Day 6 of 30 days of Fiction: “6) Write a scene with people talking, but without any actual dialog”

This is the direct sequel to Visiting the Neighbors.

My middle child was very persuasive.

I shouldn’t be surprised; she’s her father’s daughter as much as she’s mine. But she, the best and worst of both of us, was leaning every single bit of her not-inconsiderable inherited charm on me. Wheedling. Arguing. Bargaining.

My darling husband, who might have stood a chance, had ceded the field to me, claiming that this counted, in division of labor, as a “mom argument.” Bless him. And I, who was never the charmer they were, was stuck using cold hard logic against all the convincing powers a ten-year-old could put forth.

She wanted to babysit the neighbor’s newly-hatched baby. Not the Halflings down the road, or even the harpy-people, no, my baby girl wanted to babysit a baby dragon. And she was pouring on the pleases and promises and coaxing and sulking.

I’d been married to her father for twenty-five years. I stood there, the immovable object, telling her no. No. It wasn’t safe. It wasn’t even feasible. How could she change a diaper she couldn’t touch? How would she deal with acid spit-up? The thing had a siren cry that made those harpies sound quiet. And her schoolwork was just getting really intense. She was going to need good grades now to get into a good academy.

Still she pled. She’d be good. She’d do the dishes. She’d give half her earnings to charity. It would be good for her applications, inter-species work. After-school job. Responsibility and civic duty. The baby was so cute.

Still I balked. It wasn’t safe, it wasn’t healthy, and she wasn’t equipped to handle the needs of a dragon infant. She might hurt the baby. She might get hurt. I might have a heart attack. She could start this Friday.

I mentioned she was very persuasive, right?

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Day 5 of 30 days of Fiction: “5) Write a scene entirely in dialog.”

This is the direct sequel to Hatching, and references “Damn dragons, get off my lawn!”

“I hope the noise isn’t bothering you.”

“Not at all. We were just curious; we’ve never seen a baby dragon before.”

“Oh! Well, come on in, the hatching is nearly over. Mind your step, little Cthannie is teething. Right through here…”

“You’ve done wonders with the place.”

“Oh, well, it had good bones. The ogres didn’t leave much but bones. But it had good bones. And here’s our little darling. Don’t worry, the asbestos diaper will protect you.”

“Oh, eee, adorable! Such tiny little claws and teeth! And those ears!”

“They grow into the ears.”

“And the scales? You two are both such warm, fiery colors, and your baby is blue? I’ve never seen a blue dragon.”

“Darling, you’re being rude.”

“No, not at all. The blue fades after a few months into purple, and shifts to red when they’re nearly grown-up. The middle stage can be a little awkward, though.”

“Oh, you mean like Jimmy? Oh, my, I’m sorry, that was horribly rude.”

“Like Jimmy, yes. Scales peeling, shifting colors in spots. He’s nearly done with the awkward stage now.”

“…”

“…”

“Burrrrrrrraaaap!”

“…”

“…”

“Your baby really is lovely. Do the acid belches last for long?

“Oh, hardly any time at all. Here, let me get that for you. Sorry to be so familiar, but dragon spittle has an acid neutralizer.”

“Somehow, I am not surprised. Congratulations on the newest addition to the Smith family; I think perhaps we should be heading home.”

“Thank you, thank you, and do come over any time.”

“Mommy! Mommy, oooh, ooh, so adorable can I hold it can I please?”

“Ah. Hem. This is our daughter, Juniper. Terribly sorry about that.”

“No problem at all. They seem to be getting along quite well, don’t they?”

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