“Do you believe in elves?” Richard asked, his eyes staring up at the fluorescent ceiling light.
Isabel looked around her, then to the light above her head where Richard was staring. “Are you asking me?”
Richard nodded. “Elves are magical. I like elves. Do you believe?”
“No, not really.”
“You should, they can help you with everything.”
Isabel looked down at her notepad and continued organizing her notes. The lectures had been long and interesting, but difficult to keep straight at times. The professor loved his tangents, so she needed to move things long distances to create the right flow, and –
“You know, elves could help with your note taking. They help with mine.” Richard was still looking at the light above her.
Isabel set her pen down. “All right Rich, let’s see your notes.”
He put a hand on the paper in front of him, squeezed, and lifted, tearing the sheet from the three ring binder. He held it out to her.
Looking at the sheet, all she could see were a few pseudo-Nordic runes and a picture of a stick figure. She handed it back. “Nice.”
“Very. Okay, I’ll leave you to your work. But elves. Remember them when I ace the exam.” He stuffed the crumpled sheet into his binder as he closed it, stood, and walked away.
The next week, Isabel was shocked to discover Richard’s A+ to her A. She approached him after class to learn the elven magic.
