Lex

His head was muddled and it was dark. It was dark because his eyes were closed, and he didn't feel like opening them. His head hurt. He considered that briefly, then became aware that his face also hurt. Soon, he added his pinky and his abdomen to the list, and thought it might be more productive to make a list of what didn't hurt. No, that produced nothing.

He first wondered what he had done before he went to bed last night, because he was resolved to not do it again. He tried to stop thinking about anything, because it hurt to think.

Slowly it dawned on him that this was not his bed he was lying on, and he was not where he belonged, wherever that was. He thought there had been a stern woman, or was it a man who was stern? Anyway, he had some recollection of looking for something in the city. He elatedly squinted through one eye. Nothing he saw made sense; not the sparkly walls or the dart or the footstool. He closed his eye and moaned anxiously.

Just then, he heard the door open. He reopened his eye to see a heavyset man carrying a flashlight walk into the room. The man laid the flashlight on the small table beside the door and peered at him. "Aaaw, looks like Mister rock musician is coming back to life."

He suppressed another moan and asked, "Where am I? And who are you?"

"Oh please, two questions at once. Sorry, you're over your limit. I'll answer one. You can call me Lex.

That was all he wanted to try to absorb at the moment anyway, so he closed his eye again and tried to freeze. He immediately opened both eyes and asked, "What am I here for? Can I have something to drink?"

"Aaah, your questions always come in pairs?" Lex walked to the refrigerator and got a whiskey. "Maybe this will put a little life in you. How are you feeling after your accident?"

"What accident?" he replied curiously, feeling a bit more serious.

"Well, it wasn't the NBA that sent you here," Lex replied greedily.

"And this doesn't look like a hospital. By the way, where's the bathroom? Who are you working for?" He did need the bathroom, but he also wanted to scope the place out a bit. He wasn't forgetting the flashlight on the table next to Lex.

"There you go again. That's two questions. The bathroom's over there," he said, gesturing with his head.

Sitting up slowly and gingerly, he looked around the room. The bathroom door was to his left. The other door was in front of him, beside Lex who had sat in a chair next to the small table. There were no windows, and just the bed, the table, the refrigerator, and a footstool in the room. There was a kite on the footstool.

"If you're thinking about picking up that kite, just be aware that it's exclusively for my use," Lex squeaked smoothly.

He wasn't thinking about taking the kite at the moment. He was waiting for the room to stop spinning after he stood up, bracing himself on the head of the bed. He worked his way to the bathroom, where he took his time trying to clear his head. He splashed some water on his face, then sneaked back to the bed and sat down. His little finger was beginning to perk up.

"If it's not too much trouble, how about you call me a cab now?"

This seemed to genuinely amuse Lex. He laughed out loud, then boomed "You won't be needing a cab to get where you're going."

Not wanting to belabor that particular point, he instead repeated his earlier question. "Who are you working for?"

"So let's you tell me who you're working for, and why you were snooping around like a unicorn back there in the liquor store." Lex rapped his fingers on the table beside the flashlight.

"I was looking for my friend. Who hit me?"

"You tripped on a suitcase. You took a bad fall. Who is this friend you were looking for?"

"Jared Ratwort," he lied. "Who do you work for, and why are you keeping me here?"

"Nobody's keeping you here. That would be way too much trouble. Who wants to deal with a considerate guest? We just wanted to chat while we help you get back on your feet."

"Okay, we chatted and I'm on my feet," (barely, he thought to himself), "so I'll just be trekking on. Nice talking to you, Lex."

Although his little finger was still perking up, he started moving toward the door, his eyes on the flashlight. Lex stood up and opened the door for him in an oddly adorable manner. Ignoring Lex's puzzled leer, he curiously hopped out of the room.

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