A Deal with a Gremlin

Gabe struggled to get the chain settled back on the sprocket of the rear wheel. It was loose again, and he didn’t have time to properly fix the bike until the weekend. As he wrestled with the chain, a low-pitched growl caused him to fumble with the greasy metal. Thinking the neighbor’s dog had escaped, he glanced over his shoulder. The round eyes that stared at him didn’t belong to a dog.

“Trouble?” the voice grated. Gabe wasn’t sure he wanted to respond to the creature, but he’d take any help he could get. He nodded and gestured toward the sagging bicycle chain.

“I’ll make you a deal,” the gremlin growled. He wasn’t overly friendly, but he wasn’t menacing either.

“Such as?” Gabe tilted his head, avoiding the gremlin’s gaze.

“I’ll repair your bicycle in exchange for a place to stay; I feel most at home in computers. Allow me to reside in your laptop. I’ll set up a cozy compartment next to your hard drive.”

“Uh, sure, but I don’t think you’ll fit. Laptops are very thin, you know.”

The gremlin smiled, calculating. “I’ll make it work.”

Before Gabe could reconsider, the gremlin had the chain completely off and the gears apart. He then reassembled everything correctly and in working order.

“Wow. Thanks! Gotta go.” Gabe leapt on the bike and flew down the driveway, scattering bits of shale and fallen leaves in his wake.

Trudging up to his room with a stack of homework, Gabe breathed a sigh of relief at the thought that he hadn’t given the gremlin his computer password. Unless gremlins are good at hacking . . . He shook his head. Gabe wasn’t surprised that his room appeared exactly as he’d left it; if the gremlin truly decided to take up residence in his computer, he wouldn’t see it. He deposited his backpack on the bed, grabbed his laptop, and logged on.