Blobby's Arc

Chapter 1 of 4

Blobby wanted to be a god. Not a small god. The god every marshmallow-shaped blob across every colony would kneel to. But gods needed a temple, and Blobby's temple was empty. The stone walls were carved to look just like Blobby, with a wide mouth for a door and two round windows for eyes. Inside, though, there was nothing. No offerings. No glowing stones. No worshippers. Just Blobby, sitting alone on a cold floor, hungry for something to fill the hollow space. "A god needs treasure," Blobby said. "Shiny things. Rare things. Then the others will come." Blobby needed help, so Blobby called for the one blob who never said no. Bobby squeezed through the mouth-shaped door and stumbled, then caught himself. Bobby was a round white blob too, but a small triangle sat on top of his head like a little hat. He'd been Blobby's best friend since they were both tiny drips. Bobby grinned. "You said treasure? I love treasure. Where do we start?" "The glowing pools past the ridge," Blobby said. "Blobs say bright stones grow there. We gather enough, and my temple shines. Then they worship me." Bobby didn't ask why he had to do the carrying. He never did. That was the problem and the gift of Bobby. So the two set out, and Bobby led the way because Bobby always walked first into scary places. The pools glowed soft blue. Stones sat under the water, round and bright. Bobby reached in and scooped one up. It fit his little arms. "Got one!" he called, beaming like the win was Blobby's alone. They worked for hours. Bobby dove, Bobby lifted, Bobby carried. Blobby pointed and praised. By dusk they had a pile of glowing stones, more than Blobby dreamed. Blobby pressed close, greedy and thrilled. This was it. This was the start of the temple's shine. Then Bobby reached for the biggest stone of all, deep in the center pool. His small arm strained. He grabbed it. He grinned that grin. And something under the water moved. The stone wasn't a stone. It was an eye, opening. The pool churned. A wide mouth full of jagged edges rose beneath Bobby and swallowed him whole, then sank back down. The water went still. The glow snapped out. "Bobby?" Blobby said. Nothing answered. The pile of stones sat there, useless now. Blobby had the treasure. Blobby did not have a friend. Blobby stood alone at the dark edge of the water. A god was supposed to be worshipped, not to lose the only blob who ever believed in one. The stones could wait. Bobby could not. Blobby stared at the black pool where the thing had taken him, and knew the next thing to do was jump in after it.