Mortals meet demigods

Ruth Lameson (Caleo)

I'm 8 years old and I hate my name! All my babysitters make fun of me for it! They're so mean but Mom never believes me about it! So I usually escape to the park when they're not looking and they don't even care! I was at the park with my blue bicycle, it was my older brother's and it was old, rusty, and the blue was fading! Anyway, I was cycling and then I just tripped. Like there was a rock and I didn't see it, and I literally flew off the bike and landed hard on my shoulder. Tears flowed down my cheeks and I could barely keep from screaming from the pain. I wanted my mom but she didn't even know where I was! No one would know where I was! I was going to have to stay here forever!

I felt like I was going to pass out when I heard a kind voice saying, "Leo look! Oh that poor girl" Were they talking about me? I guess they were because the next second I felt someone carrying me. She had a honey-like voice and her skin was so soft! "Hang in there kid, don't pass out yet ok? It'll make treating you much easier," said a second voice, this time more squeaky, but still masculine. I don't know how but that's how it sounded. I was too tired to respond, hopefully he understood. We seemed to reach wherever they were taking me and they set me down on something. After that I don't remember much except being asked to drink some weird stuff, then she put an ice pack on my shoulder for a while before wrapping something white tightly around it. Finally they told me to rest and my eyes closed before I could blink. I could vaguely hear different things while sleeping, like a drill and some weird machines, but mostly I was completely knocked out.

When I finally woke up for real, I saw a woman bending over my shoulder. "Hi sweetheart, how are you feeling?" she asked softly, she was the woman who had carried me here! Her eyes were like caramel and she was so pretty. "My shoulder still hurts but it's much better than before! Did you help me?" I asked, looking at her in admiration. "Yes sweetie, I hope you get better soon. You just can't move your right arm and shoulder much for a few days, so I suggest you don't go to school, eat soft foods for a few days in case shock comes late, but you should be fine in four or five days, ok?" She sounded so calm and reassuring so I believed her.

Just then a man came into the room. He was quite short with a mop of curly brown hair. His eyes were slightly maniac-like but I liked him. He looked fun! "Hi kid! You feeling better? That was quite the nasty fall you had!" he asked concernedly. I nodded, smiling at the lady. "I just realised I don't know any of your names!" I said sheepishly. "Oh don't worry, I'm Calypso and this is Leo. And what's your name sweetie?" "I'm Ruth. And I really like your name. It's very pretty!" I said to Calypso.

"Oh and I fixed your bike for you, I can give it a different colour if you want!" suggested Leo. I immediately jumped at the chance to change the blue to a vibrant purple. Leo changed the colour and within fifteen minutes I had a bright purple purple bike with brakes that worked, gears that had been newly added and a bigger seat with cushioning! I threw my arms around Leo. "Thank you thank you thank you! I love it!" I squealed excitedly "No problem kid. I love working with stuff."

"Now, where do you live? I'm sure your mother is worried," asked Calypso. Until she asked I had completely forgotten but I immediately realised how much trouble I was going to be in! It must have shown on my face because Leo offered to walk me home to explain things and I eagerly agreed. "Why don't you try out your 'new' bike on the way?" Calypso suggested. It worked great and I ended up cycling all the way home with Calypso and Leo hurrying to keep up and yelling at me playfully to slow down. By the time I reached home it was definitely past eight and my mom would be home.

I hesitated to ring the doorbell but Calypso did it for me. We were waiting for barely a second when the door was opened by my frantic mother. "Oh Ruth! You're here!" she hugged me tight and I shrieked slightly from the pain. She immediately let go, looking worried. "Ruth! What happened? Why is your shoulder bandaged?" As she let loose this barrage of questions Calypso stepped forward. "Who are you? Why are you here?" Calypso calmly explained everything that had happened while my mom held me close, taking care not to hurt my shoulder any further. "Thank you so much for taking care of Ruth, I really appreciate it. And her bike looks great! Thank you so much! Can I get your number? Maybe we can come to you when we need to fix stuff?" They exchanged delighted glances. "That would be really great! We've actually been thinking about starting our own business and now you can be our first customer?" said Leo excitedly.

And that was how we helped launch the extremely successful business "Leo and Calypso's auto repairs"