Cutlass: History
Andy lands, and we all disembark. I run to Lysander and explain what is happening. “Someone made a wish like yours once and something terrible happened! He’s with us right now along with two of his friends! Please talk to them before you make your wish!”
“This better be important,” Lysander signs, “I’ve been waiting so long for this moment.”
Lysander look over my shoulder. “I see a dinosaur, a tiger, a boar, and a dog” they sign, “Aside from the dinosaur, I recognize them all. The tiger is Shize, and the boar is Charge, Shize’s husband. They’ve protested alongside me. The dog makes me uneasy, though. While he’s wearing a trenchcoat and T-shirt right now, I recognize him as a cop. He fired his rifle into a crowd of protestors and risked everybody’s lives. He was on national TV, but I remember because I was in that crowd.” They look like they want to start a fight...
“Wait, Lysander,” I sign, “This is Frankie, he’s-”
Lysander glares at Frankie and interrupts me. “This is a terrorist. He works for the cops and tried to kill everyone!” Lysander charges toward Frankie, ready to punch him in the face. Shize and Charge jump in front of them.
“Don’t!” Shize signs, “That was a huge misunderstanding! It’s… well, it’s a long story. I don’t think I know a good way to tell you everything. Long story short, he quit the police force and helped save countless lives afterwards!” Charge nods. It looks like Lysander is begrudgingly standing down so they can see what Frankie has to say.
“Alright, fine,” They sign, ”But why is he here?”
Shize pulla Frankie forward. He starts to speak while Shize interprets. At least I get a break from the interpreting work! “I used a ritual to grant a wish once. It was to make everyone in the Southern State believe in a message: Treat all animals as equal peers, including ‘farm animals’ and other persecuted minorities.”
“That phrase,” Lysander responds, “I remember talking with other deaf people who mentioned that others started uttering that exact phrase in an uncanny, unsettling way.”
“When I made that wish,” Frankie continues, “I thought it would make the world a better place. And it did. It really did. But it made life a lot different in a couple of bad ways… You see, some problems are so hopeless that only supernatural intervention can save you, but I learned an important lesson. If the method you use is centered around forcing people into submission, everyone around you becomes disingenuous and estranged.”
They nod. “I think I see where you’re coming from. It sounds like you used some sort of ritual to grant a wish, not too unlike mine. Does that mean if I have my wish granted, people will act like that?”
“There’s no guarantee, but I just thought you ought to know before you finalize it.”
Lysander nods. “I will take that into consideration. Thank you very much.” They begin carving the circle into the ground and step inside as they ascend into the sky. With their hooves, they declare, “My heart’s desire is a new continent where the Mountain Hoof Tribe and other surviving tribes can thrive on their own terms!”
Instantly, I feel the ground shake under my feet. The tremors don’t seem to last very long, but afterwards, we all get curious. Lysander looks south, completely in awe, as they descend back to earth. “What did you see,” I ask.
Lysander grins, holding back tears of joy. “I think it’s better we all take a look. Can that dragon fly us into the sky?”
I ask Andy to fly us all up to the sky. Zephyr and Ashura join as well. From where we are, we see an entirely new land appear offshore, stretching across the horizon. A luscious green radiates from the new continent. This was a new land for the surviving tribes. Their wish was granted.