Father Deagle trudged the shale stairs, the mortar thick in the seams, to the church's second floor and the dozens of rooms just outside the nave, the knobby joints of his toes swollen and complaining with each step. His knees cracked when he lowered himself to the floor searching for the glass-swirled marbles. Sister Drusilla followed in his wake arching her tail with a kink reflecting her curiosity.
Father Deagle's foot never came close to the cat as he swung at it, worrying about the marbles and considering that a cat must never swallow marbles. They were too smart. On the other hand, could a dog have gotten into the church? He clutched the sleeveless mantle as he hurried down the stairs, his knees cracking with each step.
"Hello, Animal Control?" His knee fidgeted -- he was never able to keep still except during sermons and he told the congregation when they asked that it was God's way to reward his instruments -- and he ignored the fidgeting as the voice on the other end answered.
"Yes, this is Father Deagle." The phone buzzed and he held it away from his ear, these newfangled gadgets were always so loud. "Yes... yes... no, I'm not batty. We solved that problem. I've got a new concern and, well I was wondering, have any stray dogs been reported near the church?"
Father Deagle held the phone to Sister Drusilla, but she wiggled her nose and he realized he'd have to handle this whole situation. The help was hopeless. "You've seen no mutts. I can't believe it. Well, I've got this problem. You see. I've lost my marbles."
The phone clicked as Animal Control terminated the connection.
This flash was inspired by Nathaniel Lee's Euphonious drabble. If you aren't familiar with his drabbles, check him out at Mirror Shards.
I rather liked that flitterfic of Nathaniel's. I rather liked yours, too.
ReplyDeleteVery cute :) I like the way you integrated the description of the church into the story. It gave me a great image in just a couple lines.
ReplyDeleteDrusilla is such a nice name for a non-rabid nun.
ReplyDelete@Loren, Euphonious was fun and I had to follow in the tradition -- although twisting the style ;)
ReplyDelete@Tessa, I'm glad that worked for you, the description was part of my "exercise" in this one while hopefully not getting too unreadable.
@John, now you've done it. I'm constantly searching over my shoulder's for rabid nuns hunting me down and who are upset that I didn't name the cat after them.
Ha ha, nice =) the perfect length for the joke.
ReplyDeleteMakes me wonder how often he calls maintenance complaining about loose screws... ;)
Ha! Awesome name for a cat. I hope it's a black cat with a white bib!
ReplyDeleteYou know I laughed like a loon at the idea of a nun named Drusilla, right? My first thought was, "Hm, wonder if she is going to be a vampire."
ReplyDeleteThanks for the good laugh, now I'm calling my local fast food Chinese restaurant (ran by two Mexicans and a fellow Dominican) and asking them if they have fresh Cheech & Chong.
I know, I'm wicked ;-)
Great hook in the first paragraph, with a clear character and plenty of promise. The description mixing the scenery with the person was masterful.
ReplyDelete@John, yep, screws is right in his vein.
ReplyDelete@Mazzz & @Magaly, I've only watched a handful of Buffy episodes and missed the reference to Drusilla; nice. (Although, for a second I thought perhaps it related to the latin name for fruit fly... but that's Drosophila). And @Magaly, that is purely wicked; I'm all for it.
@Peg, Yay! You made my day. I'm glad when something I'm working on actually works ;)
You gave a wonderful description of the father, and then bam! That excellent punchline! Loved it.
ReplyDelete