to communicate. He made brackets with his index fingers and thumbs and held them close together. "My name is," he separated his brackets as he articulated his name, "OB-SID-IAN."

     The humans returned empty looks and looked as if they weren't breathing. No one spoke, no one screamed. The unmistakable scent of tree sap hung heavy in the air.

     "I don't think they know what you're saying," Black Opal whispered. He was right considering each member of the family then picked up a weapon and threatened their lives in an unknown language. The Gems couldn't blame the family for their reaction as they ran to safety; it wasn't every day a human saw an alien pop out of a rock.

     Once far from the family, their legs dangling freely in a pond, Dan remarked: "They could have worshipped us, y'know. We could have been literal gods, but nah, they had to come at us with sharp stones tied to sticks."

     "Would you really want to be a god, though?" Black Opal asked. He wiggled his toes in the cool water and lightly kicked his feet, creating small ripples. "That's a lot of responsibility, I'm sure."

     Dan wagged a finger. "You're right, you're right. What do I know about ruling over other beings, anyway? I'm only...what year is it?" At that moment, Black Opal's relaxed motions froze and his eyes grew wide. He spread his look of panic to Dan. "Shit, Aura!" The two sprung up and raced to where their last encampment had been.

     Nothing was left. There was no sign anyone had been where they had once been for thousands of years. Trees had sprung up and wildlife flooded the area, now. Deer stood as statues, observing their every move as Dan collapsed to the ground, pounding it with his fists, screaming in frustration. Bismuth had besmirched them and their titles; she had ruined everything they had built for themselves as Gems. She had betrayed them just as much as she had betrayed the Crystal Gems.

     Exhausted and frustrated, the duo left what they had once known as their camp. They meandered without reason, walking mindlessly to a blue ocean that curled around the horizon. There was a brief exchange of the beauty that lay before them, but neither Dan or Black Opal were in the mood for conversation.

     Sooner rather than later, they caught sight of a large wooden vessel on the water's surface. As it moved forward in the water, two more rolled in behind it. Dan and Black Opal awaited their arrival safely in a ditch, and, when the humans departed their ships, that's where they stayed. They were nearly discovered when the humans walked further on land.

     "India looks a bit different, don't you think, Colombo?"

     "Stop calling me that, Luca."

     "Why? That's your name, fopdoodle. What is wrong with you today?"

     While the humans were fraternizing with one another, Dan and Black Opal snuck onto one of the ships and returned to the land they had originated from: Spain. When they realized no one really spoke their language there, they snuck onto another ship that was headed to a land they would live for the rest of their lives: Great Britain. There, they lived as British citizens, giving themselves human names: Daniel James and Philip Michael.