THE ODD MAN

    His name was Peter. Born in the latter half of the 20^th Century, he was raised in England by his mother and father. He was an ordinary boy, living an ordinary life. Although never regarded as a brave or intelligent boy, he was taken in by the most courageous and smartest students in his peer group. Peter worshiped his friends as a fan would his hero, and though he was treated well, was always a sidekick or tag-along. But he never complained. He liked it that way, or so he made his heart believe.

    Ever since he joined them, Peter and his friends always picked on one particular boy. This boy, Prince, did not have any friends, save for one – Evans. Evans was liked by one and all; she did not hold grudges against anyone. One boy in particular regarded her to be more than just a friend, and he was among Peter’s friends. So when the boys picked on Prince, she always came to his rescue. Not once, not twice, but for several years, she helped him. Naturally, he was attracted to her.

    Many years passed, and they all passed out. Led by loneliness and lust for power, Prince chose the dark path, joined hands with evil and spread terror across the world. Peter and his friends chose to oppose his cause and fought him and his master several times. It went on for a long time, and suddenly, something unexpected happened.

    Peter’s loyalty was tested, and he failed. To die for his friends seemed too farfetched to him; he also realized that he was fighting for a lost cause. He chose to take sides with the enemy, leaving his friends out in the open. What choice did he have? He valued his life more than anything. He was, after all, human. His action directly resulted in Evans’ death, but that was not all.

    Over the years, Prince’s love for Evans grew, and the knowledge that she had married his nemesis killed him slowly, day by day. News of her death struck Prince so suddenly, it was too much for him to take. Consumed by grief and wrath, Prince swore to avenge her death, but he was too late. Peter went into hiding, and was not to be found for 15 years thence.

    Prince changed his ways, regretted his mistakes, and joined Brian the Wise in fighting crime. It was almost as if Peter and Prince switched places. Many events later, the ultimate battle took place. Prince never fought Peter; he never had the chance. He was killed in battle before he came face to face with him. Peter died too, by his own hands. One small hesitation was all it took for his hand to turn against him, for he was bound physically, mentally and magically to his master, for he did belong to the world of magic. His master’s greatest enemy was just a tighter grip away from death, when his heart held him against it, and resulted in strangling himself instead. Thus ended the life of Peter, better known, ironically, by his “secret” name – Wormtail.