Hey, Leka here!
A few months ago in the M&M Discord Server, we hosted a Secret Snowflake event! Here are some of the pieces done by our writers.
maddie rae to vibha
prompt: “crack”
tw: slightly nsfw in later songs, vaping mentions
1. Deck the Halls
Deck the halls and not our families
Fa la la la la la la la
‘Tis the season to be high, Fa la la la la la la la
Don our gay appareal, Fa la la la la la la la fuck
Troll the ancient homophobe, Fa la la la la la la la
See the blazing destruction of our planet, Fa la la la la la la la
Strike the heart and join the homosexuals, Fa la la la la la la la
Follow me in merry pleasure, Fa la la la la la la la
While I tell of a downside treasure, Fa la la la la la la la
Fast sway, the another year passes, Fa la la la la la la la
Hail the new, ye fuckers, Fa la la la la la la la
Sing we joyous of our fate, all together as we die, oh, Fa la la la la la la la
Heedless of the rapid changing weather, Fa la la la la la la la
Deck the halls and not our families, Fa la la la la la la la
‘Tis the season to be jolly, Fa la la la la la la la
Don we now our gay apparel, Fa la la la la la la la
Fa la la la la la la la
Troll the ancient Yuletide boomers, Fa la la la la la la la
2. Jingle Bell Rock
Jingle bell, jingle bell, jingle bell fuck
Jingle balls swing and jingle bells ring
Snowin’ and blowin’ up bushels of fun
Now the jingle hump has begun
Jingle bell, jingle bell, jingle bell fuck
Jingle bells arrive in quick jingle ball time
Dancin’ and prancin’ in the Jingle Bell’s Hole
In the spicy air
What a bright time, it’s the right time
To rock the night away
Jingle bell time is ah swell time
To go glidin’ in a one-course sway
Giddy-up jingle bod, pick up your ass
Jingle around the cock
Mix and ah-mingle in the jinglin’ meat
That’s the jingle bell fuck
Jingle bell, jingle bell, jingle bell fuck
Jingle bells chime in jingle bell time
Dancin’ and prancin’ in the Jingle Bell’s Hole
In the spicy air
What a bright time, it’s the right time
To rock the night away
Jingle bell time is ah swell time
To go glidin’ in a one-course sway
Giddy-up jingle bod, pick up your tits
Jingle around the clock
Mix and a-mingle in the jinglin’ meat
That’s the jingle bell
That’s the jingle bell
That’s the jingle bell fuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuck
3. Holly Jolly Christmas
Have a holly jolly Christmas
It’s the worst time of the year
Now I don’t know if there’ll be an afterglow
But have a cup of tears
Have a holly, jolly, motherfucking Christmas
And when you walk down the street
Say nothing, there’s no one there
And everyone you know is gone
Ho-ho, the mistletoe
Is hung where you can see
No one waits for you,
Kiss them in your dreams
Have a holly, jolly, motherfucking Christmas
And in case you didn’t see
Oh by jesus, just have a jolly, fucking Christmas
This year, because it’s your last
Ho-ho, the mistletoe
Is hung where you can see
No one waits for you,
Kiss them in your dreams
Have a holly jolly Christmas
And in case you didn’t hear
Oh by jesus, just have a jolly, fucking Christmas
This year, because it’s your last
4. Frosty the Snowman
Frosty the Snowman
Was a jolly, happy soul
With a corn cob vape and button boobs
And two eyes made out of blood
Frosty the Snowman
Is a fairytale they say
He was made of snow, but the children know
How he died that day
There must have been some black magic
In that old knife they found
For when they placed it on his head
It slipped through and
He began to cry away
Oh, Frosty the Snowman
Was alive as he could be
And the children say he could laugh and play
Just away from you and me
Frosty the Snowman
Was a jolly, happy soul
With a corn cob vape and button boobs
And two eyes made out of blood
Frosty the Snowman
Is a fairytale they say
He was made of snow, but the children know
How he died that day
There must have been some black magic
In that old knife they found
For when they placed it on his head
It slipped through and
He began to cry away
Frosty the Snowman (snowman)
Knew the sun was hot that day (steamy that day)
So he said, “Let’s run, and we’ll have some fun
before I die”
Frosty the Snowman
Had to hurry on his way
But he waved good-bye, saying, “Don’t you cry
I’ll be back again some day! ;)”
5. All I Want for Christmas is You
I don’t want a lot for Christmas
There is just one thing I need
I don’t care about the presents underneath the Christmas tree
I just want you for my own
More than you could ever know
Make my wish come true
All I want for Christmas is an A
YeaAAAAAAAAh
I don’t want a lot for Christmas
There is just one thing I need (and I)
Don’t care about the presents underneath the Christmas tree
I don’t need to hang my stocking there upon the fireplace
Santa Claus won’t make me happy with a toy on Christmas Day
I just want you for my own
More than you could ever know
Make my wish come true
All I want for Christmas is an A
YeaAAAAAAAAh, bAAAAAAAby
Oh, I won’t ask for much this Christmas
I won’t even wish for snow (and I)
I’m just gonna keep on waiting behind the paper
I won’t make a list and send it to the desk for the teacher
I won’t even stay asleep to hear those magic keyboard click
‘Cause I just want you here tonight
Holding me to sleep tonight
What more can I do?
Oh, baby, all I want for Christmas is an A
YeaAAAAAAAAh, bAAAAAAAby
Oh-oh, all the grades are shining so brightly everywhere (so brightly, baby)
And the sound of teachers laughter fills the room (oh, oh, yeah)
And everyone is singing (oh, yeah)
I hear those fire trucks ringing
Santa, won’t you bring me the only A I really need? (Yeah, oh)
Won’t you please bring happiness to me?
Oh, I don’t want a lot for Christmas
This is all I’m asking for
I just wanna see my honey written on that card
Oh, I just want an A for my own
More than anyone could ever know
Make my wish come true
Oh, baby, all I want for Christmas is an A
YeaAAAAAAAAh, bAAAAAAAby
All I want for Christmas is you, baby
All I want for Christmas is you, baby
All I want for Christmas is you, baby
All I want for Christmas (all I really want) is an AAAAA, bAAAAAAAAAABy
All I want for Christmas (all I really want) is an AAAAA, bAAAAAAAAAABy
6. It’s the Most Wonderful time of the Year
It’s the worst, wonderful time of the year
With the kids jingle belling
And everyone telling you to just be happy
It’s the worst, wonderful time of the year
It’s the most awful season of them all
With those holiday meetings and stressed testing
When friends come to call for once
It’s the most awful season of them all
There’ll be parties to be goin’
Marshmallows for burning
And caroling out in the cold
There’ll be scary true stories
And tales of the glories of
Colonies long, long ago
It’s the worst, wonderful time of the year
There’ll be no mistletoeing
And hearts will be slowing
When there’s no one near,
It’s the worst, wonderful time of the year
There’ll be parties to be goin’
Marshmallows for burning
And caroling out in the cold
There’ll be scary true stories
And tales of the glories of
Colonies long, long ago
It’s the worst, wonderful time of the year
There’ll be no mistletoeing
And hearts will be slowing
When there’s no one near,
It’s the worst, wonderful time
Yes the worst, wonderful time
Oh the worst, wonderful time
Of my life
7. Red nose Reindeer
You know Dasher and Dancer and Prancer and Vixen
Comet and Cupid and Donner and Blitzen
But do you recall
The most famous reindeer of all?
Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer
Had a very shiny dick
And if you ever saw it
You would even say it grows
All of the other reindeer
Used to wish and call for him
They never let poor Rudolph
Join in any reindeer orgies
Then one foggy Christmas Eve
Santa came to say
“Rudolph, with your dick so bright
Won’t you guide my sleigh tonight?”
Then how the reindeer loved him
As they cried out with glee
“Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer
You’ll go down in me”
Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer
Had a very shiny dick
And if you ever saw it
You would even say it grows
All of the other reindeer
Used to wish and call for him
They never let poor Rudolph
Join in any reindeer orgies
Then one foggy Christmas Eve
Santa came to say
“Rudolph, with your dick so bright
Won’t you guide my sleigh tonight?”
Then how the reindeer loved him
As they cried out with glee
“Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer
You’ll go down in me”
Shreya Jha to Yan N.
prompt: Write about someone who receives two cryptic messages in the mail during the holiday season.
tw: light swearing
“I opened the letter. It was an easy decision, really. It had shown up in the mail before, addressed specifically to me. There was no other address, no return address, no real identifier. Just a white envelope with my name written on it in cramped handwriting.
“My roommate really didn’t want me to open it, something about possible stalkers and the dangers of the unknown, but they need a little more adventure in their lives. The last time they did anything they hadn’t outlined in their schedule was years before they had become my roommate.
“I, on the other hand, am a complete mess. No, really. I did all of my Christmas shopping on the day before Christmas. To be fair, I am an atheist. As is Reign. Why do we celebrate Christmas?
“Oh, whatever. My point is, I wasn’t about to let them get in the way of my curiosity. So I opened the letter. It had one word on it, “Duck”. The sender didn’t even bother to punctuate correctly, what a slob. I tossed it back onto the pile of papers currently hiding the wood of my desk.
“A shame, really. I had sketched the most realistic candle on it a week ago, before the holidays started and Reign had no real reason to bug me into being organized.
“Giving the letter no more thought, I headed back out to the main room. We were binge watching Psych for our holiday movie marathon, a tradition we had started to not feel so alone during the holidays. Being estranged from your family does take its toll. Better than not being estranged though. Much, much better.
“Days passed before I got the next letter. Well, technically years did too. Get it? Because New Year’s had passed? So it was a new year? Tough crowd, huh. Regardless, I did in fact get a second letter. When I opened it, it was just a picture of a duck. A random duck. With a bill and webbed feet and a demonic glint in its eyes, just like the real thing.
“And that is why I have a visceral, incurable, completely rational fear of the US Postal Service.”
The detective blinked at me, dumbfounded. “Well, there’s a lot to unpack there. Why don’t we start with something simple. Why the fuck did two letters have this effect on you?”
I blinked back at the detective like she was stupid. Because she obviously was. “What if the USPS chose to make good on their threat?”
Cue more blinking. “Right. Totally makes sense. And this roommate, that’s mis”
“Mx. Reign, yes.”
“Apologies, Mx. Reign, they’re the individual in the other interrogation room, correct?”
“Oh, is that where they are? You might want to get them their phone, or one of their copies of calendars. I’m pretty sure this little situation is getting in the way of their precisely planned Tuesday evening, they have rescheduling to do.”
“Lori, there’s no chance of that happening. You two were seen by multiple witnesses outside the scene of the burglary.”
“We were in the neighborhood, we heard alarms, we went to investigate.”
“You were carrying duffel bags of equipment, all the equipment necessary to commit burglary.”
“I’m a hobbyist, I have loads of miscellaneous equipment.”
“Witnesses heard you discussing the mechanics of the crime before it happened.”
“I listen to a lot of true crime podcasts?” The detective looked unconvinced. Fuck.
It’s not like I could have told her the truth, no one other than Reign would ever believe the truth, and they might rationalize it away soon enough anyways. They were good at that.
The detective leaned forward in her chair. “Walk me through your day again, please.” I sighed. It was going to be a long night. Hopefully, there were no mailmen running around. You never can be too careful when ducks were involved.
Leka Ekambaram to Tahseen
prompt: N/A
tw: if you’re not a big fan of unrequited love, skip this
Empty, soulless soda cans crunched beneath the robed figure as they crouched down in a wet corner. The air was warm, filled with the fumes of Dumpsters and fish, as well as the ever-present scent of salt water. Deep-bellied laughter rang out from the beach city’s many seafood restaurants, a peaceful lull hovering in the air before closing time.
The robed figure winced at the odor, fishing out a pair of nose plugs from their deep pockets. Eleven times they’d been here and the smell never got easier to bear.
They walked, fast, but not too fast as to garner attention from the many groups of people huddled in different areas on the sidewalks, too enraptured in their own worlds to really pay attention to suspicious robed figures.
Leaning against a black metal fence, the figure peered at the residence they traversed so long for these past few nights. The building was an abandoned cat cafe, why a cat cafe of all things would be abandoned was beyond them.
An old candidate poster for the current mayor of the town was plastered on the door’s window. The poster was most likely placed intentionally.
The old witch did always like to irk us, they thought amusedly, as they gently tore the poster from the window.
A dead spider fell from the ceiling as the figure stepped inside the old cafe. A few couches were situated in the main room, dusty moonlight showering the ratty flowered prints, as if the couches were bought from an old lady’s garage sale.
The door at the end of this room was open, a golden light indicating someone was there, in the back area which would’ve been used for storing kitchen supplies when the cafe was in full swing.
The figure delicately pressed their boots on the select floorboards they remembered were stable. Tonight, they were distracted by the various emotions consuming them, though, and a floorboard slowly creaked.
A voice giggled from the back and a silhouette appeared near the door. “You’re trying to play as a spy again? Relax, Bel, I haven’t been murdered. Yet.”
Muffled footsteps crept out and turned on the main room light. Bel relaxed slightly, seeing the familiar sight of Aham.
Aham wasn’t her real name, but when their mother used to bring them over as a baby for playdates, Aham was the nickname bestowed onto her by Bel, due to their unfortunate lack of teeth. Aham never let them forget it. Bel didn’t think they really minded too much.
Aham herself had gray hair, vibrant, and straight, cascading like curtains around her shoulders. She wore a mellowed sunset-colored jumper and black yoga pants. Her dark eyes glittered, crinkling at Bel.
Bel situated themself on the dusty sofa and removed their hood, revealing a face with soft, pliant features and very springy dark hair, the curls almost exploding from the confined hood.
“What’s the matter? Why did you come so late today? Did her Royal Majesty need to keep you in so late for some inane reason?”
“No”, they sighed,”but it might’ve been close to that. She, uh…”
“Spit it out.”
Bel rubbed the back of their neck. “She accepted.”
“What?” Aham turned around sharply, almost breathing out the reply.
Aham rose shakily and situated herself on the sofa across from them. “She accepted the proposal? So soon? Are you sure she wanted to, Bel?”
“I honestly have no clue. I honestly have no clue about any of this.” Bel chuckled weakly.
Aham crossed her legs. “Mark’s a bitch.”
Bel nodded. “I know.”
“How could she move on so quickly?”
“I don’t know!”
“Oh god, I just wish I could just, you know-“
Aham crumpled down to the ground and heaved slightly. Bel slid down next to her and held her lightly.
“oh god-” she gasped, succumbing to sobbing openly. Bel slid down next to her and held her lightly.
“I just wish-”
Bel patted her hair back and hugged her. “I know, I know.”
Alejandro Ayala to Meagan Grace
prompt: Fire Spring
tw: N/A
It’s a wonderful place, I’ll tell you. The lengthy grass shimmering gracefully through the wind as the sun’s rays blaze down against its world to create warmth. Today rather seems clear – not a speck of white smears on the sky. Isn’t it wonderful? To be able to see the blues, greens, and yellows of course. Beautifully drawn all over the field of dancing sunflowers and daisies. barely any patches of dying wheat swaying around. It’s all perfect.
Just so Perfect.
I adore this, truly.
As for a specific color, it stood out to me from a distance. It swished and danced with the wind, almost singing a beautifully written song of its own. A tree was hovering over me, covering me with its shadow. I could mistake it as Lavender but it couldn’t be possible if it’s all alone, if only I could approach it to correct my assumption. But I could only go out at nightfall to prevent my skin from burning. I’m more fragile than most species. Though, no one will believe my kind exists. I suppose I could agree that my kind will be safer to be left unknown compared to most endangered species.
—————
The air is sweet and earthy, it almost reminds me of home. The soil is cold and silky, leaving a muddy texture. It wasn’t liquidy or difficult to dig into, it was just enough to allow my toes to shift themselves in. I sigh. Hopelessly watching the flower dancing from the distance.
I’ve always wondered what it’s like to feel the sun wrapping against my skin like an invisible blanket. But for now, the air around me will rest against me like a thin layer of lake water. Refreshing but not what I’m feeling for. As my eyes will lock against the lonesome blossom. I will wait till nightfall to approach but at this moment I have the sensation of wanting it.
—————
Right as the sun came down, hiding behind the hills of many peaks reaching up to the night sky, I watched as glowing specks began sprinkling across the sky. Tonight is clear along with a full moon that began dancing across the dark sky – it reminded me of a stage. A sort of stage that was worn and creaky from each step you take. And once you set foot on it, suddenly all eyes are on you – except there aren’t any eyes. There’s nobody but yourself, in front as lights dimmer behind you to form specks of white, glowing to what we call… A Star. But not just one, there are millions! Glimmering and singing their songs behind you til you have risen your feet and leaped gracefully across the stage. Soon enough your eyes are shut, your breath will loosen, and your mind will come to a closure. A closure where nothing but a happy silence controlled your mind.
That’s how I’ve thought about the night sky. I’m sure it’s different from everyone else.
—————
As I set a foot forward, my ears stood tall. I began taking small steps towards the hill where the purple blossom stood. Its color reflected from the moonlight. I almost hesitated as if I couldn’t believe the time had come. I could feel my lips parting into an uncontrollable smile, my eyes hinted with a burst of excitement as well as lust. As soon as my mind snapped out of its worrisome thought, I sprinted through the field as stars began rising from the fields. They had a lot more color than the ones above. I took my chance to jump with a spin – taking a good look at my surroundings that light up with dancing specks of yellows.
My breath began to heave through my wide smile as I was low on stamina but as soon I looked in front of me – there it was. Blindly standing as it’s stem held its head above as if it’s trying to reach the night sky. I crouched down to observe the blossom, my eyes dancing in each edge and down it’s petals. I just made my assumption was right- it’s a lavender but how did it get here?
I reached out my hand that curled into a fist excluding my thumb and index finger that reached towards its stem. My fingers closed around it as if I meant to pluck it out to have a better look at it. To hold it in my hands and never let go of it but a side of me couldn’t let it happen. So I stayed in my crouching position as I felt the stem, though I sensed something off. So I stared at the blossom…
—————
Its colors were as bright as a morning’s day, it was as if I had a purple sun in my fingers. I couldn’t remove my fingers from its stem- I was just so excited to be up close to this new blossom. My world is filled with blues, greens, and yellows. Never another shade of purple or red- red… It’s fading into a red- have I upset it..? I quickly flicked my hand away from the shifting stem, the blossom began glowing- growing brighter and brighter only to blind me with a heavy white flash…
It caused me to shut my eyes. I felt almost irritated by it’s glow but as soon as my eyes readjusted themselves open. I had looked the opposite direction of the where the blossom had been but once i’ve did, I froze in place-
The sky flared into a vibrant color as it then faded off into a pleasing amount of warm colors; A flowing Yellow that stirred into a mix of many warmer shades. It was all so new, the sky was yellow, the fields were… There weren’t any flowers- Not a single sunflower or daisy but miles of the same golden pigment of wheat. Peacefully swaying to one side then the other. I stood where I was as I felt the long dead ‘grass’ brushing against my legs. They don’t look green- But still lively… Maybe this new grass isn’t so bad after all.
I feel like I was in a whole new world – It wasn’t the one that I’m familiar with that’s for sure, I almost wonder if this is someone else’s world. I wonder if they’re like me! Maybe they need a friend. It must’ve been the reason why I’m here… Right? All because of that flower but- There’s not a sight of purple here. Nothing… Why is that..? Maybe It’s hiding in the fields that glowed with nothing but gold. So I did- I inched further into the swaying of dead grass that danced against each other just to look for this ‘lost’ piece.
—————
A small ‘hsss…’ was heard through the wheat field. It sounded as if it were shifted through and inching closer… And closer towards my defenseless self. I didn’t think much of it knowing how lonely this field felt but something caught my attention- It wasn’t just the dancing dead grass something else was moving through it- and… It’s coming after me!?
I froze in place as my eyes locked on the unknown target that began circling around me. I could feel every muscle in me locking in place, it didn’t feel right. As if I made a mistake in touching that purple- Lavender– blossom. The beating of my singular heart sank itself with a pool of unknown emotions leaving me feeling unsure of this unwelcoming situation… All I know is I’m no longer alone-
“…aAAGGGHHH!”
A deep loud yowl was made, startling me from the sound, before I was then tackled down into the golden field- This isn’t safe- Not safe at all, quickly I began kicking and squirming out of a tight embrace that had trouble holding me down. Something large was slightering against me and I wasn’t enjoying this very moment- My mind couldn’t comprehend if I was going to get eaten alive- though my preferred way to die was in my sleep…
Peacefully.–
My eyes were locked shut as my face physically cringed, waiting to be eaten but all I felt was a pair of larger hands pinning me from my shoulders in a gentler manner and something… Something tickling my face as for my body was wrapped into some odd embrace. I know this other creature was larger than my original size which began to intimate me… I decided to peek open an eye but right as I did that thing that was tickling my face poked me in the eye! My arms wiggled out of the wrapping embrace to try and push the creature off of me.
I rubbed my eyes til I was able to open them back up- turning my face towards the hovering body that covered me from the sun… It was difficult to figure who they were since my eyes were still adjusting from that accidental poke but once I saw the slightest thing on its face, my body began tensing then fighting off the other.
“eV!”
I shouted, jumping in surprised by my own voice as my hand then swiped across its face-
“AgH!” It hissed as the unknown creature then grabbed my wrists, forced them over my head, taking control, “Don’t.. Don’t do that!” It snarled as our eyes finally locked into one another. His voice caught my attention; It was harsh with a raspy tone. I can’t find a better way to explain it but it startled me enough to look him in the eye. I had no clue what he was saying. Though as I was being pinned into its world’s ground wasn’t something I’m very much enjoying. It was making me want to roll up and hide. It was… I was uncomfortable and I’m sure my eyes said so themselves otherwise that larger creature wouldn’t have let me go.
I hesitantly pushed myself to sit up as it’s… Awfully long… Scaly body wrapped around itself as though the top haft stood with confidence and a stronger structure than I physically have. My eyes widened from the ugly scars that covered its body and… Face…
“I’m a Naga… What are you?” The creature spoke once our eyes had met.
“N… N..?” I tried repeating the strange word but my voice had died out in me- I shifted further away, quickly standing.
vibha to Rin
prompt: “Young lady, what you ask of me is a cup of poison. I shall happily provide, but know this: shall you find a single sip to be vile and bitter, I will do as I can to guide you to the light. But should that sip prove the sweetest of nectar, I will be powerless to do anything but stand by and watch you perish. Pilot, I ask of you, art thou willing to risk that much for something as replaceable as a friend?”
tw: depression, suicide
A woman. A plain-looking woman, with medium-length brown hair, brown eyes, a plain grey shirt, and dull grey jeans. The woman is sitting on a grey couch, covered in a grey blanket. The woman’s apartment is small and grey. The woman’s world is grey.
She sits there, looking around. Nothing piques her interest. Everything blends together, everything looks like the same plain clean mess. She lies back. Nothing stands out. Nothing makes her want to keep looking at the world.
She will lie here. She will lie here for the rest of her life. She will look at these walls, these plain, dull walls, until the day she dies.
Slowly, she begins to close her eyes.
For weeks, she lies there. She lies in the grey blur, not wanting to move. She does not have the will or the energy to move. She won’t move.
But she won’t die. And she wants to die.
One day, a small robot enters the room. From where did the robot enter the room? The window was locked, the door hadn’t been knocked in who knows how long, yet this tiny little robot had still found a way to enter.
Maybe the robot was always meant to enter.
At first, the woman doesn’t notice the robot. She doesn’t notice anything anymore. So the robot stays. It sits down in front of the woman and waits.
And the robot stays for days. The robot refuses to leave the woman to waste away in her world of gray.
One day, the woman opens her eyes. She sees the small robot staring up at her. The woman and the robot look at each other. The robot says hello. The woman says hello.
The robot asks the woman if she wants anything. She doesn’t respond. She doesn’t know what she wants anymore, other than to die.
So the robot stays a little longer.
Later, the woman asks the robot its name. The robot says it has no name. It asks the woman for her name. She doesn’t remember her name.
The woman doesn’t seem to remember anything.
The woman and the robot stay together. They talk. They ask each other questions. But the woman is still unsatisfied. She still wants to die, because she still feels nothing.
She asks the robot if it can give her anything she desires. The robot says yes. So she asks the robot for death.
The robot pauses. Then it leaves the room. The woman sits there. She doesn’t know what to think.
The robot returns, holding a glass of a grey liquid. It offers the glass to the woman. Eagerly, the woman takes the glass of grey liquid. But the robot speaks.
“Young lady, what you ask of me is a cup of poison. I shall happily provide, but know this: shall you find a single sip to be vile and bitter, I will do as I can to guide you to the light. But should that sip prove the sweetest of nectar, I will be powerless to do anything but stand by and watch you perish. Pilot, I ask of you, art thou willing to risk that much for something as replaceable as a friend?”
A friend? Who was a friend? The woman had no friend. All she had was the grey room, the grey robot, and the grey liquid.
The woman had no friend. So she raises the liquid to her mouth. She opens her mouth.
But the liquid was grey. And she wanted to escape the grey.
There was nowhere to escape.
Still, she drank the grey liquid. She found the liquid not sweet like nectar, nor vile, or bitter. She found it tasteless.
As she felt her body crumble, she didn’t know what would happen. She would await neither heaven nor hell. She would be nowhere, trapped in the grey room.
She looked at the robot. The robot looked at her.
Then the woman saw a light. The light touched the robot, and the robot reflected light.
But this light had color.
Gasping her final breaths, the woman crawled off the grey couch and reached out to the robot. She grabbed onto the robot, desperate to feel its color. The robot looked back at her as she gasped in pain.
“You have found the light, young lady. The light was all around you. You just needed the right robot to find it.”
The woman smiled. She hugged the robot.
Poison is neither sweet, vile, nor bitter. Poison is tasteless, just as the woman perceived the world around her. As she died, she cried tears of joy, knowing she would be able to see all the colors around her.
Meagan Grace to maddie rae
prompt: “It was the worst winter storm the area had experienced in a hundred years. In the distance, as she stared out the windows in the back of the cabin, she could see a pair of eyes. Glowing, yellow, but peaceful. She felt safe with them around her, but terrified. All the same, she opened the door for the eyes.”
tw: all-caps, emotional abuse
It was the worst winter storm the area had experienced in a hundred years. In the distance, as she stared out the windows in the back of the cabin, she could see a pair of eyes. Glowing, yellow, but peaceful. She felt safe with them around her, but terrified. All the same, she opened the door for the eyes.
As the shadow of it crossed into the light shining on the ground from the open door Mae was startled to see it was larger than she had thought, and it was…a wolf? A great big, white wolf with eyes still aglow as they neared her. She moved to close the door but the wolf stopped. Something told her to look closer.
The eyes glowed brighter as they looked at her. It must be a spirit, she thought breathlessly.
Upon closer inspection the eyes seemed to be almost human. As if a spirit was living behind them.
She pushed the door wider and the wolf looked up at her familiarly and walked in.
They entered the living room and looked around, slowly making their way to Dad’s old chair. Mae cautiously made her way closer and eventually sat on her regular place on the far end of the couch. The fire crackled and the storm outside pounded against the cabin. She looked at the wolf, and the wolf looked into the fire.
“Are you a spirit?” she said.
They met her eyes, sending a chill down her spine.
“Yes.” they said, softening their gaze.
A torrent of questions filled Mae’s mind. Who are they, what do they want, what do spirits do?
But something told her she knew this spirit.
“You’re my Dad, aren’t you?”
A pause.
“Yes.”
She shrank further into the far corner of the couch, her muscles tensing, ready to fight or run, mind blank, but all too full.
Stay calm, Mae, stay calm. It’s okay, it’s okay, it’s okay. Just breathe. Breathe. Now think.
“What…why are you here?”
“For you.” he said, even gentler than before.
Fear, confusion, relief? Mae didn’t know what to feel.
“I came to say sorry.”
Sorry? From her dad? The one who was always right?
“For what?” she asked.
“For everything. I was wrong.”
A tear escaped the corner of her eye and slid down her cheek. She realized that she had been gripping the couch cushions for dear life and relaxed her hold. What does this mean? What am I supposed to do? I just got over his death and he comes back? It’s been over a year, why now?
“You have begun to see me for who I am, haven’t you?” he stated.
“What do you mean?”
“You have begun to see the truth.”
She stared questioningly.
“I was not a good dad. I hurt you, and your mom, and others, I know. You didn’t deserve that.”
Rage started to build in her. She looked down at the floor and closed her eyes. How dare he come back into her life now? Who does he think he is?
Hot tears started to glaze down her face. Angry words crowded her mind, pushing and pushing to be let out. No, stay calm, she told herself. She let out a breath and then looked back at her spirit wolf dad. Ahhh! This is so stupid! Why is he here!?
“Why are you here?” she asked, volume raised.
“WHY HAVE YOU COME BACK JUST WHEN I WAS GETTING SETTLED! I’VE GOT A GOOD JOB, MOM IS FINALLY OKAY ON HER OWN, I STARTED GOING TO THERAPY, I JUST STARTED GETTING MY LIFE TOGETHER AND YOU JUST COME BACK!!!???? HOW COULD YOU BE SO SELFISH! AGAIN! AFTER ALL THE OTHER TIMES! ALL YOU DO IS HURT AND HURT AND THEN MAKE IT OUT TO SEEM LIKE EVERYONE ELSE IS AT FAULT! You’re dead to me.” she finished with a chilling tone.
She noticed her face had grown hot and there were more tears running down. She turned away and took some deep breaths like her therapist had taught her.
“I know.” he responded.
“You know?” she retorted, accusingly.
“Yes.”
She stood up and let out a suppressed, frustrated shriek. Her hands were balled up into fists at her sides as she turned and walked out of the room. She ended up in the kitchen with the black window over the sink glaring at her. She leaned closer to it to see outside better. The few flurries she could see in the darkness billowed into a giant cloud and swirled back and forth in an unknown raging battle between snow and wind. She felt the cold leaking in around the edges of the windows and it made her face burn against how heated it was from her outburst. She set herself upright.
When will he leave? she thought. Will he leave at all?
She turned on the faucet and splashed water on her face and dried it with the sleeve of her sweater. I wonder if he’ll come in here.
She went closer to the door and listened hard. Not a sound other than the faint crackling of the fire and the storm outside. She took in a deep breath and looked at the dark blue cabinets. I guess I could use a cup of something, she thought.
After looking at her options she decided on hot chocolate and made a cup. I wonder if spirits drink anything. I could ask, but…its a wolf… and dad. Should I? He doesn’t seem so bad, its the polite thing
to do. Could he even hold the cup? I guess it couldn’t hurt to ask. No! I’m still mad at him and he can’t drink it anyway.
Leaning back on the counter, she took a sip. She felt the warmth from it seep into her slowly as it slid down her throat. Not as comforting as she had hoped, but it tasted good. I haven’t heard anything from the living room for awhile. I wonder if he’s still there?
She quietly made her way through the hallway and peeked around the corner. There he was. She could see the back of his white head laying on the arm of the chair. She let out a sigh, leaning her back against the wall.
“Mae?” he asked quietly.
She shuddered with dread. She shook it off and straightened herself up, determined to ask him to leave.
“Yes.” she said.
She walked into the room with deliberate steps and then turned to meet his eyes. The fact that he was a wolf made it harder to keep her determination up, but she continued and sat herself on the arm of the sofa.
“I didn’t come to be forgiven.” he said.
Mae’s resolve melted away.
“What? Then, then, why?”
“Like I said before, I came to apologize, to make things right, for you.”
Tears started to well up in her eyes and she rubbed at them aggressively with her fists, but the tears came too fast for it to be of much use. She slid off the arm of the couch and curled up in the corner, looking down at the floor with clouded vision. Then, she felt a warmth nudge her shoulder, and a white furry head rested on her lap. She broke out into racking sobs and held the wolf closer. This is love, she thought, for the first time this is true, real love.
Aarush Joshi to Shreya Jha
prompt: sci-fi/fantasy
tw: physical abuse
In almost every continent, Santa is lauded for his kindness. Every year on Christmas night he flies throughout the sky and gives out gifts that seem to correspond with adults’ personalities and financial faring perfectly. Yes, from South America to Asia, Santa is known, with his sleighs and ho-ho-ho’s! and marvellous presents. His lieutenants staff every mall in America every winter, and these lieutenants are rewarded for their service by being called mall Santas. Mall is the greatest title anyone can be given. Just ask Paul Blart.
In almost every continent, Santa is lauded for his kindness. In Antarctica, Santa is hated for his oppressive, demonic regime, and all the elves he has working day and night have just about had enough. Because in reality, Santa is a demon of tremendous proportions.
His real name was Santklikyzerausbiqur, but he got so sick of the Starbucks cashiers spelling it wrong, he shortened it to Santa. It didn’t help, they still spelt it wrong, at which point he unhinged his jaw and swallowed them whole.
Why is a demon handing out presents each year? Very simple. He makes sure not to hand them out to everyone. He then approached Frank Sinatra and forced him to write a bunch of songs that proclaimed what a wonderful time of the year it was. Now everybody was well aware that Christmas time was supposed to be a good time. So when they didn’t get any presents, or got boring presents, or fought during that time, their misery was unparalleled, and Santa fed on this misery. Ever wonder why homeless people never got any presents? It wasn’t because they don’t have chimneys. Santa was a certified genius. As misery compounded, his strength increased, and he began capturing elves to work for him, increasing his abilities to give (and withhold) presents.
As time went on, Santa got ahold of the history books, and wrote that the origin of Santa was Saint Nicholas. He also developed a brand image, and partnered with Gucci for some very expensive and stupid looking purses. His brand image involved red and white, the color of Antarctic snow after he was done whipping his elves.
Santa collected various demons to his cause, and deployed them during wintertime to scout out the greatest battlegrounds of all, malls. There they spread the holiday cheer, and spread envy throughout all the less fortunate. Also they made bank, mall Santas were paid extravagant amounts by humans.
His reindeers were the result of great experimentation with magical spells. Santa was so full of magic from all the suffering he collected that he was grossly fat by the end of Christmas day, and had to remove that stomach somehow. So he bewitched reindeers to lose weight.
It was near Christmastime when the elves revolted. Tiny in stature, fitted with green and red prison garments, they expended all their magic into the making of toys, and had none left to revolt with. Every day they toiled away, creating toys with all the love they could muster, and all the sorrow that was boiling over anyways. Santa lived in an unassailable fortress of ice, though it turned blood red after the elves tried to revolt last time. Rudolph had also revolted, hoping to be free at last and not be used as a twisted headlight anymore and the subject of absolutely horrendous children’s songs. Santa had seen all this happen, and mounted Rudolph and his red nose to the red wall.
There were only a few left after that infamous incident, and new enslaved elves trickled in slowly. What did increase rapidly was the amount of monsters that were arriving. The elves were resting in their ice prison when one, Holly, spotted a solitary figure walking in the snow. It was… green? Oh, where are my manners, allow me to introduce you to the elves of our story.
Holly’s the one who spotted the figure first, she has the sharpest eyes. Wreath over there is the muscle of the crew, and he’s a whole centimeter taller than them. Snowflake is the coward of the group, and he got on with Santa the best of all of them. He never got whipped, and Santa even gave him candy canes sometimes. Carol is a singer, and her voice is so wonderful, birds stop to hear her sing. She doesn’t sing outside anymore, because the birds happened to be flying when she sang, and then they stopped flying, and then they were falling. Sleigh is the mastermind of the crew, and happens to be Santa’s favorite elf to whip. She likes sleighs. Then we have Tax Evasion, an elf that was friends with Rudolph before the first revolution. Contrary to popular belief, he doesn’t evade his taxes. He doesn’t have taxes. He’s the only one who was there for the first revolution, and he’s weary of the world, and all the annoying elves in it. Of course, these aren’t the elves’ real names, they’re just the names Santa calls them, and they’re a lot easier to write in English, to tell the truth.
“What’s that over there?” asked Holly, pointing to the green figure approaching.
“Probably just a bird,” replied Wreath.
“Birds? Oh no!” shouted Carol, and she quivered under a knit ugly Christmas sweater, human sized.
“Oh for- Carol, listen, it wasn’t your fault. Stop beating yourself up about it,” said Sleigh.
“But it is! My fault!” yelled Carol, sobbing under the sweater.
“It isn’t!” called over Sleigh, and she walked over to the window. “Who the hell is that?” For now everyone could easily see the green figure, walking oh so peculiarly. It wasn’t that the figure was wearing green, Holly could make out hair, and said so.
“That thing is quite positively completely, unmistakably, absolutely green.”
“Another demon, no doubt about it,” grumbled Sleigh. They had seen many demons arrive to pledge loyalty to Santa over the past year or so. He was planning something big.
“That’s no ordinary demon,” said Tax Evasion, his voice wavering. “That’s the Grinch. They’re not just planning something big. The Grinch steals the Christmas presents of all children and drinks on their sorrow. Santa and him actually fought wars over this, because when the Grinch stole presents, the sorrow went to him, and Santa got none of it. The fact that he’s approaching now means they’ve negotiated something nefarious.”
“I have an idea.” Sleigh paused dramatically, and the camera of storytelling panned over everyone’s attentive faces.
“Well?” Tax Evasion hated dramatic pauses. There wasn’t much Tax Evasion didn’t hate. He’d been enslaved for so long, he had forgotten what his life was when he wasn’t under the dominion of a demon masquerading as a kindly overweight man who would certainly die of COVID-19.
“Well, Snowflake, you need to eavesdrop on Santa. I want to know what those demons are planning.” Snowflake cowered hearing his name, and he shrunk another centimeter hearing what he was to do.
“Wh- what? Me? Eavesdrop? I could never. What if Santklikyzerausbiqur caught me? He would be so disappointed.” Wreath snarled. He had no tolerance for any sort of treatment towards Santa that didn’t involve a foul stream of curses or at least the itchings for chopping off that merry head and giving that as a gift to all the children.
“I’ll tell you who’ll be a little more than disappointed if you don’t do it, right now.” The only thing Snowflake feared more than Santa’s wrath was Wreath’s wreath.
“O- okay! Fine! I’ll do it, but when he strings me up and makes me into a stocking, it was Wreath’s fault.” Snowflake ran off.
“Now that he’s gone, I do think that a proper revolution is in order. Hear me out. We’re outnumbered ten to one. But I know how the Grinch fights, and everyone, and I mean everyone fears the Grinch. If we can take him out, we might scare the rest off, and then surround Santa and kill him!” crowed Sleigh.
“How do you know how the Grinch fights?” asked Holly.
“I watched every Jim Carrey movie.”
“Santa’s terrifying though. He could eat us in one bite.”
“Not if he’s full with all the cookies in the world.”
Hours passed. Then, Snowflake came rushing back to the dormitory in which our heroes live.
“They’re collaborating with Bernie Sanders!” This was received with an uproar of confusion.
“Wh- what?” Sleigh was taken aback.
“Yeah, I saw him! It was a table, and Santa, the Grind, and Bernie Sanders were all sitting down and talking.”
“Don’t be an idiot, Bernie Sanders isn’t a demon,” dismissed Tax Evasion.
“Yeah, but I heard him talking about the top 1% and how they get all the good gifts! So there’s a new plan this year. Santa will hand out all the presents like usual. Christmas morning, everyone wakes up to see all their wonderful presents. Just as they are about to open them, the Grinch comes speeding through, and steals them all. Then he gives them to the less fortunate people, making the 1% distraught with jealousy. Boom, the Grinch gets his initial rush of suffering, then when he redistributes the gifts, the 1% become incredibly sad and Santa gets the second wave, and Bernie Sanders is elected President!”
“That is by far the dumbest thing I’ve ever heard,” proclaimed Holly, truthfully.
“On the contrary, I think it’s rather genius.” So proclaimed a raspy voice emanating from a green figure leaning on the doorframe.
“I am dreadfully disappointed in you, Snowflake.” So boomed a deep voice, used to years of shouting out what exactly your mother is three times in quick repetition.
“When do you think the 1% will pay their fair share?!?! It’s now or never, feel the Bern!” Such shouted an eldery man who then burst into flames that seemed to have his own face on them.
Sleigh brandished her sleigh, Wreath held his machetes, Holly brandished her Nerf gun, the one that shot out what is literally modeled after shotgun shells, Snowflake quivered in a corner, Tax Evasion jumped out the window and rappelled away to safety, and Carol cleared her throat.
The Grinch merely chuckled, and contorted his face in an expression so terrifying and skeletally modifying that only Jim Carrey could have come up with it. Santa unsheathed his long claws, and hissed as if he were a cat.
And Bernie Sanders continued to shout about economic inequality.
Suddenly, they ran at each other at incredibly high anime velocities, (acceleration is zero, if the velocity function is so-and-so use PVA to find the position function) and the battle began. Immediately the Grinch pounced on Wreath and wrestled his machetes away, flinging them into the brick walls, where they rang out and clattered into the floor. Holly shot her Nerf gun at Bernie Sanders, but every dart caught on fire and burnt to a crisp.
Sleigh flung her sleigh at Santa’s face, who dodged it and leapt at her with his claws. She pulled the sleigh back in time and blocked the nails.
The Grinch seized Wreath by the neck and threw him bodily into Holly. All three advanced on Sleigh, whose sleigh was attached to a long rope. Using strength she had tucked away this whole time, she spun it around like a lasso, whacking Bernie Sanders on the head, who quickly fell into deep dreams of taxing Jeff Bezos and Elon Musk. Santa used his claws and sliced the rope, leaving Sleigh defenseless. The Grinch appeared in a flash of green, poised to throw Sleigh out of the window, when Carol began to sing.
“I don’t want a lot for Christmas
There is just one thing I need
I don’t care about the presents underneath the Christmas tree
I just want you for my own
More than you could ever know
Make my wish come true
All I want for Christmas is you
Yeah”
Immediately everyone fell silent, and the raucous stopped, but Carol kept going, singing the entire “song” by heart. When she opened her eyes, she saw that Sleigh and the revolutionaries had gotten their wish, for everyone in the room, except Snowflake who sang along, was dead.
The End.
I am so sorry that this is something you decided to read.
Yan N. to Leka Ekambaram
prompt: “A person who’s had a special power their whole life but still doesn’t know what their power is.”
tw: N/A
… It was meant to be a comedy but I suppose it isn’t anymore…
Upon returning to his apartment from his bookstore, Arthur Lam, a young man in his late twenties, fell onto his couch and promptly turned on the TV. He was greeted by Caleb London, the main host for Arma News, as well as Caleb’s co-host, Lindsey Zornier, and Arthur realized that he was making it way too much of a habit to get home at 7:45, when the evening news aired, when his shop closed at 6:30.
Checking inventory is definitely a lot more time-intensive than I thought, he told himself.
His eyes suddenly drifted to the typewriter on his dining table. He couldn’t resist when he first saw it at the garage sale that his sister’s neighbor held a few weeks ago, but then he realized that 1) it was insanely old and looked like it had been touched by a lot of grimy hands and 2) it was too loud, and he was pretty sure that if his next-door neighbor, Martha, wasn’t so understanding, he would’ve been sent a noise complaint—no, make that three noise complaints, one for each person on his floor—and then kicked out. But how was he supposed to know that the walls were so thin that your alarm could go off and you would upset all of your neighbors?
(Okay, maybe Arthur did know, especially when he heard Martha arguing with her boyfriend, and all their doors and windows were closed.)
Suddenly, a series of knocks interrupted his thoughts, and he quickly got up from his couch, glancing at the generic Ikea clock that hung above his TV. 8:00. Who could it have been?
Scooting the small step-stool that he kept near the front door towards the door so that he could peer through the peephole (seriously, why did they make them so high up?), a familiar head of graying curls greeted him.
“Mrs. Kwan!” He exclaimed as he opened the door. “What are you doing here? Is something wrong?”
Arthur could still remember the first time he met his neighbor across from him. Her house had smelled so heavenly, and she was extremely friendly. Whenever Arthur talked about her, he could only think about the food she made, and she was, quote unquote, “the best neighbor you could ever get, who was like a grandma who continuously fed you”.
“Arthur! Oh, it’s so good you’re home,” she said, a little trace of an accent in her speech. She had immigrated from Hong Kong to attend college, and though she had been here for over forty years, she still had some twists and turns on her words. But that was what Arthur admired about her, and it made her seem more cool, knowing that she had so much history. “I was making some bo luo bao—you know, pineapple buns? And I had extras. They’re fresh too!”
No wonder why there was something sweet in the normally foul-smelling air. Arthur gave points for his apartment complex’s amenities, but when it came to something as simple as air and water quality, it pretty much sucked.
“Wow, they look so good!” he said as Mrs. Kwan placed the Tupperware full of—hmm… one, two, three, four, FIVE—pineapple buns into his outreached hands. “Thanks, Mrs. Kwan!”
“No problem, Arthur.” She beamed up at him and patted his cheeks like one would to a small child. “Just glad to have someone eat my food. Good night!”
But before she left, she turned back towards him and said, “Sleep earlier. I always hear the television in the early hours of the morning from your place.”
Damn. He knew he shouldn’t have made it a habit to leave the TV on all night to fall asleep.
The alarm clock that sat on his nightstand was the sound that woke Arthur up, not the fists that were pounding on his door. He shuffled groggily out of bed and into his fluffy rabbit slippers (a gift from his sister, who had been disgusted when he revealed that he didn’t have any slippers), plus the bathroom robe that hung off his door, and headed towards the door. Why the hell am I so popular this week? he asked the universe. He assumed that the universe told him that his luck was changing for the better, except judging by the nightmare of being eaten by a cloud last night, his luck was anything but.
“Who is it?” he called as he grabbed the step-stool. Stupid genes. No, stupid architect. He was a very average 5’3” man, and this peephole was very obviously made for people who were well above average height.
“Arthur!” a familiar voice called from the other side of the door.
Even in his sleep, he would be able to recognize that anywhere.
He opened the door and found his sister on the other side. A year older than him, she was the spitting image of their mother, with soft, dark brown curls and hazel eyes that were particularly beautiful in the sunlight, though she had also inherited their father’s nose and dimples. She was also a few centimeters taller than him, which she loved to point out whenever they were quarreling, as if height gave you any bit of credibility.
“Um, hey,” Arthur spluttered. He glanced at the clock behind him. 6:47. “Uh… ‘sis, you know I love you, but what the heck are you doing here?”
The drive from her house in Corwan was fifty minutes away from his apartment. There was no reason why she would show up unannounced, unless…
“Oh my god. Did something happen to Mom? Or Dad? Or—“
“Shh,” Anna said, a finger to her lips. “Can’t I come in first? You’re going to wake up your neighbors.”
She has a point, Arthur thought, before he gestured for her to come inside. Weirdly enough, she seemed to carry an air of happiness around her, even grinning at Arthur when he just gestured to the sofa, in case she wanted to sit. Okay, he thought. Nobody’s dead or in serious danger. Why else would she be so happy?
“Spill,” he demanded, straightening himself up to his five-foot-three-inches-and-a-quarter frame.
Anna sat down on the couch, placing her purse—which, now, as Arthur looked closely, was a Louis Vuitton bag, and there was no way that she could’ve afforded it—and exclaimed, “I’m engaged!”
“Ey?” Arthur interjected, surprised. Anna was dating someone? He wrapped the bathroom robe around himself tighter, silently cursing at the heater for not turning on. “To whom?”
Anna stood up and placed her hands on her hips, rolling her eyes. “Of course you wouldn’t know. Someone hasn’t been to the last Thanksgiving OR Christmas dinner where their darling older sister finally brought a plus one. Where the heck were you?”
“I was busy,” Arthur answered, a little snottily. Besides, he had celebrated Thanksgiving and Christmas with his parents a few days before the actual holiday so that he could work on the bookstore.
“Well, much to my horror, Ben wanted to invite you to our wedding. So. You’re invited.”
Arthur burst out laughing. “Ben Chan? The Ben. My man, Ben.”
Anna stared stonily at her brother. “Yes. Ben Chan. Aren’t you happy for me?”
He could only think about his earliest memory at school, huddling with another boy in the gym, trying to avoid getting hit with the dodgeballs that could seriously pack a punch when thrown by the right person. The two had shook hands after this traumatic ordeal, introducing themselves with the respectful air of their school’s principal, Mr. Barnot, before choking on their laughter and then asking their parents to have a playdate with their new friend.
Arthur could still remember Ben in their last year at school. Arthur had decided to attend Arma University, perfect for his dreams to be an architect (though that didn’t pan out too well), but Ben wanted to stay in their hometown, Marceau, and go to the nearby community college. They had a touching goodbye ceremony that consisted of their secret handshake and the sharing of their Valorant passwords, never to talk to each other again.
And here Ben was, marrying into their family.
“I’m really happy for you, Anna. Genuinely. Ben’s a great guy. When’d you guys start?”
The ice in Anna’s eyes thawed, replaced by warmth and a playful twinkle. “We started just last year, but I proposed a few weeks ago. Art, you should’ve seen his face, it was so funny—“
“Alright, alright. I don’t need you to get into the details,” Arthur interrupted, glancing at the clock. 7:04. The bookstore opened at 9:30, so plenty of time to spare. “I need to brush my teeth and wash my face, but how about you make yourself comfortable? I can cook breakfast for us.”
“Or…” Anna said brightly, “we can go to the diner on Phoenix and 49th, have our usuals before I step into this new life?”
Arthur laughed. “You bet.”
The waitress placed down two plates of the Deluxe Winterfest Meal in front of Arthur and Anna.
“Enjoy!” she said. “Syrup and jam are there on the side.”
The siblings smiled and expressed their gratitude, then dived into their breakfast.
“Thank goodness they haven’t changed their recipe to be ‘healthier’ or something like that,” Anna said in the midst of inhaling her waffles. “Sometimes I just want a really big and hearty meal. You’re a lucky duck, Arthur, living just a few minutes away.”
Arthur, shoveling eggs into his mouth, shrugged. “I usually don’t come here unless it’s with you. Keeps with the ‘sibling’ vibe, you know?”
His sister gaped at him. “Are you serious? I mean, I’m honored, but you’ve never eaten here for dinner?” A slice of sausage fell off her fork.
He shook his head, eyes focusing on the bacon in front of him.
“For lunch?”
Another head shake.
Anna stood up, welding her knife and fork like a madwoman.“Oh, my god. Alright then, you, me, and Ben should definitely eat lunch here one day.”
“Yeah, yeah, whatever you say,” he answered. He looked up from his plate and hissed at her. “Sit back down, everyone’s looking at you.”
His sister shrugged, a look of indifference on her face. “Who cares? I’m having fun, I’m not disturbing anyone, and honestly? That’s all that—”
Suddenly, a scream sounded through the restaurant, and the two siblings’ heads snapped towards the sound. “HE’S TAKING MY PURSE! HELP!” a woman screeched. A bald man came running at the door, preparing to shove his way out of Mimi’s Cafe, but Anna pulled at the end of his scarf that he, unfortunately, had knotted around his neck.
“UAALIOJF!” The man yelled gibberish as he pulled at his scarf, struggling to get loose from Anna’s death grip. Arthur stepped forward, taking over for his sister as he pried the purse from the criminal’s arms before pinning them behind his back.
The victim of the crime came rushing towards them. “Thank you so much!” she exclaimed. Her crystal blue eyes glared at the man who now kneeled on the floor before turning back up towards the Lam siblings. “How about I pay for your meal? It’s the least I can do—“
“Ma’am,” started the waitress who had served Arthur and Anna. “Do you want us to call the police?”
The lady held her hand up for the universal gesture of wait. She peered at the offender, who was, surprisingly, wearing what appeared to be a tailor made suit and leather boots. “What’s your name?”
He stared blankly up at the ceiling, refusing to talk.
“Please call the police for me, Miss…” the woman glanced over at the waitress’s name tag. “Nora.” She looked back over at the Arthur and Anna, shooting them a smile.
“My name’s Shayla, and I’m so glad you two were here.” She reached into her purse, but then her expression darkened and her eyes darted towards the man.
“Sir, where did you place my wallet?”
He didn’t answer. But for some peculiar reason, there was a nagging feeling in Arthur’s gut, something that was pulling him towards where Shayla had been sitting. As she interrogated the mysterious culprit, he walked briskly to the back seats of the diner. Arthur’s body tightened, the tension melting away at the sight of the bright pink wallet on the table.
“Shayla!” he cried as he raced back to where most of the diner’s occupants had gone. There was a crazed look in her eyes, but when Arthur arrived, carrying the wallet, it was gone.
“Oh, thank you!” she exclaimed for the second time. “My goodness, I seem to be losing all my things.”
Shayla tapped Nora on the shoulder, handing her a credit card and pointing at Arthur and Anna. “I’d like to pay for their meals.”
