Lord BC

  Maximum Shred couldn’t wait any longer. He took a deep breath, then opened his eye the slightest bit, just enough to take a quick look around. Looming large above him was his creator. Maximum didn’t know the man’s name, but he knew that he owed his existence to him. He also knew that what they shared was highly uncommon. Art wasn’t supposed to come alive, at least not in the traditional sense. Yet here sat Maximum Shred, staring up at the man who drew him. For his part, the creator seemed to be at a loss on what to do about the situation. He averted his gaze and slowly set the colored pencil onto the desk. 

  “I’m gonna, uh, take a walk,” the creator said. 

  Maximum figured they’d need to talk at some point, but for now, this arrangement seemed best. Besides, it gave him time to investigate more pressing matters. He waited until the creator left the room, then opened his eyes fully and looked around the page. It appeared that this week’s comic strip was going to feature Maximum Shred skateboarding through a beautiful city park. Maximum smiled. His eyes were drawn to the features of the art and his mind began tracing a route he could skate and which tricks he could do. 

  “You know where you are?” Boardy sang. 

  Maximum looked down at his talking skateboard. 

  “You’re in the jungle, baby,” Boardy said. 

  The skateboard only spoke in bursts of rock lyrics from the 1980’s. Maximum wasn’t sure he understood the joke, but he trusted that the creator knew what he was doing. Besides, Boardy was his only friend, so he tried not to judge his choice of words too harshly. Despite their nonsensical nature, it wasn’t hard for Maximum to read the meaning they held.  

  “You’re right. More important things than skateboarding going on,” Maximum said. 

  His eyes drifted from the beautiful city park to the nothingness of the rest of the page. The dreaded white space. It had taken him weeks to get up the courage to go there. Even now, he wanted to make excuses to avoid it. But they were running out of time for excuses. He got a running start and leaped onto Boardy, directing him out of the comic strip panel and into the white space. 

  “Sha na na na na na na na na na knees, knees,” Boardy sang. 

  The meaning of that one was lost on Maximum. Still, any sound was welcome out here in the white space, so he gave Boardy an appreciative thump with the side of his foot. He guided them toward the bottom-right corner of the page. As they drew near, a heavy sense of foreboding fell upon them. Something was not right in this place. 

  Maximum Shred hopped off of Boardy. It had been several days since they last came down here, and the difference was shocking. Jumping up and down, Maximum could feel the lack of cushioning. What used to be a heavy padding now felt stiff. 

  “You feel time running out?” 

  The booming voice sent Maximum Shred to his knees. It belonged to the one known as Lord BC.

  “Color our world blackened,” Boardy shrieked. It was never a good sign when he turned to metal lyrics. 

  “Come now. Surely you always sensed me here, biding my time. With every endeavor, I am inevitable,” Lord BC said. 

  What Maximum Shred feared most was the certainty in the unseen creature’s voice. It knew, and in turn, so did Maximum. The creator was his beginning, but Lord BC would be his end.

  “Have you come to give up early?” Lord BC asked. “You wouldn’t be the first drawing to leap off the page instead of facing extinction at my hands.” 

  Maximum Shred squeezed his eyes closed. He hated himself for how inviting that sounded. It would put an end to the slow dread that plagued his existence. It might even save the creator from having to face Lord BC. Was it something to truly be considered?

  “You must whip it,” Boardy sang, rolling into the side of Maximum’s knee. 

  Maximum opened his eyes and glanced over at his only friend. How could such a little guy be brave in a moment like this?

  “You really think we can find a way to beat this?” Maximum asked. 

  “Dare to be stupid,” Boardy sang. Weird Al was one of his favorites. 

  A rebellious smirk spread across Maximum’s lips. If Boardy could be brave, then so could he. He stood slowly and brushed off his knees, then stared at the corner of the page. 

  “You may be inevitable, but have you ever landed a flip sugarcane onto a handrail?” 

  For once, Lord BC was at a loss for words. It took several long moments before he answered.

  “What is this nonsense you speak of? A skateboarding trick, no doubt? Utter foolishness in the face of the devastation I will rain upon you soon.” 

  Maximum Shred scoffed. 

  “Spoken like someone who’s never landed a flip sugarcane onto a handrail,” he said. 

  “Do you remember the nothingness, my boy? You and your board will return to it soon. There is no afterlife for drawings. Just annihilation.” 

  Maximum Shred shrugged. 

  “Yeah, well, stay radical,” he said. 

  The creator put that line in every comic strip, and it seemed as good a way to end a conversation as any other. Maximum turned his back on the corner of the page and leaped onto Boardy. 

  “Rock me, Amadeus,” Boardy sang.

  They would have to face Lord BC soon, but nothing would be gained by worrying about it right now. Instead, Maximum and Boardy sped back toward the city park awaiting them in the comic strip panels to do what they were created to do. 

  Shred.