Spotlight

The DeMolator

Have you read Episode I yet? If not, CLICK HERE to read it first!
Have you read Episode II yet? If not, CLICK HERE to read it first!

Prologue

Time passed, and the incident at Rock Quarry was all but forgotten. The DeMolator, for the time being, had been tucked safely away until the SMC/GWA reception, which approached faster than anyone could have imagined. The excitement felt on the day of the SMC/GWA reception was palpable-this was the first time DeMolay and Rainbow had ever planned a reception together, and both orders wanted it to not only be the first joint reception, but the best. There was, however, one dark cloud on this sunny day, and her name was Tiffany Ashley-Meagan Smith.

"Today is the day that I show those stupid State Officers that I am not invisible!" she said to herself as she got ready for the reception.

Plain black hair, plain black dress-you'd think she was a librarian going to a funeral instead of a young lady going to a formal reception. Nevertheless, Tiffany Ashley-Meagan Smith couldn't help but feel just a bit more confident than usual. She wasn't going to be invisible today!

The DeMolator - Episode III

"I can't wait for tonight to come!" Christina said to Goofy as they helped prepare for the evening.

Goofy uninterestedly replied, "Really? Why is that, pray tell?"

"Dressing up, good food…" Christina said, and then continued in a conspicuously conspiratorial voice, "And I've got a pie with Michael's name on it!"

Goofy grinned, "That's funny…'Cause I've got a pie with your name on it, too!"

"Hey! What did I ever do to you?"

"You know the phrase…'bros before…'"

Christina covered Goofy's mouth.

"How about this: 'cleanliness of mouth'?" Christina said.

"Who's being unclean?" Richie asked as he walked up.

"Goofy," Christina pouted.

"I was not! I was simply stating the truth," Goofy objected, "Wasn't I, Richie?"

"Yep, he sure was."

Christina hung her head-there was no point in arguing.

"You know we love you," Goofy said, hugging her quickly so she couldn't get away.

"Speak for yourself," Michael said, walking up from behind Richie, who jumped, startled by his sudden appearance.

"Where did you come from?" he asked.

"Well, when two people love each other…" Goofy started.

Christina covered his mouth again.

"No, man…I used my SMC powers to appear behind you!"

"Nah….he's just too short to notice at first," Todd said, slapping Michael on the back as he joined the group.

The State Officers conversed for a while, 'taking a break,' until Mom Griggers broke them up.

"Less talkin', more workin,'" she said with a grin as she carried three platters of food precariously in her arms.

They grumbled, but continued to help out.

Finally, they were able to see the fruits of their labor. The tables set up for the SMC were truly…Hollywood.

Everyone who helped seemed very pleased with themselves. Both Michael and Khrystal were well-represented, and the décor was great.

Nothing could go wrong…

…Or so they thought.

The night started off like a dream: the receiving line was lively, the music was great, and everyone seemed to be having a wonderful time. However, as the night progressed, the crowd seemed to disperse much faster than usual. Where was John? Where was Geoff? Did Chris get lost coming back from the restroom?

Wait…where was the SMC? This was his reception…

"Where are the State Officers? " Dad Bard asked Dad Griggers, "They were supposed to give a presentation!"

Dad Griggers furrowed his eye brows, "If they've gone to Waffle House…"

"Maybe they are planning a Hollywood-style entrance?" Dad Bohn suggested, worry also creeping along the features of his usually care-free visage.

"Maybe this is a job for the DeMolator?" Dad Fonteneou suggested, appearing from nowhere.

The other Dads jumped.

"Would you quit doing that?" Dad Bard asked.

"Doing what?" Dad Fonteneou asked.

"Just…appearing like that, it's disconcerting."

"Alright…just let me find my cowbell…" Dad Fonteneou said with a chuckle.

"You seem relatively calm," Dad Griggers said.

"What is the DeMolator?" Dad Bohn asked.

Dad Bard turned a slight shade of pink.

"It's a machine that allows me to instantly transport the State Officers wherever I want," Dad Bard explained.

Dad Bohn flipped open his cell phone and prepared to call Ridgeview-he had put it on speed dial for just such an occasion.

Dad Fonteneou shook his head at Dad Bohn.

"It's true-I helped make it work."

"What? When?" Dad Bard asked.

"I told you that you can't make people appear-they have to want to appear. I simply used the power of suggestion to help them want to appear. I needed to put a few safety commands into the DeMolator…but it transported itself to the wrong place."

"You sent the DeMolator to a Rainbow meeting?"

"Not intentionally, of course…perhaps the DeMolator has, to some extent, a mind of its own."

"I can see some major youth protection issues here," Dad Bohn said.

"It's perfectly safe-" Dad Bard objected.

"Gentlemen, as interesting as all of this is, I think we need to focus on our immediate problem-where are our SOs?"

"I'll prove it to you-the DeMolator is safe!" Dad Bard said, stomping off.

"I don't know…" Dad Fonteneou trailed.

Dad Bard started up the DeMolator and pulled up the screens for all of the State Officers-they were all black!

Dad Bard became ghostly pale.

"They're asl-sleep," he reasoned, "They h-have to be…"

He set the DeMolator to transport the State Officers to the Yaarab Temple.

The first to appear was Geoff, who was accompanied by a strange, white fog. His eyes were closed, and his skin was cold, pale, and clammy. He took three jerky, zombie-like steps toward his father.

"Dad-don't…" Geoff said, and stood stiffly, eyes still closed, as though he was frozen in place.

Everyone at the reception simply stopped. Food hung in open mouths and lively conversation seemed to hit a brick wall of shock-all was silent.

"Geoff? Geoff!" Dad Bard exclaimed, rushing over to his son.

Chris was next to appear. He, too, appeared to be sleep-walking in the middle of a nightmare.

"Don't touch me!" he yelled to no one, and then joined Geoff in his frozen state. Mom and Dad Eells rushed to the stage.

"What happened?" Dad Eells asked.

"Where's Richie?" Mom Eells followed.

Dad Stovall pushed his way through the crowd, making it to the stage just as Todd appeared, already standing like a statue.

"Stop that machine before you hurt anymore people!"

"…I can't…" Dad Bard said softly as he looked at Geoff. Geoff looked so pale…and his skin was so cold…was he…were they…?

Meanwhile, the little boy in the potato sack who was dancing in Underground Atlanta had made his way to the Coca-Cola Museum. He was surrounded by beautiful Georgia State girls who were pouring different drinks into his mouth from the international soda fountain.

"He's just so cute!" one girl exclaimed as she gave the little boy a drink that was from Germany.

"Tell us the pick-up line about the speeding ticket again. It's just adorable!"

The rest of the girls nodded and giggled in unison.

"Please?"

"It's so funny!"

"We'd love to hear it!"

The little boy grinned, "Are you a speeding ticket? Because you have 'fine' written all over you."

The girls cheered and giggled.

Some guys have all the luck.

The rest of the State Officers appeared, all of them in the same sorry shape as Geoff, Chris, and Todd. Michael was the last to appear.

"…Invisible? Who said that…?" was all that Michael said before he, too, fell silent and still.

The room broke out into pandemonium. People rushed to help, rushed to get away, rushed simply because there seemed to be no other logical thing to do.

Mom Bohn pushed her way to the stage to check on the State Officers.

They look… she dared not think the rest of her thought.

She checked Goofy. He was breathing-barely. It was the same for the rest of the State Officers as well.

She stood up and grabbed a microphone.

"I think they are okay!" she said, "Everybody calm down, or somebody is really going to get hurt. Just sit down…everything will be alright…"

Everyone began to settle down, and the room grew hushed-silent, save for a few worried whispers.

Mom Corwin and Kyle's sister began to gently to rub hot, wet rags over Kyle's forehead, not sure what else to do.

Dad Griggers looked at Mom Griggers as she examined Michael.

"Will he be okay?" he asked, feeling the very foreign emotion called fear.

"He's breathing, but I don't know what is wrong-"

There was a crackle from the speakers, and the projection screen that had been showing random pictures from movies, as well as photos of rainbows, turtles, crosses, and spring flowers suddenly changed to an image of a girl in plain black clothes and unkempt black hair appeared on screen-it was Tiffany Ashley-Meagan Smith.

She seemed to spot the camera source and walked over to it. She examined it for a moment, seemingly unaware that it was on.

"A camera? How nice!" she said gleefully, "Hello…"

She waved her hand at the camera and smirked maliciously.

"I am about to send those State Officers, your so-called 'leaders' of your pathetic little organization some place far, far away from here where they can't make fun of me anymore!"

She began to laugh nefariously. Her laughter grew louder and more annoying until finally, she snorted. She covered her mouth.

"That's not funny! Don't laugh at me! It's not FUNNY!"

She breathed and calmed herself down.

"Anyway, I hope your little State Officers enjoy their little vacation….bye, now!"

The State Officers seemed to break out of their trances, a worried look crossing all of their faces simultaneously. They didn't hear or see what had just happened, but they had just met Tiffany Ashley-Meagan Smith in person-and she made it very clear that she didn't like them at all.

Stay tuned for the next episode of "The DeMolator" in the November Word of the Day.

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