Free Old Bones: A Collection of Short Stories by Steven L. Campbell Page A

moment, and then tore away the green wrapping paper that had HAPPY BIRTHDAY written on it in colorful bursts of printing.
He kept his surprise and exuberance low-key when he took the gift
out of its box. “You shouldn’t have,” he said as he opened the
silver lid of the laptop computer.
    “Turn her on. The battery is charged and
she’s ready to go. She has everything, too—including some games for
when you need a break.” She lowered her voice. “I added one of my
favorites. I know you’ll do well at it.”
    Leo powered on the computer and said, “You
really shouldn’t have. These things are expensive and all I got you
was—”
    “Never mind what it cost. I know you need a
new one, so…”
    Leo grinned when the screen came on and
Emily’s youthful face filled the space. “I love the desktop
background,” he said. He looked around, ready to show off his gift
to the two other teachers in the room. But as usual, neither seemed
to notice him. Kathy Richards leafed through a Readers
Digest at the beat-up brown sofa in front of the far wall.
Behind her, the room’s only window wore a slatted blind that seemed
to have been installed during the Nixon era. Her expensive Princess
Diana hairstyle, cosmetic face and ruby red fingernails had
attracted recently divorced Frank Hallstead, who had just poured
himself a cup of coffee and now advanced on her like a walrus to
tuna. He wasted no time trying to talk her into his leased Porsche
after school.
    “He’s such a pig,” Emily whispered. “Do you
know he hit on me my first day?” She shook her head. “But I knew
right away that you were the one for me.”
    Leo blushed.
    “Take her for a spin,” Emily said, nodding at
the computer and smiling flirtatiously. “Just don’t show the others
the photos I put in your pictures folder.”
    “Oh?” Leo looked puzzled. Then, “Oh!” His
cheeks reddened deeper.
    Emily rose from the table and fetched her
unopened chocolates. “I left my gradebook behind at the library.
I’ll be back in a few.” Before she strode away, she said,
“Definitely try out the game I put on there. It’s called Dragon
Slayer , my favorite game of all.”
    Leo looked down at his gift and knew he had
found someone who truly loved him. His long fingers slid over the
sleek computer and he was gladdened to know that Emily planned to
stay awhile. Maybe into old age.
    Grinning wide, Leo went through the menu of
games: Solitaire , Hearts , Freecell , Minesweeper , as well as some he had never heard of. Then he
found Dragon Slayer and opened it.
    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.
    Leo marveled the lifelike graphics while,
within seconds, the dragon destroyed the living. Red words filled
the screen as the dragon and village disappeared into blackness. GAME OVER—0 POINTS .
    Leo clicked a key and brought the dragon’s
fury to life again. He pressed the Ctrl keypad. A centaur
stepped out of the shadows and shot gold arrows from a gold bow at
the dragon. Every shot missed and the dragon destroyed the village
again.
    GAME OVER—0 POINTS .
    He tried again with Ctrl and Alt . 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. Little 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 dark-haired maiden
said.
    Leo was stunned to hear Emily’s voice come
from the computer’s speakers. He looked up. Frank had pulled his
attention from Kathy and was looking over at him.
    “What’cha doin’, Nash?” the almost-bald man
called out.