Automation

One dingy and dreary Christmas Eve Eve Fernando has to call up a guy who's had an overdue movie for a couple of days.

“Hello?”

“Hi, this is Fernando calling from the Dominion of Movies. I'm calling to let Blitzcrank know that he still has out a movie from here, Inception, so if you could remind him for me to get that back as soon as possible it would be much appreciated.”

“Hey. Is this some kind of prank recording?”

It is not often that Fernando is utterly flabbergasted by the words that people say. “W-what?”

“It sounds like some kind of prank. Is this a real person?” At this juncture, a customer enters the Dominion and Fernando nods politely to him by way of greeting.

“This...is Fernando. From the Dominion of Movies. Blitzcrank B. rented Inception on the 18^th and hasn't returned it yet. I'm calling to remind him of that fact.”

“No, he returned it. Who is this, really?”

“Fernando. And, no, he did not. The fact that I am calling about his not having returned it should belie the fact that the movie in question has not been returned.” By this point the customer has stopped browsing the store and is looking on in amusement at the over-the-phone wrangling taking place.

Now it is the other person's turn to be confused, probably because Fernando used the word “belie.” “W-what?”

“Inception. I am calling to dispel the notion that it has been returned. It's not returned, despite what rumors you may have heard.”

“Hang on a second.” The man on the other end of the phone is heard speaking to someone else for a few moments. “We'll have it back in two hours.”

“That would be much appreciated. Thank you.” And Fernando hangs up.

The customer looks at Fernando somewhat bemusedly and asks, “They thought you were a recording?”

“Yeah, I know. Who would ever think that I would go about business in a businesslike manner?”