smallhobbit | 100 fandoms, new ficlets part three (Reply)

Ten more drabbles, not posted elsewhere:

Poirot: Family Affairs #003 cleave

“It is said,” Poirot intoned, “that a man should leave his family and cleave to his wife. And this is often the case, but sometimes the man will take his family with him.”

“As in this instance,” chief Inspector Japp said thoughtfully.

“It would seem that M. Broughton married purely for the money his wife would bring to the family.”

“And when it looked as though she would refuse to help he took steps to assure the funds.”

“Precisement, mon ami. Following her refusal it was only a matter of time before he took action.”

“Aided by his family?”

“Naturelement!”

Discworld: Through a Crack in the Universe #019 crack

Every so often there is a crack in the universe, and a little more magic slithers through. Normally, the wizards at the Unseen University manage to stuff it back through the crack, although this is more by luck than judgement. Sometimes, slivers of the magic begin to wander round and make their way into Ankh-Morpork, but generally when this happens the slivers hurriedly return to the university as being an altogether safer place to be. There is a rumour that Cut-Me-Own-Throat Dibbler has tried to sell his sausages-in-bun to the slivers, although no-one has yet been able to confirm this.

Peppa Pig: Muddy Puddles #045 game

“What are we going to do today, Peppa?” George asked one lovely sunny morning.

“I want to play my favourite game,” Peppa replied.

Do you know what Peppa’s favourite game is? That’s right, it’s jumping in muddy puddles.

Peppa and George put on their brightly coloured wellies and ran down the hill to where there were lots of lovely muddy puddles. They had great fun jumping in all the puddles with their friends until Mummy Pig called them home for lunch.

“Goodbye,” Peppa and George called. “We’ll be back this afternoon to do some more puddle jumping with you all.”

Castlevania: Hidden in the shadows #010 shadows

It was better, Trevor Belmont reckoned, to stay in the shadows. True, that was where some of his adversaries dwelt, but that simply put them on a more equal footing. But it was unusual for a group to stay in the shadows, and an individual hiding there could easily pick off those at the back before they were aware of him.

So Alucard and Sypha were the ones who attracted the marauders’ attention and used their own skills to defend themselves, whilst Trevor provided the ambush. It was a system which worked well and could be employed without prior planning.

Pilgrimage: The Unspoken Truth #030 truth

Raymond de Merville listened with a sneer on his face as Geraldus emphasised the truth. The truth, apparently, had to be maintained regardless of what others might say or think. Those who disputed it were to be condemned out of hand. No compassion, no understanding, because the truth was what mattered.

De Merville turned away. He had seen what happened to those who spoke what they saw as the truth when it didn’t match Geraldus’ definition. And what would Geraldus make of his truth, that he had loved, indeed still did love, a man? Some truths could never be spoken.

The Magic Roundabout: A Day at the Seaside #035 spring

“It’s all very well for him,” said Dougal, “he just bounces everywhere. My legs aren’t very long, and the sand gets in my fur.”

“Chill, man,” Dylan replied. “Just relax and enjoy the day at the seaside. Listen to the waves and take it easy.”

“And that’s another thing,” Dougal continued. “All this saltwater can’t be doing me any good.”

“Why don’t you help me build a sandcastle?” Florence said.

“That would mean even more sand,” Dougal moaned.

“I think it’s rather fun,” Ermintrude added. “It’s so lovely to get away for the day.”

“Boingggg!” Zebedee arrived. “Time for bed!”

Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat: Close Every Door #032 hope

Thrown into prison, maybe condemned to stay there for the rest of his life, what hope was there for Joseph? In the eyes of the world none, but Joseph knew he was a child of Israel and there was a future for him somewhere.

His new companions looked at him cautiously and finally one of them, a butler, asked if he could interpret his dream. The outcome looked promising, and so, with his hopes up, the baker told of his own dream. It wasn’t long before the man regretted asking him.

Joseph, meanwhile, waited to see what would happen next.

Romeo & Juliet: The Future in the Stars #008 star

They stood on Juliet’s balcony and looked at the stars together. To Juliet it seemed as if they had never shone as brightly before, confirming heavenly approval on her love for Romeo. She looked up, trying to pick out those which she knew symbolised lovers, confident that they were shining especially for her.

To Romeo they were not as mystical. Their brightness spoke instead of hope and possibilities, of the promise of fortune favouring the brave, of encouragement to grasp all that he wanted. The stars were bright and he was confident he would succeed, despite the odds against him.

Giraffes Can’t Dance (Giles Andreae): Oh Yes They Can #093 can

There were still creatures who maintained Gerald didn’t have a place at the Jungle Dance.

“It was never like this in my grandfather’s day,” moaned the warthog.

“Yes, well, that was when everyone had to be careful they didn’t get trodden on by a stegosaurus doing the stomp,” the cheetah replied. “Times have moved on since then.”

“Everyone’s got a right to dance, in whatever way seems best for them,” the elephant added.

“And Gerald’s going to teach us how to do his dance,” the gazelle said.

Gerald was very happy, because they had all agreed that giraffes can dance.

Ballet Shoes: Miss Fossil #064 practice

“I need to do some practice,” the young woman said sharply.

“Of course, Miss Fossil,” the man said. He gave her a strange look but had long since learnt not to argue.

Had it been Posy, no-one would have queried the need for her to practise, because that was all part of a ballerina’s preparation. And for Pauline, they would have assumed she was rehearsing her lines, making sure they were fixed in her mind.

But this was Petrova, and she needed to practise the basic repairs to a plane, because one never knew when the knowledge might prove vital.