Eerie Indiana Drabble: Crack

[froodle]

The crack ran up the outer face of the north wall of the deceptively small single-storey building that made up the Loyal Order of Corn's headquarters.

At night, strange lights shone through the gap in the smooth white stucco, light that ran the spectrum from the Order's usual green and golds to the pinks and blues given off by a tachyon portal working at full capacity.

On the way, that light passed through several spectrums invisible to the human eye, but which sent the Dragon of the Black Pool 's live shrimp delivery into a murderous frenzy that lasted weeks.

Ongoing Verse: The Powers That Be

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Eerie Indiana Drabble: Fall

[froodle]

Simon gripped the top of the ladder tight with one hand, willing himself not to think about either the drop below, or the fact that if he suffered a fatal fall in the Eerie Cemetery, his parents were more likely to tell Mister Daganfort to shovel his pulpy remains into the nearest available hole and be done with it than pay for Bert and Ernie's questionable reconstruction techniques down at Happy Brothers Mortuary.

Just out of arms' reach, Snooter and Candydrops loitered atop the curling horns of a great stone gargoyle. The gargoyle did not look happy with it's situation.

Ongoing Verse: Microwave

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Ongoing Verse: Euclid

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Eerie Indiana Drabble: Delinquents

[froodle]

"You two!" said Simon, adopting his best impression of Marshall's dad when he caught them downstairs at three in the morning. "Stop bothering that gargoyle and come here this instant!"

Apparently faerie beasts had about as much regard for Edgar Teller's dad-voice as Harley did for Simon's. Snooter tooted merrily, and Candydrops let out a giggle that was equal parts shattering glass and delighted toddler.

Simon sighed. The gargoyle sighed. Brown eyes met granite-grey in mutual and pained understanding.

Snooter tugged impatiently at the edge of the gargoyle's furled wings. Apparently, they were up here looking for a quick joyride.

Ongoing Verse: Trusted Associates Inc

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Eerie Indiana Drabble: Layers of Weirdness

[froodle]

The dead tree was hung with hundreds of clear glass jars, the ones usually used for pickles or jellies. They'd been carefully cleaned out, the labels scoured so that no trace of sticky residue remained, and Marshall thought that might be the absolute strangest thing he'd seen since moving to Eerie.

Even the fact that these jars were filled with tiny glowing winged people didn't quite match up to it. He'd seen pixies before, usually half-crushed and being messily eaten by his best friend's younger brother.

The labels, though... that was weird. Some part of the label glue always remained...

Ongoing Verse: Trusted Associates Inc

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Ongoing Verse: Teller Family History

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Ongoing Verse: Holmes Brothers

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Eerie Indiana Drabble: Good Housekeeping

[froodle]

A middle-aged woman in a floral dress came out of the house, a plastic tub full of newly-washed laundry balanced on one hip. Marshall could just see the over-long arm of a straitjacket dangling over the lip of the basket.

"Oh, hello," she said. "I see you're admiring my wishing tree. Lovely, isn't it?"

"It's amazing," said Marshall. "How'd you get the jelly jars so clean?"

"Oh, you scour them with pixie sludge," she said, setting her burden down and beginning to peg up an array of matching, bright-white socks. "That's what I'm wishing for - more pixies to wash with."

Ongoing Verse: Trusted Associates Inc

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Eerie Indiana Drabble: Reclaimed

[froodle]

"It's not surprising, really," said Melanie. "Apparently all the land around the Loyal Order of Corn lodge is fake."

"...fake?" said Simon, eyes wide.

Melanie shook her head.

"Sorry, not fake... like when it's world that isn't really world? It used to be part of the lake and the town just kept dumping soil in until some of it stuck."

"Oh," said Tod. "Reclaimed land."

Melanie snapped her fingers.

"That's the one," she said. "Reclaimed. Although I imagine the things in the lake take a different view of it." She glanced at Janet, eyebrows raised.

"They certainly do," said Janet.

Ongoing Verse: Trusted Associates Inc

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Ongoing Verse: Janet

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Ongoing Verse: The Powers That Be

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Eerie Indiana Drabble: Understanding

[froodle]

At the first mention of a fake world Marshall had felt a rushing sensation of icy coldness, as though someone had thrown freezing water on him. Now, as the rest of the conversation ebbed and flowed about him, he remained stuck, tangled in the sudden sick feeling that knotted in his stomach.

A hand touched him lightly on the shoulder, and he turned to see Andrea watching him.

"Hey," she said. "You doing okay?"

He forced a smile.

"Fine," he said weakly.

"It's alright," she whispered. "I see them too. The gaps. Places where edges don't meet, and reality frays."

Ongoing Verse: Andrea/Marisea

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Eerie Indiana Drabble: Shop Display

[froodle]

Mayor Winston Chisel ducked beneath the chandelier made from two dozen anatomically inaccurate representations of a skeletal human arm, stepped over a cartoonishly cute plush rendition of the Rat King, and took a seat beside a cackling animatronic witch who turned to regard him with glowing red LED eyes, before apparently deciding better of it and glancing away so fast he heard her servos whining.

"What do you think?" asked Radford, as he handed over a just-poured Martini.

"Very good," he said. "Very festive. The fake-entrails bunting outside is an ghoulish touch."

Radford laughed nervously.

"Bunting," he mumbled. "Yes. Ha-ha."

Ongoing Verse: The Powers That Be

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Eerie Indiana Drabble: Costume Choices

[froodle]

The Mayor flipped through the tightly-packed costume rail that ran the full length of the World o' Stuff, pausing now and then to chuckle at one that had caught his eye. Then he stopped.

"Bartholomew," he said, pulling the plastic-wrapped bundle of fabric free with some difficulty. "What is this?"

Radford dutifully glanced at it.

"Sexy clown," he said, moustache twisting down in disapproval. "It's an ongoing problem with the lady's costumes. I try to get a few truly grizzly ones in every year, but there's only so much on the market and eventually you resort to "sexy noun" again."

Ongoing Verse: The Powers That Be

( Read more... )

Eerie Indiana Drabble: A Safety Risk

[froodle]

Chisel dismissed the pervasive sexism invading women's Halloween experience with a wave of a hand.

"That's not the issue," he said with the casual air of a man who, by dint of being a man, has never been forced to choose between Sexy Chili Pepper and Sexy Ghost (mini-dress edition) on October 31st. "The issue is that in a town with an evil clown population which remains stubbornly above zero, letting someone wear this outside is going to get them killed."

Radford looked blank.

"On Halloween? When my sugar tax initiative comes into play?"

"Oh," said Radford. "Money. Of course."

Ongoing Verse: The Powers That Be

( Read more... )

Eerie Indiana WIP Wednesday Challenge!

[froodle]

What have you been working on this week, Eerie fans? Now's the time to spread the word about any fannish treats you've got cooking: a line of dialogue from an upcoming fic, linework for your latest art piece, the yarn colours for a new toy. Let us know in the comments!

Eerie Indiana Drabble: Options

[froodle]

Miss Annabelle Lee's eyes were wide and shining, the pupils so dilated that their blackness almost matched the bags underneath them.

"How wonderful," she said, holding up a bulky plastic-wrapped package labelled 'Sexy Shakespearean Death Scene'. A dress whose fabric was carefully dip-dyed to resemble water damage, a poisoned dagger and a flower crown were prominently advertised on the front.

"We have that in Romeo and Juliet too," offered Radford. "And a Titus Andronicus accessories set that includes a pie with little doll's limbs poking out of it."

Miss Annabelle Lee paused, considering.

"Tell me," she said. "Is it... sexy?"

Ongoing Verse: The Powers That Be

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Eerie Indiana Drabble: Tarred with the Same Brush

[froodle]

Mister Radford pulled a dozen more Sexy Clown costumes from the shelves and set them aside. Much as it pained him to admit it, Winston was right; too many people had lost lives, limbs or loved ones to the Sewer Clowns for there to be anything less that a widespread "kill it first, ask questions never" reaction to any hint of a red nose or greasepaint-pallid complexion.

He lifted the "Sexy Ringmaster" deluxe costume down from the rack and considered it. Strictly speaking, a Ringmaster was different from a clown, but would the people of Eerie appreciate the difference?

No.

Ongoing Verse: The Powers That Be

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Eerie Indiana Drabble: Job Search

[froodle]

Marshall Teller took in the hundreds of tiny navy-blue ties spread out across the floor of the Secret Spot. Around half of them already had glittery gold tie-pins attached and, cross-legged in the middle of the sea of chaos, Simon was busy gluing on the rest of them.

"Did the Rat King get a job?" he asked, only half-joking. There were likely lots of jobs a sentient pile of rodents could do in Eerie, some of them better than the humans who now held them.

Marshall wondered what it would take to convince the Rat King to run for Mayor...

Ongoing Verse: The Powers That Be

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Ongoing Verse: Holmes Brothers

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Ongoing Verse: Trusted Associates Inc

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Eerie Indiana Drabble: Costuming

[froodle]

"It's for Halloween," said Simon, using a cotton bud to wipe away the excess glue from the freshly pin-adorned tie. "The Rat King decided he wanted to go as a Business Rat King, so I'm making two hundred interview-suit worthy ties, several pairs of wire-rimmed spectacles -thankfully without lenses - and a dozen tiny briefcases for him."

"Huh," said Marshall. He considered the neat stash of crafting materials piled at Simon's back, then considered his own Saturday plans, which had mostly consisted of "hang out with Simon" anyway.

"Need a hand?"

Simon grinned.

"Needle-nosed pliers are on the desk behind you."

Ongoing Verse: Trusted Associates Inc

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Ongoing Verse: Holmes Brothers

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Eerie Indiana Drabble: The Garment District

[froodle]

The lady from the Eerie Chamber of Commerce wore glittering cats-eye glasses suspended on a bright jewelled chain about her neck, and a tall beehive hairdo, and a wide smile.

"Well, this is delightful," she said. "I daresay you'll revolutionise the hosiery business."

The dark-eyed girl in the neat white apron that marked her as a Future Homemaker of America smiled shyly.

"Thank you, ma'am," she said. "I'm so grateful for the Chambers' support."

Behind her, a squirming thing of legs and only legs kicked and twirled, a riot of colour and denier, each stocking ladder-proof and form-fitting and oh-so-soft.

Ongoing Verse: The Powers That Be

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Eerie Indiana Double Drabble: Investment Economy

[froodle]

"Thousands of taxpayer dollars in genetic research and gene fabrication," said the Mayor. "And you've spent it all on... on pantyhose?"

The lady from the Eerie Chamber of Commerce glared at him from behind the sharp-angled lenses of her cats-eye glasses.

"Winston," she said. "Once again your lack of vision astounds even me, a near-sighted person requiring a strong prescription just to read the labels on a cereal box."

The Mayor opened his mouth, but the woman from the Eerie Chamber of Commerce held up a hand.

"Interrupt me again and I shall garrotte you with my glasses chain," she warned him, her tone as sweet as the lilac candyfloss swirl of her hair and, the Mayor had just noticed, her colour-coordinated stockings.

"Every year, the women of Eerie waste thousands on bland, beige pantyhose that ladders, that sags or rolls or pinches. Every year, we spend our precious moments painting over torn hosiery with clear nail polish, or excusing ourselves to the bathroom to attend to an ill-fitting garter. This young lady has done away with all that, and I expect she will soon find that business is booming."

She leaned forward, smiling wide.

"And those profits need taxing."

Ongoing Verse: The Powers That Be

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Eerie Indiana Drabble: Threat Perception

[froodle]

The old man in the flat cap walked by again, fixing the two boys with a sidelong glare as he passed. Marshall watched him from behind mirrored sunglasses until the gently curving line of Normal Avenue carried the man off out of sight.

"You know the worst thing about Eerie?" he asked.

Simon thought about it.

"Milk-truck death or killer dogs," he said.

"Those are good," Marshall allowed. "But I think the worst part is how you can't always tell what's regular Eerie weird, what's dangerous Eerie weird, and what's just an unpleasantly nosy neighbour until it's far too late."

Ongoing Verse: Trusted Associates Inc

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Eerie Indiana Drabble: Unexpected Addition

[froodle]

"Simon," said Marshall, his voice high and tight and strained as though he was trying very hard not to shout, mostly because he was, in fact, trying very hard not to shout. "Why is there a disgusting blob of ecoplasm on our kitchen table?"

"I thought it might stain the couch," said Simon, which on the face of thing was a reasonable question, although that hadn't quite been what Marshall was getting at.

"Okay," said Marshall, attempting to take a deep and calming breath without actually inhaling any of the ecoplasm-tainted air. "Good thinking. But why's it in our apartment?"

Ongoing Verse: Microwave

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Eerie Indiana Drabble: Common Interest

[froodle]

"It's a playdate," said Simon, opening the cupboard under the sink and pulling out a bright blue bucket filled to the brim with black, opaque ooze that sparkled with the far-off light of distant and dying galaxies where the glare of the bare bulb touched it. "I thought maybe he and Sprite would have things in common."

He upended the bucket, and darkness slid from inside it like cranberry sauce from a can at a particularly gothic Thanksgiving. It jiggled in place for a moment before opening half-a-dozen inquisitive eyes, which twisted and bulged as three heads formed beneath them.

Ongoing Verse: Microwave

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Eerie Indiana Drabble: Origin

[froodle]

Sprite, who as near as the boys could tell was some sort of maple-syrup based Hellhound that had come to them from a neighbouring dimension where everything was Canadian, wiggled four stubby limbs loose from the flowing darkness of his body, followed by a soft, tufted tail and a bright pink tongue. He cocked two of his heads to the left and gave a short interrogatory bark.

"Hey buddy," said Simon. "I brought a friend for you to play with."

He picked up the gloppy Cerberus and, before Marshall could stop him, deposited Sprite on the table beside the ecoplasm.

Ongoing Verse: Microwave

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Eerie Indiana Drabble: Unsuccessful

[froodle]

The ecoplasm jiggled tentatively as the Hellhound approached, half-stepping, half-gliding on a slick trail made up of his own body. It went very still as Sprite began to snuffle at it, paying particular attention to those sections of it's mass containing decomposed animal remains. For a long moment, there was only the sound of huffing breaths of Canid investigation.

Then Sprite turned towards Simon, letting out a short and plaintive whine. The ecoplasm did not have eyes, nor anything even resembling a face, but it too seemed to be giving Simon a reproachful look.

"I guess that's a no, huh?"

Ongoing Verse: Microwave

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Eerie Indiana Drabble: Longing

[froodle]

"It was worth a try," Marshall consoled his most trusted associate, as they wrapped the irreparably tainted kitchen table in biohazard tape and sat down to wait for the disposal team.

"I just kept thinking about that picnic your dad took us to," said Simon. "Watching it wander through all the trifles and jellies and those weird things in aspic that the Foreverware ladies made. Like it was looking for something. Looking for more of it's own kind."

"I was really hoping Syndi would take a bite of it," Marshall said, wistfully. "It would never work, though. She hates trifle."

Ongoing Verse: Microwave

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Ongoing Verse: Teller Family History

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Eerie Indiana Drabble: Around the Dinner Table

[froodle]

The hot chocolate was thick and sweet and the same creamy shade of pale pink that cherry blossoms had in spring. Marshall wasn't sure if this was the result of food colouring or the sort of grandmotherly magic his Mom's Mom had access to, which could just be her being a very good cook and then again, might have been actual magic.

He supposed it didn't really matter though, as he sat at the kitchen table, sipping from the huge mug currently warming his icy palms.

"So," said Lillian Bancroft, rinsing a long spoon beneath the tap. "The Devil, eh?"

Ongoing Verse: Teller Family History

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Eerie Indiana Fandom Tropes Challenge!

[froodle]

So after friendof_dorothy and deifire respectively made me remember fanmixes and Five Things fic in the space of a single day, I decided it would be fun to have a Fandom Tropes challenge once a month, to remind us of all the stuff that used to be super common in fandom that maybe we don't see as much as we'd like to these days.

Your prompt for this month is: Coffee Shop AU

Eerie Indiana Drabble: Bumbling

[froodle]

"This is really embarrassing," said the demon of rot and crawling filth, one buzzing and multitudinous limb rubbing the vaguely head-shaped lump atop what might, with some imagination, be considered it's torso. "But could you...?"

Simon stood and walked to the large window overlooking a communal garden choked with weeds and rusted metal debris.

"This way," he said, holding the window open as far as it would go.

On the couch, Marshall and Dash watched as an approximately man-shaped thing comprised of fat and swarming bluebottles repeatedly slammed itself into the glass pane.

"A little higher," said Simon, ever patient.

Ongoing Verse: Microwave

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Eerie Indiana Drabble: Hierarchy

[froodle]

"That guy?" said Marshall, with mounting disbelief. "The idiot who couldn't go out a window when you held it for him? That guy's a Prince of Hell?"

"Apparently," said Simon. "Harley said... well, he didn't say much, he just bowed and left the room."

Marshall gaped.

"That stupid fly-swarm outranks your brother?" he asked "Are you serious?"

"Makes sense to me," said Dash, shrugging. "It's Hell. What's more hellish than taking orders from someone dumber and less competent than you?"

"I don't want you to think that I didn't get that reference," said Marshall. "I'm just choosing to ignore it."

Ongoing Verse: Microwave

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Ongoing Verse: Holmes Brothers

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Eerie Indiana Double Drabble: Haunted?

[froodle]

"Interesting," said Mary C. Carter, watching the little stuffed bear waddle across the carpet and pick up the tiny lace-edged waistcoat she had made for it. "I've never seen that before."

"Really?" said Andrea, looking surprised. "I thought that was a pretty common type of haunting, ghosts getting into creepy old toys and moving them about and stuff?"

"No, that's pretty common," agreed Marisea. "There's a teakettle somewhere in the attic that contains a poltergeist who exclusively inhabits those cymbal-playing monkey dolls. But that's not what this is."

She nodded at the faintly-glowing spectre of a young girl who stood beside and slightly inside the china cabinet, staring as the neatly-repaired plush animal clumsily began dressing itself.

"That's Annie. Her spirit is bound up with the bear, but she's not the one making it move right now."

Annie's gaze flicked to the two women at the table. She nodded her agreement, eyes wide with astonishment, then went back to watching her toy as it's chubby paws struggled to fasten faux-pearl buttons.

"Let me," said Marisea, getting out of her chair to kneel on the floral-patterned carpet. The bear gratefully accepted her help.

"So what is happening?" asked Andrea.

"No idea."

Ongoing Verse: Andrea/Marisea

( Read more... )

Eerie Indiana Double Drabble: Living?

[froodle]

Andrea Fantucci did not look up from the stack of newspapers in front of her when she heard the noise. In a house this haunted, there was always something rattling or moaning or scratching about the place, and she'd learned to tune out the noisy dead some time ago.

When she spotted the tumbling blur of yellow-brown plush, however, she shot out of her seat. Reaching out with an arm that seemed to become just slightly longer than usual as she moved, she caught the little bear right before it hit the ground.

"Whoa," she said, turning it right-side up and placing it on the table in front of her. "Probably best not to have any falls until we can figure out what the deal is with you, little man."

The little bear wobbled on it's hind legs, then sat abruptly. It wiped a fat little paw across it's brow, and a scattering of tiny pearlescent beads scattered like droplets of sweat.

"Incredible," said Andrea, folding the newspaper into quarters and setting it aside. She rested her chin in her hands, staring at the living toy in front of her.

"What are you?" she said.

The little bear looked confused.

Ongoing Verse: Andrea/Marisea

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Eerie Indiana World Nurses Day Challenge

[froodle]

Today is World Nurses Day, so let's mark the occasion with some Nurse Nancy-themed fanworks!

Eerie Indiana Drabble: Check-Up

[froodle]

"Could it be a Velveteen Rabbit type deal?" asked Simon, parting the thick plush on the little bear's tummy in order to better use a plastic stethoscope purchased that morning from the dollar toys section at the World o' Stuff. "You know, a kid loves their stuffed animal so much that it eventually becomes real sort of thing?"

He looked at Annie, who turned to look at Marisea, who shrugged.

"I've heard of that happening, but not after the kid themselves is dead," she said.

Simon took the plastic stethoscope out of his ears.

"Well," he said. "There's a heartbeat."

Ongoing Verse: Andrea/Marisea

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Ongoing Verse: Microwave

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Eerie Indiana Drabble: Point of Origin

[froodle]

"Didn't you say your brother once brought one of his stuffed animals to life?" said Marshall. "The squirrel, you remember? Had teeth like rows of sewing needles."

Simon winced.

"Sylvester Squirrel. I remember," he said, rubbing a faded white scar on his forearm which, now that Marisea looked at it, did sort of resemble a hundred tiny needle-shaped stab wounds, as though he'd been bitten by a sewing machine.

The four of them looked from Annie, to the little bear, and back again.

"Neither of them seem very, um..." Andrea paused, choosing her words with care. "...Harley-esque," she said eventually.

Ongoing Verse: Microwave

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Ongoing Verse: Andrea/Marisea

( Read more... )

Ongoing Verse: Holmes Brothers

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Eerie Indiana Drabble: Homecoming

[froodle]

What had once been the front of his parent's house was torn away, and the space behind it was a howling void where the wind shrieked like the souls of dead men and your breath froze to icy crystals that clung to a person's mouth and nose.

Simon nodded approvingly.

"It looks good," he said, smiling down at his little brother. Harley, round-cheeked and cherubic and apparently not keen to age beyond six any time soon, smiled back.

Tiny fingers, hot and dry, wrapped themselves around Simon's thumb and tugged him towards the towering basalt gates.

"Welcome home," Harley whispered.

Ongoing Verse: Holmes Brothers

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Eerie Indiana Triple Drabble: Study Group

[froodle]

"Hi boys," said Marilyn, backing out of the kitchen with a tray piled high with the sort of sugary treats all children need when tackling math problems set by a probable sadist and, if the little red horns peaking out from beneath his rapidly receding hairline were any indication, possible literal demon. "I made you a snack."

She set the food down on the little end table beside the mantel, the only space not currently covered by textbooks and graph paper, and smiled at her guests.

"Michael," she greeted one of them. "You're looking very smart today."

The Michael who wore black-rimmed window-pane glasses that had nothing to do with his eyesight smiled politely.

"Thank you, Mrs. Teller."

"Michael," she greeted another. "You're shooting up like corn during a sighting of the Eerie Wolf. I bet the basketball team feels lucky to have you on board!"

The Michael who was once the smallest, but now the tallest, grinned down at her.

"Thank you, Mrs. Teller."

The final Michael, whose edges blurred and ran together like watercolours in the rain, jumped a little as Marilyn addressed him.

"And Michael," she said, reaching out to grasp one translucent hand, squeezing it with her own warm and solid fingers. "I'm so glad you came over today. I heard you were thinking about an exchange trip to Paris, and I have so many old phrase books and bits and pieces that need a new home. I've left them in a box by the stairs - help yourself to whatever looks useful."

The final Michael's lips moved soundlessly for a moment, but eventually he managed to scratch out, "Thank you, Mrs. Teller."

"I'll leave you boys in peace now," she said, pausing to press a kiss into Marshall's hair. "Let me know if you need anything."


Ongoing Verse: Teller Family History

( Read more... )

Eerie Indiana Drabble: Team Meeting

[froodle]

The King of the Summer burned with the heat and light of an August afternoon, and in the little room Syndi found his presence stifling. She summoned a cool breeze that twisted about her, lifting the hair from her neck and raising little goosebumps on the exposed skin of her arms, but it didn't help much.

"Sorry," said the King of the Summer, grimacing apologetically and inadvertently dazzling her with the refracted glare of his white teeth.

"It's okay," she said, blinking rapidly and wishing she'd sat next to the Lady of the Cold instead.

Or at least, worn sunscreen.


Ongoing Verse: Teller Family History

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Ongoing Verse: Weather

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Eerie Indiana Drabble: Protected Territory

[froodle]

The Frog of Ultimate Doom sat despondently atop a wilting lily pad, it's great green shoulders slumped in abject despair.

"I should never have come here," it said.

Weatherman Wally, who was at heart a kind and compassionate man, felt bad for the frog but could not bring himself to disagree.

"It's all gone wrong," said the frog. "I was going to come here, mess with you all a little, ruin a couple of festivals, and then leave."

"The weather doesn't work like that here," Wally explained, as gently as he could. "There are literal gods here."

The frog sighed.

Ongoing Verse: Weather

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Ongoing Verse: The Powers That Be

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Eerie, Indiana/Gortimer Gibbon's Life on Normal Street

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Eerie Indiana Drabble: Lunchtime

[froodle]

The sandwich was hastily prepared, thrown together during a quick trip home at lunch and messily wrapped in tinfoil, and it was just about the best thing Dash had ever eaten.

"Thanks," he said, crumpling up the silvery foil and, by way of showing he meant it, actually tossing it into the correct recycling bin on the first try.

"It's fine," said Marshall, who was a little embarrassed both by the enthusiasm (for a given, Dash X-ish definition of enthusiasm) being shown for a simple ham and cheese, and because he really, really should have prepared for this.

Next time.

Ongoing Verse: First Kiss

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Ongoing Verse: Microwave

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Eerie Indiana Drabble: A Summoning

[froodle]

The view from his office window had changed. When he'd arrived at work that morning, Simon's office had been where it always was - slightly below ground level, with high narrow windows near the ceiling that showed the feet and ankles of passers-by.

Now he stared out onto rolling green hills dotted with aesthetically pleasing clumps of pastel-coloured wildflower.

He glanced down at the jackalope kitten on the table in front of him, grey-brown fur already turning pink and blue and yellow.

"Brace yourself, little guy," he told it. "One or both of us just got called to the Easter lands."

Ongoing Verse: Microwave

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Ongoing Verse: Easter Weekend

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Eerie Indiana Drabble: Defensive

[froodle]

"I don't hate Brussels sprouts," said Marshall. "I don't buy them because there's better vegetables out there, but I never hated them."

"Really," said Syndi. "Because I remember seeing them wrapped in napkins and hidden in the trash multiple times when we were kids."

"Okay," said Marshall. "I hated that sometimes they stopped me from leaving the table to do more important things, but it was never personal against them. I just hated what they represented."

Farmer Ephraim Chambers surveyed the full-grown Teller siblings with baffled amusement.

"You can always choose something else," he said, gesturing at his loaded stall.


Ongoing Verse: Teller Family History

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Eerie Indiana Drabble: Mail Call

[froodle]

Marshall picked up the handful of "sorry you were out" cards, lit a pure white candle from one of the few still-consecrated churches in Eerie, and sat at the table while he passed them, one by one, through the flame.

"How's it looking?" asked Dash, coming into the kitchen with an armful of dirty laundry. He dumped in front of the washing machine, ignoring the hamper that stood less than a foot away.

"Seven cursed objects, one perishable food item that should still be good if we collect it tomorrow, and what I think is an eBay package for Simon."

Ongoing Verse: Microwave

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Eerie Indiana 600 Words Ficlet: Dentist

[froodle]

Doctor Eukanuba took a seat beside the huge reclining dentist chair, a thin manilla folder containing a neat stack of x-rays tucked under one arm.

"Well, Mister Teller," he said, opening the folder and arranging the top two pictures side by side. "This is all looking very promising."

He beamed down at his prone patient, and the bright halogen light above and behind him illuminated only his smile.

"I'd like to schedule your three-month check-ups for shortly after the full moon," he said. "So we can make any adjustments to your retainer and ensure that both sets of teeth are growing as they should."

"Both sets?" asked Marilyn. "He's already lost most of his milk teeth."

"Yes," said the dentist. "I'm talking about his adult teeth and-" he glanced at Marshall, pleading silently around a mouthful of cotton gauze and quickly corrected himself, "...his wisdom teeth, of course. It's very important to catch any problems early, with molars that big."

"Oh," said Marilyn. "His wisdom teeth. Yes. Obviously."

"In fact," said Doctor Eukanuba, "Perhaps you could see my assistant about arranging the quarterly cleaning, while Marshall and I finish up here?"

Marilyn looked to Marshall, who nodded.

"I'll be right outside, honey," she said, patting his arm as she got up to leave.

"We won't be long," Doctor Eukanuba assured her.

As soon as the heavy fireproof door had swung shut behind her, Marshall sat up, already unpacking the gauze from inside his cheek and spitting out a mouthful of pinkish water.

"What," he hissed, voice only slightly slurred from the anaesthetic, "Second set?"

"Your... well, let's call them your supernumerary canines," said the dentist, turning one of the x-rays so that Marshall could get a better look. Sure enough, the image of twenty-eight square, blunt, human teeth was marred by a series of knife-edged shadows, right where Marshall expected the gum line to be.

"You can see that?" Marshall whispered, horrified.

"Mister Teller," Doctor Eukanuba said soothingly, "I may be the only dentist in town, but rest assured that you are not the only werewolf."

He twisted the x-ray back to face him, examining the jagged white shapes with interest.

"I assume you were infected fairly recently," he said. "Which is good, since I imagine a full transformation while wearing braces would be extremely painful."

He closed the folder, then looked back at Marshall, his expression becoming grave.

"I cannot stress this enough, young man," he said. "You must remove your retainer during a full moon, and you absolutely must not put it back in until it begins to wane."

"Why?" asked Marshall, instantly suspicious. "Did you sneak some silver in there or something?"

"No," said Doctor Eukanuba, seemingly surprised that he would even be asked. "It's because holding your teeth in place while you jaw changes shape is going to hurt, damage the retainer, and possibly cause your regular teeth to grow crooked."

"Oh," said Marshall.

"Not to worry," said the dentist, tossing the file onto his desk and reaching for the glass jar of lollipops. "As I say, you're not my first lycanthrope, and my other patients all have strong, healthy bites during their furrier times of the month."

He held out the bright coloured candies, but Marshall shook his head.

"Ah," said the dentist. "Perhaps you'd prefer a chew stick instead. I find chicken is the most popular flavour, though I also have beef and lamb if you prefer."

He returned the lollipops to their previous position and retrieved a foil packet decorated with a smiling cartoon dog.

"Take a handful," he suggested. "For the road."

Ongoing Verse: CAT

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Ongoing Verse: WereMarsicorn

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