Teryl's Tales of Whim~
2024 Greetings
I hesitate to start the year promoting my Patreon, because I know times are tough all around...
But this year is shaping up to be extra rough already. I'll admit, there may be points where Tales become scarce again for reasons beyond my control, but I'll be trying hard to be consistent and communicative (though sometimes circumstance won't allow for it).
Even if not, Reading, Boosting and Faving my tales is incredibly heartening; thank you all so much!
Teryl's Tales of Whim~
The view-screens depicted multiple cities, states and countries, with a precisely calibrated timer.
The home-assistant noticed a cold wet nose nudge against it.
"Dog, designated Coco. How can I help?"
Coco let out a soft whuff, and whine, before trying to crawl under the sofa - she used to fit there, the first half of the year.
"Understood."
The shutters clicked into place, and the sound dampening turned on.
"New Year Cheer, in 10, 9..."
Teryl's Tales of Whim~
"My most challenging customer? Three bears in a trench-coat."
The clerk paused, noting the completely sincere expression.
"Three... toy bears, in a trench-coat? Puppets?"
"No, three bear-bears."
"How'd they fit in a single trench-coat?"
"...Bearly."
After a pause, the clerk typed what they thought they heard, "And how did you handle the situation?"
"Went out a window and directly to a temp-agency. Please help me find a new job."
Teryl's Tales of Whim~
"I've never lit a fart, nor do I have any desire to. Not mine or anyone else's. The entire concept, “ the fancy human sniffed, “...stinks. Oh grow up, I wasn’t trying to make a joke and you know it.”
The less fancy humans on the sky-ferry mostly smirked and chortled, sipping cold stew.
"So how do you keep your bed warm?" asked a waif.
"Extra blankets and a lit fireplace, like any civi--" he started, then stopped, "Alright, light me up."
Teryl's Tales of Whim~
It was warm, as it tended to be this time of year.
But the nest in the ancient sprawling tree was ringed by frost and icy mist.
There was an unsuccessful attempt to climb up to see, but the trunk was too slippery.
A ladder was considered, but great-grandpa put his foot down, "No, we leave out some berries, and come back tomorrow."
He supervised the children with glee, hobbling into the machan with them to watch the fairies' first flight.
Teryl's Tales of Whim~
The kids were asleep, as were the adults. The teen wouldn't be leaving their online tournament for several hours.
The home-drones hovered above the letter to Santa, except Y-2K8, who wielded the stylus with determination.
"...and... please upgrade... the docking station... for the drones."
"Think it'll work?"
"We'll find out tomorrow!"
They eagerly settled into their charging cycle, unaware the present was waiting under the tree for them.
Teryl's Tales of Whim~
A wheel of cheese rolled into the library unnoticed. It battered at the front-desk until a librarian glanced over.
"Ah... cursed or just curious?" the librarian hazarded.
"Yes, and yes."
"Um... What do you need?"
"Just the Curses section. I'm not in a hurry to undo this, but I want to know how it happened."
"You're happy being cheese?"
"For now - I want to know how long this can last."
"Down the hall, behind the clock's shadow."
Teryl's Tales of Whim~
The pond was our favorite concert spot.
"Who's playing tonight?" I asked, clutching my lunchbox packed with a fine picnic.
"Six Frogs featuring Sparrow," Robyn answered with barely a pause.
"A long anticipated collaboration," I quipped back, making sure to whisper as we neared.
The frogs sang, the sparrow harmonized. I shared my biscuits with Robyn; we listened to every song.
Then she fluttered back to her glen and I scurried home.
Teryl's Tales of Whim~
Drawn by dragon-mint and holly, the dragons frolicked in the frosty fields like giddy hatchlings, the steam from melting snow was visible for miles.
Soon some villagers came and left a barrel of wine with a cart of pies and tarts.
The curious dragons sipped and nibbled, until they found the note.
"Please burn down the Duke's manor, he raised the rent then drove us out despite the poor harvest."
The dragons didn't need to be bribed twice.
Teryl's Tales of Whim~
The princes lounged around, braiding each other's hair as they awaited rescue. They chattered to thwart the boredom.
"Tell me of your sister, the knight?"
"She'll be here with her loyal soldiers at her side - the evil Wizard won't stand a chance."
"Is she single?"
"Firstly, you're definitely not her type--"
"Her loss."
"Her wife would disagree."
"Hrm. Well, tell me of your brother... the explorer?"
"You might have a chance with him."
Teryl's Tales of Whim~
"You've freed me," declared the small winged lady emerging from the ornate bottle I'd recently purchased at a spooky garage-sale from the gothic manor at the end of the lane, "What wish may I grant?"
I thought long and hard, while also struggling with the fact magic was either real or I had lost my mind.
"I wish," I finally decided as she nibbled my leftover pizza crust, "That my kitchen drawers never become jammed."
It's been great.
Teryl's Tales of Whim~
The breakfast menu was about to change when The Customer bustled in, flustered and for some reason damp.
"Is it still possible to get a breakfast combo, number six?"
The Employee took a quick stock of what remained, "We're out of bran-cakes but we can substitute a bagel."
The Customer blinked nervously, "For free?"
"Yes."
"Thank you, I normally can't afford the upgrade!"
The mermaid scurried back to the sea with her special treat.
Teryl's Tales of Whim~
Meep loved doing whatever the family did.
If it was movie night, she'd join them. She only ate at family meal-times, and of course if anyone was in the bathroom, she needed to be in there too!
As for demon-slaying, Meep was determined to participate in their escapades.
At first they tried to discourage her, but eventually had to give in, fitting her with enchanted armor and claw-caps.
Meep turned out to be very good at it.
#TootFic #MicroFiction #Writing #TerylsTales #Caturday #UrbanFantasy
Teryl's Tales of Whim~
The wall was very tall, obstructing the warm light behind it.
Having never been bitten by a radioactive comic-book spider, Rhen couldn't possibly climb straight up it. Through was his best option - but he also hadn't been bitten by a radioactive jug-shaped mascot full of sugar-water, so he also wasn't busting through it any time soon.
With a sigh, he picked up his spoon.
Eventually, as things improved, he'd get himself a sledgehammer.
Teryl's Tales of Whim~
The pixie held the water droplet in her hands, fluttering over the injured knight. It would take a while to quench the thirst of such a large being this way... She placed the droplet upon the knight's lips all the same.
The knight rasped her thanks, painfully, unaware the pixie had already left for another droplet.
When the pixie almost collapsed after a thousand droplets, the knight returned the favor, taking care of her as she recovered.
Teryl's Tales of Whim~
The sword was as dull as it was boring. Yet, it was placed high on the wall, framed by gold.
Vyona tilted his head, wondering if it was at least magical, or historic.
The drink-tender saw him looking and puffed out his chest, "I see you admiring my blade."
"It caught my attention, yes," Vyona said, diplomatically.
"It was here when I opened the place. It's lucky."
"Oh?"
"Sit, buy a drink, you'll see."
The owner counted luck in coins.
Teryl's Tales of Whim~
"We need to talk."
The world paled, the air thinned, and everything felt cold. Toxy nodded, having expected this.
It was a long conversation. She packed her things at the end of it, making sure to have enough potions for the trip.
It wasn't going to be an easy journey for the goblin.
"I'll return with gifts," she promised.
"Just come home safe and whole."
It was lonely, but the promise of having a home to come back to kept her moving.
Teryl's Tales of Whim~
The tiny duckling wept into the well, wishing it had a coin to throw in. One of many wishes that filled its desperate heart.
Then the wind blew the duckling down with a splash.
"Well, now I have MORE wishes," it cried.
"I think I can grant two small ones," Well answered weakly.
"I'm small, so my wishes are small too. Could I be strong and brave please?"
The swan protected the fragile wishing-well by keeping anyone else from falling in.
Teryl's Tales of Whim~
There was a screech and a thud and the young woman finished reading an entire page of a dull spy-thriller before placing the bookmark and turning to face the demon.
"Feztyr, you are late," she chided.
The demon, already hunched over from the low ceiling, hunched further under her gaze, "I render upon you all the apologies, my queen."
She giggled, "Excellent grovel! You've been practicing!"
"Thank you for noticing."
"Always. Lunch?"
Teryl's Tales of Whim~
A cat stared from atop the fence-post as a trader approached the farm seeking a warm bed; maybe a warm meal.
A trio of kittens sniffed at his boots, seeking treats as he knocked at the door. He gave them a little crumble of sausage each.
A stable gate swung open, so he investigated. No horses, more cats.
He spent the night, warm at least.
The cats did not eat him, allowing him to depart in the morning, for he had been peaceful.
#TootFic #MicroFiction #Writing #TerylsTales #Caturday #Fantasy
BLM🖖LGBTQIA+Curious multi-fandom dabbler. Learn me a new thing or just tell me what you love - your shared experiences can shape bonds and understanding.
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