Twine Man Returns

By Zachary Holbrook

The bale of alfalfa hovered in the air, held together by three strands of twine that pulsed to a rhythm only Farmer Ben could hear. Anxious cattle swarmed beneath it. At a mental command from Ben, the twine snapped. The bale crashed to the ground where a horde of bovine maws devoured it.

The twine twisted in the air, and with a flick of his fingers, Ben sent it flying to the bed of his pickup. He gazed over the dairy, taking pride in his day’s work. Not as dramatic as swinging through the city and capturing criminals, as Russel always urged him to do, but he was content.

Ben’s phone rang as he climbed into the cab of the truck. Russel again. Ben sighed and answered. “Hello?”

“Ben? You remembered you have a date tonight, right? You can’t leave poor Lillian waiting in the cold outside Zapata’s again.”

“Correction,” Ben grunted. “I have a farm to run. You have a date. This whole thing was your idea. I didn’t even want to go on the first one.”

“Listen, you and Lillian—Wait, what is that?”

A thump sounded through the phone, followed by a faint scream. Ben tensed.

Russel spoke again, his voice frantic. “Ben, Ben, we need you! See that ominous, dark cloud on the horizon?”

“No.”

“Really? Look closer.”

Ben squinted toward Ogleden. “I see a speck.”

“A creation of the nefarious Doctor Overlord. He’s here, Ben, and he’s threatening to destroy the town unless Twine Man fights him!”

“Tarnation!” Ben slammed the door shut. “I hate these guys. Fine, I’ll make you a deal. You take care of your sister, I take care of this lunatic.”

“Thanks, old friend. I knew I could count on you.”

The battered pickup sputtered to life, seeming to protest as Ben steered it away from home. Ten minutes later, his truck clunked into Ogleden, driving down eerily quiet streets. The few civilians who hadn’t already run for shelter looked toward the dark cloud, faces drawn in terror.

Ben parked a few blocks away from the perimeter of the dark cloud, then telekinetically summoned his twine. Brightly colored strands wrapped around him, forming into a suit of armor. He strode into the darkness. A single light flickered in the distance—the sign over the door of Zapata’s restaurant, blinking as if in defiance of the mysterious threat. Ben scanned the courtyard in front of Zapata’s. No sign of his foe. The only other person was—Lillian?

She was tied to a tree. Her hair whipped back and forth in the possession of frenetic, unnatural winds. She met his eyes, and Ben beheld a soul full of desperate courage.

His heart rate spiked again. He’d let himself be coerced into one date, and this happened. Now he had to rescue a hostage and defeat a madman.  Curse you, Russel.

A malevolent laugh rang throughout the streets, and a masked figure emerged from an alley. A vaporous cloak streamed behind him, grasping the air with tendrils of living darkness.

“Twine Man. The day of destiny has come.” Dr. Overlord swept both arms toward Lillian. “The lady you love has fallen into my foul clutches. Save her, or die trying.”

“Great,” Ben muttered. “Why—”

A fierce gust flung him backward. He crashed into a stucco wall, his twine armor tearing. The wind blasted again, this time from behind, sending him tumbling into the pavement in front of Zapata’s. His face scraped against the asphalt, tearing up skin.

“Done already, Twine Man?” Dr. Overlord loomed over him. “Pathetic.”

Ben pushed himself up, gasping for air. The wind pulled away from him, sucking the very breath from his lungs. His vision swam.

Lillian shouted something. Ben met her eyes once more, catching a glimpse of two brilliant diamonds through the ever-shifting veil of her hair. She held her head high, then gave a slight nod.

New strength flooded into Ben. He called for his twine, commanding it to rise from his body. Now was not the time to protect himself.

His armor slithered away and reformed into a single strand, thick as a tree trunk. The twine slammed into Dr. Overlord. A scream of pain and fury rent the air. Suddenly, the winds lost their power. Ben sucked in huge gasps of air and rose to his feet.

Relief dawned on Lillian’s face. Ben rushed to her side, slicing away her bonds with his pocket knife. She fell against him, pressing her head to his chest. He stiffened. His head spun—was this some poison of Dr. Overlord’s? If so, why did it feel so… good?

Ben relaxed and wrapped his arms around Lillian. “I’m sorry you got dragged into this.”

“It’s all past now.” Lillian broke away from his embrace and blushed. “You’re—”

“Watch out!” Ben swept her behind him as Dr. Overlord rose to his feet. The twine spun around the villain, trying to bind his arms, but a burst of wind scattered Ben’s strands in all directions.

“Excellent, Twine Man.” Dr. Overlord stretched his arms. The cloud overhead split, allowing a ray of sunshine through.

“You’ll never get away with this!” Ben summoned his twine in preparation for one final assault.

“Don’t worry, I got what I wanted.” Dr. Overlord removed his mask and cast it aside, beaming.

Ben gasped. “Russel?”

“Come on, you have to admit it was clever,” Russel said. “Farmer Ben wouldn’t give her a second chance, but Twine Man—well, he’d just have to save her.”

Ben glanced at Lillian. Heat rushed to his face, and he glared back at Russel.

Lillian strode across the courtyard and slapped her brother. “You moron! You terrified the entire town, and you nearly killed your best friend. I can handle my own love life, thank you very much!”

Russel shrugged. “Maybe it was a little much…”

Ben groaned. “A little?”

“I’ll make it up to you.” Russel indicated the entrance to Zapata’s. “Tacos are on me tonight. All you can eat.”

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Zachary Holbrook is a young Christian storyteller from Southern California. His influences as a writer include Brandon Sanderson and C. S. Lewis, and he has experience in Socratic-style discussion about classic authors such as Augustine, Dante and Alexis de Tocqueville. He will never be done writing, as he is constantly reading new books that fill his head with ideas for complex characters, clever plot twists and intricate themes.

---

More Stories | Author Website