Alex's This and That

Title: Picking Apples
Fandom: Dragons
Author: Alex (alex_cat_45@yahoo.com)
Type: 350 word ficlet
Note: For nienna_weeper, who listed dragons as an interest.
Summary: A young boy has a strange encounter at the orchard.

~~

PICKING APPLES

The boy watched as the dragon swirled up in the sky, disappearing from view finally. He wondered if anyone would believe what he had seen, what he had done…

He’d been gathering fruit from the apple trees in the orchard on the back side of the farm. He was all alone with his bucket and his thoughts. He was content here in the peace and quiet of the afternoon. He had four sisters and home was always a beehive of activity. He always loved the moments he spent on a solitary task.

He heard a sound. He looked down the meadow and saw nothing. It never occurred to him to look up into the sky until the noise came so close that he could tell it came from above.

He looked up and saw it descending, slowly moving its huge wings as it neared the ground. He opened his mouth to scream but stopped. Suddenly he knew that this creature was not going to hurt him.

It landed gently on the ground before him. It was as tall as his house and when its wings were spread, it was twice as wide. It was black as the night with glowing eyes the color of fire. The dragon looked at him and made a sound in its throat.

The boy had no idea what to do but it felt like the dragon was speaking to him, asking him for a sweet red apple. He reached into the bucket and picked the biggest, shiniest one and held it out on a flat hand as he did to the old work horse when he took her an apple.

A forked tongue came out slowly and wrapped around the apple, pulling it into the toothy mouth of the dragon. He could have sworn the creature said thank you but maybe he only heard it in his head.

The dragon gathered itself up and took flight, swirling up into darkening sky finally disappearing from sight.

No, no one would ever believe him. Maybe it would just his own special secret anyway.

His and the dragon’s.

~END~

Title: Friendship
Fandom: The Southern Vampire Mysteries (Sookie Stackhouse)
Author: Alex (alex_cat_45@yahoo.com)
Type: 200 word Double Drabble
Note: My very first foray into this fandom as a writer.
Summary: Pam comes to visit.

~~

FRIENDSHIP

Pam was sitting in my living room when I got home from my shift at Merlotte’s.

“What does Eric want?” I was tired, not in the mood for this.

“Eric does not *want* anything. Can’t I come and visit my… friend?”

I laughed. I was probably the only human who Pam would allow to laugh at her.

“Eric is away on business and I was… well, I’m lonely.”

I raised an eyebrow at her. “Where is your latest human? Bored with her already?”

I happened to know that her latest had a doctorate in Medieval Studies and had happened on Eric’s bar by chance, a brilliant woman who had fallen head over heels for Pam without being glamored at all.

“She’s gone home. Her parents were having some dreary party and I…” She looked like she might cry.

I realized she had not been invited to this party and her feelings were hurt. Pam! The roughest, toughest vampire I’d ever known was feeling sorry for herself.

“You weren’t invited?”

“Can you believe it?”

“I’d have invited you.”

“But you don’t have the sense of a stray cat!” Her tone was arrogant but the smile on her face was very real.

~END~

Title: An End to the Warring Season
Fandom: LOTR
Author: Alex (alex_cat_45@yahoo.com)
Type: 200 word Double Drabble
Note: This is for mistressminx13, who asked for Faramir in the fall.
Summary: Faramir looks back in the autumn of the year.

~~

AN END TO THE WARRING SEASON

Autumn had always been Faramir’s favorite time of year. It signaled an end to the warring season when Boromir would come riding home with his armies.

Boromir would ride into the White City on his best horse, dressed in his finest and he and his army would lead the parade, followed by the farmers and craftsmen. Faramir looked at the golden leaves and thought back to the feasting and celebration that happened when the outlying areas brought their crops to the Minas Tirith to trade and to celebrate.

Their father would be happy for the first time in months; his favorite son had returned home. But that had never bothered Faramir, such was his own joy at having his brother home safe and sound for another season.

But this fall, Boromir would not come. A year ago he had gone to Rivendell and had never come home. His father had died and the true King had come again to Gondor. He and Eowyn lived in Ithlien as Prince and Princess, his reward for his family’s stewardship and perhaps for the loss of Boromir.

Autumn had always been Faramir’s favorite time of year. It signaled an end to the warring season.

~END~

Title: Erestor’s Delight
Fandom: LOTR
Author: Alex (alex_cat_45@yahoo.com)
Type: 200 word Double Drabble
Note: For sbyte
Summary: Erestor takes a break for something decadent.

~~

Erestor’s Delight

Erestor opened the drawer and removed a locked metal box from it. He put it beneath his robe and headed for the door. He poked his head out and looked both ways, making sure no one was watching.

Good. The coast was clear.

He tiptoed down toward his apartments, careful not to make a sound. He rushed into his rooms, closed then locked the door behind him.

He put the box on his desk and took a small golden key from his pocket. He smiled as he unlocked the box, smiling even more as he opened it and removed the treasure. It was tiny, no bigger than a deck of cards. He lifted it out and set it on the desk and admired it. He was amazed that anything so small could be so wonderful. Finally he removed the silver foil wrapping and broke a piece off. He popped it in his mouth and moaned as it melted.

There truly was nothing quite as delicious as chocolate was, he thought to himself, nothing at all. He ate every last bit, humming with pleasure at every single bite. Then he locked the box back up and returned it to Elrond’s desk.

~END~