Sean stood under the streaming water of the hot shower hoping that it would remove the glue that held the bandages to his skin. The water had no effect. He reached up and pulled a bandage off. It was like the bandages had fused to his skin. His scream echoed through the room. He shouted, "Oh, that hurts!"
After dancing around the shower for a minute he pulled a second bandage off clenching his teeth to keep from screaming. What came out of his mouth sounded like, "Argh!"
Sitting down on the chair in his office, Coach Slaughter couldn't have lifted his arms if his life had depended upon it. Still unable to believe that he had lost, Coach Slaughter said, "He must have cheated somehow."
"I don't know. He sounds like he is in real pain," Ms. Hawkins said listening to the moans emerging from the shower.
He said, "I'm glad he's in as much pain as I am."
Another moan of pain echoed through the deserted dressing room. Ms. Hawkins said, "I can't believe that he managed to carry on feeling that kind of pain."
"He's tougher than I thought," Coach Slaughter said sliding down out of his chair. He would have hit the floor except Ms. Hawkins caught him.
"At least you aren't screaming like that," Ms. Hawkins said.
Thinking of how sore he would be in the morning, Coach Slaughter said, "Wait until tomorrow."
Another scream echoed through the dressing room. It was followed by a muffled shout, "My chest feels like it is on fire."
"His chest muscles are cramping up on him," Coach Slaughter said sagging over to the side. He just kept falling until his head lightly hit his desk. His eyes closed.
Inside the shower, Sean was staring down at his bloody chest. He had three bandages to remove yet and he wasn't sure that he'd survive it. Closing his eyes and thrusting his chest forward, he ordered, "Off of me."
He screamed a few milliseconds later when the water hit the raw patches of bloody skin that had not departed with the bandages. He said, "That is going to be sore."
Ms. Hawkins stared down at Coach Slaughter. He was wearing tight shorts and a shirt that showed his muscles. She looked around for a moment to make sure no one was around. Licking her lips, she said, "What a hunk."
Sean ended his painful shower and dressed for work. It was time for him to leave, but he wanted to say goodbye to the coach before he left. He swung by the office. As he stuck his head in the coach's office he said, "It has been nice knowing you."
Ms. Hawkins looked at him and said, "I'll see you tomorrow."
"I didn't know you were in here," Sean said. He looked around embarrassed and then said, "I would have worn my clothes in the shower if I had known there was a woman in the boy's dressing room."
"I'm sure you would have," Ms. Hawkins said wishing he would leave.
Sean looked at the coach and asked, "Is he dead?"
"No, he's sleeping," Ms. Hawkins said.
Sean looked at the position the coach was in and said, "Someone ought to take him home and put him in bed."
"That's not a bad idea," Ms. Hawkins said checking out the bulge in the coach's pants.
"Should I get Principal Charmers?" Sean asked.
"I'll handle it," Ms. Hawkins said thinking Sean hadn't said whose home and which bed.
"Okay. Well, I'm off to work," Sean said with a smile. He headed out of the locker room and towards the door leading outside from the gym.
"Hello," Sean said upon encountering a couple standing by the door of the gym.
"Hello," the man said.
"Hello," the elegant woman said. She was wearing a translucent gown that revealed enough to suggest more treasures were hidden underneath it.
Sean looked at the tall thin man with silver hair and the very attractive woman holding onto his arm. She actually had golden hair. They had pointed ears. Suspecting that they weren't quite human, he asked, "Who and what are you?"
"Who and what are you?"
"I'm Sean and I'm a human."
"I'm George," said the man. There was a musical sound to his voice as if a choir was singing.
The woman smiled and said, "I'm Georgette."
"We're elves," the man said.
"It is nice to meet you, George and Georgette," Sean said looking at the couple.
"You're a very polite young man," Georgette said.
"Thank you," Sean said thinking that her voice sounded like silver bells in the distance. He frowned and then said, "Although I may risk seeming rude I mean no offence, but may I ask a question?"
"With such a preamble, I doubt I could live without hearing your question. Ask and we'll see what offence is taken or not as the case may well be," George said.
"I never thought of Elves having names like George and Georgette. What's with the names?" Sean asked.
"They are elfin names of long standing and honor," Georgette answered.
"Really?" Sean said in amazement.
George gave a short nod of his head and said, "Yes. Your question bore no offense since it was asked in honest curiosity."
"I learn something new every day," Sean said with a satisfied smile.
George said, "We came back in time to watch the last half of your contest of strength with that muscle man. That was a most impressive victory. Our kind appreciates the subtle use of magic to defeat brutish strength."
"It was well done and with style," Georgette said. She nodded her head towards him in a most regal manner.
"Thank you," Sean said.
"You are a most remarkable man, although there is one thing that puzzles us," George said.
Sean asked, "What?"
Georgette smiled at Sean and said, "I think this is the first time that elves have returned before nymphs."
"Really?" Sean asked. He had wondered when the nymphs would return.
"Yes. Not that I can tell you what you should do, but you might consider spending a little more time helping the young lass over there experience pleasure," George said pointing to Suzie.
Rubbing a finger down George's arm, Georgette said, "All of the men would enjoy the return of nymphs."
"I suppose so," Sean said looking over at Suzie wondering what pleasing her had to do with nymphs.
"We must be off," George said.
"We will meet again," Georgette said before disappearing.
"Good bye," Sean said giving a little wave to the air. He sighed and said, "That's a real nice couple. I guess I better head off to work."
Sean went out to the parking lot heading to where Suzie was waiting for him beside the truck. Before he even got halfway there when he saw the Dwarves were packed in the bed of the truck. He groaned upon seeing the Dwarves and said, "Every time I go for a drive it is the same thing."
Suzie hadn't noticed that Sean was approaching. Facing Chom, she asked, "What do you mean, you want me to drive?"
Gesturing to the others as if to demonstrate that it was a general consensus among them, Chom said, "We think that you might know how to go a little faster."
Nodding his head in agreement, Pip said, "Sean is too slow."
"He's a safe driver," Suzie said. She watched Sean arrive and took his hand when he got close enough.
Grum said, "The problem is that we don't get enough bounce on the bumps."
Sounding disgusted, Agar said, "I even jumped when he hit a bump yesterday and that didn't do any good."
"What do you mean it didn't do any good?" Suzie asked looking over at Sean wishing the Dwarves weren't around. She had been pretty impressed with his feat in the gym and wanted to show him in the most private of ways.
Thur said, "Agar didn't go more than ten feet in the air."
Sean said, "I'm not driving fast so that you can fly out of the truck when I hit a bump."
"We're not asking you to do that," Chom said with a smile.
"You're not?" Sean asked skeptically.
Pointing to Suzie, Pip said, "We're asking her to do it."
"Someone could get hurt," Sean said.
"We're pretty hard to hurt," Pip said.
Chom pointed to Pip and said, "He got eaten by a dragon. That didn't hurt him any."
"I hate dragons," Pip said.
"The point is that you didn't get hurt," Chom said.
"Who cares if it didn't hurt? It wasn't pleasant," Pip said. He turned his head and pretended to spit. He muttered, "Dragons!"
Shaking his head, Sean said, "We've got to get to work."
"Maybe if we delay him he'll drive faster," Agar said.
"That's a good idea," Pip said nodding his head.
"That's a bad idea," Sean said.
"Why?"
"All that would accomplish is for me to be late," Sean said
"You could learn to drive a little faster," Chom grumbled.
Pip looked over at Sean and asked, "Could we borrow your truck while you are work?"
"No," Sean said holding the door open for Suzie. She paused a moment to kiss Sean. All of the Dwarves crowded to one side of the truck bed to watch them kiss.
Watching the kiss heat up, Chom said, "Hey, this is better than getting bounced out of the truck."
"Yes, it is," Pip said trying to move Chom out of the way.
"All we need now is for her to take off her clothes," Thur said climbing up on the roof of the truck to get a better view.
Climbing up on Pip's shoulders, Chom said, "Then there will be the chase."
"Then the catch," Pip said.
Chom said, "The best is what happens after the catch."
"You can say that again," Pip said nodding his head in agreement.
Suzie broke off the kiss and said, "Dream on boys. It is not going to happen"
"Aw," Sean said.
"Not you, them," Suzie said seeing how disappointed Sean looked.
"Oh, okay," Sean said with relief.
Thur said, "I tell you, they are no fun."
"You can say that again," Pip said.
"They are no fun," Thur said.
"You can say that again," Pip said.
Suzie rolled her eyes and said, "Stop that."
"Let's get to work," Sean said. He was still holding the door open for Suzie. She climbed in and he closed it.
Walking around the truck bed so that he followed Sean, Chom said, "You use the pedal on the right to go fast."
"All of the way to the floor," Pip said. He turned to Agar and said, "We should have taken it for more than one test drive."
"You're right," Agar said.
"I'm not driving fast just so that you can fly out of the truck," Sean said reaching for his door handle.
"Just remember, it is the pedal on the right," Chom said pointing to inside the truck.
A minute later, Sean pulled out of the school parking lot and headed down the road towards the Dairy King. He had just gotten the truck up to the speed limit when there was a clunking sound overhead. Sean looked up at the ceiling. He said, "I wonder what that is."
When he looked back out the front window, Chom was upside down looking inside the truck. Suzie screamed. Sean hit the brakes and Chom flew down the road. Sean sat there with his hands tight on the steering wheel watching as Chom rolled a hundred yards down the street. When Chom came to a stop, Sean groaned and said, "I killed him."
"No, you didn't," Suzie said shocked. Her face was pale and her hands trembled. "He's getting up."
Chom walked back to the truck and stopped by Sean's door. He knocked on the door with a loud rap. Sean rolled down his window. Looking up at him with his hands on his hips, Chom asked, "Can we do that again?"
"What?" Sean said.
"That was great," Chom said. Looking up at Sean with a hopeful expression on his face, he said, "I want to do that again."
From the truck bed, Pip shouted, "It is my turn next."
"It is my turn," Thur shouted.
A fight broke out in the back of the truck. Sean looked at Chom and said, "No."
"Why not?" Chom asked.
"You scared the life out of me," Sean answered.
Chom studied Sean for a second. He moved to one side and examined Sean some more. He climbed up on the hood of the truck and looked inside the front window at Sean. After a few seconds he climbed back down to the ground. Finally, he said, "You don't look dead to me."
"I know that," Sean said.
"Then why did you say you were?" Chom asked accusingly.
"I meant to say that you nearly scared the life out of me," Sean replied.
"Oh, that's better. We can't have you dying on us," Chom said.
"That's right," Pip said.
Thur said, "There are still a lot of magical beings to unfade."
"You pull a stunt like that again and I will die," Sean said. He still couldn't get his hand off of the steering wheel.
Chom climbed back into the truck bed, grumbling, "He's no fun."
Sean rolled up his window and turned to Suzie. He asked, "Are you okay?"
"I'm fine. He just startled me," Suzie answered. Her heart was still beating a thousand times a minute.
"Yeah," Sean said. He glanced in the mirror and saw that the Dwarves were bickering over positions.
"Let's get to work. You have fries to sacrifice to boiling oil," Suzie said.
"That's what I love about you," Sean said starting the truck back down the road.
"What?" Suzie asked looking over at him.
"You always know what to say to cheer me up," Sean said grinning happily.
Suzie chuckled and said, "We're going to be busy today. Everyone at school said they were going to go over to the Dairy King after you won."
"Busy is good," Sean said. Grinning, he added, "Lots of fries to sacrifice."
There was a tapping on the back window of the truck. Sean looked in the rear view mirror and saw Chom pointing to the floor and mouthing, "Use the pedal on the right."
Sean rolled his eyes and said, "Every time I get in the truck it is the same thing. Go fast. Hit more bumps."
"What can you do about it?" Suzie asked.
"We're going to have to get them a truck of their own," Sean answered.
"That wouldn't be a good idea," Suzie said looking in the back. Thur was walking along the tailgate like a tightrope artist.
Sean heard the sound of a siren and looked in the rearview mirror. He shook his head and said, "I'm going to get a ticket."
The police car roared up to Sean's truck. The officer inside pointed to the side of the road. Sean pulled over. The police car pulled up behind him. Reaching for his license, Sean said, "Your mother is going to take me to the vet."
The policeman approached the car and tapped on Sean's window. Sean lowered his window and said, "Hello, Officer."
"I need to see your license and registration," the policeman said.
"Here they are," Sean said handing them out the window.
"Do you know why I pulled you over?" the policeman asked.
"Speeding?" Sean asked. He wasn't sure if the speedometer was actually calibrated or not.
"No."
"Oh," Sean said. He shrugged his shoulders and asked, "Why did you pull me over?"
"You aren't allowed to carry passengers in the back of a pickup truck," the officer said. There was a tapping on his leg. He looked down and saw Chom standing there. Surprised, he stepped back and asked, "What?"
"Do you always drive that fast?" Chom asked.
"Only when I have to catch up to speeding cars," the officer answered. He eyed the little people who were now standing around looking at him.
The Dwarves all looked at each other for a second. Thur asked, "Are there many speeding cars?"
"Yes," the policeman answered wondering what was with all of the questions.
"How fast do some of these speeding cars go?" Chom asked.
"I've pulled over folks going seventy or eighty miles an hour," the policeman answered moving so that he could watch the whole crowd.
"How fast was Sean going?" Chom asked looking back at the others gathered behind him.
"Forty," the policeman answered.
Chom said, "I told you he was a slow driver."
"We all knew that," Pip said.
"I bet you have to go faster than the speeding cars to catch them," Agar said.
"Of course," the policeman said.
"Did you hear that?" Pip asked. "There are lots of speeding cars and he has to go faster than them to catch up to them."
"Are you thinking what I'm thinking?" Chom asked.
"I think so," Pip said.
"I'm pretty sure we're all thinking the same thing," Thur said.
The policeman turned to Sean and said, "I'm going to have to write a ticket. You're going to have to go to court on this one."
"I'm definitely going to the vet," Sean muttered.
"What?" the policeman answered wondering if he had heard Sean correctly. He looked up from the ticket he was writing.
"Her mother said that she'd take me to the vet to be neutered if I was driving in an unsafe manner," Sean said pointing over at Suzie.
"Smart mother," the cop said.
"She's evil," Sean said.
Finishing with the ticket, the cop asked, "Is this truck gold plated?"
"Yes," Sean answered. He was asked that question almost every day.
Handing the ticket to Sean, the policeman said, "I'll see you in court. Don't drive with them in the back of your truck anymore."
"Okay, officer," Sean said wondering how he was going to make that happen.
The policemen turned around and saw that all of the little people were climbing all over his police car. He headed over to it shouting, "Hey, get off of my car!"
Sean looked over at Suzie and asked, "What should we do?"
"I don't know. We're already late for work," Suzie said watching the Dwarves argue with the policeman.
"I'll let the policeman deal with them," Sean said feeling a little guilty. He didn't really want to do that to the nice policeman. Looking at Suzie, he said, "They are trained professionals who know how to deal with the public."
"I'm not sure they've been trained on how to deal with Dwarves," Suzie said doubtfully.
Sean said, "I'm sure he'll get the whole thing straightened out a whole lot easier than I would."
"You're probably right," Suzie said.
"Let's get to work," Sean said.
As he pulled away, all of the Dwarves cheerfully waved goodbye to him. He could hear them shouting, "We'll see you around."