The Arch Enemies

I have thought for a long time about doing a coffee table book that featured the great arch enemies; books, movie, comic books and so on. There are so many that really defined the hero, because of what he fought.
1. Captain America vs. The Red Skull: Everything having to do with the Ideals that personified america against the Absolute spokesman for Hitler and the Nazis. Only, you knew that, as soon as they won, The Red Skull would do away with Hitler, too.
2. Sherlock Holmes vs. Moriarity: The two greatest minds of their time locked in eternal battle.
3. Buddy Sorrell vs. Mel Cooley: Every enounter was a joy to percieve.
4. Batman vs. The Joker: The most logical mind vs. the most illogical mind.
5. Bugs Bunny vs. Yosemity Sam: Elmer Fudd was always a little pitiful, but Sam was asking for it!
6. Fred Allen vs. Jack Benny: One of the funniest feuds of all time.
7. Wile E. Coyote vs. The Road Runner: ACME made a fortune off that damn canine.
8. Fantastic Four vs. Doctor Doom: Possibly the greatest villian in the comics.
9. Mimi vs. Drew: Without a shred of logic, but always fun to watch.
10. Spiderman vs. The Green Goblin: It's funny, almost everyone knew Doc. Octopus was created to be Spidey's greatest foe, but the Goblin just stole the position away.
11. Steve McGarret vs. Wo Fat: About a dozen episodes from Hawaii 50, but the best ones.
12. Jim West vs. Doctor Miguelito Loveless: The best of the "Wild, Wild West!"
13. Lex Luthor vs. Superman: Never seemed to be a contest, but Luthor always made a reasonalbe showing.
14. Dudley Doright vs. Snidely Wipelash: Only the cartoons, never the Movie.
15. Dr. Fu Manchu vs. Nayland Smith: Now thats arch villiany!
16. Dracula vs. Van Helsing: Life vs. Death, how more black and white do you want it to be?
17. The Phantom vs. The Pirate Brotherhood: The Ghost who walks vs. the descendants of the killers who created him.
18. Robin Hood vs. The Sheriff of Nottingham: Freedom vs. Tyranny.
19. Flash Gordon vs. Ming the Merciless: Luke and Darth, the early years.
20. Donald Duck vs. Chip & Dale: You thought you'd seen him angry before!
I could go on and on ( dozens more at least) but, repleat with pictures, wouldn't that be a fun book?

The Therapist

The office was dark. Dr. Seneca liked it that way. The darkness seemed more freeing. People opened up more if they couldn’t see you reacting to what they had to say.

Quentin Nebbish reclined on the couch. Most people would have been relaxed in this setting. Nebbish was a bundle of nerves.

If nervous energy was something you could harness this man could light a small city and still hover over the couch.

“You see, Doctor, I took out this girl. Her name was Valerie...or maybe it was Natalie, or Sarah Lee, something with a Lee on the end. Any way we hadn’t even ordered yet and she got up to go to the rest room and she never came back. That’s the fourth time that has happened in the last couple of months.”

“This is not the problem, Quentin.”

“It’s a problem if you’re lonely, Doctor.

“That’s not what I mean.”

“It’s a problem if you’re sitting in expensive restaurant eating two meals because you’d rather look like a glutton than a loser.”

“There is something much deeper going on here. You have to open up to me, and I mean really open up.”

Quentin sat up, and looked at the Doctor. The therapist’s face was shadowed. The only light in the room came from the lamp on the other side of the desk.

“Doctor, I’m afraid to open up.”

“I know.”

“Doctor, there are so many demons within me that I fear for the safety of the world should they somehow ever be released.”

The Doctor leaned forward until his face was lightly lit. “Don’t you know everyone feels that?”

The statement took Quentin aback.

“We all think we have some exclusive on hideous evil thoughts, but everyone has them. The good people don’t act on them. But everyone thinks they have the worst and most awful demons within their soul.”

“They do?”

“Yes, but here,” Dr. Seneca assured him, “Here is the place you can get them out of your system. A trouble shared is a trouble halved. A demon brought out is just a silly thought. Let them out, Quentin, let them go.”

Nebbish leaned back, and then said, “Are you sure, Doctor?”

“That’s why I’m here. Open up.”

With that Quentin Nebbish relaxed.

He opened his mouth, and the demon Cthulu erupted from him and devoured the screaming psychologist.

Then the room was silent.

“Damn,” muttered Quentin.

Now he had to get another new Therapist.

(c) 2002 C. Wayne Owens