[April 2010 Vignette] [Dark Star]

[Dr Archeville]

This year, floating about the Earth

Derrick floated above the Earth, watching it slowly rotate beneath him as he remember days gone by. April Fools Day. Not something he was particularly good at. He never had been good at pulling jokes and pranks upon others. He either just couldn’t do it or simply couldn’t keep a straight face long enough for the joke to work. But he always seemed to be the recipient of the jokes on these days. To his credit, he took it all rather well. Some might have been rather annoying, but it was all in good fun. Frustrating fun though it seemed.

He remembered one particular day, before he ever became Dark Star. He’d just been a regular guy back then. A hard working, and rather straight laced, scientist. One among many. But the jokes those fellows pulled. He smiled in remembrance. Those were the days.

There was this one time Derrick had been running an experiment. He had come in a little early, to get an early start. But his coworkers had preempted him. He had gone to the supply cabinet to get the XT3-45J with Ionizer but his fellow employees had played a joke on him. His coworkers had switched out the plugs with the XT3-45Z. It had been quite difficult to plug that in! And then when they had mixed up the chemical solutions! Switching out saline solution for a heavy water mixture. Oh those wacky scientists! It wasn’t really normal humor jokes but then Derrick had been something of a science nerd/geek. I still am I suppose, he mused to himself with a smile.

He looked down at the item he was ‘carrying’ in his telekinetic fist. He had been quite content being Dark Star. He had some responsibilities but not much beyond his personal beliefs and code of honor. He would have stayed around for a few year, 10 or 20 maybe, before moving on. He hadn’t really been connected with people anymore. But that was alright. He was still there to help. He was just helping on a grander scale and little things like friendship and family were minor losses in comparison; worth it in his opinion.

He had been all set to accept that Derrick was gone and only Dark Star remained. But the universe had played a little joke on him it seemed. Against the odds, a surprising twist of fate from the universe, he had found someone very special. Dark Star had been the butt of joke by the universe, making him secondary and reviving Derrick from the metaphorical dead.

Of course, this joke he was happy with. More than happy really. He couldn’t imagine life without her anymore. So strange considering only a few months ago he was closed off and separate from the world.

He looked down at the ring floating before him. This was one surprise he was going to keep forever. As soon as the moment was right, he was going to keep this one forever.