The podiatrist’s office smelled like medicine and lavender were in a street brawl.
Ten more minutes and Wally Pikert was gonna need a gastroenterologist too.
He opened a browser game on his phone, muted it so as not to disturb the woman across the small waiting room skimming the celeb magazine.
Wally had played the game before, when his flight to Tulsa was delayed.
Remembered the dragon cornered him at the far left turret of the castle.
Doctor Coffey said he might lose the toe.
He grabbed his weapon from the small menu, and fought the little trolls at the base of the castle.
The woman dropped the magazine when her name was called.
The receptionist was new, and it bothered Wally that he knew that.
When Wally’s little knight avatar got past the trolls, then the skeletons, the dragon pinned him in the same turret it had at gate 79 of DTW.
Wally swung the axe he had chosen, repeatedly and wildly.
The pixelated green dragon drove him back with bursts of animated flame.
Wally backed up the little knight, swung twice in frustration and accidentally decapitated the princess.
Wally Pikert didn’t do physical labor, nor did he have hobbies that required him to run or to jump.
But he didn’t want to lose a toe.
The receptionist called his name.
He liked the sound of her voice, but at the same time she could have been an executioner.
Wally rose.
Keep reading with a 7-day free trial
Subscribe to Jimmy Doom's Roulette Weal to keep reading this post and get 7 days of free access to the full post archives.