This story is so pointless that it will probably make you stop breathing. But please keep breathing. I don't know CPR.


Luke sat in his room reading a book about puzzles. He was about to solve one he had been thinking hard about when his door suddenly opened, and Flora walked in.

"Hello," she said pleasantly. "Mind if I join you?"

Luke scooted over to make room on his bed. "Not at all," he replied.

Flora sat down next to him and sighed. "The Professor's gone mad, I think. He's been talking to himself about how he hasn't solved a puzzle in three days. And he's the person who always says that you can always find puzzles in the simplest of tasks! I tried to calm him down by making him a cake, but he starting yelling at me that it wouldn't be a good idea for me to go anywhere near the stove." Flora paused here and then whispered, "He got a restraining order for me to keep away from the stove."

Luke looked up from his book of puzzles. "What?" he said.

Flora rolled her eyes. Luke wasn't the best of listeners. "Nothing," she said, annoyed.

The room was quiet for a little bit, and the only sound you could hear was the scratching of a pencil followed by the furious erasing of marks. A few minutes passed before Luke asked, "Hey, do you know what a five letter word is for a stroke of good luck?"

Flora looked over Luke's shoulder to see that he was doing a crossword puzzle. "I guess 'lucky' could be a word."

Luke pondered this idea for a few seconds before saying, "That doesn't make any since. And besides, it wouldn't work well with the word 'flounder', which I already have down."

The room was silent before Flora suggested, "Quirk?"

"No," Luke said. "Quirks can be a twist of fate, but not necessarily good."

Flora got up from where she was sitting. "Why don't I just go get a dictionary?"

"Good idea. If you have amazing searching skills."

Flora smiled deviously. "You haven't seen me search through a dictionary before." She left the room while leaving Luke with a frightened expression on his face.

She entered the study only to find a muttering Layton in the corner. "Two plus two equals five… The quantity of x represents the function of y… Which came first, the chicken or the egg?"

"Hi, Professor," Flora said meekly. "I'm just here to get a dictionary, so if you don't mind me, I'll just be getting that and leaving-"

"Stay back!" Layton cried. "Stay back, puzzle fiend!"

"Maybe I should make you a cup of tea or something-"

"No!"

Flora quickly got the dictionary off of the shelf and hustled back to Luke's room. She entered to find him scrawling something like mad onto his puzzle book.

"Are you alright?" Flora asked, a bit afraid.

"Maybe not, but I'm on a roll!" Luke cried. "That word for sure is 'fragrant'!" Flora rolled her eyes; seriously, what was happening to the men in this house?

"I'll just be sitting here, a safe distance away from you, searching for the word."

"No need," Luke said. "I've already got it."

"Really? What is it?"

Luke scribbled a few more things down before saying, "Fluke." (a/n: Betcha didn't see that one coming.)

"Fluke?"

"Yes, fluke."

"Well, I guess fluke does mean-"

"Flora and Luke combined!" a voice cried out. The two kids turned to see Layton walking in acting a bit odd.

"Professor?" Luke asked. "Are you okay?"

"Quite fine, really," Layton replied. "Just peachy!"

Flora and Luke stared at Layton as he started smiling like an idiot.

"Maybe you should take an aspirin or two," Flora suggested.

"I'm fine, really!" Layton reassured. He left the room still smiling.

"That was… completely random," Luke said, dumbfounded. All of a sudden, Flora started to giggle.

"What?" Luke asked.

"In his mad state, I guess the Professor did say something a bit logical," Flora giggled. "Flora and Luke together really does make the word 'fluke'."

Flora's odd behavior caused Luke to look at her strangely. "Yeah, it does."

Flora calmed down before speaking. "So… what's the next phrase?"

"A seven letter word for sharp or pungent in taste."

The two continued on with their crossword puzzle, but Flora's mind was elsewhere. She couldn't help but get what the Professor said out of her mind. Flora and Luke. Maybe it was nothing. Or maybe it was a sign. An encounter of fate. A chance happening.

A fluke.


I enjoy making the Professor look like a buffoon. Props to anyone who can figure out the word to Luke's crossword puzzle! (Use one hint coin? It starts with a p!) Please review!