Thursday Think Tank: On the Tortoise and the Hare

Yeah, most of us know the story. Hoppy little guy, real fast, being a huge tool to the sweet and pokey guy in a shell... pokey guy wins the race in the end, cause he's determined, and he keeps going. So today, I'm celebrating a Tortoise and Hare Moment in my life... I took part in a blog hop hosted by the lovely and talented RJScott at the beginning of this month... on December 1st and 2nd, I was supposed to put up a two part freebie, part of a flash/web story I've been working on in fits and spurts for over a year now... and I got the first days up with no problem...  But then life, that wily fox, intruded, and I missed getting the second part of the story up in time. Well, I decided that I would be a tortoise if I couldn't be speedy like the hare. I kept poking at my characters, begging them for a bit more of their story... and they finally answered. The story is far from being finished, but it will keep coming, in fits and spurts, until the whole of it is told... and like the faithful tortoise, I'll keep moving forward at the fastest pace I can manage... it may not look like much, but eventually I find it gets me there. 

Enjoy the story, babies. There will be more. 
~~Cherie Noel

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Christmas in Heaven

Josh quirked an eyebrow at Simeon and with one corner of his mouth curling up loped across the floor toward the naked little frost elemental. As he moved, his black, velvety wings swayed behind him and his face took on definite demonic undertones. Just as Josh reached Simeon, Ryan’s laughing tones interrupted his progress. “Josh, I know being in this place gets you all kinds of randy… but we have an audience, don’t forget. More importantly, Simeon is still a little shy, aren’t you sweets?”

As he spoke, he glanced over his shoulder at Simeon, lowering the wing on that side for a clearer view. Simeon blushed brightly, both hands cupped over his privates. Josh chuckled, reaching his side and wrapping one soft wing around him. “There, you go baby. All covered up.”

He drew his wing away after a moment, and Simeon found himself clad head to toe in shimmering blue silk. The pants and tunic swirled and clung alternately to his slender form. The heated look in Josh’s eyes told Simeon that the thin covering was even more enticing than his naked flesh had been. Simeon swallowed hard. “I—oh, Josh, I don’t know about this…” Simeon smoothed his small hand up and down the silky covering now on clinging to his hips. “It’s so fancy. I—don’t you think I’m more a cotton and denim kind of guy?”

Josh, Ryan, and—surprisingly—Carl all answered in unison. “No.”

Simeon stared at all three. They were mad, all of them. He was no pretty little dress up doll. He was an ice elemental. Didn’t they realize that meant hard work, and cold and loneliness rather than pretty fripperies?

“You are all completely mad. Completely.” He stamped his foot to emphasize the extent of his displeasure, and then flounced into the bedroom and threw himself dramatically onto the fluffy white comforter of huge bed. Lying face down on the pristine surface, Simeon contemplated how insane his life had become in the past few months. “As if my life wasn’t bad enough when I was just sad and cold all the time, now I’m still cold, and as soon as they get sick of me I’ll be lonelier than ever. I…”

His words trailed off into gasps and shudders. Simeon bit down on his lips to keep from sobbing aloud. They were going to leave, all of them. Even Carl hadn’t wanted him, and Josh and Ryan were so much more—more everything than Carl could ever dream of being. Why would they stick around? He should just leave, and get in touch with the big guy’s son so he could get whatever hokeus-pokeus the charming flibberty-gibbert had used on him. Yes, that’s what he’d do. Simeon sat up, wiping his eyes with the palms of both hands. His face was a big, soggy mess, snot and tears everywhere, and—ah, there. Next to the bed was a big box of facial tissues in a silly rainbow and unicorn box. He cracked a tiny smile as he reached for one of the tissues.

“You know you’ll have to pay for that, right?” The sultry female voice surprised a shrill little mouse-sized squeak out of Simeon.

He whirled around with one hand clutched to his chest. “Wh-what? Who are you?”

A pretty, petite girl with waist-length black hair and the brightest green eyes he’d ever seen sat on a little wooden stool in the corner of his room. She smiled beguilingly at him, showing off perfect little white teeth.

“You can call me Seph. I’m… well, I shack up with the hottie in charge here. I’m Josh’s step-mum.” She pulled a beautiful red pomegranate from her pocket and began merrily popping juicy ruby tinted seeds into her mouth.

Simeon gaped at her. “Seph—you’re Persephone? But you’re old! Why don’t you look old?”

Persephone giggled at him. “Geez dude… you need to chill. Like my baby-cakes or my pushy momma would let me get old… what are you thinking? Did you get dropped on your head a lot as a little frost baby?”

Simeon put both hands over his eyes. “This isn’t happening. This isn’t happening. This isn’t happening.”

Persephone giggled again. “Right. Ah, I’ll be back later. Let me know how that denial thing works out for you… and remember, whatever you use, eat, or drink? You have to pay for. So, just wait until I work my wiles on my hunka-burning love, and I’ll see if I can get you a free pass, m’kay?” She waggled her sleek black eyebrows at him and disappeared in a puff of rose and sunshine scented smoke.

Simeon sat slack jawed for a moment. He rubbed his eyes twice, and then burst into helpless laughter. “Well. That’s one what to get around, I guess.”

Suddenly exhausted, Simeon crawled under the covers and curled up with his knees to his chest. He closed his eyes, and sent a prayer winging heavenward. The poor thing banged into the stone ceiling twice before it caught a clue and turned itself insubstantial. Simeon cracked an eye open, tracked it’s progress for a moment and then shook his head. There really was no telling if the prayer would make it to the correct party. Born out of duress, the little prayer really wasn’t the cleverest of its kind. Simeon shrugged, pulling the soft comforter up a bit more and tucking it more closely to his body, he smiled. Ryan had scented the bedding with the same summery scent that Simeon used when he did his laundry. That was nice. Now if they could just figure out a way to actually all listen to each other when they talked, even stuck here in Hell they could have a heavenly Yule celebration.