The wicked world above your head (Chapter 2)
Title: The wicked world above your head
Pairings: Novak Djokovic/Ernests Gulbis, Andy Murray/Tim Henman
Rating: G
Word count: 3,578
Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters and this is a fiction.
Summary: Novak gets himself a carpet and Andy can’t believe everything that is happening around him.
Author’s note: The first part of the story can be found here. Very sorry that it took me so long!
From the previous chapter:
Andy had received a mysterious note about Rafael Nadal's secret to fitness and had reluctantly checked out Tim's carpet store with Novak. The two had ended up having tea with Tim and Ernests on one of the carpets when Novak had realized that Ernests' pointy ears were for real.
Chapter 2
“Hoo…”
Andy let out a deep sigh as he swallowed some pills with fresh water. His head had been hurting all day and had only become worse ever since they had come back from the carpet store. It was a miracle that they had got out of that place in one piece so he wasn’t exactly complaining about a headache, but it still hurt pretty badly.
“Whoa!”
Hearing his best friend marvel at his new light-blue carpet didn’t help him at all.
“I can’t believe you actually bought that, Nole. All that amount of prize money for nothing. It must be on a nasty spell or something. God knows what has been done to that carpet and you! I still think we should ask for a refund and call the police.”
“No way! This is the most amazing thing I’ve ever seen in my life! Oh well, except for my Australian Open trophy but anyway… you know what I mean. Can you believe we really had tea on a floating carpet?”
“As a matter of fact, no, I can’t. I’m just praying that all of this is a very vivid nightmare.”
“Since when do you pray?”
“Since the moment you opened the door to that damn store.”
Novak turned another page of the manual that came with his brand new carpet and looked up. Unlike himself, his friend wasn’t in a good mood.
“Oh, come on, Andy, you have to admit that Ernie’s tea tasted great. And I so know that you enjoyed those yummy biscuits too.”
Andy didn’t feel like lying but didn’t feel like telling the truth either.
“Perhaps those were all wicked as well. We shouldn’t have eaten them in the first place.”
Actually, Andy had had no intention to drink the tea or take a bite from the biscuits but the shop owner’s voice had somehow tricked him to pick up his teacup.
“Did the owner say that he was a half-witch?”
The Scot asked in case he had heard it wrong. He was getting to know that human senses couldn’t be trusted at times.
“Tim? Yeah, he said that his dad was human but his mom was a witch and that his ex-wife was an elf.”
“An elf. Right.”
Andy snorted. He wasn’t stupid enough to believe that those kind of creatures existed in the real world.
“What was that mocking sound? Elves seem to be a more decent species than witches. Look at Ernie. He’s all gentle and kind.”
“What? And, don’t call him Ernie. He’s not your friend, Nole. You don’t know anything about him and he could be dangerous. Stay away from him.”
“In case you forgot, I asked him if it was okay to call him by his first name and he gave me a small nod! And, he’s just selling carpets. What harm could he do other than ripping me off?”
Novak couldn’t believe that his friend didn’t have a mind open enough to embrace the fact that there were indeed other forms of intellectual creatures than human beings.
“Andy, it’s not like I believed in other creatures before either. But we met them and saw what they could do.”
“Maybe they put drugs in our tea and we hallucinated.”
“But I saw Ernie’s pointy ears before we had tea.”
“I didn’t see them. Maybe you were too busy drooling over him.”
Novak glared at his uncooperative friend.
“Just help me put up this protective film, okay? This should look like a tent or something.”
“Nole, you don’t actually believe this thing can fly, right? We only saw it float a meter or so. Sorry to say this but I do think that curly boy and that smiley old dude ripped you off. Besides, they couldn’t tell us if Rafa was an actual customer there. I don’t believe all that bullshit they said about not being able to talk about other customers. I think they chose me as a target and sent me a note because I earned quite some prize money.”
The Serb watched as the world number three spilled words of suspicion and annoyance. He turned onto the next page of the manual and grinned.
“What?” Andy didn’t like that smile.
“Well, we’ll see how it goes tomorrow. If you want, you can come and watch.”
“Watch what?” The Scot was alarmed.
“You forgot already? I’m supposed to take flying lessons from Ernie tomorrow evening, remember?”
“You never told me that!”
“Duh, you were there when I asked Ernie how to learn how to fly and he kindly offered me that he could teach me for free. Oh, you must’ve been busy talking to Tim about that brand new tea.”
“I couldn’t talk about carpets so we only had tea to talk about!” The tea maniac defended himself.
“No need to yell, Andy. Your headache will get worse.”
Andy sank deep into the couch and closed his eyes, hoping that when he opened them again, there would be the sight of his friend with empty hands; not with a thick manual for a flying carpet or a translucent vinyl which was supposed to be a protective film.
“You’re not going to help me with this, are you?” Novak held up the film.
The Scot shook his head and closed his eyes even tighter.
“Fine. I’ll do it on my own. It doesn’t look that complicated.”
Andy peeped an eye open and saw Novak sit on the carpet and punch in something on the small keyboard that was attached to one end.
‘What kind of carpet has a steering wheel and a lousy keyboard on it? It’s not even plugged in. How is it supposed to work?’
Much to the Scot’s surprise, Novak’s face grew brighter. It must be working somehow.
“Wow! Isn’t this amazing? It’s like a small magic computer!”
“Sure.”
Andy closed his eyes again, planning to open them only after the delusional Serb realized that he had been conned.
“Oh my god, this is so exciting! I never knew elves had more advanced technology than us! Well, I didn’t even know that they were for real but whoa!”
Then, for the next ten minutes, Novak chattered about how Ernests had told him that they used witch powder to cast a magic spell on their carpets and how Tim was an expert at all sorts of spells.
‘Hmm? He’s a spell expert? Well, he did say that he was a half-witch after all. Not that I really believe him. Mmm… perhaps he put a spell on me to drink that drugged tea and on Nole to buy a carpet. I knew there was a reason as to why his voice sounded so convincing even when he talked about the stupidest things.’
Andy put up his feet on the couch and lay down properly.
‘Wait. But I don’t believe in spells. But then, why couldn’t I refuse those cookies and tea and just grab Nole and run out of there? There was definitely something that prevented me from doing the right thing. Yeah, perhaps I can admit the existence of some nasty mojo. It’s more believable than half-witches anyway.’
He didn’t have more time to think as he heard a strange buzz followed by a huge yell of appreciation.
“This is wicked awesome! Look, Andy! Look! I put it up! This is real magic!”
Andy swore under his breath and opened his eyes. He was just curious about the buzzing sound.
“Ack!”
He jumped up to his feet and rubbed his eyes. Novak was standing on the middle of the carpet with a tent-shaped vinyl around him which seemed to move flexibly as he threw his hands in the air and put them down again.
“If I sit, it comes down with me. Look.”
The film had now turned into a smaller tent and when Novak lay down, it shrank even further.
“You know, maybe I should’ve bought a round carpet or an oval one. It could’ve been more interesting. But then, all flying carpets in cartoons are rectangular, right? Hmm… I wonder if Rafa has a round one.”
Andy was intrigued at how clearly he could hear his friend’s voice through the film.
‘I guess that means it’s not working properly. Shouldn’t it be thick and strong enough to protect the rider? It won’t be any use up there even if that carpet can fly. Wait. Can he even get out of that film? Bah, if he can’t, I can get some scissors and cut it open.’
While the boy who was a week older was thinking about his rescue plan, Novak sat straight and gave his friend that excited smile of his.
“Now watch me fly.”
Andy saw the owner of the carpet enter something into the keyboard again and let out a small yelp. The carpet was floating just like it had done in the store.
“How on earth did…”
Before Andy could finish his sentence, the carpet flew into the wall with a huge thump and crashed on the ground.
“Ahhh! My back!”
“Jesus Christ! Are you okay?”
Andy ran to check if the Serb was all right. The film split into half as he reached out for his friend and luckily, he didn’t seem to have hurt himself badly.
“I’m fine. I just hit my back, that’s all.”
“See? I told you this wasn’t a good idea. I’ll get the phone so you can ask for a refund.”
“Are you out of your mind, dear friend? This is exactly why I signed up for flying lessons tomorrow. It must be different from driving a car.”
“Are you out of your mind? Of course, this is different from driving a car. This is called, being completely insane.”
Novak got up from the carpet and lay on the couch with the manual in his hand, in case Andy decided to take it away from him and burn it.
“No offense, but you don’t even know how to drive, Andy.”
“So what? I’m just saying that driving a car didn’t look as crazy as this.”
“Well, I still think this is the coolest carpet ever. If I can just learn from Ernie, I know it’s going to be worth my Slam prize money, hehe.”
Shaking his head at his friend’s stupidity, Andy headed for his bedroom.
“Sleep tight, Nole. I hope you come back to your senses after a good night’s sleep.”
He closed the door before the Serb could answer and jumped into bed. He was exhausted.
The next morning, Andy started his day by frowning at his cell phone. He had gotten a picture message from a number that he couldn’t recognize.
‘Who sent me a message at this time of the day?’
Unlike yesterday, he had woken up early, thanks to the headache.
‘Perhaps it’s one of those spams.’
He let the message load and bam! A familiar smiling face appeared on the display screen.
“What a lovely morning, Mr. Murray! This is Tim Henman from the carpet store. I’m leaving this message to check if everything’s fine with Mr. Djokovic’s new carpet! If there’s any problem, please let us know immediately. Or if you’re too busy to do that, please tell Mr. Djokovic to inform Ernie in the evening. Have a good day and I hope you’ll get a nice carpet for your own self sometime soon! Bye!”
Andy flipped the phone closed and crawled out of bed. He had witnessed his friend’s carpet crash into a wall last night and that had to be categorized under ‘any problem’.
‘Bah, I guess Nole will tell that Elf kid anyway.’
Deciding to leave matters in the Serb’s hands, Andy walked to the kitchen. He needed stronger pills and the greatest cup of tea.
“Good morning, Andy!”
Surprisingly, the proud owner of the crashing carpet was at the kitchen table, reading the papers and drinking tea.
“How come you’re up already? Couldn’t sleep when you realized you got ripped off?”
“Drop it already, Andy. You should come see me take lessons today or when I get two weeks’ practice, maybe I could go on a test ride with you.” Novak twinkled his eyes.
“No way. I love my life, Nole. I’m only twenty two and so are you. We’ve been arguing about this all day yesterday. Let’s just not talk about it unless you’re willing to pick up the phone and demand a refund.”
Andy grabbed his pills and gulped them down with Novak’s tea.
“Fine. Let’s just have breakfast then. And, it’s your turn to cook.”
The Serb pointed a finger at today’s cook and got back to his papers. He wanted to check the weather for the day. If it was going to rain or if there was going to be strong wind, he would have to postpone his first lesson.
“What do you want me to cook? How does an English breakfast sound like?”
“In case you haven’t noticed, I almost always have English breakfast with you, Andy. Can we have something else?”
“No. I only have ingredients for an English breakfast.” The Scot pouted.
“Well, then let’s have it again. Thanks, Andy.”
Novak didn’t want to argue with his best friend over a carpet or a meal so he smiled to show his appreciation. Besides, Andy wasn’t the best cook in the world. It was probably safe to make him cook something that he was very familiar with.
“Oh, I forgot to tell you. That smiling old dude left me a message on the phone this morning.”
“Tim texted you?”
“Yeah. He wanted to check if everything was fine with your carpet but I didn’t text him back about that little accident since you’re going to see the Elf boy anyway.”
“Don’t call him like that. He has a beautiful name, Ernie.”
Andy took a deep breath and decided to ignore what he had just heard.
“But what I don’t get is that why wouldn’t he just ask you directly? You are the one who bought his product. How strange…”
Novak giggled behind the weather section as he saw Andy turn on the gas.
“If you ask me, I think he has eyes for you. Don’t forget that he sent you that mysterious note in the first place.”
“But isn’t he like a hundred years older than me? Bah, I don’t know if a half-witch is supposed to live longer.” Andy had no idea how old that smiley shop owner might be.
“You ever asked him?”
“Did you just ask me if I asked him?” Andy repeated the question.
“Yeah. Why is that so surprising?”
“Because I’m not interested either in him or in his age!”
“Well, you just asked me if he was a hundred years older than you and the first part would’ve sounded a little bit more convincing if you weren’t all red.”
“What…? I’m not all red.”
“Um… Sorry but yes, you are.”
Novak left the kitchen to feed the dogs - Maggie and Pierre - and Andy stood in front of the stove, wondering why his face was indeed all red.
“Over here, Mr. Djo… Novak!”
Ernests wasn’t used to calling a customer by his first name but the human had insisted that he called him Novak.
‘Oh well, after I yell at him thirty something times today, I guess I’ll get used to it naturally.’
The Latvian elf waved again in case Novak hadn't seen him yet.
‘Ah, there he is!’
The Serb broke into a smile as he spotted his flying instructor standing in the middle of the clearing.
“Good evening, Ernie! Am I late? I thought we were supposed to meet at half past six.”
Novak dropped the rolled-up carpet on the floor and checked his wristwatch.
“No, I arrived early. I had to leave work earlier than usual because Tim talked about how your friend Andy looked even cuter in person all day! Geez!”
“Ahahaha, so I was right when I told him that Tim had eyes for him.”
“You did? What did he say?”
“He just turned red and started cooking.”
“Oh…”
The soft breeze swept through the pretty curls and there they were again, those pointy ears that still made the human feel a little uncomfortable.
‘Well, I hope it’ll get better after each lesson.’
Novak squatted to get his carpet ready to fly and saw the elf do the same.
“I was half expecting you to cancel today’s lesson, to be honest.”
Ernests helped his student unroll his carpet and handed him one of the helmets that he had brought.
“Why? The wind isn’t strong at all.”
“Well, usually, human beings ask for a refund the next day, or even if they don’t, there are many private institutions out there run by elves or witches that teach you how to fly.”
“Really? I didn’t know that. Besides, I’d rather learn from you than from anybody else. You look like you could be a great teacher for me…”
Novak put on the smile that he used to charm people and felt his heart warm up when the elf smiled back. He was hoping that the two could have dinner together after an intimate flying lesson.
“So, shall we get started?” Ernests looked around to check if there were any human beings in sight. The coast was clear.
The Serb nodded and sat on the carpet, in front of the steering wheel and the keyboard.
“I read the first two sections of the manual last night. I hope it helps.”
“I’m sure it will. Don’t worry. Even if we crash, you won’t suffer from any injuries. I brought more witch powder that should keep us safe.”
“Then why are we wearing helmets? In case the powder doesn’t work?”
“There are accidents even in the magic world so I always make students wear helmets just in case.”
“Oh, okay.”
Novak watched while the elf sprinkled some shiny violet powder on the edges of the carpet.
“Should I clean it up later?” He asked, hoping that he could keep his new carpet clean.
“Haha, no, it will have vanished by tomorrow morning. You don’t need any spells to use it. This one can only be used for a short amount of time. It’s a very simple powder.”
“Oh. What do I do when I fly long distance then?”
“Well, we have other types of safety powders and they do require spells. We even sell spell books with them so I could probably recommend you after you’ve finished all your lessons.” Ernests answered his eager student’s question.
“Okay! That sounds great. Should I put up the protective film now? I tried it last night and it worked perfectly! Well, I did try to fly a little in the house and ended up hitting the wall but it was fun!”
“Haha. Yes, put up the film and let’s start flying.”
“You got it!”
Novak punched in the instructions and held the steering wheel tight.
“Just let the carpet rise until there are no more trees ahead, ok?”
“Okay.”
The beginner took a deep breath as the carpet started to float in the air. It was very comforting to know that there were no walls around to fly into.
“Do other students write a will in case things don’t go well?”
Novak asked, trying not to sound frightened. The trees were taller than he had expected and even though he didn’t have any fear of height, he had a funny feeling in his stomach.
“A will? I don’t think so.”
“Oh, then I suppose I won’t need one either.”
The Serb swallowed hard. He could see the open sky ahead of him.
“Novak, I’ve been working at Tim’s store since I was fifteen.”
Ernests put a hand on one of the students’ that was on the wheel, hoping that it would calm him down.
“And you are…?”
“I’m twenty now. So I’ve been in all sorts of situations. We used to teach a lot of new students before.”
“Oh.” Novak was glad to find out the pretty elf’s age in the middle of all this fear.
“So don’t worry. I’ll make sure you enjoy this lesson! I’m a good instructor! You can ask Rafa someday. I taught him too.”
“Oh, you did? That already makes me feel better. Thanks.”
“You’re welcome.”
Ernests knew that he would get into trouble if Tim found out that he talked about one of their clients but he didn’t regret spilling information about Rafael when he saw the Serb’s eyes shine with determination.
The magic carpets all had auto-pilot mode but it was still very important to know how to take control of the carpet and he didn’t want his new student to get scared off when flying could be so much fun.
“You’re ready now?”
The elf drew his hand away and Novak nodded even if he would rather have the warm hand on his throughout the lesson.
“Okay. Time to fly!”
The carpet slowly flew forward in the evening sky. Novak was about to experience something fundamentally different.