Like a World Champion

Tony, lunch!” He woke up to the sound of his father’s voice.

“Lunch?” Sleepily, Tony looked at his watch. Both hands were pointing at twelve.

“Is it really so late?” he exclaimed, surprised.

“Yes!” His father laughed. He was obviously in a good mood.

“While you were sleeping, I went down to Long Suffering to get some rolls and a newspaper, and to call your mother. By the way, the man in the store with the maps and newspapers was staring at me like he’d seen a ghost!” He rubbed his hands contentedly. “It really is a long-suffering place! Only one of the three grocery stores was open. There were signs on the doors of the other two saying, ‘Closed due to illness.’ But at least the gas station was open. I rented a bike there.”

“You rented a bike?” said Tony, confused. He was having trouble taking in so much information at once, especially so soon after waking up.

“Yes, so we can go shopping every day.”

Tony couldn’t help but smile, despite being tired. “Shopping? I thought you wanted to go on an adventure vacation. Picking herbs, fishing and so on…”

“Well…” his father said slowly. “No need to make life harder than absolutely necessary. And I know you, you like fresh rolls for breakfast.”

“There are fresh rolls?” Tony said happily, and he climbed quickly out of his sleeping bag.

His father looked at him in bewilderment. “You were wearing your pajamas when we went to sleep! Why are you fully dressed now?”

Tony cleared his throat.

“I—uh—had to, uh, you know?” he said. “And it was freezing cold outside.”

“You went outside the cave?”

“I didn’t really have a choice!”

“Why didn’t you wake me?”

“Wake you?” Tony smiled. “You think I still need help with that? Besides, I tried,” he said. “But you wouldn’t wake up.”

“Really?” His father laughed, embarrassed. “Well, it was tiring day yesterday, so it’s not surprising that we slept so soundly! And you slept like a world champion,” he added. “Half an hour longer, and I would have headed off to the ruins without you!”

“To the ruins?” cried Tony, frightened.

“Yes! And if you don’t hurry, I’ll be going to see them on my own.”

“No,” Tony said quickly. “I’ll come with you!” There was no way he would allow his father to snoop around the ruins alone. He might discover the coffins with the sleeping vampires! Tony was so nervous that he had a hard time swallowing his breakfast.

At his father’s suggestion, he put a roll in his pants pocket, and they set off.