Young Writers Society

Chapter Two

Jim Williams gazed up at the towering wall that stood before him. He picked up a twig and poked the fence. The stick immediately burst into flames.

“Dang it!” Jim yelled. “Why does this kind of thing always happen to me?! Stupid Map, stupid Dora! How am I gonna get through this? There’s no Deus Ex-Machina this time.”

Jim threw himself to the ground and began thinking of possible ways to climb over the barrier. He was just about to hurl himself into the fence when a robot suddenly popped up out of nowhere.

“Greetings,” said the machine sadly. “I’ll have you know that I am feeling very depressed.”

Jim paused and stared at the robot. After a few seconds, he continued to toss himself into the fence.

“Would you like to know why?” the android inquired.

Jim paused again and considered this for a moment. “No, not really,” he finally replied.

The robot pretended not to hear. “I am depressed because I have an intelligence quotient that is no doubt far greater than yours, yet I am still considered merely a piece of hardware.”

The machine stopped for what was intended to be a dramatic pause and lowered its head. After a few awkward moments, it continued.

“You humans ask me to perform frivolous tasks every moment of your putrid lives. ‘Tony, finish the job. Tony, guard the fence. Tony, fetch the prisoners. Tony, Tony, Tony.’ I am capable of some of the greatest equations on the planet. I could even cure cancer if I had a few extra minutes. But, no. I am kept busy every waking moment of my mechanical life. I barely even have any time to recharge myself at nighttime.” The robot buried its face in its hands.

Jim wasn’t quite sure how to react to this. “Um, gee, that’s…terrible?”

“Oh, it is,” the robot answered. It lowered itself to the ground and continued to mope.

Jim digested what had just occurred. “Um, look, I’m sorry to here about that, but I need to get over this fence, so…do ya think you can help me out?”

“There he goes again,” said the robot. “That’s all you humans want. Help with this, help with that. I do wonder how your people evolved. You claim that your kind is ‘dominant,’ yet you cannot do a thing by yourselves. If you weren’t so intent on begging for my help, you would have noticed by now that the fence is only twelve meters long.”

Jim stared at the distressed robot, perplexed. He turned his gaze to the electric fence. Sure enough, it stopped abruptly a few meters away. Jim returned his gaze to the android.

“Um, yeah, thanks,” said Jim.

The robot sighed. “Whatever.”

Jim ran past the electric fence, glad to be away from the chronically depressed robot.

“Let’s see,” Jim told himself, “I’ve gotta go over the fence and…through the cave!”

After several tiring minutes, Jim arrived at the entrance to a large, damp, and debatably smelly cave. Actually, it was more of a tunnel, for Jim spotted a tiny sliver of light at the far end.

Just as he was about to enter the cave, er, tunnel, Jim heard a loud grunt. From the shadows slowly emerged the infamous…Syan Reacrest!

The malevolent Syan laughed malevolently.

“Ha, ha, ha!” he roared. “Is this the best Dora the Explorer has to offer? Ho, ha, he! That’s a laugh!”

Jim, however, had never watched American Idol, and was quite confused. “Who the heck are you?!” he asked.

“Who? You mortal fool! I am Syan Reacrest! No not Ryan Seacrest, SYAN REACREST. Do you not see the resemblance?”

“Uh, no, not really. Have you come to steal my soul like Mupert?” asked Jim, remembering his first encounter with the mogul.

“Um, well, yes,” answered Syan. He had not expected Jim to know who his master was. “But before I do, I will put on—”

“A magic show?”

Syan was getting annoyed. “Well, I was, but no longer! Instead, I will find another, worser means of torture!” Syan laughed evilly again.

“’Worser’ is not a word, Syan!” Jim yelled. If there was anything Jim hated more than rabid, blue hedgehogs, it was definitely grammar errors.

Jim and Syan stared at each other with sheer hatred in their eyes. Out of nowhere, a voice echoed throughout the cave. “Commence mortal combat!”

Will Jim defeat the notorious Syan Reacrest? Will he make it to Mupert’s lair and destroy his evil plan? Will Tony the Robot go on Prozac? Find out in the next installment of…Jim Williams and the Darth Droid of DOOM!

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Yeah...I hope you guys read the introduction and the first chapter. I doubt you did, though.