Necessary Knight

Flash Fiction from the Vault

Leo, fresh from college, landed a job at King Engineering’s new industrial unit. Mr King asked him to turn on the water supply using a long-handled valve key in the manhole in front of the main building. The unexpected happened: the not-quite-finished sprinkler installation burst into life. Outside, Leo remained oblivious until King cried out; he then turned off the mains and rushed in. Leo saw his boss standing beneath a castle-like scaffold. The almost empty space resembled a rainstorm; the air resonated with a fine mist.

A laptop sat on a table.

“Queenie’s laptop,” Mr King groaned, using his wife’s pet name.

Leo recovered the computer from under the still-dripping ceiling. “At least it’s not turned on. I’ll set this to dry, Boss.” He ran his hand through his damp hair. “Perhaps open it up and use the airline.” More or less thinking out loud.

King walked outside and grabbed his phone. “Everything’s wet. I’m sorry. I don’t understand why it happened.”

The older man rounded on Leo. “I need to leave. I have to find Queenie.”

“Should I stay here and mop up?”

“No, Leo, c’mon, I might want your help.”

Leo hurried after Mr King, who opened his pale blue sedan; Leo climbed into the passenger seat. Before he could finish buckling in, his boss tore away from the yard. Mr King’s driving became more erratic, each risky gambit putting them and others in danger.

Leo felt compelled to act as King strayed across the road. “Slow down, be careful.” Leo’s hand steadied the wheel, redirecting their course.

King didn’t appear to notice. “I don’t think Queenie is... well.”

Arriving in the busy town centre, Mr King stopped at a red light. “Like I expected. No parking, get out of here, Leo. I’ll circle around. Find Queenie; she’s at the college. Cafe, I expect.” He pointed. “Let me park the car—somewhere; tell her I am coming.”

Confused and determined, Leo took it one step at a time.

Leo knew this campus—his alma mater. Leo reflected on the day’s events—rain in the workshop, King’s madcap drive, and the chaos in town.

“Unpredictable, avoidable, and business as usual.”

He found Queenie in the reception area of the main building, the familiar chequerboard floor furnished with armchairs, tables, and a coffee bar.

“Mrs King, are you okay?” Leo explained the day’s events. “Mr King should be here soon.”

“I’m fine, but overwhelmed.” Mrs King shook her head. “John is trying too hard to keep everything afloat,” she told Leo, finishing her cappuccino.

Leo paused. “I hate to say this, but he’s kind of out of control.”

“Don’t apologise, Leo, I couldn’t deal with him today either; I turned off my phone.” She sighed. “Let me call him; you shouldn’t be a pawn in all this.”

Queenie’s presence calmed her husband. “In the game of business, every move matters,” she told John King as he drove her and Leo through town, steady and sure this time.

Queenie tapped her husband’s arm. “Rushing into things can lead to mistakes.”

“I hear you,” King said. “You see, Leo, Queenie is, as ever, correct. I’ve been playing a short view. I lost sight of the long term. It’s about thinking several moves ahead, right?”

Leo, from the rear seat, considered his next move.

“You’ve spent a lot on the new unit and all the tools.”

“You can say that again,” King agreed.

“Maybe reassess things?” Leo suggested. “Slow down the expansion, focus on what we have. Reinstall some of the older equipment, at least for now.”

Mr King said nothing.

His boss pulled into the workshop’s parking lot.

As they exited the car, Mrs King placed a reassuring hand on Leo’s shoulder. “You know, Leo, you might be the knight my King needs in this game.”