Eerie Indiana Triple Drabble: Naming Conventions

[froodle]

The shell fragments were smooth, matt-black, and marked with tiny fragments of silver that glowed like the far-off twinkle of strange stars under stranger skies. The air around them chilled to icy fog, and when Simon reached out to touch one, the cold burned his hand.

He straightened, clutching his scalded fingers to his chest and looked around. Chicks Two and Three had dug themselves little hollows in the dust bath he'd made for them, and sat there quite happily, hissing to one another in a way that sounded suspiciously like speech. Chick Four strutted and preened amongst the tiny statuary that had sprung up one corner of the yard, and Chick One was asleep in the makeshift coop that leaned against the Tellers garden fence, combed and wattled head tucked snugly beneath one irridescent wing.

That's when he saw it, almost hidden in the shadows cast by the half-dead tree that kept their house in perpetual gloom. The cockatrice hatchling was pure darkness, beak to claws to wings to spiny tail. He might have suspected a cockatrice/raven dalliance, but no oil-slick sheen brightened the void of the new chick's plumage.

Harley sat cross-legged in the dirt in front of it, meeting it's petrifying gaze with a smile that put every single tooth on show. He glanced up at his older brother and waved, then went back to feeding his new pet.

Simon slid on a pair of mirrored sunglasses as he approached, skirting a wide circle around the baby cockatrice before arriving to stand at his brother's side.

"So," he said. "What's this little guy's name?"

Harley shrugged. Simon took a seat next to him, the stone grass prickling through his worn jeans.

"Sooty?" Simon suggested. "Blackie? Midnight?"

Harley shook his head.

"Chick Two Junior," he said, firmly.

Ongoing Verse: Holmes Brothers



Castle, in which there is unexpected architecture in Eerie

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

Bathtub, in which the Holmes' have further problems with their plumbing

Communication Difficulties, in which there are barriers to understanding

Playground, in which Simon and Harley should maybe come back another day

Dish of the Day, in which Simon and Marshall return to the playground

Stonewall, Mud Walls, in which Harley is an implacable foe

Biters, in which there is screaming

Riverbank, in which Simon encounters a kelpie

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

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

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

Drive In, in which there is a movie screening

Staged, in which Harley visits a building site

Distractions, in which Simon and Marshall walk home from school

Class of '89, in which they collect Harley

Unsuitable Substitute, in which there is a changeling

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

Informed Shopper, in which Simon contemplates a purchase

Infestation, in which there are pixies

BBQ, in which the Tellers hold a BBQ

Door-to-Door, in which it is Halloween and there are trick-or-treaters

Sentinel, in which it is Halloween and there is hot chocolate

The Stand, in which it is Halloween and there is a war

Dark Messiah, in which there are witches

Ruminant, in which a rescue is mounted

Good to Eat, in which Dash and Simon fill Marshall in

Gridlock, in which Harley encounters one of Eerie's many cults

Common Ground, in which one of Eerie's local youth organisations would like Harley to join them

Persuasion Tactics, in which the recruitment drive becomes aggressive

A Kings' Ransom, in which Harley goes to the beach

Competing Traditions, in which Dash and Marshall wait out the Easter weekend

Advent Calendar, in which Marilyn is making Christmas treats for all her children

Window Paint, in which Harley helps decorate his elementary school for Christmas

Pantomime, in which the Tellers enjoy some traditional Christmas entertainment

Visiting Santa, in which Marshall and Simon take Harley on a trip

The Tree, in which Harley helps Simon decorate for Christmas

KrampusNacht, in which the Holmes household has a visitor

Cygnet, in which Harley and Lillian go to the park

Tagged, in which the Bob brothers go to the park

Defacement, in which the Eerie PD investigates a terrible crime

Read the Sign, in which the city council was serious about that fountain

Salvage Rights, in which Harley and Lillian return to the lake

To Serve Birds (Right), in which Marshall and Harley bond

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

Hangover, in which Marshall has a little too much to drink, and an innocent sandcastle pays the price

Brand Loyalty, in which MArshall's new shoes are a disappointment

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

Shattered Dreams, in which there is a space whale

They, in which Marshall leaves for college and Simon is left behind

Good Secrets Are Hard To Keep, in which Marshall submits a story to his college newspaper

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

Bulk Buy, in which Simon's desk tidy isn't suited for the job, but he's still better off than his office mates

Incendiary, in which Marshall reads a situation and reaches completely the wrong conclusion

Divergent, in which Dash and Harley talk

Workaday, in which Simon encounters one of Harley's old enemies

Presentation, in which Simon has a plan

Children Are Strange, in which Eerie's local Black Eyed Kids take an interest in Simon's dog