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Everyday Drabbles #636: The Witness

January 3, 2022

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The goat climbed the little hill every day. It had a good view of the surrounding fields and the huge boulders that stood to the north.
For his part, the goat ignored the boulders. They were too smooth for even him to climb, and nothing grew on them for him to eat.
But today he heard a thundering crack and the sky went dark. One after another, the stones split open and great black and red dragons flew out into the sky, freed from their eggs at last.
‘Somehow, I bet I’ll be blamed for this,’ the goat thought glumly.

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Everyday Drabbles #635: The Mountain Giant

January 2, 2022

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The monks gathered on the side of the mountain to complete the ritual that was the true purpose of their order. Today was the one day of the year that the sun would pierce the canyon and light the ancient ruins, summoning their protector.

After some time, the wall of the canyon changed, and the Mountain Giant opened its eyes.

“COMMAND?” it commanded in the Ancients’ secret language. The monks chanted the response spell, although none of them knew what the words meant.

“Enter sleep mode.”

“Acknowledged.” The Mountain Giant closed its eyes. The world was safe for another year.

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Everyday Drabbles #634: The Dragon is Out

December 31, 2021

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The knights had cornered the rampaging dragon in Queens’ Park. The gargantuan crouched on its back legs and hissed at them. It lunged forward, bowling over two knights and making a break for it.
As the dragon bounded past, the captain bellowed a command. The knights loosed a massive chain ending in a hook that shot through the air and snagged on the iron ring encircling the dragon’s neck. They pulled, and the beast’s training took over, allowing itself to be walked back to the castle.
The captain sighed. He wished the king had a taste for more manageable pets.

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Everyday Drabbles #633: The Power Behind the Throne

December 30, 2021

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When we discovered the alien world, we debated for a long time how best to proceed. Everyone on the international committee claimed to hate the idea of colonizing the developing native civilization, but nobody trusted the others.
In the end, we decided to send an uncrewed probe to observe the planet. We thought that an artificial intelligence would keep to its mission above all else.
But we forgot the early lessons of that technology: The biases and flaws of the programmers often appeared in their creations.
We just received a message from the planet’s rulers, puppets of the orbiting robot.

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Everyday Drabbles #632: Hand of Glory

December 29, 2021

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The Hand of Glory was a disreputable, backwater station in solar orbit somewhere between Neptune and Uranus. It was built in that fanciful period of space exploration when engineers had abandoned the utilitarian designs of previous stations in favor of something more baroque.

As its name implied, the station resembled a giant’s hand, with docking facilities in each fingertip, and the central habitation hub floating like a pearl in its upraised palm.

As my ship began an intercept orbit, I readied my blaster and checked my supplies. Hands of Glory were lights in the dark, but not without their dangers.

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Everyday Drabbles #631: Angel of Music

December 28, 2021

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She is, quite literally, an angel of music. Her duty among the celestial people is to play for the gods, a servant and an artist in one. She takes this duty very seriously and has mastered a variety of instruments to serve her masters in any way.
She is always surprised when she meets outsiders, who always assume that her talents are ingrained. They treat her as though she were a vessel filled at the moment of its creation. The truth is always more complicated and less satisfying.
How do you get to the Divine Hall of Spiritual Harmony?
Practice.

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Everyday Drabbles #630: Mermaid Statue

December 27, 2021

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She rose from the water, a being of fire and light, birthed from the sea by a goddess’s will. Her upper half was human, a beautiful woman limned in streaming lava and sputtering flame. Her lower half resembled a fish’s tail ending in a forked fin that trailed in the water.
The creature sat on a rock and pondered her fate as she inexorably cooled into lifeless black stone.
The Mermaid Statue was later found by human explorers. They marveled at the craftsmanship, believing it to be the work of some lost civilization.
Which was exactly what the goddess intended.

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Everyday Drabbles #629: How the Magic Works

December 26, 2021

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This is how the magic works: For one night a year, he is immortal and all-powerful. In those brief but infinite hours, he races through the sky, spreading goodwill across the world.
When the last present is delivered and the final stocking is filled, he sits and watches the sunrise over the ocean. As the sky lightens, he gradually forgets. He forgets where he left his sleigh (the reindeer look after themselves.) He forgets the many places he visited. And finally, he forgets himself.
The mission will return next Christmas. But until then, that is the price of the magic.

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Everyday Drabbles #628: Father Christmas

December 24, 2021

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The morning sun was already peeking over the forest as he climbed the snowy hill. He was running late. He pulled the fur-trimmed red robe tight around his wizened frame and doubled his efforts.
The workshop was old, carved from black stone and blue glacial ice. No reindeer pranced or helpers scurried about. There was no sleigh.
The songs and the stories, the presents and cookies were not the magic. They were embellishments.
A circle of light stood in the center of the cavernous structure. He sat down in the center and began the song that would renew the world.

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Everyday Drabbles #627: Festival of Light

December 22, 2021

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It was the longest night of the year, and the village gathered to celebrate. The visiting anthropologist, who came from a small, distant planet called ‘Earth’ couldn’t help but think of Christmas.
Lights were hung on the big tree in the center of the lake, and families set little vessels with lit candles on the water.
“Does this ritual bring back the sun or appease the dead?” he asked his host sponsor.
Xe blinked and tried to form a satisfying answer. The human came from an advanced civilization, but he was weirdly obsessed with superstition.
“It looks pretty?” Xe ventured.

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