{"id":2533,"date":"2023-07-29T15:40:40","date_gmt":"2023-07-29T22:40:40","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.evardsson.com\/blog\/?p=2533"},"modified":"2023-07-29T15:40:40","modified_gmt":"2023-07-29T22:40:40","slug":"mathemagician","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.evardsson.com\/blog\/2023\/07\/29\/mathemagician\/","title":{"rendered":"Mathemagician"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

prompt: Start your story with someone walking into a gas station.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

available at Reedsy<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Midday shifts during an excessive heat warning were quiet at the gas station, and Lenny took advantage of that. The pumps had been turned off for over forty-eight hours, waiting for a fuel delivery that continued to be delayed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He leaned against the cigarette display behind him, letting the stool tip on two feet. With no gas, no one was showing up to buy overpriced snacks and drinks. No one, that is, except the kid that struggled to pull the door open, then stood in the middle of store, in the flow of cold air from the air conditioner.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He\u2019d seen pictures of cosplay online, but this was on a different level. Made up to look like some sort of green creature with long, pointed ears and pointed teeth with large canines both top and bottom, and what Lenny guessed were black-out contacts on very large eyes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cHey kid, Halloween\u2019s a long way off.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

She turned toward him. \u201cKid?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

His first guess was that she was five or six based on her height, but as she looked at him now, he realized that she had a few faint lines around her eyes, and a figure that was far more mature than he\u2019d guessed. He sat upright, the front legs of the stool clacking as they hit the tiled floor.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cOh, god! Ma\u2019am, I am so sorry. I just saw you walk in rather than drive, and you\u2019re so short\u2026.\u201d He cleared his throat. \u201cI\u2019ll, uh\u2026like, still need to card you for cigarettes or alcohol, sorry.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWhat should I expect from a human?\u201d she asked aloud, looking up at nothing in particular.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThat\u2019s a really good costume \u2014 cosplay? \u2014 whatever you call it. Like, the skin and eyes look real. How did you do the teeth?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

She glowered at him. \u201cWhat the hell don\u2019t you understand? I am not<\/em> wearing a costume or disguise. This is me.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Lenny cocked his head. He wondered how far she was willing to push it. He\u2019d heard of people who had other personas in their costumes. Well, if that\u2019s what she wanted to do, it wasn\u2019t hurting anyone.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIs there, like, anything I can help you find?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

She pointed at the display on the counter near the cash register. \u201cWhat potions are these?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cUh \u2014 those are energy drinks,\u201d he said, pointing at the sign on the display.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cDo you have any healing potions?\u201d she asked. \u201cMy sister\u2019s injured.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Lenny puzzled over how to answer that. \u201cUm, there\u2019s aspirin and stuff on aisle four.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cCan you show me?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cYeah, it\u2019s quiet.\u201d He locked the register, dropped the keys into his pocket and led the small, green woman to the aisle with the first aid supplies.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

She began pointing and asking what everything was. Lenny interrupted her. \u201cYou can\u2019t read? That\u2019s fucked up. Where did you grow up?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cNot on this world,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cOkay, fine. Where did you learn English then?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

She sighed. \u201cThis ring,\u201d she said, pointing at a ring on her left thumb.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cYou learned English from a ring?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cNo, it translates spoken language. Simple magic.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Lenny raised an eyebrow. She really was dedicated to the whole bit, but he was getting tired of it. \u201cIf you don\u2019t mind, I\u2019ll go back to the register.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

She grabbed his elbow, her thumb digging into the ulnar nerve, turning his attention back to her and nearly putting him on his knees. She removed the ring from her thumb. \u201cGrrshazink rashishlk brszdilknuch.\u201d She held it out toward him, urging him to take it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Lenny took the ring, and she kept babbling nonsense and motioning that he should put it on his left thumb. It was too small, but he thought he\u2019d humor her anyway. He turned his back to her so she couldn\u2019t see when or if he put the ring on.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

As the ring settled comfortably on his thumb, growing three sizes to do so, her babbling turned back to English. \u201c\u2026and if you think you\u2019re so much smarter, why don\u2019t you read the writing on my shirt?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Lenny spun around. \u201cI\u2014I didn\u2019t know it was writing. I thought it was just a design.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cNow you know how I feel looking at all this,\u201d she said with a sweep of her arm.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cBut how did\u2026the ring grew\u2026but\u2014\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cLet me guess,\u201d she cut him off, \u201cthis is one of those \u2018There is no magic\u2019 worlds, right?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cYeah, but it\u2019s\u2026.\u201d The ring vibrated with an energy that Lenny found both soothing and disquieting. The unease won out and he pulled it off his thumb and handed it back to her.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cMagic is everywhere,\u201d she said, after she put the ring back on. \u201cYour world probably forgot it a long time ago, unless you figured out physics first and still haven\u2019t discovered magic.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI haven\u2019t asked yet, but what\u2019s your name?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIshgurk,\u201d she said, \u201cbut everyone just calls me \u2018Ish.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIsh, I\u2019m Lenny. Uh, welcome to Earth?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cLenny. That sounds like a warrior\u2019s name, but you don\u2019t look like a warrior.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI\u2019m not. It\u2019s actually a pretty shit name here, but my parents are like, huge Simpsons fans.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI think your name is just fine. Now, if you\u2019d help me, I need medicines for swelling, pain, some bandages, and antiseptics.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

As she talked, Lenny pulled items off the shelf for her, and she followed up by pulling another dozen of each and handing them to him.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cMaybe you should take her to the hospital?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

She put her hands on her hips and glared at him. \u201cAnd what are they going to say when two goblins walk in?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cOh, right. I\u2014I\u2019ll set this up by the cash register,\u201d he said, his arms full.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWhat kind of food and drink do you have?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He dumped the first aid supplies on the counter and returned to her. \u201cWe have hot dogs over there, and frozen dinners, but our microwave is busted. Candy on that aisle. Drinks are all in the cooler on the back wall.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

She looked up at the hot dog machine and took a deep sniff. \u201cMake me two of those,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Lenny put together two dogs for her, adding every topping as she just agreed with each one as he asked. While he was closing the lids on the hotdog boxes, she took one from him and devoured the hotdog in the time it took her to walk to the drink coolers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI need something like a strong tea,\u201d she said. \u201cI\u2019m tired and still have a ways to go before my day is done.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He stood beside the cooler and began pointing out her options. \u201cThese are tea, but not very strong, these are iced coffee, stronger than tea, with a load of sugar and cream, and these are sodas, mostly sugar with some caffeine\u2014\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Ishgurk interrupted him. \u201cWithout sugar, and no cream, please.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He pointed to the energy drinks on the top row. \u201cThese are all sugar-free, but they\u2019re still sweet. They\u2019re, like, five or ten times more caffeine than the tea.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

She nodded and waved her hand toward the cooler. One of the cans on the top shelf rose into the air and glided gently down to her waiting hand. \u201cOh! It\u2019s so cold!\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cYeah. Are you sure that\u2019s the one you want? It\u2019s pretty strong.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWhat is it flavored with?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cJust, like, citrus or something.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cGood enough.\u201d She carried the drink to the counter. \u201cSince you have cold boxes, do you have ice?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cSure. Let me grab you a bag.\u201d Lenny pulled the keys out of his pocket, opened the locked ice chest near the register, pulled out a bag, and re-locked the chest. \u201cI\u2019ll just get you rung up here real quick.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He scanned the items, loading them into bags as he went, the total climbing on the register. After scanning the drink Ishgurk still held between her hands, he said, \u201cYour total is 76.57.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Ishgurk set the drink on the counter and reached into a pouch she\u2019d pulled from inside her shirt. \u201cWill this work?\u201d she asked, holding out two small, unadorned, golden disks; like blank coins.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cUm\u2026is that, like, real gold?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

She bit into one of the disks, leaving an impression of her teeth. \u201cPure gold. 24 karat.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Lenny put his hand out. She dropped them in his palm, and he was surprised at the weight of them. He put them on the digital scale, where they showed up as just over one-half-ounce together. A quick search on his phone found that the gold value in the two coins was around a thousand dollars.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThat\u2019s, like, way too much,\u201d he said. \u201cYour total is less than a tenth of that.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cKeep it,\u201d she said. \u201cI may still need your help later. My sister \u2014 the perfect<\/em> one \u2014 is injured, and until she\u2019s capable of moving easily, we can\u2019t open a new portal. This place is close to where we\u2019re hiding and has supplies.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Lenny swiped his own debit card to pay for her purchase. \u201cAre you sure, Ish? I mean, it\u2019s\u2026a lot.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI\u2019m sure. If my sister is feeling better in the morning, we\u2019ll come back together for more hotdogs. I liked it.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

She took the bags from the counter one by one, and they disappeared into the pouch she\u2019d pulled the coin from. Lenny watched wide-eyed at the casual display of magic. Whatever he thought he\u2019d known about the universe had been upended.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cSo, like, what\u2019s the deal with your sister? You don\u2019t like her?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Ishgurk sighed. \u201cI love my sister, honest. It\u2019s just that she\u2019s got the perfect darker green skin, jet black hair with no green streaks\u2014\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI like your green streaks.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201c\u2014longer fangs, and the prettier name; Grzzniksh. On top of all that, she\u2019s a gifted mage while all I can do is light telekinesis. I could never wrap my head around the advanced math for magic.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI think Ishgurk is the prettier name,\u201d Lenny said, \u201cand you have nothing to worry about in the looks department. I mean, like, you\u2019re small but you\u2019re cute\u2026attractive, I mean. You could get a guy \u2014 or girl, if you prefer \u2014 easy. As for math, that\u2019s what calculators are for, and advanced math is beyond most everybody, probably. Besides, you\u2019re<\/em> the one taking care of your sister.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThanks, Lenny. Even if you\u2019re just saying it to make me feel better, it makes me feel better.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cJust calling it the way I see it.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Lenny saw her puzzling over the can and showed her how to open it. She seemed delighted with the novel experience. After a tentative sip, she guzzled down the can in seconds before letting out a massive belch and falling into a laughing fit.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Worry setting in, Lenny asked, \u201cAre you going to be okay? That\u2019s a lot of caffeine for someone so\u2014\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Ishgurk smiled wide. \u201cI\u2019m fine. In fact, that\u2019s better than a vigor potion! I\u2019ll be having another in the morning,\u201d she said, handing him the empty can.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWait,\u201d he said. He grabbed a pre-paid cell phone off the display behind him, rang it up and ran his card again. After opening the box and activating the phone, he dialed it from his phone and added his number to the contacts. He set the permissions to allow both phones to see the other\u2019s location.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He showed her how to call him and had her do so for practice. While he understood what she was saying from standing next to her, her voice from the phone was not<\/em> translated.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cOkay. If you\u2019re in trouble, call me and say \u2018Help.\u2019 Take off your ring and tell me your word for help.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

She took off her ring and said, \u201cGrrsh.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He said, \u201cGrrsh, help.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cHellup,\u201d she said, before putting the ring back on.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Lenny smiled. \u201cIf you call and say help in your language or mine, I\u2019ll know you need me. We can both see where the other\u2019s phone is on this app here so, I can come right away and help, or you can find me if you want.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cHow will I know when you are here?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Lenny pointed to the location of the phones on the map. \u201cIf my phone is here, I\u2019m here.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThis is a map, and these lines are streets?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cYeah.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIt\u2019s nice to know that humans on this world are kind to goblins,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWell, I would guess that most would be if they talked to you. Some, though, don\u2019t even like other humans. So, maybe, some<\/em> humans on this world are kind to goblins?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cAs my sister, the great and ever-precise mage and mathematician would say: \u2018We know that at least one human on this world is kind to at least one goblin.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cAs soon as she\u2019s well enough, bring her by to see me and we can make that at least two.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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