Chapter Seven: Evil Manual and a Hasty Exit
Simon had suspected the manual was grumpy. He had not suspected it could be evil.
Doug stared at the silver rod, which was now glowing a deep red and pulsing like it had swallowed an entire angry star. The orb that had guided them quivered, flickering nervously.
"It’s… it’s turning on us," Doug muttered. "The manual doesn’t like disobedience. Or bad answers. Or… well, us."
Simon gulped. "So… what do we do?"
Doug’s grin was dangerous. "Destroy it. Fast."
The manual—now hovering ominously above them, pages flapping like wings—let out a low, humming screech that rattled the nearby floating buildings. Letters formed in the air:
YOU THINK YOU CAN DESTROY ME?
Simon swallowed. "Yes. Yes we do."
Doug handed him a small device shaped like a cross between a slingshot and a fire extinguisher. "Point, aim, and… basically anything that could be construed as violent works."
Simon aimed at the glowing core of the hovering manual. The device fired a burst of concentrated… something. Light? Energy? A mild insult? Simon wasn’t sure.
The manual shrieked, flapped, and twisted. Pages flew wildly, forming a tornado of angry typography. The orb buzzed, frantic but resigned.
Doug fired his own shot. The two bursts collided in midair, and with a flash that temporarily made the sky green, magenta, and vaguely angry, the manual let out a final, ear-splitting screech… and collapsed into a harmless pile of floating confetti-like paper.
Simon blinked. "Did… did we do it?"
Doug wiped his brow. "Looks like it. Congratulations. We just defeated a semi-sentient, intergalactic, mildly homicidal manual."
Simon looked around. The city of light, the singing rivers, the geometric polygons—all fading into nothingness.
"And now?" Simon asked.
Doug grinned. "Now… we go home."
With a final click of the silver rod, the kaleidoscope of swirling colors returned. A pop later, and they were standing on the rooftop of the Bonaventure Apartment in London, shopping cart and all. The city below was calm, mundane, and blissfully unremarkable.
Simon let out a long, shaky breath. "Home. Finally."
Doug nodded, looking at the harmless pile of confetti that had once been the manual. "Home. But remember, Simon… never underestimate a book. Or its sense of humor."
Simon groaned. "I think I’ll stick to toast from now on."
Doug laughed. "Wise choice. Though the universe might have other plans."
And with that, they pushed the shopping cart back into the elevator, leaving behind the rooftop, the city, and the planet that had thoroughly tested their sanity.
For now.
THE END?