Thanks, Uncle Meat, for editing this one too.
* * * * * * * * * *
"Are you actually telling me…?" Amy stopped, took a deep breath, continued, "Kelly, are you out of your
mind
?!"
About week after Christmas, on New Year's Eve, Kelly finally told her roommate Amy what had happened on Christmas Eve after she decided she could no longer take the 'what happened to you's directed at her every few minutes. Of course, she had not expected total belief, but this?
"Listen Amy, you don't have to believe me, ok? You've been badgering me for the past few days about why I have been so quiet and into myself, so I told you. I… I really don't know how much of it is true and… damn! You're right. I think I'm out of my mind."
At that moment Kelly looked so miserable that Amy went over to her and gave her a hug. Amy was worried. This was not the friend she had known for such a long time. After Alex left her she had been devastated, but had pulled herself together somewhat. Now this? What was going on?
"Do you need to talk about it?" she asked tentatively.
"I already did! Just now. I told you the whole story."
Amy was quiet for a few moments, debating on how to answer. "Kelly… do you… I mean, I am not disbelieving you or anything, but you have to agree it's kind of far-fetched. Do you think it actually happened?"
"I don't know. I don't know whether it actually happened or not, Amy, but I'm telling you, it was as real as everything else in my life. As real as you and me now. As real as my sitting here and you standing there. I felt him. It was so… very… real." She lapsed into a silence, her eyes closed. "At least, it seemed to be."
There was a heavy silence as Kelly became absorbed in her thoughts and Amy wondered what to do. She couldn't just leave Kelly like that. Perhaps she should broach the subject of a psychiatrist? Would that be right? Maybe… but, wait!
"Kelly?"
"Hmmm?"
"Kelly, listen."
Amy's enthusiastic voice caused Kelly to open her eyes.
"What?"
"This elf guy…"
"Fabian."
"…yes, Fabian.
Is
the name important? Well, anyway, he told you he would come when you call him?"
Kelly blinked. "Yes. Yes, he did. So?"
"So call him again. I mean, if he exists he will come, right?"
Kelly stared at her. Her mind refused to acknowledge the idea. "Amy, no. No way. I'm going crazy just thinking about last time, whether it happened or not and you want me to actually…? No way!"
Amy was pumped up with excitement. "Look, we can prove or disprove this, right? If he's there, he will come. If he doesn't exist, he will not. At least you'll not be in this suspense mode all through your life. Come on Kelly, it's the only sensible thing to do." She looked at Kelly's set face and tried a different route, "And I'll be right here with you. It's not like he'll molest you again."
"He didn't molest me!"
"Yes, well, what I'm trying to say is that he will not do anything you do not want. Two young, healthy ladies can take on a measly elf any time. How tall did you say he was?"
"About waist-high," Kelly answered automatically. Her mind was elsewhere.
"Yes, so he can't harm us. And he can't forcibly have sex with you if you don't want him to." Amy peered closely at Kelly's face. "Or… do you actually want him to?!"
Kelly blushed. "It's not like that… really. It's just that…," she paused, shrugged her shoulders, "he was really good," she finished with a smile.
"Oh my God!" Amy rolled her eyes in disbelief. "That's all you need, falling for a mythical creature. I can't believe this."
"I'm not falling for him exactly… don't be stupid, Amy. Well, okay. Let's call him."
"Now I'm afraid. I really don't know if it's a good idea. You're getting to like the dwarf."
"He's not a dwarf!" burst out Kelly. "He's an elf. Dwarves are different."
Amy went into open-mouth incredulity for a few seconds. "Now you're even defending the thing that has been threatening your sanity for the past few days? God, Kelly! What's going on here?" Amy flounced around nervously. "Okay, I really am getting second thoughts about this crazy idea."
"It's not crazy. I am not falling for him. I'm all right. I am not going mad. This is just going to be a final test and if he doesn't appear, he was a figment of my imagination, but oh God, what an imagination!"
This was the happiest Amy had seen Kelly in the past few months. She looked like the fun-loving and carefree friend she had known before her boyfriend had dumped her without warning. There wasn't anything to lose. It wasn’t like an elf was going to appear. That scenario was as likely as… as… as the existence of Santa Claus.
Amy smiled. "Okay, fine. You get to call him. He doesn't appear, you forget about him. Okay?"
"Of course."
"Right. Now, what's the procedure? Are you supposed to close your eyes and picture him? Is there a rhyme or something? Like Rapunzel? Fab-i-an, fab-i-an, get down to Kelly here," she sang out.
"Oh come on, Amy. Stop making fun of him. He told me to call when I want him and he'll come."
"Yah, right." Amy obviously didn't believe in it. "Well, go on, call him."
"I can't with you staring at me like that," Kelly burst out defensively. "I'm going to feel pretty foolish. Just go somewhere and I'll… I'll call you in a while."
Amy muttered something under her breath and walked away, shaking her head.
Kelly folded her legs under her on the couch and put her arms around her, hugging herself. She wondered if she should call him. What if he was really there? What if he came? Would she be happy or sad or confused… or what? She didn't know.
The only way to find out was to do it.
She closed her eyes and furrowed her brows in concentration. Was she just supposed to call his name? Or say something else too?
Oh well.
"Fabian."
Was that enough?
"Fabian, I… ummm… I want you to come."
She felt really stupid. That should be enough. He had said he would sense it or hear it or something. She had been quite clear.
Kelly opened her eyes and looked around, half fearfully. No Fabian. Oh, well. She told herself that she was not really expecting him to appear. But… it just would have been nice. That's all. Well, glad that's over. Now she would just concentrate on living life and forget about this weird piece of fantasy. She would be happy and Amy will not have to ask her what the problem is ever again. Yes, she would…
He walked in the door. Fabian. Just as she remembered him. Little, chocolate-coloured and wearing a smile on his face.
She stared.
"Hi Kelly. Been well?"
She continued staring, her mouth open partly.
He came nearer and peered at her. "Kelly? Are you okay?"
Finally finding her voice, she stammered a reply, "Yes… yes, I'm fine. I just…"
"Yes, you thought I was a product of your imagination." He shrugged. "I'm not. You could have thought I was and forgotten about me, but when you called, I had to come. You knew that, didn't you?"