Dragon Slayer

Leonard tracked Emily to the faculty lounge. It was Wednesday and the last day the two teachers could spend third period together. As he sat across from her, he tried not to appear anxious as she slid the wrapped gift to him.

“Open it. Hurry.” Emily was dressed in a simple white tunic blouse and a gray flared skirt. Her golden hair and bright blue eyes lit up her otherwise drab attire.

Leonard tore away the blue wrapper with yellow balloons on it that said HAPPY BIRTHDAY in colorful bursts of printing.

He kept his surprise and exuberance low-key. “You shouldn’t have.” He opened the silver lid of the laptop computer.

“Turn it on. Everything’s ready to go. The store clerk said it has everything. Even some games for when you need a break.”

His long fingers slid over the sleek, black keypad. He grinned when the screen came on and Emily’s youthful face filled the space. “I love the desktop background.”

He looked around, ready to show off his gift. At the beat-up brown sofa in front of the far wall where the only window wore a slatted blind left over from the Nixon era, Kathy Richards leafed through a Readers Digest. Leonard paused. Kathy’s expensive Princess Diana hairstyle, cosmetic face and ruby red fingernails had attracted recently divorced Frank Hallstead, who had entered the lounge and advanced on her like a walrus to tuna. He wasted no time trying to talk her into his leased Porsche after school.

“Take it for a spin.”

Leonard looked back at Emily. “Huh?”

“Try it out. I have to return some books to the library. I’ll be back in a few.” She rose and strode away. He watched her leave. Her well-defined thighs contrasted nicely below her soft skirt.

For a moment, he listened to Frank flirt. Then he found the games. Solitaire, Hearts, Freecell, Minesweeper, as well as some he had never heard of. He clicked on DRAGON SLAYER.

CHOOSE YOUR SKILL LEVEL, the computer screen said.

He chose BEGINNER from the options offered.

The screen came to life as a red, fire-breathing dragon swooped down from a velvet star-filled sky and laid to waste in a fiery breath the Tolkien-esque village below. Elflike people ran screaming from wooden houses and stone buildings into the cobbled streets.

Leonard marveled the lifelike graphics while, within seconds, the dragon destroyed the living.

GAME OVER — 0 POINTS. Red words filled the screen as the village disappeared into blackness.

Leonard clicked open the game and brought the dragon’s fury to life again. He pressed the keypad. A centaur stepped out of the shadows and shot gold arrows from a gold bow at the dragon. Every shot missed.

GAME OVER — 0 POINTS.

He tried again. The centaur sent an arrow into the dragon’s tail. It screeched and banked away into the yellow glow of a full moon. Then it veered back. People ran. The centaur shouted orders to unseen comrades. A maiden stepped from an armament shop and gave the centaur a blue arrow.

“Shoot at its heart,” the flaxen-haired maiden said.

Leonard was stunned to hear Emily’s voice come from the speakers. He looked up. Frank looked over at him.

“Way to go, Stevens,” Frank called out. “Playing one of those new computer games. I’m surprised.”

“Yes,” Kathy said from a disapproving face.

“It’s a birthday present.”

Frank came and stood over Leonard. “You had me worried, old buddy. I took you for a book nerd only.”
Leonard touched the keypad and discovered that he could pause the game. He wished he could pause Frank and slip away.

“So you finally came out of your shell. Good for you.”

“You took your wife’s death really hard.” Kathy had joined Frank; she stood on the other side of Leonard. “I’m glad to see that our dearest Emily has brought you back to the living.”

“What’re you playing?” Frank leaned over and touched the keypad. “What’s this button do?”

“Don’t touch it.” Leonard turned and smiled at Kathy’s intentionally placed midsection close to his face. He looked up past the bosom-filled red blouse positioned just above his head, at her aroused interest sparkling from lavishly colored hazel eyes boring down at him.

“Yes, Emily is sweet and honest and true.” He took delight in the resentment that crossed Kathy’s face. Then he said, “Now, if you’ll excuse me, I’d like to return to my game.”

Frank thumped on the keypad. “Make it work. I want to see what this game does.”

“It’s on pause.”

Frank pulled the laptop away. “Let me see it for a moment … I’ll give it right back.”

Leonard sighed and resigned the computer to Frank. Kathy smirked and returned to her seat and Readers Digest. Frank followed.

“Whoa! Check out the dragon and these characters. These graphics are awesome.” Frank attacked the keypad and made explosion sounds with his mouth. “Take that, dragon. And that … and that.” His stumpy digits blurred.

Leonard listened to the sounds of the game between Frank’s bombing noises from his flatulent lips and cheeks. Spittle showered the computer. The dragon sounded angry.

Leonard looked at the door. Emily would be back any moment.

“Okay, Frank. Give it back.”

“In a minute.” Frank bounced in his seat and made more bombing noises. Then: “Crap … I’m dead … I mean, you’re dead Stevens.” He clicked at the keypad. “Beginner, Apprentice, Master,” he said. “You were probably playing at the Beginner level, Stevens. You don’t learn anything unless you go full speed. Let me show you what a Master can do.”

Frank returned to attacking the computer with his hands and spittle. Leonard sat back and waited for Emily. He knew she would scold him in private for not standing up to Frank, but Millie’s death had taken the fight from him. Life was too short for quarrels with browbeats like Frank.

“Damn, I’m out of arrows.” Frank clicked at the keypad. “Hey look, this maiden looks like Emily.”

“Shoot at its heart,” the computer said.

Frank and Kathy looked surprised to hear Emily’s voice. Frank looked over at Leonard and grinned. “Awesome.” Then he looked at Kathy. “Why don’t you do something like that for me?”

Kathy frowned and flipped a page of her Readers Digest.

“Shoot at its heart,” the computer repeated. “Hurry, before he kills you.”

“I’m trying,” Frank said.

“Hurry. The dragon is coming for another attack. Shoot!”

“Shut up. I’m hurrying.”

“He’s coming.”

“Shut up.” Frank’s fingers were a blur once more. Sweat appeared on his cheeks.

A terrible roar sounded from the computer. Kathy jumped and looked annoyed. “You guys and your toys,” she said.

Sweat covered Frank’s reddened face.

“Kill it,” the computer demanded.

“I’m trying.” Frank panted

He pounded the keypad. The screen emitted a red glow that bubbled around Frank’s head like a fog. Kathy saw it. She touched Frank’s cheek and he shrugged her away.

“Not now.”

The fog followed Kathy and enveloped her. Leonard sat up and watched the fog envelop Frank.

“Hey, Frank—”

“Not now, dammit.”

Kathy held up her hands and looked around at the red fog encasing her and Frank and the computer.

The computer’s orders were muffled. “Strike the dragon’s heart with the blue arrow before he kills you. He’s attacking. Hurry! Shoot!”

The fog grew brighter. A flash filled the room and sent Leonard falling from his chair. When he scrambled up, Frank and Kathy were gone. His computer rested on the cushion where Frank had been.

“Game over,” the computer said. “You lose.” He thought he heard Emily’s voice snicker as he stepped up to the sofa and gingerly retrieved his computer.

The faculty lounge door opened.

“Where are Frank and Kathy?” Emily smiled at him. Leonard shrugged.

“Do you like your present?”

Leonard nodded.

“Come on, I’ll walk you to your next class.”

Leonard closed the computer’s lid and, as he took Emily by the arm and followed her to the door, he suddenly needed to laugh.

“This is the best present ever,” he said and met her lips with his.

“No kissing in the halls you two,” Frank’s muffled voice called out from inside Leonard’s computer.

“Shut up, Frank,” Emily said. “You just keep fighting dragons and trying to rescue Kathy if you two ever want to get out of there.”

The computer was silent.

In the hall, hilarity bounced over Leonard’s tongue.

“You have a contagious laugh, Mr. Stevens. You should use it more often.”

Leonard agreed as they walked hand in hand to his next class.