Eerie, Indiana fanfiction: To Serve Birds (Right)

[froodle]

Written for National Sibling Day.


Simon lifted the lid of the bread box, stuck his hand inside, and grinned.

"Mars, wait, there's something in here," he said. Marshall, who had been about to slip out the Holmes's badly-hung screen door in order to raid his own parents' kitchen, froze.

"Is it... edible?" he ventured.

Simon pulled out a torn cellophane wrapping, the cloudy interior of which revealed three slightly shrivelled bagels. He looked doubtful. At his side, Harley stood on tip-toe in order to get a better look at the dangling sack of maybe-food.

Setting the bag gently down on a cluttered worktop encrusted with long-dried stains of various origins, he pulled the sticky sheets of plastic apart and examined his find at close quarters.

"No visible mould spots," he said, and risked an experimental sniff. "Doesn't smell bad. Or smell at all, really."

He picked one up and frowned, then brought it down sharply against the edge of the counter. A loud thunk echoed through the small room, and a chip of Formica the size of a man's thumbnail flew off and ricocheted off the 1987 inspirational kitten calendar that hung on the wall behind Marshall's ear. He ducked, and Harley clapped, whether at the speed of Marshall's reflexes when it came to avoiding ambulatory baked goods or just in appreciation for a close call with a bread-related bodily injury.

"Oh," said Simon. He looked crushed.

"Don't worry about it," said Marshall. "My mom brought home a whole bunch of tiny sandwiches left over from the Mayor's fundraiser last night. I'm ninety percent sure that since she catered it, we can eat them without binding our souls to Chisel's re-election campaign. I'll go find a backpack or something to put them in and be right back."

"Okay," said Simon. "Sorry, Mars."

Marshall almost asked why, but stopped himself.

"We can take the bagels with us," he said. "Harley can feed it to the ducks or something, keep him occupied."

The shadows at Simon's back darkened for a moment as Harley scowled.

Simon, unaware, tapped one finger against the nearest bagel. It made a sound like he was flicking a large ceramic bowl.

"I don't think these are safe to eat even for the Deadwood Park water birds," he said. "I think it might kill them."

Harley brightened. So too did Marshall.

"You think so?" he said, his tone studiedly careless. "I think that white duck can eat almost anything."

Simon shook his head.

"It's rock hard, Mars," he said. "If you threw it too hard you could do real damage."

"Oh," said Marshall. "Shame."

As Simon turned to the untidy tangle of hand-me-down coats crowding the kitchen table, searching out the least-holey, best-fitting offerings from a sea of bad choices, Marshall watched without speaking as Harley finagled first one, then two, then three of the ballistic bagels free of the wrapping.

As he secreted them away beneath his jumper, Marshall realised that this practised stealth probably explained where all the white fudge chip cookies his mom would bake in order to bribe him into babysitting always ended up.

Harley caught his gaze, and nodded.

"Swan," he mouthed, his teeth white and bright and very sharp.

"Duck," Marshall whispered back.




Holmes Brothers

The End by froodle, in which Simon reads Harley a bedtime story

Drains by froodle, in which clowns are evil, murderous sacks of shit, and Simon is having none of it

Kaleidoscope by froodle, in which Simon has cause to regret buying cheap toys at the World o' Stuff

Sneakers by froodle, in which the latest Sky Monsters are released

Reception by froodle, in which Simon has problems with his mobile phone

Festival by froodle, in which Eerie's local businesses celebrate the summer

Strawberry by froodle, in which there is unauthorised hubbub in Eerie

Anticipation by froodle, in which Simon and Harley look forward to the Equinox

The Hut by froodle, in which Simon takes on the forces of Eerie solo




Trusted Associates, Inc.

Halloween by froodle, in which Mars and Simon celebrate a Von Orloff-free All Hallows Eve

Surprise by froodle, in which Mars tries to make sure Simon's birthday goes a little better this year

The Glade by froodle, in which Simon and Mars visit a place that only exists on February 29th

Egg Hunt by froodle, in which Simon and Mars partake of some traditional Easter activities

Boardwalk by froodle, in which Simon and Mars are swayed by radio advertising

Lady in Red by froodle, in which Simon experiments on the old-fashioned radio in the Secret Spot, and horror ensues

Waiting In by froodle, in which there is an ice-storm and a handyman does not arrive

Seafoam by froodle, in which Simon and Marshall go to the seaside

A Night at the Circus by froodle, in which a carnivale comes to town, and Marshall and Simon do not enjoy themselves

Taking a Break by froodle, in which Simon and Marshall enjoy some much-needed R&R

Model Railway by froodle, in which a new business prepares to open in Eerie

Shoreline by froodle, in which Simon and Marshall investigate strange happenings on the shores of Lake Eerie

Parade by froodle, in which Mars takes issue with the Eerie Beekeepers Association's choice of mascot

Homestead by froodle, in which Marshall finally gets something useful out of shop class

Hound by froodle, in which Simon makes a friend

Errands by froodle, in which Simon has a to-do list

Slyboots by froodle, in which a certain corporal of the infernal regions comes to Eerie. Crossover with Johannes Cabal the Necromancer.

Waterlogged by froodle, in which Eerie experiences heavy rainfall

Festival by froodle, in which Eerie's local businesses celebrate the summer

Strawberry by froodle, in which there is unauthorised hubbub in Eerie

Wildlife by froodle, in which Simon and Marshall go to the beach

Facilities by froodle, in which the Eerie Bus Station and Supper Club has a problem with the men's toilet

Anticipation by froodle, in which Simon and Harley look forward to the Equinox

Castle by froodle, in which there is unexpected architecture in Eerie

Visitor in which Marshall's grandma comes to stay

Euclid by froodle, in which Marshall and Simon investigate strange events at the Eerie Cemetery

The Hut by froodle, in which Simon takes on the forces of Eerie solo

Comments

[froodle]

Aww, thank you!