Flash Fiction #612 -- Portal

 

Once upon a time, a woman rushed into a police station in LA and began yelling about Fae using magic in the city.

"Yeah, yeah," I replied. It wasn't illegal. I worked at the front desk because I was one of the few police officers who could deal with Fae without pulling my gun. "Tell me something I haven't heard."

"They created a portal!"

That was serious. I reached under my desk and activated a screaming alarm that could have waked the dead but mostly warned everyone in the building about serious fae trouble within our district.

One of the first to emerge from the back offices was Detective Halfae, our half-fae consultant. He did not look happy, and his scowl darkened when he heard the problem.

"You might as well wait," he told the others as he magically changed clothing from his suit and tie to fae robes and cape. "It is about time they figured this out. If I turn to dust, you are on your own."

It wasn't entirely a joke.

I keyed off my position and followed him out of the building. None of the others moved to do so, even though there were rules about Hal leaving alone on duty. I didn't always take that rule seriously, but this was the sort of trouble where you didn't want to make a mistake, like leaving your best hope of survival without someone to watch his back.

Portals are dangerous. A single one could get out of control and suck up anything it can reach. I feared for the destruction of the city, if not the world.

We didn't need directions to the trouble. Aside from the shouts of excited Fae, there was a growing sound of thunder in the air. Pressure grew, and I almost stumbled before we came around the last corner.

I don't know how Hal knew I was failing. He spun, caught my arm, and pushed me against the wall of the nearest building. I caught my breath and nodded thanks.

"We have one more turn, and you stay at the corner, Falcon," he told me. "No arguments on this one. Whatever is going on, it is more dangerous than just the portal. Be ready for trouble."

I nodded. I would never argue with a fae anyway, but I appreciated Halfae's abilities.

Hal went around the corner. I inched closer and peeked around the side.

Portals come in different sizes, shapes, colors and powers. They would be helpful if they were stable and if anyone, Fae or otherwise, might control where they led.

What I saw was not promising. The portal was a beautiful circle of gold covered in glyphs. Looking down the street—well, it was already changing the world. Skyscrapers were now towering peaks of stone. A wide street turned into a stone-paved path.

 The other side showed sharp-edged mountains and open grasslands, but there was an overlay of ghost buildings that belonged on this side.

Humans ran away in fear. Fae, on the other hand, gathered in groups and cheered. Hal marched straight toward the largest group of Fae, and I could tell he was unhappy.

"Are you crazy?" he demanded loud enough to shake the ground.

"We made it!" Janal shouted and all but danced. I had never seen him happy, and I didn't like it. "We found a nexus and can go home --"

"Then you had better go fast. I am going to close this portal down."

"You can't!" Janal shouted and then looked pensive. "You really can't. You are only half Fae."

"This is true. But all of you assumed the other half was human."

Janal looked confused and took a step back. A number of Fae were charging through the portal and down the trail on the far side. They didn't look back. Then, a few humans went as well. No one tried to stop them.

I was tempted to join them.

Janal finally took a step closer to Hal and looked into his face. "Tell me what you are."

"I'll do better than to say it. I'll show you."

And he changed -- taller, thinner, his hair longer and silver. When he glanced my way, he looked much as he had before, at least in his face. The bright smile he gave me was unexpected. It disappeared before he turned back to Janal. I crossed to stand by Hal, though. Fae and humans stared at him in shock.

"My father was one of the last of the Elder Race to stay behind and help the Fae settle into life without them. He fell in love with a fae woman, and they had a dozen children before they moved on to the new land with the rest of the Elder Race."

Janal stared. I was the one who spoke. "That means you are one of the Bridges, right?" 

"Nice to know someone understands Fae Lore. Yes, I am one of the Twelve Bridges to help the Fae adapt or move on. So that is your choice, Jana. You and the others. Go to that new realm that harbors all the magic you could want, or stay here and continue living with magic and humans."

Janal didn't like humans much. He turned and sprinted to the portal, with most of the remaining Fae following him.

Once they were beyond the portal, Hal snapped his fingers, and the magic disappeared. Parts of the view wavered momentarily and then returned to a modern view of tall buildings and shop-lined streets.

I regretted it.

"I feared I would have to put up a neon sign saying 'Nexus Here' before they found it," Hal said. He changed back to normal, which was a bit better. "I'll give them a couple weeks and go check. They should have checked the new realm before rushing in. Want to come along? How do you feel about dragons?"

Flash Fiction #611-- Do Not Waken/6

 

I now had a good idea of where to start.

I stood still for a moment and gathered what power I could. Then I formed the ball, tossed it into the air, and shouted a single word.

"Gaia!"

"It is about time you called on me." The woman stood beside me. She came with three other men and must have been the seer with the other group. "Lovely tree and nice dragon."

"Tell me how to keep them alive."

"I don't know the answer, or I wouldn't need you. I can tell you a few things you might not know, and together, we'll all come up with an answer, combine our powers, and deal with it. Here is a clue. Whatever is doing this is not alive as we understand it. And since it is not a part of nature, I have trouble tracking it."

"You made the glass balls."

Gaia looked at me as though I were an idiot. "Of course. And they were not evil, just insistent. If someone with magic arrived, I wanted to know as soon as possible to get them off this realm before it killed them. Sorry about the arrow and your leg. They were trying to scare you away."

"What do we do to find the enemy?" Rose asked. I was not surprised that she was ready for the fight, even though she did not know how to win.

"Oh, you've done quite enough -- for the enemy to come to you," Gaia said, nodding toward the tree and the dragon.

When had that breeze sprung up? And why were the birds calling out in shock and fear? Golden leaves rattle with a frantic tune as clouds spread across the sky. The world went almost night-dark, and we didn't have enough magic to give ourselves light.

Gaia provided one large circle of illumination that showed us the area around us and the base of the clouds.

"Well, this can't be good," Rose said.

"Inside my shirt!" Silver ordered and didn't wait for her answer. He grabbed the Pixie and shoved her beneath the cloth. I had the feeling he had practice at grabbing her out of danger.

I thought she might have said something impolite. We all ignored her. Not that it mattered. The wind came with such a force that even the tree bowed, and I saw many of the gold leaves torn free. The dragon caught hold of the tree and did his best to keep it safe. Fellet worked with him.

Gaia dragged all of us into a tight circle and roped us together with her power. It was akin to our magic but not the same. Still, I could tell even it wavered.

Something moved in the lower level of the clouds. First triangular and then circular, it moved against the wind with no lessening of speed. Appendages that looked like ropes of smoke reached downward.

A few were going to take the tree and the dragon. I threw magic at it, but it was as if nothing was there for my power to touch. I saw the others trying, too.

Then Rose screamed something I could barely hear about the wind. "It is not here! Portal!"

Then, despite Silver trying to grab her again, she got loose and headed straight towards those clouds. I could see some of the magic she was trying to make along the way -- and I finally understood.

"Portal!" I shouted. "Make portals!"

We did. Any of us with magic threw portals into the air, and even if they died quickly, I could tell they were causing problems for whatever was up there. My only genuine worry was that Rose was up there somewhere, too. She was so small that I couldn't see her. I did occasionally see a flash of her magic, though. I thought that might be all that kept Silver from turning into a wolf and howling.

I had a little magic left. The clouds dispersed, showing the black object spinning from one shape to another, sometimes breaking apart and crashing back together with an almost deafening crash.

Dragon rushed toward me and did something odd. He shoved a broken branch into my hands.

It had come from the tree. Even torn free, I could still feel the surge of power and I grabbed it and shot a spear of lightning straight up at the thing above us.

It cracked into a thousand pieces and fell.

I panicked, but there was no danger. The thing had never been fully here, and the pieces disappeared before they reached the ground. We all stood in silence, except for Silver, who paced much like a two-legged wolf. 

Rose fluttered down and would have missed Silver's shoulder if he hadn't plucked her out of the air. She collapsed into his hand, looking bruised and unsettled. It was some time before she could tell us what she'd seen and done.

"I am glad you understood what we needed," she said. "Nearly every portal broke off some of the black and sent it to random space. Very few will have made it to other worlds. But … I don't think it is dead since it didn't feel alive as we know it."

"We will find signs of it again," Gaia agreed. "But for now, the tree and dragon are safe. I suggest you all monitor this realm."

Then Gaia disappeared before we could thank her. Our combined magic had defeated the black- at least for now.

Stejan, Rose, and Silver planned to head back to their headquarters immediately so that they might track some of the non-living creatures. Fellet and I returned to my temple, but only long enough to gather manuscripts I thought might help. I would miss this place, but I felt a lure to helping others again.

Life would be interesting.

Flash Fiction #610 -- Do not Waken/5

 

"Wise," the dragon said.  "But they cannot all be that smart."

"Ten glass balls," Fellet said, looking at the one I now held.  "Two chosen priests purposely broke theirs, saying the evil was too strong and could not be trusted.  The last eight of us broke into two groups and began tracking magic -- like yours -- that we could now sense."

"There were two groups?" Silver asked and looked worried.

Fellet nodded. "They went north, and we went south. I don't really know what was pulling them to that area. It couldn't be another Dragon, could it?  We were always told to stay clear of the northern mountains and the nearby plains.  The Temple of Gaia said there were monsters in that area.  And it is true that anyone who went looking never came back. I lost three cousins that way."

So, our work was not done.  Even now, this ball of power wanted to lead me to a point of power somewhere in the north.  I was about to ask Fellet what they thought might be there when Rose and my good friend Stejan arrived.

No, I had not mentioned that I knew their leader.  That knowledge might have changed attitudes and answers, even in subtle ways.  That was over now, though.  Stejan saw me, let out an uncharacteristic whoop of pleasure, and darted straight my way.

I believe Silver thought he had gone mad.

"Kazir!  My friend!  I never expected to see you leave your temple!"  Then he stopped and frowned.  "This trouble is far more serious than I thought, isn't it?"

"It is more serious than I thought when I left the temple," I replied, and everyone looked worried for the first time. "Something is trying hard to destroy the magic, not just in this realm. I do not know what it might be. However, something is going on."

Fellet looked startled, and I wondered if he considered that getting the magic might be what he wanted. Then he glanced back at the dragon, and something changed in his face again.  I could both sense and see his attitude change from fear to wonder.  The dragon had laid down by the tree and looked like an overgrown puppy, tired from a day of fun.  I had to assume that the dragon, already growing stronger, would be safe from Fellet's former companions.  He was growing in power, although it would be years before he reached his full potential.  Lucky for their large friend, no one would attack him with magic.

The tree was prettier than I had remembered the original. I tried to think back to that time and remember the differences. Instead, I remembered something that made them very much alike.

"I saved the seeds from a dying tree -- on a world where the magic had suddenly disappeared for no reason we could find. It had been a sudden loss, and those of us who happened upon it were busy trying to save what we could. That world is now nothing but dust, and I fear we may have stumbled upon the same thing here."

"You came here because you knew something was wrong," Stejan said.

"I sensed something," I admitted. It was a problem that needed to be fixed. Let me think this out."

We found a place to eat. I made a cake of magic for the dragon, and he looked pleased.

Then arrows rained down around us.  Rose had seen them first and put up a shell that knocked the projectiles back toward the archers. Then, just as fast as they had appeared and fired, they disappeared again. We all waited for more trouble, but nothing more appeared.

"They were not part of my group," I said with a wave to where they had been. "And I did not feel any magic in that attack."

The others looked at each other, waiting for another to say something about the magic. However, I had figured out our problem, which would not make things easier.

"There's obviously something powerful working here," I said, looking around at the others.  "I believe we are dealing with at least one God."

They all looked at each other momentarily, and then Rose landed on Silver's shoulder.

"I think I want to return to the clan tree now," Rose said. Her wings fluttered slightly. "I have had enough adventure."

"You can't go back," Silver said with a shake of his head. "We are both outcasts. We need to stay here and help as we can."

"That's the problem, Silver," Rose replied. "You always bring up the problems to my easy answers."

I already knew they were going to remain and help.

"The Commission to which Fellet belonged had sensed my magic," I said.  "Did that come from the glass balls?"

"No," Fellet replied, and we all turned to him in surprise.  "The seer came from the temple and told us where to go. She said not to wake the dragon, but she was the one who led us straight here."

"Seer," Rose said.  "From the Temple of Gaia."

"She's new. We had gone for more than a generation without a seer in the temple. She arrived a little over a year ago. Everyone said it meant trouble."

"Trouble," I repeated and heard the word echoed in my thoughts but not in my voice.  I lifted my hand toward the tree, but my magic wavered as though pulled elsewhere. The others tried their own magic, but very little came of it. I realized we all knew we didn't have enough power to make a portal back out of this world, and the longer we stayed, the more power we lost.

We had to fix this trouble and do it quickly, or none of us would survive.

Flash Fiction #609-- Do not Waken/4

 

The other said nothing, including the Dragon. Peralin, though, put a hand on my shoulder. Being fae meant I could feel his emotions. That surprised me since he was a Godling. Of course, I wasn't just a normal Fae, but I wasn't anywhere on his level.

The golden leaves made bell-like sounds in the breeze. I heard birds call out in various areas and then Rose landed on my shoulder.

"This is the myth of the one tree, home to all the pixies before we split into Clans. How could you do such a thing to bring something so beautiful into the world just with a wave of your hand?"

"Yes," Peralin agreed.  "I could not have done it."

"I am ancient," I admitted, something that was not obvious by sight, being an eternal fae.  I had also done my best not to let my attitude betray me.  "For thousands of years, I have lived in a mountain temple, forgotten by everyone but me. When I knew that there would be no others, I memorized everything they had written. And then I went looking for their hidden and sacred treasures."

"The Temple was older than you," Rose realized. It took most people a lot longer to put that part together.

"Much older than me. Older than all the rest of us. And you know what I found?"

"Seeds," Peralin replied. "You didn't just send out a wave of magic, you also put a seed into this world."

"The roots of that tree will soon spread magic throughout the world," I told the dragon.  He had a hard time looking from the tree to me. "This world will be better for it.  You and this fine young priest will have to deal with those who want to destroy the tree, though. Nor can you allow anyone to be killed within sight of the tree. In a few years, others may come to take your place once the people have accepted the return of magic in this world."

The priest gave several nods of nervous agreement.  Neither the Wolf nor the Pixie made any comment about my setting this up without discussing it with them. Of course, they might come back and settle things of their own accord later. But for someone who had not dealt with any other creatures except those in the wild for longer than this world existed, well, I thought I was doing better than expected.

"Stejan felt a portal open on this world where there was no magic," Rose said with a quick nod. "Then he found your two companions, and they were frantic to get you back. So, he sent us in, but you were the one who made the first portal, right?"

"They were fae from the nearest village, which was still days away from where I had been living. Once they understood I was the eldest among the eldest, and they wanted nothing more than to serve me. I soon realized that I would need others with me because I lost contact with the real world. Besides, what I had sensed in this strange realm was a trouble that might take more than even me to fix. And that brings us to the question of the Commission."

We turned to the priest, who now at least looked steady, although he was keeping his distance from the Dragon. I didn't blame him, even though the creature had shown nothing but calm and understanding.

"We woke up one morning to find an odd altar sitting in a village square. From it came a voice saying that these were gifts to help us fight against the magic that was coming for us. On the altar were several pieces of glass shaped into perfect balls."

He reached into his shoulder bag and pulled out something wrapped in cloth. The cloth unfolded and showed a glass ball that fit nicely in his palm. It glittered from within in swirls of color moves through the glass. Rose was the one who came closest to it and hovered over this gift that none of the rest of us trusted.

"No," Rose said with a shake of her head. "That's not something you want loose on this world. Silver, I'm going to go get Prince Stajan.  I think we've found a key to what has been happening n other places."

Silver nodded.  He took one step closer to see the ball, but he did not want to touch it.

Rose had called up the smallest portal I had ever seen, and she darted in through it.

"Maybe I should put this down," the priest said and began to kneel.

I saw disaster in that move, so I leapt forward and grabbed the ball as it started the fall out of his hand. I startled and worried everyone with that move and I feared Silver was going to turn into a wolf on me and I didn't know what I would do to reason with him.

"If that glass had hit the ground, we would have been hunting it down for the rest of our very long lives. I can hold on to it for a while longer before I start feeling any of the effects. I really don't know how these humans have managed not to succumb to all whispers from it. You heard them, right Fellet?"

That I knew his name startled the man, who gave a quick nod. "Before any of us could pick up the glass, our priest devised tests to make sure we would not fall under its influence.   I could hear the voice telling me fate had destined me for greater things. It was the wrong approach. My father was an area governor, and they assassinated him when I was ten. They killed my grandfather before that, and they took away my mother and my sisters. I only escaped because I was already in the temple. Should I want more?"                

Flash Fiction #608 -- Do not waken/3

 

"Run!" Rose yelled.

I barely heard the word over the strange rumbling roar that came from the ground.  Everything trembled.  I'd never been in an earthquake before, and I did not like it.  Then I wondered why we were running.  We didn't want to be around those trees that kept swaying --

"Dragon!" Rose yelled as she reached me.

I ran.

My leg was not up to this sort of workout, though.  I was slowing down within a yard and desperately trying not to fall. Four people -- the Commission -- charged past me in pure panic. I almost stumbled.

And that angered me. I grabbed hold of the next member of the Commission who went past me. He looked like he was about 30 and dressed in a long white toga that probably melted some high standing in the temple or something. I didn't care. I began shaking him, and he made incoherent noises.

"How in the name of all the gods can you have a dragon on a world without magic?" I demanded.

That question didn't reach the person I was holding, but it had Rose and Silvers's attention. When Rose landed on the man's shoulder, he almost fainted, and the ground shook even more.

"We're going to stay here until you give me some answers," I told the man. He focused back on me and took a couple of deep breaths.

"The Dragon was from the far past, back when we still had magic everywhere," he had a singsong voice that made me think I was right about him being a priest. "The Dragon was the last, and he went to sleep saying he'd return when magic came back. And the three of you came straight over him with your magic --"

"A couple of points to consider," Silver said as he took hold of the man this time. The ground wasn't shaking so much at the moment. I had the odd feeling that something was listening to us. "First, we didn't go over the Dragon; you did. I don't know where you got your magic, but it is much louder than what we use. You do not know what you're doing, do you?"

"And second," Rose added, as though she knew precisely what Silver would say. "If instead of chasing after us and getting us straight to this place, you could have told us there's a dragon in this area. We wouldn't have come running straight to it."

The priest gave several quick nods, but I suspected he heard nothing we'd said. Then, the ground convulsed, sending boulders and dirt everywhere. The three of us went straight to our knees while Rose leaped into the air.

When everything settled, I could see a shape not far away—a big shape still shaking some of the dirt off of him.

"Dragon," the priest said, waving toward the creature. Then he fainted and fell face down in the mud. I turned him over. I still had more questions.

Silver was the first of us to get back to his feet. I did the same, though I wasn't sure I would stay there for long. The priest's eyes fluttered open for a moment and then closed again. I looked around for the others, but they must have returned to the forest and disappeared.

"What do we have?" Silver asked as Rose circled back to us again.

"Something I've never seen before," she said. "It's a green Dragon, but I thought those were gone eons ago. I don't remember the stories about them."

"We may have to contact Prince Stejan for help. This might be more than a wolf and a pixie can handle."

"Perhaps you should ask me my intentions first," the Dragon said. He had moved until he was barely a yard away. None of us had heard him make a sound to get there. "You know what I was doing in the dirt?" he asked.

"I assume you fell into a trap," Silver said.

"I was there because I made an ancient promise not to return until the magic grows again.  It has been a long time … but you three are not from this world, and this one's magic isn't his own.  I think I made a mistake waking up now."

He sounded despondent.  I looked at Rose.  There had to be an answer for him.

"There was magic, but it disappeared?" Rose asked.

The Dragon looked at where she hovered and looked surprised and pleased.  "I have seen nothing like you!  And so much magic in so small a body.  What a wonder you are!"

"I am a Pixie," she explained, landing on Silver's shoulder. "There are many of us in my realm."

"I shall dream of you for many eons," he said.  I saw he was digging a hole with one paw.

"No, wait.  There has to be a better answer!"

"I promised," he said.  "Dragons never break a promise."

I looked around as though I had missed an obvious answer.  "All you need is for magic to return, right?"

"All," he repeated with a shake of his gigantic head.  "As if you could call magic up at a wave of your hand."

"But I can," I said and did so, Although it wasn't easy.

I remembered a story, though. More than a story, it was a fae myth—something so old that even we couldn't tell if it was true or not. But I could make it true in this realm.

I made a tree.

Not a normal tree, of course.  This one sprang from the ground with silver bark and golden leaves and towered over even the Dragon in a few heartbeats.  It was the embodiment of magic.

I wasn't done.

Flash Fiction #607 -- Do Not Waken/2

 

The Pixie darted everywhere with a nervous energy that made me worry there was more going on again.  I was using my power to keep my leg from giving out.  Besides, I already knew what was out there.  I left it to my companions to find us a path away from them.

The Wolf appeared.  Even though Rose had warned me, I still gave a slight yelp. I heard what sounded like an exasperated sigh.

"Sorry," I apologized.

"We have to get clear of this area," Rose said.  "This way is as safe as I've found.  We already mapped it out."

I didn't argue with the Pixie, especially with the Wolf behind me. Their magic surged around us, and we worried it would draw The Commission straight to us.  I had worried that my magic alone would have done it.  Now --

Now, I didn't have to worry about facing the trouble alone.

Nevertheless, I kept as fast a pace as I could.  At one point, the Wolf darted out in front as we came out of the trees and brush and into a vast open land filled with late summer flowers and tall grasses.  Despite a few scattered bushes, we would never get across that without being spotted.

The Wolf startled a dozen elk when he appeared.  They must have been resting in the sunlight and munching on grass. They naturally began to dart away at the sight of the Wolf charging in among them, but at a quiet whisper from Rose, they stopped and began grazing again.  That would be magic to know, although I hoped never to be in a situation like this again. The Fae -- including me -- don't always take Pixies seriously, and I was already starting to see that would be a mistake.

Since they were doing all the hard work, I had too much time to think. I wanted to ask about the storm that had thrown me into this realm and how Desti and Cara returned to send help for me.

"It's our only chance," Rose said. "Let's get beyond the elk and hide in the grass.  "The magic that we used will have the elk running right before the Commission shows up. I know I don't have to warn you, but just the same, don't use any magic while they are in sight."

I was already jogging through the knee-high grass with Rose keeping pace with me. The Wolf had chosen his hiding spot, close to the elk he must direct once the enemy showed up. I thought I could hear voices far too close, so I threw myself down in the grass and scooted along until I found a bit of a depression. Rose landed right by my head, so I didn't have to worry about what was happening. She would let me know.

Then, I knew the enemy had arrived.  I could feel it, even beyond the feel of magic from my two new companions. It is not clean and helpful magic like the Fae used, and I wondered what the human mages were trading in for their power.

The elk moved in a wide curve away from us, and I could feel subtle magic go with them so that it would look as though we were moving with them. I was so worried about giving them away that I could barely dare to breathe.

They went after the elk, though one sent some magic out to check the area.  Nature's own power covered us, though.  We kept still and let the world protect us.

I hadn't noticed the rain clouds until it began to pour.  At another time, I would have cursed.  However, the rain also helped keep us from sight.

I didn't move until Rose told me to sit up.

Then, I was surprised to see a stranger sitting a few feet away.  I made an odd sound, but he shook his head.

"Wolf," he said by way of introduction.  He shook grass from his hair.  "I am Silver.  We better get out of here. They'll try to track my wolf persona, but I have it buried deep now.  We have a chance to get clear of them."

I did the same with my power, even though it was nothing like what Silver could radiate.  He must have had a lot of practice at this since he worked for The Watch.  What I had heard about them was sketchy, but some reliable people believed they did good work.

I had nothing to complain about since they came here specifically to find me. I was even interested in their work, though I asked no questions.  I hoped for a better time.

By the time we had cut across the grassland and into another small line of trees, the Commission was still following the elk. As I suspected, the trees marked a pond, a small bog, and the end of a narrow brook that had dug a trench into the soft ground. The water was only a few inches deep, and the trench, including the water, was maybe four feet deep. Bushes dotted the meandering line, providing spots of cover. We didn't have to discuss it.

"The birds will give us away if I don't deal with them," Rose said.  "I'll be about five minutes ahead of you."

She took off, and I watched until she disappeared into a bush. The small birds were silent when I saw her fly on, and Silver and I were moving through the ankle-deep water. The brook was a dangerous path of slick stones and moss. I would rather she left the birds and got rid of the bugs, especially the mosquitoes. I almost complained, but given the circumstances, I decided that would be rude.

Then I saw Rose rushing back to us.

And the ground shook.

Flash Fiction #606 -- Do Not Waken/1

 

"You don't have to go," Uncle Tef insisted, even as I packed the last of my belongings in the cloth bag.  "We need you, Coln --"

I barely kept a snarl from my face as I turned to the stout little man who almost reached my chin. I knew my height annoyed him. Very many things annoyed Uncle Tef, probably everything I did.

"The commission is only five miles away," I said as I shouldered the bag.  "Do you really want that trouble?"

"You could hide."

"They have a seer with them.  I do not intend to get caught.  Good luck with the farm."

I am happy to say that Tef was not actually my relative. Neither was his son Jeff, which was even better. The kid glared at me just as he had when I first arrived. I had been too weak and injured to do more than notice when my friends left me off here.

I'd expected them to come back. I was more than a simple lost fae. Something might have happened across The Veil. In fact, there seemed to be trouble everywhere, which was why I left my temple to take this journey.

A few days ago, I'd taken an arrow in my leg and still had trouble doing more than hobble along despite the amount of magic I'd used to try to heal the spot. Eventually, I just had to let nature take its course. I had helped Tef with the farm and harvest—more than Jeff did. The boy was spoiled and indolent.

Tef and I did not discuss him, but I knew he could see my dislike for the boy.  Jeff was not a child.  In a couple years, he would come of age.

I was glad that I wouldn't be around.

And that was the last I thought about the people who had taken me in, even knowing I was fae and the Commission was out in force hunting down anyone with magic.

I wasn't ungrateful.  They'd done something dangerous. I had repaid that debt by using little bits of magic to make the farm produce better and take care of some of the dull day-to-day work neither father nor son wanted to do. However, I soon realized they wanted far more than that help. They wanted magic to make them rich and famous, and I had to sidestep their persistence at every turn. I kept hoping my friends would return, but the longer it took them, the more I feared they'd fallen to the Commission.

Jef followed me as I left the farm, sneaking from bush to bush, thinking I wouldn't notice. I began to walk a little faster and then took the first trail heading north. As I expected, he didn't come that far with me. I hate to say that I mistrusted them, but after half a mile on the northern trail, I cut across the country and headed east instead. I was back toward the area where my friends and I'd been blown from the Fae lands into this blighted human realm that didn't even seem to have pixies.

I had never found a realm without pixies. They're a lot like cats—they just show up, and no one knows how they got there. Now that I was away from Tef's house, I hoped to see some of the little pests.

I wanted to use magic to see if I could find anyone, but The Commission would pick that up, as every Fae trapped here knew. The Commission was manned by human mages, and they mistrusted anyone else with magic. Their war against the Fae—who would have liked help getting home—had been tireless from the start three years ago.

I knew they would track me if I used magic.
"Tell me you're one of the lost."

The unexpected voice came from my right, but there was no one there—at least, I thought so until I saw a little movement on one of the branches of a bush. A small face looked out at me, frowning slightly.

Pixie!

"Are you lost, too?" I asked, almost too surprised to say anything coherent.

"Not exactly. My partner and I came from The Watch to help the lost here find their way home. Do you know about The Watch? It hasn't spread to all the magical realms, but we are trying to get the word out to everyone."

"I have heard of it," I said, hoping this wasn't just some kind of odd hallucination from being ill for so long. I hadn't talked very often with pixies, and this one certainly seemed a lot brighter than any of those past pixies. She looked at me as though she knew I was judging her, and I suppose, given her work, that was common.

"If you see a wolf running this way, don't panic.  That would be my partner, Silver.  He doesn't change to wolf often, but that group following you were very close, and he thought he might scare them off."

Somewhere closer than I liked, I could hear shouts of surprise and fear.  A wolf howled.

"I am dreaming this, right?"

She gave an unexpected laugh and fluttered to my shoulder.  "I hope we can find a portal close by.  Physically, this isn't a bad world, but I dislike the humans here. You are lucky your friends remembered where they left you in such detail, and the report got to us.  I am surprised the human took you in, though.

"I am sure Tef and his son were hoping for more than help on the farm, but I did get lucky to be there at all."

"I am Rose," she said, taking off from his shoulder. She looked worried. "I hope Silver isn't in trouble."

The wolf howled again, followed by shouts of anger.

Flash Fiction #605 -- The New Frog (Drabble)

 

A new frog turned up in the pond on a July morning. He simply plopped into the water and began bouncing around, startling everything nearby.

"Sit down in the mud!" several frogs shouted.  "Be still or you'll get us all killed!"

"I can't be a frog!" he shouted.

"Looks like a frog."

"Sounds like a frog."

"Jumps like a frog."

"You might as well accept it, son. You are now a frog. Ask the others about your chances of once again becoming a rich and handsome prince."

He looked around, his frog eyes bulging. "Well, damn," he said.  "And ribbit."

Flash Fiction #604 -- Alien (Drabble)

 Humans have strange ideas about aliens. They imagine us as ugly, bug-eyed creatures with razor teeth (humans have a fascination with teeth), or we are tall, beautiful humanoids who often turn out to be evil.

Been there. Done that.

Pretending to be human is an infuriating act of self-inflicted insanity. I decided I would try a different approach. I would study the humans from the outside.

Dog.

Pet dogs spend considerable time with their human. Owners treat them better than they do most other humans. Dogs get people to play.

When we take over, we are putting dogs in charge.

Flash Fiction #603 -- A Dog's Dictionary of Squirrels

 

Flash Fiction #602 -- Winter Tale/4 (Drabble)

 

Albert the snowman watched cars whiz by on the nearby road.  One day he did something daring.  He saw a car racing along the cross street and knew what would happen.  He waved his stick-arms, drew a young child to run to him, and the others followed.

The car spun on ice, jumped the curb, and smashed into the bus stop where the family would have been sitting.

No one believed the little girl saw the arms move, but they did admit the miracle of their survival. They visited Albert all through the winter, and rebuilt him for years afterward.

Flash Fiction #601 -- A Change of Lace

 

The humans were getting rowdy again, barely six thousand years after the Trojan Fiasco. Apollo turned over in bed, mumbling something impolite and crude about humans. Still, it didn't stop them from getting louder.

Getting sleep was proving more difficult by the century.  Even fluffy, soft white clouds couldn't muffle the noise. Apollo went so far as to kick at the closest clouds and actually kicked up a storm.  That took the humans by surprise.

Of course, he felt guilty and had to go to Earth to save a few.  It was not their fault that he was doing his best to avoid the rest of his family by sleeping the eons away.

And now, as he shoved a car away from a landslide, he looked over to see Hades sitting on a large boulder. It could have been worse- at least it wasn't Athena.

"That's counterproductive to getting rid of them, you know."   

"Ha," Apollo grumbled, still not in the best of moods.  "Do you want something?"

"I am taking a break from Athena, much like you.  When did she turn so insufferable?"

"Troy."

"That was a long time ago."

"Not to her.  She wants to fight it again."

Hades looked at him as if he were the crazy one, not his sister.  "Don't even say things like that. It's not funny."

"I didn't think it was, either. We go through this every few years, and nothing changes.  Last I talked to Athena, she told me she wants Troy itself again, not just the haphazard wars the humans keep throwing together.  I suggest you prepare your group because unless we think of something else to entertain her, we will be looking for the face that launched a thousand ships."

"That again? Has she no imagination?"

"Not since Troy."

Although he wasn't happy about being awake, Apollo still appreciated that it was Hades who had shown up and not one of the others. Although they had their apparent differences, they had managed to work together on other projects, keeping things calm on Olympus. Humans had no idea how close they came to disaster more than once, all because a God or ten thought it would be fun to make factions. That didn't even take into account the interference from other groups of gods.

Hades gave several small kicks to the clouds, spreading storms over half the world. The poor meteorologists would likely go mad trying to figure out what was triggering things.

"Other than messing with the lives of humans," he said, flashing a bright smile, "what is Athena's main interest?"

"It used to be history," Apollo replied. "But then the humans decided we weren't real and had no effect on the actual changes in the world. That frustrated her. She refuses to read any of it now. Since then, she's turned her attention mostly to art. She seems fascinated by the ongoing change in clothing styles."

"Perfect," Hades replied. "I think we can distract her from Troy."

It wasn't as easy as Apollo had imagined. His sister had a fixation with Troy, and it took more than the two of them to draw her away from it.

In fact, it took Hera wearing a dazzlingly inappropriate dress to one of the dinner gatherings before Athena even took notice.  

It was hard to ignore.  The dress was a floor-length undergarment of silver mesh covered in uneven rows of white lace and a scattering of small pink bows. The cavernous purple hood remained secured by a huge pink bow hiding most of Hera's face.

That was good because Hera's grin would have given it all away. And since Hera was not known for her humor or her pranks, it would have been obvious someone else had worked with her.

Apollo and Hades did not want that to happen.

The gown was truly hideous -- so much so that Hera had finally given up on finding 'appropriate' shoes and arrived barefoot.

The room's silence lasted for several heartbeats before everyone decided that staring at the Queen of Olympus with shock and dismay may not be wise.

However, she did have Athena's attention since she had followed Hera into the dining hall.

"Hera, that is – –" Athena stopped for lack of words. Apollo thought it was a wonder to see and hoped they all survived to discuss it later. "Hera," Athena began again and stopped once more.

"Isn't this the most hideous dress you have ever seen?" Hera asked her. "It is from Casa del Karens, and their creations are all the rage in New York and Paris."

"We could do better with a rat skin and rubber bands."

"I think we should give it a try," Hera said, surprising Apollo and Hades as much as the others.

Athena agreed.  She and Hera spent the evening discussing fashion shows and the often over-the-top cloth art. They were soon building their own fashion house, which included a legendary rise to fame.

They achieved that without magic.  Athena had a knack for design, and Hera had an excellent sense for business. It also helped that they had access to 'models' the other houses would have killed for.  The Olympus Clan were all happy to join if it meant avoiding another history-changing war.

Apollo enjoyed his time on the catwalk.  Artemis almost always took the show, though.  She was lovely enough, but her jaguar drew all the humans' attention.

It made a nice break from wars and naps.  They even convinced Zeus to help them with a charity ball by playing Father Christmas.

"You realize this is existentially inappropriate," Zeus said, straightening his hat again.

No one argued.

They had a great time, and Athena didn't mention Troy for decades.  Sometimes, all you need to improve things is a new hobby and some bored gods.

Flash Fiction #600-- Introducing...

 

Welcome to the world of Macready and LeeLee, two cat private detectives determined to make the world a better place -- at least for cats. Working out of a mostly abandoned office building in downtown, they do their best not to draw human attention while solving crimes in the animal world.

Dealing with the underground network of rats or rival raccoon street gangs is no easy task for two small cats, but Macready is smart and LeeLee is crazy.

They were doing well until the appearance of a piece of fluff dog at their office puts them on their toughest case.

(I will actually start the Macready and LeeLee series in early March with a set of novellas and shorter works.  This should be fun.)
 

Flash Fiction 599 -- Winter Tales/3 (Drabble)

 

 

A cranky, old dragon heats my house. I realized this the first winter. We set the temperature and could hear him in the basement: click, clack, click, rumble, squeal -- and heat.

Despite the rumbles and squeals, the old dragon worked well.  However, you could tell the days when he wasn't happy. His squeals grew louder and stopped in mid-shriek.

BANG

The door to his secret room slammed closed.

One day he decided he'd worked enough. He let us know by squealing louder than usual before stopping without even slamming his door. We hired a wizard tech to get him back.

Flash Fiction #598 -- Winter Tale /2 (Drabble)

 

Winter came late that year.  The Autumn Sprites had collaborated with their Summer cousins and chased their colder winter relatives back to the secret caves.

They frolicked and played through November and into December, chasing away Winter at every chance.

Soon, though, the plants, trees, and even the animals began to complain.  It was not that they disliked the warmth, but this was their time of rest.

They went, finally, to the Mistress of the Sky. She apologized for not paying attention and sent Summer and Autumn to rest, putting everything back in place.

Until the next change of seasons.

Flash Fiction # 597 -- Winter Tale/1 (Drabble)

 

 

Yuki sat on the stairs leading to the rundown apartment. Icy rain fell giving a slight sparkle to the breeze. Others hurried to be indoors, but not her.

A long time ago, she had walked in an enchanted woods while rain turned to ice, and ice to snow.  She'd fallen and cried, but no one heard.

She died cold and alone, and became a Yukionna. Some called her a winter demon, but she only took the lost and cold.

"I am alone and always cold," an old woman said, sitting by Yuki as ice turned to snow.  "Let us go."

Flash Fiction # 596 -- Resolutions

 

 

Make Believe was a rare fae business located in a human realm.  Most humans who noticed it at all thought it was the headquarters for a toy maker.  Make Believe actually dealt with the occasional magic humans faced in their otherwise mundane (though exciting) world. The fae handled things like imagination, dreams,  and wishes.

They also assigned the rare Fairy Godmother to those with some fae blood. They provided an occasional hedge witch or wizard for exceptional cases.

Once a year, they dealt with the usual plague of Resolutions.  For the last few days of the year, Make Believe was overrun with this specific, and sometimes tricky, magic.  Most of the company dealt with the standard resolution problems -- too big, too small, unsuited to the person, etc.

Tan got the exceptional cases.

"Late as usual, I see," Ireka said as she paused by Tan's desk on her way out of the office.

Tan looked up from his work and managed not to snarl.  The stacks of paper covered his desk, color-coded for easy reference.  Purple was for people still deciding, blue for those who had apparently chosen, green for fun resolutions, pink for repeated resolutions, and white for the inevitable last-minute change. As he watched, four of them switched piles.  He thought one of them had finally nested for good.  Five more soon followed.

"Tan?"

He looked up, surprised to find Ireka still there.

"It is that time of year," he reminded her.  "Resolutions have to be filed, or nothing counts.  And once again, I've been assigned the Problem Keepers."

"Don't you mean --"

"Problem Keepers.  Every year, they face a 'big' problem.  Lose weight, stop smoking, get a better job, etc.  But after a few years of those same resolutions, they get bored and decide to jump to something different.  Something fun.   Vacation in Maui, pottery lessons,  book clubs."

"And that's bad?"

"It would be wonderful if the resolutions even made it to New Year's.  But every year, right around midnight on New Year's Eve, they commit to the problem rather than the fun.  And then they feel guilty all year for not following through on the big problem since it always fails anyway."

Ireka looked surprisingly interested.  All the rest of the fae in the office knew she paid little to no attention to humans.  Why now?

"I've been asking around the office, and people are telling me that you pretty much set the rules for this section, right?" she asked.

"Ummm, yes."

She leaned across the desk and looked him in the eyes.  Hers were emerald green and feline in shape, and she smelled of vanilla --

"Are you crazy?" she demanded.

"It's been suggested."

She nodded.  "I have a question.  Does allowing them to change at the last moment affect anything later?  No? It always goes the same way? Let me tell you this quaint human adage: The definition of insanity is doing the same thing repeatedly and expecting a different result."

"Is that for them or for me?"

"Both.  You made the rules.  You need to change them. Why not give them random resolutions? With a check for appropriateness."

"Random," he said with a slight shiver.  "That might be fun for us --"

"Good."

Ireka reached over, grabbed up all the piles of neatly stacked paper, and threw them in the air.  She added a whirlwind for good effect.

"AAAIIIIEEE," Tan said, watching as they twirled in the air and changed color.  He couldn't even grab any.

"This will be fun, like the lottery.  Some people will get very lucky, though they never planned on it. Let's go have dinner."

Some papers still fluttered around.  The rest had fallen into piles of who knew what? None of them were just one color. They'd become rainbows of lines, squares, circles, and squiggles. Tan could make no sense of them.

So he went to dinner and then to a party and didn't return to his desk for two days.

The piles had sorted themselves out.  Tan decided to treat this like he did each year and run a quick check on the resolutions.

Amazingly happy people out there.

Over the next year, Eva stopped worrying about a new job and started frequenting the company's exercise room.  She was surprised to find it most often occupied by other women, including Heron, the head of the top-floor professional assistant pool.  When she had an opening, Eva got a new job.

Eva thought it was like winning the lottery.

Albert took up knitting.  He was so abysmally bad at it that some women at their lunch break started teaching him techniques. He told them about his wife knitting and how he wanted to remember her better that way.

They formed a club and met at his house on Saturday afternoons.  He gave away most of Emily's old craft stuff, knowing he would never do more than knit.

But it was like having a family again.

And so the lottery method trickled through the resolutions.  A few people got double problems, but most took it as a challenge and did well enough.  Others who got double good spread their luck and good cheer to others.

And Tan?

He and Ireka did the 'toss for luck' every year afterward.  They also had a traditional dinner and a New Year's Eve party. They even did it thirty years later after they'd lived together for twenty-five of those years.  The fae thought they were crazy. They thought they won the lottery.