Contest entry by 10850
Quark stood by the container that contained the statue of Gar, devoid of life. He pulled up a chair and sat there. Silent.
Hours passed and Nova entered the room they were in, "There you are. Have you seen Chase?"
"No. I think she needs some space to grieve. She has confined herself to her quarters for days," Quark replied.
"The poor girl," Nova said. "She really has feelings for him."
"Yes," Quark added. "He was my best friend on this Earth. We were both outsiders... different... strange... oddballs... He understood me, and I, him. Plus he was the only one who appreciated my jokes..."
"We will miss him dearly. There's nothing you can do?"
"I don't know. Even if I change his form, his life essense is gone. I thought of going back in time to save him. In fact, I did. Ten times."
"You did?" Nova was surprised. "What happened?"
"Each time I went back to try and change something, Jinn foiled it. I even tried teleporting Gar to different dimensions in parallel universes, but wherever we went, Jinn knew how to find us. His magic must transcend the multiverses."
Quark paused and sighed.
"I also tried to change Gar's form into something else, but Jinn could sense his soul... In the end I always end up here in this point in space and time, sitting next to Gar's statue."
Nova said, "I don't know what else anyone could do. But we must find Jinn. You need to do an interdimensional sweep to see if you can sense him."
"OK. But can you give me a few moments alone with Gar? Another hour or two?"
"Of course. We'll be in the operations center across the hall from here," Nova replied, and left the room quietly.
The sun was setting and cast its golden amber rays through the window, illuminating Gar's statue. He seemed so peaceful, Quark thought.
"If you don't wake up now I am going to change your form into a duck, so when we get you back, you will be fowl!" Quark mock-threatened Gar, hoping to elicit a response.
It was a desperate hope.
"OK then, I am going to sit here and tell you every joke I know!"
He glanced at Gar with a mischievous twinkle in his third eye.
"How many psychiatrists does it take to change a light bulb?"
"Just one. But it has to really really want to change!" Quark answered himself.
He thought he saw a petriefied look in Gar's eyes, then remembered that he was a statue after all.
"How about this one: What flower loves to kiss each other?"
"Tulips!" He exclaimed, then giggled, "He he he he he..."
Suddenly he paused, horrified at his own joke and looked around to see if anyone else was in the room.
Convinced he was alone, Quark continued, "Why couldn't the duck walk or fly?"
"Because it was a sitting duck!!!"
"HA HA HA HA HA!" He burst out laughing uncontrollably, as tears ran down his face.
He sighed and was suddenly overcome by a profound sadness.
There was a long silence.
Then Nova paged him to get to the operations center. Quark got up.
As he was leaving the room he thought he saw a little smile on Gar's face.
"Embrace your inner weirdness"
ID 10850
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