The Cursed Dumbbell Part 2

Part 2: Wireless Wisdom

Brosgaeus was in full-on panic mode.

He had no idea how to break this absurd curse, and the thought of spending the rest of his existence as a phone mount was horrifying.

Worse, he couldn't even yell at Jeff to put down the tiny dumbbells and pick up some real weight.

As they cruised down the highway, Jeff hummed happily along with the music playing through the car radio.

Brosgaeus, however, was fuming.

I can't believe this is happening to me. Of all the people in the world, I get stuck with this guy?

Just as he was mentally criticizing another top-40 pop song, something strange happened.

The radio crackled with static.

Then, to Brosgaeus' complete surprise, his own voice blasted through the speakers.

"Hey! You! Guy driving the car!"

Jeff yelped and slammed on the brakes.

The car screeched to a stop.

"Wha... who said that?"

He looked around wildly before slowly turning toward the dashboard.

"It's me," Brosgaeus barked. "Your new phone mount."

Jeff blinked.

"My... my phone mount?"

"Yes."

"...Phone mounts don't talk."

"Well, this one does," Brosgaeus grumbled. "And for the record, I'm not actually a phone mount. I was a human... right up until I picked up a cursed dumbbell at the gym and turned into this hunk of plastic."

Jeff stared.

"You're serious?"

"Do I sound like I'm joking?"

Unfortunately, the intimidating effect was somewhat ruined by the fact that his voice came through the speakers sounding like an annoyed GPS.

Jeff looked at the mount.

Then at the road.

Then back at the mount.

"So... you're telling me you're a person trapped inside my phone mount... and you can only talk through my car radio?"

"Congratulations," Brosgaeus deadpanned. "You've solved the mystery."

Jeff sat silently for another moment.

"...That's actually kind of awesome."

"What? No! It's horrifying!"

"Oh... right. Sorry."

Brosgaeus let out what would have been a sigh if it hadn't come out as a burst of static.

"Can we please start driving? I'd rather not spend eternity blocking traffic."

Jeff carefully put the car back into gear.

"So... what's your name?"

"Brosgaeus."

"...That's... unique."

"I know. Blame my parents."

Jeff laughed.

"Well, Brosgaeus, I don't really know how to help you... but maybe we can figure this out together."

For the first time since becoming a phone mount, Brosgaeus didn't have a sarcastic comeback ready.

"...Yeah," he finally admitted. "I guess that's all we've got."

A few minutes passed in silence before Brosgaeus spoke again.

"But if you're serious about getting into shape..."

Jeff smiled.

"...Yeah?"

"...You're doing everything wrong."

Jeff frowned.

"I literally just started."

"I can tell."

"How bad am I?"

Brosgaeus didn't even hesitate.

"On a scale of one to ten? You're a solid two."

"A two?"

"Maybe a three if I'm feeling generous."

Jeff laughed.

"Well... thanks, I think."

"Look, kid. I'm the best trainer you're ever going to have. The universe clearly glued us together for a reason."

Jeff glanced toward the dashboard.

"So... you're going to be my personal trainer?"

"Apparently."

"Through my car radio?"

"...Apparently."

Jeff grinned.

"I've definitely had weirder Mondays."

Brosgaeus paused.

"...No, you haven't."

"...You're right."

"Exactly."

Jeff laughed again.

"Alright then. Where do we start?"

"Proper form," Brosgaeus answered immediately. "Next time you're in the gym, I'm walking you through every exercise."

"Deal."

"And no skipping leg day."

"I wasn't going to."

"Were you thinking about skipping it?"

"...Maybe a little."

"I knew it."

Jeff shook his head, smiling.

As the miles rolled by, the strangest friendship either of them could have imagined quietly began.

Jeff had found a coach.

Brosgaeus had found someone who actually listened.

Neither of them knew it yet, but both of their lives had just changed forever.

To be continued...