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By Patsy Zukav (C) 2001
| One day, while Delta was still on Earth, a 7 year old little girl knelt by a bush behind him, without his knowledge, to retrieve a baseball that had rolled beneath it. Then, before her astonished eyes, he yelled 'ULTRAMAN DELTA'", changed from human to Ultra form, and flew away. This made a deep impression on the child, who had heard many old, heroic tales of the UItramen before. |
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Later, a few months after Delta had departed our world in bitter disillusionment
at the misunderstanding and ridicule he'd suffered here.
The girl (who we'll call , "Sammi ") was having similar problems
of her own. At school she'd reported a boy, who was her baseball
team's well respected captain, for bullying her. Unfortunately, he
got even by spreading gossip about her arid using his popularity to get
the other kids to believe it. As a result, nobody would let
her play with them anymore.
So, one night, the lonely Sammi looked up at the stars outside her bedroom window and made this silent prayer: "I wish that Ultraman Delta would come and be my friend". Then, she continued to gaze upwards, as if awaiting an answer, but she soon grew drowsy and headed for her bed. However, just as she dozed off, one crimson star suddenly grew brighter...
and brighter ...
and brighter until it filled the whole window. Next, it softly receded and slowly revealed. the form of a man within. He peered at the sleeping child with a sad, gentle smile that echoed some loneliness of his own. Then, he pointed a finger towards her and sparkles flowed in a line from it and gathered in a group on the blanket. As they solidified into a small figure, the man gradually faded from view. Meanwhile, Sammi slept on.. .clutching a plush Delta doll in her arms.. which had glowing eyes...
Upon awakening next morning, the girl was so delighted at finding the doll that she named it "Mr. D' and carried him around everywhere she went, including school. When her classmates saw it, they ran up to snatch it from her arms. However, before they could touch it, a strange force seemed to push them all back. Sammi stared at them as if they were playing some weird game. Then, she just shook her head slowly at their strangeness and walked away.
Later on, at the playground, the kids there pointed at her and whispered to each other.. .as usual. The girl distraught turned from them and quickly ran to the nearby woods to find her secret hiding place. There she could be alone. This was a cave which made strange breathing sounds that scared her young tormentors from the area. Of course, that made it ideal for her needs. Besides, she'd grown so used to the funny noises that she hardly ever noticed them anymore. So, with nobody to bother her, she finally sat on the soft leaves within the cave's entrance, clutched Mr. D closely, and quietly wept.. as her tears fell on the doll, it gave off a warm, comforting feeling in her arms and its bright colors almost seemed to glow. This gradually reassured her until she eventually settled down and went to sleep. Everything remained peaceful for awhile until, suddenly, something shook her wide awake. It was the doll which was trembling violently against her chest. She held it away from her in perplexity over its strange actions. Sammi then noticed that its eyes were flashing on and off it quick succession. Next, she was nearly thrown down by something repeatedly pounding the ground. Dust and debris began to fall from the cave's roof and she managed to scramble outside just before a small boulder crashed down right behind her! Then, as she turned around to look at it, her mouth dropped open in a silent scream of horror!
At the cave's entrance loomed a towering Gomora monster, which had just
awakened from its long hibernation! Next , after rubbing its eyes, the
creature spotted the child. In response, it swung around
its horned head, gave an angry roar at the small intruder, and started
to come after her!
Sammi hastily struggled to her feet and fled in a blind panic!
Leaves and sharp twigs slapped her face as she ran through the trees and
bushes, but she didn't slacken her pace. She was so terrified
that she didn't know or care which way she was going.
Suddenly, as she crashed through some thick brush, with the monster still hot on her trail , she was dismayed to discover that there was nothing beneath her feet! She'd gone off the edge of a cliff! However, before she could scream, the doll's eyes flashed so brightly that she was blinded by their brilliance. Then, she felt herself caught and enveloped by something soft arid soothing. This was followed by a strange sensation of flying. a short time later, she found herself back at the playground being gently put down in front of her astonished classmates! After she shook her head to clear it, she looked up and saw Ultraman Delta kneeling over her! "You came", Sammi whispered, "You really came!" The hero nodded at her, she laid her small hand on his large finger, and they shared a moment of profound silence. Then, the distant roar of the raging monster broke the scene. So, Delta gave her a departing bow, took off, and dove back into the woods. Terrible crashing sounds and battle shouts resounded from within. Trees arid dirt went flying up. At last, there was a final monstrous howl and a huge explosion. Then, everything was deathly quiet.
Everyone waited in tense Silence as the seconds ticked by. "D-do you think he's o.k.?", a boy stuttered. Suddenly, Delta burst up through the trees with a loud "SHOOWAT!" and disappeared into the sky! Everyone cheered. Then, the children gathered around Sammi and exclaimed, "Wow! Is HE your friend?" She just smiled. After this event, Sammi was the most popular kid in school --- and nobody ever listened to the bully again!
EPILOGUE:
When the excitement of that momentous day died down, she looked about
and asked, "Where's my doll?" Then, as she started to head for the
woods to search, her teachers held her back. "It may still
be unsafe there! they said.
Sammi wanted to argue the point, but she knew that they were right.
So, after school ended (albeit prematurely), she walked home slowly and
sadly. Since she was exhausted from her adventures she decided to
go to her room and turn in early. When she opened her door, she gasped
in surprise. There on the bed, her Delta doll sat in welcome!
The child rushed in and caught him up exclaiming, "Mr. D! , I'm so glad
you're o.k. Then, Sammi climbed into bed and held the doll close.
As its gentle warmth filled her arms, she fell soundly asleep. Later,
her mother looked in and whispered goodnight, but as she turned away, she
could almost swear that she saw the doll wink...!
THE END
Note to Readers: "Why does Delta have a plush doll alter-ego?" That's because it would be difficult for even a totally well intentioned grown man like himself to befriend and stay with a small child, whom. he doesn't know, without his having problems with suspicious parents. As such, his disguise is the perfect one for his particular situation!