It’s interesting that the characters in this story include Annie (my wife’s name) and Arlo (my camera security system).
A scream from the back of the house brought me running. Damn it, she’s at it again. I burst into her room to find her floating several feet above her bed, a look of mischief on her face.
“Annie!” I screamed, “cut that out!” She smiled down at me, and quickly began to transform herself into an eagle. I dove for the window, but was too late – as she swooped down past me and out into the morning sunshine.
I drew my Smith and Wesson and took aim, but she.disappeared behind a tree. “All right!” I yelled after her, “you’re had it now young lady.” No daughter of mine was going to disobey me and get away with it.
I closed my eyes and concentrated. After a time, “Yes, boss?” — my watchdog and personal companion, Arlo – loyal but dumb. “Arlo.” I thought, “Annie’s flying around somewhere in the vineyard. Bring her back, and show no mercy.”
“Righi, boss.” I could feel his smile. Breaking contact, I kicked a hole in the wall and stepped through to the outside. Once through, I looked back in disgust at the damage I had done. Closing my eyes, I mentally pictured the wall as it had been – before the hole. There. I looked again and there was no hole – had never been.
Smiling slightly, I became a griffin and, with a mighty bound, was angling upward to get a good view.
Annie, her back to me, was hovering as she faced Arlo. Eagles aren’t built for hovering, so she tired rapidly. She was spotted with blood. Arlo had one head dangling, and an eye missing on a second. Unbelievably enough, he appeared to be losing. Damn that girl!
I launched myself into a dive at her back, Arlo, lacking in subtlety, looked at me in wonder. Annie took the opportunity to attack his already-damaged second head. That left him with only one. As Arlo focused his attention once again on Annie, I was in position. I pulled out of my dive a few yards from Annie’s back by quickly spreading my wings and forcing them downward. With a sound like a rifle shot, I switched directions – slamming startled Annie into the waiting Arlo. In the process, the tremendous strain pulled a muscle under my right wing, and I was forced to soar painfully to the ground. I barely had time to furl my wings before Arlo came trotting over – bearing the broken form of Annie on his back.
“Nice boy” I said after I had changed back to my original form. My right shoulder twinged as I scratched his head, but there was no pain as I drew it back. “Leave her here, I’ll take care of her.”
He nodded, and trotted awery – two heads whole, the third twitching back to life. I picked Annie up, and slung her over my shoulder. Back at the house, I dumped her on the bed, and she too began to twitch back to life.
I left her there, and went back to the living room to read the paper.