Its Not Yet Time For Him

"Step right up, right here folks.  Step up and see the amazing Pohl Sardoc use his machine to read your mind.  If I can't read it, you will one thousand dollars."  A man called out to those walking by his small tent.

A figure stops a few feet away and tips his head to the side.  He wonders if such a machine would work on him, with all that goes on inside his head.  He steps up and opens his mouth to speak.

"Ah, a volunteer!"  Pohl calls out instead, "Please, step inside.  It is a cost of five dollars for me to read your mind, and if I fail... I'll give you one thousand."

The man follows along him into the tent and is sits at the small table.  Another man runs out, small and silent as he attaches various things to the customer's head, before stepping back with a frown and just looking at the seated man.  He turns and shakes his head as he heads out.

"Please, don't tell me your name."  Pohl said eyes closing as his fingers danced across the keyboard.  "It is... Alex!"

"No."  The man says, "Well... No, my name isn't Alex."

Pohl freezes and looks at him, "It's... It has to be.  That's the name my machine says is yours."

"My name is WuFei.  I have proof of that, if you'd like."

"No... It's not perfect but... It's never wrong.  Another try, for additional monies."  He said, before closing his eyes and letting his fingers again dance across the computer.

WuFei tried to calm his heart down as he watched the man working the computer.  It was hard to keep from shifting as he could almost feel the excitement in each of them.

Grumbling, the man stood from the computer and looked at the young man, before leaving the front part of the tent.  When he returned, he was glaring.  "You!  You're a shape shifter!  I don't read shape shifters, they cheat.  Get out."

Standing up, the transformation moved as smoothly as it always did and he glared at the man, eyes gleaming as a deeper voice left the now over 6 foot man.  "We don't want your money; we want to know what you read.  Tell us what that machine saw of Alex."

"I saw nothing; it was a jumble of images.  Nothing to make sense of.  Now go.  I have heard of your type and I'll have nothing to do with them.

Another shift and a young man with glasses stands before him. "Then call out the small man who actually read us and let us talk to him."

Pohl stops his actions at the computer, turning to look at the man.  "You tell anyone and I'll claim you tricked a reading and stole our money."

"I don't want the money; we want to know what you saw about Alex."  It was rare to see Cias angry, and if you knew the truth of this man you wanted to see him angry the least.  He stepped forward, the form shivering around him as he did.

The small man stepped out and between them, holding up a hand. "Please, keep it calm... I... I warned him of your forms, but I do not think he believed me.  I am sorry, I saw nothing of value.  I saw... Faces, shapes, nothing solid for so long.  Then five faces, all a piece of one whole.  They melded and vanished and there was a single form, but it held nothing in it... It said its name was Alex, and the time was far from his emergence."

Cias sighed, shoulders slumping some.  "We... We thought as much.  It is not easy to be this, when so many don't understand."  He said, nodding at Pohl.  "I promise, we won't bother you again."  The young man shifted back to the same form that had entered.

"But, I would say you don't need the amazing Pohl Sardoc.  Your gift is good on its own.  Give me your name, and I will spread it far and wide that you offer readings to those who need them."  He smiled a little, just about to step outside the tent.  "With four people spreading the news, you'll be set up in no time."