Hannah was a private person. Shy. People viewed her as meek, mild, someone to run over for those who got off on that crap. But she had a secret.
They were wrong.
Hannah was strong, confident and radiated what people thought was calm tranquility. Another mistake by the schleps. She reveled in what was smug arrogance, elated in the knowledge she was The Chosen One, and only she knew! It was her secret and it made her superior to all.
The people who’d picked on Hannah didn’t know she had a memory like an elephant and kept grudges for eternity. Nor did they know that she was biding her time until the God of Gods who had picked her as The Chosen One revealed this to the entire world, allowing her free reign to blast the loser assholes who’d tortured her for her entire life into any of the 47 levels of Hell.
As The Chosen One, she’d been given these and millions of other powers by the One Real Groovy God, Charlie Kristos, King of the Gods whom she conveniently kept nearby in her cupboard so she could call on him at any time. And there weren’t any of those red animals and incense and musical instruments-type nonsense. Charlie kept it real – went in for the simple. Claimed it was more practical. Hannah understood.
Charlie took the form of a rutabaga. She’d initially thought it odd until he explained it was for self defense as it made him unappealing to virtually every possible predatory god and since he was viewed as non-threatening and jolly, the other gods apparently agreed that he was the Groovy King of the Gods.
Naturally Hannah had to take that by faith since she couldn’t see or hear the other gods. Hannah could see, hear and especially feel a friend she’d come to think had god-like powers, which she simply called Rabbit, who could be loud and buzzed mightily but produced sensations of religious delirium she’d thought only Charlie could beat, though she’d recently begun to have doubts. She yearned to become one with the King of the Gods, as with Rabbit, but couldn’t really see how and she kept waiting for Charlie to show the way but he wasn’t very animated.
Which touched on an irritating question that intrusive, ugly Dr. Senpai had asked upon dropping by unannounced on Tuesday. Hannah tried to explain Charlie’s importance to Dr. Senpai but made the mistake of admitting Charlie lived in her cupboard. Dr. Senpai asked, “This cupboard?” to which Hannah shrugged.
Senpai opened the cupboard and stared before coughing and slamming the cupboard door. He asked “How long has Charlie lived in the cupboard?”
Hannah was unsure. “Eternity?”
Senpai ventured, “Hannah, it looks to me like your King of the Gods might be a shriveled ancient vegetable that’s leaking putrid juices throughout your cupboard. I’m disappointed. You’d seemed to be doing well. I’m afraid it’s back to the top floor for you with those restful white walls.”
The call for orderlies rang out before Hannah had a chance to kill Dr. Senpai for his blasphemous sacrilege regarding the King of the Gods. Hannah briefly thought being The Chosen One didn’t turn out to be all that, and then the lights went out.
About:
Scott C. Holstad is a disabled Pulitzer & BOTN-nominated poet & author with 75+ books to his credit & work in 850+ unique magazines. His work has appeared in the Minnesota Review, Exquisite Corpse, Pacific Review, Santa Clara Review, Palo Alto Review, Chiron Review, Comstock Review, Wisconsin Review, Southern Review, Poetry Ireland Review, The Galway Review, Cosmic Daffodil Journal, Mad Swirl, Libre, dadakuku, haiQu.fOO, miniMAG, Bristol Noir &Blood+Honey. His newest book of poems, SURVIVING IMMORTALITY AGAIN, was released in 2025 by Alien Buddha Press. He lives in Pennsylvania.
Twitter: @tangledscott
