by Doc Quantum
During the approach of the holiday season, Kevin Boyd determined that this year’s Christmas should be extra special for his two daughters, Rachel and Stacy. It had been a challenging year for the slightly frazzled high school science teacher and single dad, and he wanted to make sure his little girls had an unforgettable holiday.
With decorations adorning the house and the gift-wrapping season in full swing, Kevin couldn’t wait to see the excited smiles on his little girls’ faces. He could hardly have predicted that an unexpected twist awaited him, conveniently concealed inside a giant Christmas present. Now, the arrival of the Shape had turned his home into a scene of chaos.
As Kevin laid out a spread of pancakes topped with whipped cream and strawberries for his girls and their unexpected guest, he couldn’t help but reflect on the time he and the Shape had gone their separate ways all those years ago.
Just as all good things must eventually come to an end, Kevin had been forced to say goodbye to his childhood friend when he headed off to college at eighteen. Realizing he needed to forge a life of his own, away from the chaotic life of an action-hero, Kevin understood that the Shape was ready to find his own way in the world without his guidance.
Twenty years ago, when the Shape had first inexplicably come to life like some rubbery Frosty the Snowman, his speech had been limited to simple, short words and phrases he had picked up from Kevin and his uncle. Back then, he sounded like a toddler just learning his first words, and in a way, that was exactly what he once was. Since then, however, he had mastered the English language and a few others, picking up many colloquialisms to fit in better with people. The Shape had also developed a great sense of humor along the way and liked to use it as much as possible in order to make people laugh. He had found that this was the best way to make new friends. Of course, the Shape sometimes went a bit too far and could seem positively manic at times, as if Robin Williams had been given super-powers. Kevin just hoped his girls wouldn’t be too scared of this odd cartoon character come to life.
Even though the Shape’s broken English had improved over the years, he never lost his childlike enthusiasm for living life and finding fun wherever he was. He constantly replayed the TV scenes he had seen while being shaped back in the laboratory under those special lights. If anything, Kevin had always been the more mature one in their friendship. Although the Shape hadn’t really made much of a name for himself as an action-hero like the members of the Sentinels of Justice, Kevin had always maintained that the Shape was capable of being the equal of any of their number. In order to fully spread his wings, the Shape needed his independence, and Kevin knew he was only holding him back.
Tearfully, the two had parted ways, and Kevin’s life over the next four years became an intense mixture of study and socialization with fellow students. Making friends and meeting girls wasn’t easy for the young man, as his only real friend throughout childhood had been an artificial man. Consequently, he often found himself taken advantage of by people who preyed on his naïve good nature.
In the decade since then, Kevin had graduated and slowly built a career and family for himself in California, despite enduring an unexpected divorce from Jolene. This past summer, his plans had been interrupted by the death of Uncle Scuba and the old estate left to him in the will. After the funeral, Kevin and his young daughters moved into that old house on the outskirts of Hub City. Remarkably, Kevin quickly landed a teaching job at a local high school before the fall semester. The old laboratory at the back of the house had been under lock and key ever since, until he could find enough time to deal with it between raising two young children and working as a teacher at an inner-city high school in a dangerous neighborhood.
Days ago, when his Christmas break began, Kevin Boyd started wondering what had become of his old friend. The Shape remained a low-profile action-hero, but occasionally Kevin heard his name in the news. Last year, during the strange events known as the Crisis on Infinite Earths, he spotted the Shape in a news photograph that depicted him and a few other heroes in the midst of battling the Shadow Demons that seemed to be everywhere at the time. Since then, however, Kevin had heard little about his old friend and found himself wondering why.
With the recent resurgence of action-heroes over the last couple of years, particularly the Sentinels of Justice, Kevin had contemplated whether the Shape would eventually be invited to join that fabled team. He may not have been as high-profile as the Blue Beetle or Captain Atom, but Kevin knew the Shape was just as capable as those big-name crime-fighters. His faith in his hero remained steadfast.
As an adult, Kevin often wondered whether he truly understood the facts of the Shape’s origin. How likely was it that a chemically treated figurine created by his eccentric uncle could come to life merely through a simultaneous application of white and black light? His uncle had never been successful with his inventions before, so what made the Shape so different? How had the Shape been able to pick up language so quickly and easily, not to mention learn about all the types of shapes he became in those early days? For example, the Shape had become a horse without ever seeing one, almost as if he had plucked the idea from his memory. Sure, the television was always on, but that was before the Shape had even been brought to life or had any real sensory organs. Nothing about the Shape’s origin made any scientific sense at all.
While in college, Kevin had become quite a reader and encountered the idea of the homunculus, a popular concept in sixteenth-century alchemy. The alchemist Paracelsus first spoke of a homunculus as a miniature creature created in the form of a man. However, the Shape’s origin was supposed to be rooted in science, not alchemy. Still, Professor Duba had always been eccentric enough to draw inspiration from disparate sources, so why not alchemy? Of course, the idea of the homunculus was just that — an idea. Paracelsus had only theorized what was possible, and as far as Kevin knew, no one had ever successfully created one. Moreover, the concept was scientifically absurd; the human brain alone was far too complex to duplicate through such primitive methods.
Kevin also considered the possibility that the Shape’s origins lay elsewhere in the universe. Could his uncle have recovered an extraterrestrial creature from a fallen UFO and restored it to life? If the Shape were a highly intelligent alien with shape-changing abilities and slight telepathy, it would certainly explain his rapid absorption of complex language. Although the Shape initially spoke very simply, like a young child, he quickly grasped the complexities of English and soon mastered it, though he occasionally lapsed back into his early speech patterns. His lack of earlier memories could be attributed to the trauma of having “died” or at least gone into a deathlike state upon crashing on Earth. This led to another question: if the Shape were extraterrestrial, could there be others like him on Earth, and would they be friends or foes to humanity?
These thoughts faded from Kevin’s mind as he tried to focus on the present. It was Christmas Day, and he had two young daughters to think of. His own adventures with the Shape were long since over, even if his old pal had just now dropped by for a long-overdue visit.
Watching the boundless enthusiasm of the Shape, Kevin felt a wave of fatigue wash over him. It had been many years since he and his old friend had gone on their adventures, and he had forgotten just how much energy it took to keep up with the Shape. Even his girls began tiring themselves out after having pony rides on the Shape’s back, which soon turned into kangaroo, turtle, and train rides throughout the house. It was exhausting just trying to keep up with the spectacle of it all. But now, with breakfast finally made, he hoped things could settle down for a little while.
As his daughters and the Shape sat down at the kitchen table, Kevin served each of them their pancakes and then turned on the radio, tuning it to an AM station playing Christmas Oldies. Rachel and Stacy had quickly become fast friends with the Shape, and now they were constantly competing for his attention, resulting in a never-ending chatter that Kevin could barely keep up with. Christmas Day was already getting out of hand, and his stress level was rising rapidly.
“What am I doing?” he muttered to himself, squeezing his eyes shut in an effort to regain control over his emotions. “Get it together, Kevin!”
Upon opening his eyes, he realized the room had gone quiet, and everyone was looking at him. Stacy giggled.
“Are you okay there, buddy?” asked the Shape.
“Daddy, why did you close your eyes like that?” laughed Rachel. “You looked so silly!”
Oh, my gosh! They’re always watching me and everything I do — and now there’s three of them! thought Kevin. That’s it. I’ve got to put my foot down and get some order back in this house!
“Okay, kids, you’ve had your fun with Mr. Shape, but I’m sure he has places to go, and people to see,” said Kevin. “As soon as everyone’s done breakfast, we can say our goodbyes and let Mr. Shape go back to doing real action-hero stuff.”
The Shape was already shaking his head. “No, no, I don’t have anywhere to be right now, old buddy! I came here to see you guys!”
“Well, you’ve seen me and the girls,” Kevin replied. “And now you ought to get going before you overstay your welcome.”
“Awww…” began Rachel, while Stacy started to bawl. The Shape just looked shocked.
Well, that could’ve gone better, Kevin thought to himself. He was beginning to feel a bit sheepish for turning out his old friend so soon after his arrival, but he’d already made his decision, for better or worse.
Just then, the doorbell rang, providing a welcome interruption.
“I’ll get it!” cried Rachel, beginning to run for the door.
“No!” Kevin shouted, causing her to stop in her tracks. “I’ll get the front door. You and Stacy go find Shape somewhere to hide. I don’t want anyone to know he’s here.” The girls both nodded, and he turned back to the door. “Who could be making house calls on Christmas Day, anyway?” he grumbled under his breath.
When he opened the door, he found himself momentarily speechless. Standing there was a pretty young woman with short dark hair and pink-tinted, wide-rimmed glasses. Others might have dismissed her as a mousey secretary, but to Kevin Boyd, she was absolutely gorgeous. “H-hello?” he stammered, a strange smile creeping over his face. “Uh, how can I help you?”
The young woman smiled bashfully and said, “Hi, are you Kevin? Kevin Boyd?”
He nodded.
“Good, good!” she replied cheerfully. “I’m Angela — Angela Revere — and I work for Kord Industries. I understand you’ve inherited a fully stocked chemical laboratory from your uncle. My condolences on your loss, by the way.”
“What?” asked Kevin, confused. “Oh, yes, right. Well, that was months ago. We weren’t all that close, anyway.”
“Be that as it may, Kord is always on the lookout for cutting-edge scientific breakthroughs of the kind your late uncle was known for,” continued Angela. “Tell me, Mr. Boyd, would you have any interest in divesting with the lab? Say the word, and we could present you with a sizeable offer. You wouldn’t have to do a thing. We would take care of the rest. I’m sure you’d be glad to have us take it off your hands after all this time.”
“Well, yes, that would be nice,” agreed Kevin, rubbing his disheveled hair with one hand and realizing he was still in his pajamas. “Uh, can you give me some time to think about it?”
“Oh, of course, Mr. Boyd,” she replied. “Take all the time you need. I can leave you my number, if you wish.”
“S-sure, sure,” Kevin stammered. “Let me go grab a pen.” Angela smiled warmly and turned to look in the other direction as Kevin closed the door halfway, then ran into his kitchen to grab a notepad and a pen.
However, as he did so, he couldn’t help but notice how quiet the house had become.
“That’s weird…” he muttered to himself. “The girls are never this quiet unless they’re up to no good, and as for the Shape, he’s never quiet at all… well, hardly ever.”
Kevin poked his head around the corner and said, “Sorry, I’ll be another minute. Can you wait?”
“No problem!” Angela said at the door. “I’ll be right here.”
“Great!” he replied, and went to the girls’ rooms one by one, only to find them empty. As he searched through the rest of the house, he discovered that they weren’t in any other room, either. Finally, he checked the back door leading to the backyard and found it not only unlocked but left partly open.
Grabbing a coat, Kevin stepped out into the backyard and called out, “Rachel…? Stacy…? Shape…? Where are you hiding? I’m getting worried!”
He listened for a few more moments, looking around at the bushes lining the fence and expecting to hear the snicker of his girls that always revealed their position during a game of hide and seek. But he heard nothing out there. It was eerily quiet, even for this early in the morning. “Where in the world are they?”
If anything, this was all the proof he needed that the Shape’s visit was a bad influence on his children. He wasn’t happy about it, but he had to send the Shape packing as soon as possible.