THE NEW CURSED MACHINE
An Underworld Tale of Rivalry, Recorders, and Unexpected Friendship
Bobbington was pacing around the study lifting the modern paper and then placing it down. He could not believe that the underworld would consider such silliness- much less actually bringing in the cursed beeping object.
Bobbington approached the printer cautiously and got startled when it randomly started making a noise that sounded like the machine was choking on something until a single piece of paper fell out of it and into the spectre’s tiny hands. There was writing on it and as Bobbington began to read he felt his fury rising.
“For the attention of Bobbington,
Please consider this a formal complaint for your general grumpiness and refusal to accommodate for the needs of your fellow faculty member.
I.E., Mr Gavin has still not been provided with a lanyard
Please refrain from making comments about the general lack of body features because they’re deeply hurtful and they will put you at significant risk of biting.
Grim Greetings,
Mr Gavin”
Bobbington was furious and immediately began drafting an angry reply - quill racing on the parchment with such speed that it threatened to break it. He wa suddenly interrupted but the cursed machine choking again - WHO had decided to place this mosntrocity in his study and why?!
Bobbington went and picked up the fallen piece of paper from the floor, and in big black capital letters, it said:
“BOBBINGTON MEET ME BY THE SECOND FLOOR STAFF ROOM IN THE ARCHIVES”
Bobbington scrunched up the piece of paper and threw it in a pile of parchment on the floor by the window. He would absolutely not be leaving his study because the choking monster had said so. His thoughts were interrupted as he got startled by another piece of paper falling into his arms.
“NOW BOBBINGTON!!!”
The spectre was absolutely fuming by the time he made it to second floor. He saw Gavin, the talking head and was getting ready to shout at him for the cursed messages but he saw him tying a bow made of what looked like hanging nook.
“Gavin. You are your monster they have chosen to reside in my office called. I am extremely busy so out with it.”
The talking head gave him a nod towards the package and Bobbington - a gift. The spectre didn’t receive gifts often - in fact with the exception of Prince Alex who brought him a new diary book every winter equinox no one has ever even given him a gift. Bobbington realised that this was a cruel joke. He realised that this package was surely not for him and if it was then considering who it was coming from then it probably was anything from nice.
Gavin, once human, had been sentenced to eternal torture as a floating severed head and ordained to serve as a chew toy for the huge three-headed dog - Cerberus. However, as Cerberus had become less interested in the former warlord (don’t ask), Gavin had been becoming more and more interested in helping out with welcome tours and, despite his eternal sentence, had been trying to join the Hades University Faculty for years.
Bobbington glared at Gravin but took the gift and unwrapped it - it was a black rectangular object with a small black mirror and several buttons underneath which read:
Record
Play
Pause
Rewind
Forward
“Well??”
Having asked anticipatingly with a huge smile. Bobbington took the device and looked into it like tony mirror straightening his hood.
“Thank you for the tiny mirror, Gavin.”
Bobbington said, trying to be polite - despite their rivalry, the spectre didn’t want to send up being rude, and he was sure that he could make sure of the device he had been presented with. Gavin’s laughter boomed across the hall, and Bobbington immediately got defensive, suddenly realising that the floating chew toy was probably making fun of him, so he gave him a disapproving look.
“No, you silly goofball. It’s a recorder - you speak into it, and it saves it for you so you can listen to it later. I know that you like journaling, but you don’t get much time so that way you can speak into the recorder and that way, you will have your thoughts saved throughout the day. Then, you can just transcribe them on your own, or you can also use the printer to transcribe and print them for you. Come on! Try is! Press record and say something, then press rewind and then play.”
Bobbington was still apprehensive but ended up obliging cautiously.
“There is tasty cursed soup in the cafeteria.”
After following the instructions, he pressed play and heard his voice. He replayed it again, and again and again and by the end, his fingers trembled as he looked at Gavin - Bobbington was touched by the kid gesture and could not believe that his greatest rival had bestowed him with magic that would change the flow of his diaries forever. He would sometimes scribble when he found the time, but this - THIS - what the spectre held in his hands would allow him to journal anywhere and everywhere.
“At some point, we will need to clean the memory - DO NOT THROW IT IN THE LETHE! I will help you with it - Do you like it, Bobbington?”
But by the time Gavin had finished speaking, the spectre was already rushing away, almost running, wobbling down the corridor, clutching the recorder to his chest.
It had been three days since the spectre had been presented with the recorder, and he was always whispering things to it. He had journaled and written poetry, and he had even sobbed once holding the device in his hands - he could not believe that a modern thing had brought him such joy.
“Still wonky - stop being a wonky stubborn thing”, Bobbington murmured as he tried to adjust the tiara he had been crafting the last couple of days. It was golden, but instead of gemstones in the middle, there was a faculty card - in the middle, with proud letters, it said - “Hi, I’m Gavin”. Bobbington inspected the tiara once more and decided that he was happy with it. He wrapped it in a massive piece of parchment and scurried off to find the stubborn talking head.
He found him in the university courtyard - hissing at the spectral squirrels as usual. Bobbington approached but said nothing, and having noticed him, Gavin smiled.
“Where have you been, you grumpy fool - I have missed your constantly annoyed face.”
Bobbington didn’t talk - he handnt the words to express how much the gift from Gavin had meant and he hope that perhaps his own gift in return could do the talking. The spectre took the tiara and presented it to the floating head.
The sound that Gavin sounded more like a wolf’s howl rather than a sound any human in existence could have as he leaned over for Bobbington to place it on him.
The spectre and the floating head looked at each teary eyed not saying for a while until Gavin broke silence through sobs.
“I am your friend Bobbington… thank you for this.”
“Technically, you’re more of a colleague.” Smiled the spectre, resulting in Gavin howling again.
“I HAVE WANTED TO JOIN THE FACULTY FOR 187 YEARS - DO YOU REALISE HOW MUCH BETTER THAT IS?!
Bibbington didn’t say anything but smile danced along the corners of his mouth, just ,like the thousands of stars in the night sky.
Bibbington knew as he was just as excited as his new colleague was.
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