Title: Hello Operator, Please Give Me Number Nine
Fandom: Calvin & Hobbes
Pairing: None
Categories: Gen
Length: Medium (3,066)
Warnings: None

Author on LJ: starlingthefool
Author Website: AO3 | Tumblr

Author's Summary:
The lesson here, Susie thinks, is that tricking Death is tricky business. How do you outwit the personification of oblivion? Chess, obviously, won’t be the answer.

Or: Susie plays Calvinball with Death.

Review:
I'm a main character person. I usually love main characters and ignore most side characters, but once in a while a fic comes knocking that features a side character and I end up loving it. This fic is one of those fics. I'm not even all that fond of Susie! But this was wonderful.

Susie's in college. She has a stellar GPA and a not-so-bad life. Then she meets Death who comes rather suddenly, but Susie's not the type of person who'll just go quietly into the night. Instead she challenges Death to a game. A game of Calvinball. (This, of course, made me instantly grin).

Calvinball is a game with almost no rules. Or rather, a lot of rules, only all kind of made up and on the spot. Now you'd think the author's rendition would be messy and chaotic and make no sense. And it doesn't. Except it does!! Because it makes sense in the context of the fic, while being true to what Calvinball actually is. It's not over done. It's not too crazy. It fits and it fits perfectly.

And that end! That end that just wrapped the story up in a pretty bow. I loved this fic. If you like Calvin & Hobbes then you should read this. It's truly a wonderful little piece.

Hello Operator, Please Give Me Number Nine