"I'll leave you to it, don't mess it up."

The boy pushed the rest of the papers in Corbin's arms before storming away, leaving the fate of his academic journey in the hands of another.

"The pay isn't good enough for this."

His side-jig of falsifying exams had certainly known better times, but alas beggars can't be choosers. He certainly preferred to not get closer to that state anyway.

The boy had asked Corbin to meet him a bit outside the university, a five minute walk from the nearest bus station. It wasn't far enough away from civilization for Corbin to fear for his safety so he had shown up.

It had been the usual request; fix the mess I created and don't tell my parents.

Some kids were simply not yet ready for university life and responsibilities. Something he was more than willing to use for his own minimal gain. He needed to get the money to pay his bills from somewhere, and this certainly paid better than whatever minimum wage job he could get his hands on.

To be fair, he might simply be a bit lazy.

Corbin had spent most of his life going from job to job, sparing to finally finish the education he had always wanted. Two years ago he had finally managed to save enough to finish a bachelor degree without worrying about working part-time at the same time.

That had also been the day his partner had left him and their son Tarak behind for better horizons. The day his life had become a living nightmare.

It had left a sizable dent in his savings, but as the semester had already started it had been near to impossible for him to back out and get his money back. Apart from the fact that a degree would open a lot of new opportunities for him and Tarak.

That was, if he wouldn't end up in jail for fraud before that.

In an attempt to make some extra money that would not mean missing lessons or missing out on the few moments Corbin could spend with Tarek, he had set up a small business. Most jobs would have made him lose all free time he had, but forging exam papers and essays did not.

Maybe it was a testament to the irresponsibilities left behind of his youthful arrogance, but those children coming to him were or quite dim or their studies were very simple. How else could someone pass their tests without following any of the subjects? He had expected more from university life, though it hadn't been the first time a new experience had disappointed greatly.

The walk from the bus to the train station only took a mere moment and the next hour Corbin spent going over the source material the boy had given him. Tomorrow morning he would pose as the other student and take the history test for him.

It hadn't been the first time a humanities student had approached him, though usually he turned them down.

The professors there knew him.

He had no problem tempting fate and the police a bit, but you didn;t need to make their job easier. There wasn't a lot of overlap between teachers and students of English and History, but it took only one person realizing he wasn't who he said he was for it all to be over.

But this particular kid, Brad, paid very well and he was desperate. Desperate enough for Corbin to make quite a sum of money out of one evening of rigorous studying.

It was only a moment of Tarak's life he would miss instead of a thousand, if he pulled this off.

That was how he found himself huddled together under the leaking roof of his study, well bedroom with a desk, stamping all the needed knowledge into his mind.

He had put Tarak to bed a few hours ago and it was now nearing three in the morning. Corbin would need to go to sleep fast if he wanted to catch any sleep that night, otherwise it would be morning and he had an exam to ace.

The church bell sounded three times and all the lights went out.

For one eternal moment only darkness was all around him, before the lights turned on again. Only he was no longer in his house, with his son sleeping in the room next to him.

Torch light reflected in the water of an underground lake, and the mirrors.

There were four more people standing there. One in sports clothes, the other three in pajamas. An eerie looking creature was standing in the middle of the cave looking at them as if they were some specimen in a laboratory glass.

It didn't soothe Corbin's worries at all.

Nor did the black and white feathers sprouting out of the creature's back and arms.

"He..., cn y all her e?"

The whispered words were completely inaudible, something Corbin tried to communicate by waving his arms around frantically.

The faster this could be done, the faster he could go home. And though it might be all a bit elaborate for a fraternity joke, something else seemed highly implausible.

"Better now?"

Corbin nodded and waved his hands to encourage the creature to continue talking.

"Welcome all in my humble abode. I collected you from all over the world for this most special occasion. I am in desperate need of help."

Here a dramatic pause fell, but as none of the audience members reacted it lost its importance.

"The world is in grave danger, and you my dear, are the only people that can save it."

With that another dramatic hand gesture happened and the mirrors fell away, finally revealing the features of the other people caught in the same madness.

Corbin's eyes fell on the women on his right and knew he was in deep shit.

-

June 26, 2023