The Phone Call

The Phone Call

A River of lava surrounded the castle. It was spanned by an ancient woven bridge, held together by prayers and hope. Sir Clowers closed his visor and took the first step, any fear in his heart dwarfed by his love for the princess. Then there was a sound like thunder, the beating of massive wings. The dragon rose above the castle walls and rushed towards the steady knight. Sir Clowers widened his stance and readied his shield, the other hand waving a piece of well-worn steel in anticipation.
And then the phone rang. Leah closed her book with a sigh.
         “Hello?”
         “Hi Leah, it’s Justin, do you know what our homework was for English class?”
         “The Princess Bride, read the first chapter. But you knew that silly boy, I saw you write it in your agenda.”
         “Yeah, I guess I did, but I thought maybe there was something else too. I just wanted to make sure.”
         “Nope, just that.”
         “Okay then. Well, thanks.”
         “You’re welcome. Bye now.”
         “Hey, wait.”
         “Yeah?”
         “Did you start reading it yet? The Princess Bride I mean.
         “No, not yet.”
         “Oh, I thought you might have.”
         “I might have, but I didn’t”
         “Oh. Sorry. Are you busy right now?”
         “Yeah, kinda.”
         “Okay, well, bye then.”
         “Bye.”
         “Bye.”
         Leah hung up the phone and went back to her story.
         The dragon was closing in. Sir Clowers made to meet it head on. A foolish idea. Clowers struck out at the beast, his sword bouncing harmlessly off of its iron hide. He was thrown back and into the pit. At the last moment he threw up his hands and grabbed the side of the bridge, his sword and shield falling into the abyss.
         And then the phone rang. Again.
         “Hello?’
         “Just the first chapter, right?”
         “Yes Justin, just the first chapter.”
         “I’ve read it before you know. The first chapter was my favorite.”
         “Really now?”
         “Yeah.”
         A cricket chirped.
         “Do you want to know why it’s my favorite chapter?”
         Leah rolled her eyes. “Why is it your favorite chapter?”
         “Because of Buttercup. She’s the most beautiful woman in the whole wide world you know.”
         “Is she now?”
“Yeah, at first, she was barely in the top twenty, and that was just because of her potential. But then she fell in love, and it made her so happy that she shot right up to number one. You should read it. I think you’ll like it.”
“I’ll be sure to do that.”
“Well… that’s all I wanted to say, so bye for now, I guess.”
“Okay, bye Justin.”
Leah smiled at the silly boy before once again joining Sir Clowers on his epic journey.
With an effort, Clowers pulled himself onto the bridge. But the dragon was coming back for round two. The monster opened its mouth and a ball of orange fire erupted from its gaping jaws. Clowers was off the bridge only a moment before it burst into flame. He jumped and rolled under the castle gate, taking shelter behind a crumbling wall. He looked back at the charred cinders that used to be a bridge. There was no going back. And then the phone rang.
“Hello?”
“Leah…”
“What?”
“Hi.”
Leah sighed. “Hi.”
Her gaze wandered around the room as she waited for Justin to speak.
“So,” he said, “How was your day?”
Leah closed her book and set it to the side.
“My day was very… interesting.”
“Mine too. I saw the cutest thing ever in the grocery store today.”
“What?”
“A little girl eating animal crackers, one by one, with a spoon.”
“Aww. That’s cute.”
“Yeah…” There was a moment of silence before he continued. “I guess I should go, you know, homework and stuff.
“Okay then.”
Click.
Clowers took stock of his surroundings. He was in a courtyard, open to the sky. Not a good place to be with a dragon on the loose. He sprinted to the central keep, a massive structure topped with countless parapets. Clowers breathed a sigh of relief, thinking he was safe within the walls of the keep.
And then a stained glass window was shattered by the dragon’s bulk. The creature entangled its head in a drape and began thrashing in a blind rage, its massive tail beating against the walls and shaking the building to its foundations. Clowers saw his chance. He dove and gripped the bottom of the curtain. And then the phone rang, again.
“Yes Justin?”
“You never told me why your day was interesting.”
“I was in a DDR tournament.”
“Really!? I love DDR. Did you win?”
“No, I came in third.”
“Cool! How many people were in the tournament?”
“Four.”
“Oh… well, that’s still not so bad.”
“If you say so.”
“I do say so.”
Leah didn’t say anything. She reached for her book, hoping to multitask.
“Umm…” said Justin. “Leah?”
“Yeah?”
“Do you ever get that thing, when you want to say something, but you’re not quite sure how to say it, so you just end up saying a lot of random stuff, and feel kinda silly?”
“All the time.”
“Yeah… me too.”
“Has that happened to you lately?”
“No. Well, maybe. I guess so. Not really. Kinda. I gotta go.”
Click.
Leah raised an eyebrow at the phone, smiled, and set it down.
Clowers pulled the drape taut, forming a vice around the dragon’s head. He lead it like a dog, using its own weight against it. He yanked with all his might, sending the beast flying head first into the side of the keep. The monster lay unconscious, streaming smoke from its nostrils. He stepped over the sleeping dragon and made his way to the tallest parapet to meet his waiting princess.
Leah closed her book without being interrupted for once. Leah picked up the phone and waited for it to ring. She didn’t wait long.
“Hello Justin.”
“I just wanted to say, well, I wanted to tell you, what I mean is that, Leah—”
“I love you too.”
“Oh.” For a moment he was speechless. “Well, good.”
“Yeah. So I’ll see you tomorrow then?”
“Sure. Yeah, okay, tomorrow. And, um, you wanna hold hands?”
“Only if you kiss me.”
“Okay. Deal. Double deal. Triple deal even.”
“Good night silly boy.”
“Hey, wait, one more thing.”
“Yeah?”
“About Buttercup being the most beautiful woman in the world… well, you should know I only think she’s the second most beautiful.”
“Really now?”
“Mhm.”
“Good night Justin,” said Leah, smiling.
Click.