[story] paranormal procrastination
author: naoko kensaku
e-mail: beta.read.edit [at] gmail dot com
"You really should get started on that paper." The voice popped up unexpectedly, startling Dorian as he typed the words of his favourite music video into the search bar.
"Let me set up this song first," he said aloud.
"Did you say something, Dorian?" a short woman peeked into his room from the kitchen. He looked up to see his housemate looking at him oddly.
"Eh? I said nothing," he pretended, then waited till she left before he closed the door behind her.
Someone giggled behind him.
"Leave me alone," he muttered.
"Not until you get started on your work," she replied.
He heard her, impossibly, somewhere off to his right, high near the windows, where no human could possibly be. There were only boxes in that direction.
"Soon." He let the music play on Youtube, and then opened up his writing program. As the logo blinked in front of him, booting the programme up, he heard a familiar beep.
That was a horrible link, someone wrote to him, ending the message with a smiley face to let him know that she meant it was a good link. Dorian smiled back.
Good evening~ she greeted him with an ellipse. She used ellipses a lot in her writing, as though to make up for the lack of body language.
evening, he typed back quickly, then added on, working.
She said goodbye and presumably went off to do something else. He sighed and then hung his head. He could not deny the brief flash of joy he’d felt when she'd messaged him.
"You know, she's interested in you."
"Go away," he muttered.
"Tell her you like her, and then I will," he could hear the smile in her voice.
"Aren't you supposed to be helping me with my paper?" Dorian answered.
The voice laughed at his question. He did not turn to look in its direction.
"I'm supposed to make you do whatever it is you want to procrastinate on," the sprite said. Since he wasn’t looking at her, she moved into his view instead. "So don’t ignore me. "
She was a tiny little thing, a miniature mature-looking woman who stood no taller than his palm, dressed in a simple long flowery dress. The first time he had seen her, he'd tried to swat her away on instinct. His hand had gone through her. She'd laughed the same way then too.
Ignoring her this time, he began to type. The sprite giggled and left him alone - for now. Several minutes later, the message window blinked again, but it was just a bunch of links from the girl. He smiled. For now, there was peace...
...Or so he thought as his phone began to ring.
"Ya, Ma?" he answered the call respectfully.
"It's your uncle," his mother began, and he felt his heart drop.
His mother informed him that his uncle was in a critical way, and that the family would be coming up to see him. In the meantime, would he visit his uncle in the morning? He replied that he would, and then got up from the PC and stretched out on his bed.
Strezzz, he messaged her on his phone.
Something happened? she typed back. He told her the story.
"Your work, Dorian, your work," the sprite danced in front of Dorian, coming between him and the phone.
"I can't work like this," Dorian glared at the sprite.
"The more you procrastinate, the longer I'll stay," the sprite twirled merrily in the air, obviously full of glee.
"Was the accident your doing?" He was suddenly angry.
"No, but if it keeps me here longer..." the sprite grinned.
"What happens if I finish writing that paper?" he asked.
"Then I leave. But you won't finish it before your deadline, anyway," she smiled maliciously.
His phone beeped with another message from her.
"Hehehe," the sprite laughed.
He got up and continued working on his paper. The sprite buzzed around, and Dorian noticed just how frequently the network would cut out on his computer now, something it had never done before - but that it happened particularly when he was looking for specific samples of arguments to use in his paper. There was nothing to do but grit his teeth as he waited for the WiFi to reconnect. He found an unexpected ally: the sprite would usually whistle just before the network cutouts happened and break his line of thought, and so he took to messaging the girl for help instead.
I think this was what you were looking for? the girl replied with a link to a paper he had wanted to cite.
Thanks Alex, he messaged her on the phone. Google Hangouts worked, for once.
No worries. Going to sleep soon though, she warned him.
Sleep well! Shower then sleep for me too, he replied. She gave him a smiley.
And he was done with his paper before midnight.
"Awww, you finished it," the sprite said in sadness.
"Now go away," he banished her.
"Hehehe, ok! But I'll be back!" she literally disappeared in a ball of smoke. Dorian breathed a sigh of relief. He would be able to get at least one night's sleep tonight.
Then his phone rang again.
"Kor?" it was his younger sister this time.
"Yes, Mei?" he had a sneaking suspicion as to why his sister would call him so late.
"Did you finish your paper?" she asked him.
"Yes... you sent it, didn't you?" He knew now who had sent him the sprite, and he let his peevishness enter his voice.
"Did she help?" his sister sounded hopeful.
"Not as much as you thought," he let the irritation creep up a bit more.
"Hmph, I'll do better next time. Bye Ah Kor!"
She was about to hang up, before he’d even had a chance to scold her. "Mei!" he almost shouted into the phone.
"Yes, Ah Kor?"
"Stop playing with these things and go study. You have your SPM coming up."
"Hehe, already studied. Don't worry Ah Kor, the next one will be a love sprite!"
"What? Ah Mei, what are you talking about?" but she had already hung up.
Dorian buried his head in his hands.
Some people should mind their own business...
the end
e-mail: beta.read.edit [at] gmail dot com
"You really should get started on that paper." The voice popped up unexpectedly, startling Dorian as he typed the words of his favourite music video into the search bar.
"Let me set up this song first," he said aloud.
"Did you say something, Dorian?" a short woman peeked into his room from the kitchen. He looked up to see his housemate looking at him oddly.
"Eh? I said nothing," he pretended, then waited till she left before he closed the door behind her.
Someone giggled behind him.
"Leave me alone," he muttered.
"Not until you get started on your work," she replied.
He heard her, impossibly, somewhere off to his right, high near the windows, where no human could possibly be. There were only boxes in that direction.
"Soon." He let the music play on Youtube, and then opened up his writing program. As the logo blinked in front of him, booting the programme up, he heard a familiar beep.
That was a horrible link, someone wrote to him, ending the message with a smiley face to let him know that she meant it was a good link. Dorian smiled back.
Good evening~ she greeted him with an ellipse. She used ellipses a lot in her writing, as though to make up for the lack of body language.
evening, he typed back quickly, then added on, working.
She said goodbye and presumably went off to do something else. He sighed and then hung his head. He could not deny the brief flash of joy he’d felt when she'd messaged him.
"You know, she's interested in you."
"Go away," he muttered.
"Tell her you like her, and then I will," he could hear the smile in her voice.
"Aren't you supposed to be helping me with my paper?" Dorian answered.
The voice laughed at his question. He did not turn to look in its direction.
"I'm supposed to make you do whatever it is you want to procrastinate on," the sprite said. Since he wasn’t looking at her, she moved into his view instead. "So don’t ignore me. "
She was a tiny little thing, a miniature mature-looking woman who stood no taller than his palm, dressed in a simple long flowery dress. The first time he had seen her, he'd tried to swat her away on instinct. His hand had gone through her. She'd laughed the same way then too.
Ignoring her this time, he began to type. The sprite giggled and left him alone - for now. Several minutes later, the message window blinked again, but it was just a bunch of links from the girl. He smiled. For now, there was peace...
...Or so he thought as his phone began to ring.
"Ya, Ma?" he answered the call respectfully.
"It's your uncle," his mother began, and he felt his heart drop.
His mother informed him that his uncle was in a critical way, and that the family would be coming up to see him. In the meantime, would he visit his uncle in the morning? He replied that he would, and then got up from the PC and stretched out on his bed.
Strezzz, he messaged her on his phone.
Something happened? she typed back. He told her the story.
"Your work, Dorian, your work," the sprite danced in front of Dorian, coming between him and the phone.
"I can't work like this," Dorian glared at the sprite.
"The more you procrastinate, the longer I'll stay," the sprite twirled merrily in the air, obviously full of glee.
"Was the accident your doing?" He was suddenly angry.
"No, but if it keeps me here longer..." the sprite grinned.
"What happens if I finish writing that paper?" he asked.
"Then I leave. But you won't finish it before your deadline, anyway," she smiled maliciously.
His phone beeped with another message from her.
"Hehehe," the sprite laughed.
He got up and continued working on his paper. The sprite buzzed around, and Dorian noticed just how frequently the network would cut out on his computer now, something it had never done before - but that it happened particularly when he was looking for specific samples of arguments to use in his paper. There was nothing to do but grit his teeth as he waited for the WiFi to reconnect. He found an unexpected ally: the sprite would usually whistle just before the network cutouts happened and break his line of thought, and so he took to messaging the girl for help instead.
I think this was what you were looking for? the girl replied with a link to a paper he had wanted to cite.
Thanks Alex, he messaged her on the phone. Google Hangouts worked, for once.
No worries. Going to sleep soon though, she warned him.
Sleep well! Shower then sleep for me too, he replied. She gave him a smiley.
And he was done with his paper before midnight.
"Awww, you finished it," the sprite said in sadness.
"Now go away," he banished her.
"Hehehe, ok! But I'll be back!" she literally disappeared in a ball of smoke. Dorian breathed a sigh of relief. He would be able to get at least one night's sleep tonight.
Then his phone rang again.
"Kor?" it was his younger sister this time.
"Yes, Mei?" he had a sneaking suspicion as to why his sister would call him so late.
"Did you finish your paper?" she asked him.
"Yes... you sent it, didn't you?" He knew now who had sent him the sprite, and he let his peevishness enter his voice.
"Did she help?" his sister sounded hopeful.
"Not as much as you thought," he let the irritation creep up a bit more.
"Hmph, I'll do better next time. Bye Ah Kor!"
She was about to hang up, before he’d even had a chance to scold her. "Mei!" he almost shouted into the phone.
"Yes, Ah Kor?"
"Stop playing with these things and go study. You have your SPM coming up."
"Hehe, already studied. Don't worry Ah Kor, the next one will be a love sprite!"
"What? Ah Mei, what are you talking about?" but she had already hung up.
Dorian buried his head in his hands.
Some people should mind their own business...
the end