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vanillalimeWell, the recent Wherefore Art Thou, Drabble Tree? at ![[community profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/community.png)
oz_wishing_well has not yet been officially closed, but I think it's safe to say it's stopped growing. This post is an archive of the five drabbles I contributed to the tree, two of them official 100-word drabbles and three 200-word double drabbles. (I am amazed by people who can consistently turn out scenes or stories in 100 words! It's so difficult for me to convey my thoughts in such a short amount of space.)
_________________
Prompt: siren, fromtrillingstar
(Beecher)
Word Count: 200
Exhausted, Toby sat on the floor of the shed, trying to regroup. He was filthy, hungry, and scared, and he was regretting every decision he’d made in the last 24 hours.
Toby’s eyes came to rest on a pair of pruning shears hanging on the wall. He looked over at the man responsible for this nightmare, sleeping peacefully on the floor, and envisioned plunging those shears into his fat ass. Toby grinned crazily, relishing the idea, until he heard the wail of a siren in the distance.
Toby jumped to his feet. To his surprise, he found himself wishing they’d been discovered, it was over, and he’d soon be going home.
His blood ran cold as he realized he thought of Oz as home.
Home is where the heart is, his mother used to say.
But Toby had no heart left, so that didn’t make sense.
The siren grew closer, then slowly faded away, until all that could be heard was the sound of crickets chirping in the cool night air.
Before long, a car pulled into the adjacent driveway, and Toby shook the body next to him. "Wake up, Busmalis. Norma’s home. Let’s see if she’s got some money."
_________________
Prompt: tat, fromtrillingstar
(Murphy, McManus)
Word Count: 200
Laughing uncontrollably, Sean knocked over his glass, spilling what was left of his beer onto the bar.
"And then, and then," slurred Tim, "O’Reily said… "
"Yeah, yeah?"
"He said, 'It’s not what it looks like! I ain't no fag!'"
They both dissolved into a fit of giggles.
Tim wiped his hand over his face. "Man, we should stop now, before we end up at a tattoo parlor."
"Oh, we should get tattoos! I’ll get a shamrock! Or leprechaun!"
"I already gotta tat," Tim mumbled.
"No, you don’t."
"Yeah, I do."
"Tim, you don’t! I’ve seen you naked a thousand times!"
Oops. That came out louder than he’d meant.
Sheepishly, Tim lowered the waistband of his pants, revealing a small, cursive "L" on his hipbone.
Sean tried to focus his eyes. "What the fuck is that?"
"My nickname for Ellie was El."
Sean furrowed his brow. "That makes no fuckin’ sense."
Tim grinned. "I did a lot of things back then that made no fuckin’ sense."
Pulling his pants back up, Tim added with a chuckle, "The tat coulda been a lot worse, though. I coulda got it on my forehead."
Sean fell over laughing so hard he wet his pants.
_________________
Prompt: birthday, fromtrillingstar
(Ryan O'Reily, Keller)
Word Count: 100
Keller knocked once on his door, then quickly stepped inside.
"Hey, O'Reily, I wanna ask you a favor."
Ryan glanced down from his bunk. "It'll cost $20."
"You don’t even know what it is!"
"I know today’s Beecher’s birthday, K-Boy. I’m guessing $20 is a fair price."
Keller scowled. "Fine."
Minutes later, Ryan stood guard outside the storage closet. A suspicious Hoyt approached him, asking, "What’s goin’ on in there?"
Ryan grinned. "Five bucks, and I’ll let you take a peek."
Word spread, and an hour later, Ryan was $100 richer.
Beecher’s birthday was Ryan’s favorite day of the year.
_________________
Prompt: that day isn't today, fromcmk418
(Keller, Holly, Toby)
Word Count: 200
Chris climbs the steps along the first-base line, squinting into the warm spring sunshine. He searches until he finds Holly, engrossed in reading her program. The stadium is only half-full, but he takes the seat directly in front of her. He waits.
In time, Toby appears, juggling three Cokes while Harry carries the hot dogs.
Toby sits down next to Holly, and Chris smiles as he breathes in Toby's aftershave and sweat. Perhaps, someday, Chris will allow Toby to smell his scent in return. But that day isn't today.
As Toby hands Holly her drink, the batter hits a foul ball that rockets through the air at 100 mph, directly in line with Holly's head.
With perfect timing, Chris stands up and absorbs the blow against his chest.
As Harry scrambles for the ball, Toby looks up, realizing with horror what could have been. He shakily asks Holly, "You alright?"
"Of course," Holly answers. Staring at Chris, she explains, "My guardian angel is always watching over me."
Toby mumbles, "Thank god for that."
Chris grins at Holly, then waves goodbye and turns to leave.
Toby helps Harry back into his seat and doesn't see Holly return the wave.
_________________
Prompt: brain overriding his urge (with a slight variation), fromtrillingstar
(Keller)
Word Count: 100
Trying to please Toby, Keller decided self-reflection was the key to self-control, using his brain to override his urges for violence.
"Write down your thoughts. Set goals, follow through."
Sister Pete usually dispensed shitty advice, but that might work. Grabbing a pencil, he started small:
Five People in Oz I’ll Never Kill
1. Toby (duh)
2. Mukada (I’d go to hell)
3. Sister Pete (ditto)
Keller paused, thinking, and added,
4. Rebadow (good chess opponent)
Then, stumped, he studied the Commons...
5. Busmalis (annoying habits)
5. Cyril (unpredictable)
5. Murphy (hack’s a hack)
... until, finally, he spotted some nobody.
5. Shemin (that loser will never cause me problems)
oz_wishing_well has not yet been officially closed, but I think it's safe to say it's stopped growing. This post is an archive of the five drabbles I contributed to the tree, two of them official 100-word drabbles and three 200-word double drabbles. (I am amazed by people who can consistently turn out scenes or stories in 100 words! It's so difficult for me to convey my thoughts in such a short amount of space.)_________________
Prompt: siren, from
trillingstar(Beecher)
Word Count: 200
Exhausted, Toby sat on the floor of the shed, trying to regroup. He was filthy, hungry, and scared, and he was regretting every decision he’d made in the last 24 hours.
Toby’s eyes came to rest on a pair of pruning shears hanging on the wall. He looked over at the man responsible for this nightmare, sleeping peacefully on the floor, and envisioned plunging those shears into his fat ass. Toby grinned crazily, relishing the idea, until he heard the wail of a siren in the distance.
Toby jumped to his feet. To his surprise, he found himself wishing they’d been discovered, it was over, and he’d soon be going home.
His blood ran cold as he realized he thought of Oz as home.
Home is where the heart is, his mother used to say.
But Toby had no heart left, so that didn’t make sense.
The siren grew closer, then slowly faded away, until all that could be heard was the sound of crickets chirping in the cool night air.
Before long, a car pulled into the adjacent driveway, and Toby shook the body next to him. "Wake up, Busmalis. Norma’s home. Let’s see if she’s got some money."
_________________
Prompt: tat, from
trillingstar(Murphy, McManus)
Word Count: 200
Laughing uncontrollably, Sean knocked over his glass, spilling what was left of his beer onto the bar.
"And then, and then," slurred Tim, "O’Reily said… "
"Yeah, yeah?"
"He said, 'It’s not what it looks like! I ain't no fag!'"
They both dissolved into a fit of giggles.
Tim wiped his hand over his face. "Man, we should stop now, before we end up at a tattoo parlor."
"Oh, we should get tattoos! I’ll get a shamrock! Or leprechaun!"
"I already gotta tat," Tim mumbled.
"No, you don’t."
"Yeah, I do."
"Tim, you don’t! I’ve seen you naked a thousand times!"
Oops. That came out louder than he’d meant.
Sheepishly, Tim lowered the waistband of his pants, revealing a small, cursive "L" on his hipbone.
Sean tried to focus his eyes. "What the fuck is that?"
"My nickname for Ellie was El."
Sean furrowed his brow. "That makes no fuckin’ sense."
Tim grinned. "I did a lot of things back then that made no fuckin’ sense."
Pulling his pants back up, Tim added with a chuckle, "The tat coulda been a lot worse, though. I coulda got it on my forehead."
Sean fell over laughing so hard he wet his pants.
_________________
Prompt: birthday, from
trillingstar(Ryan O'Reily, Keller)
Word Count: 100
Keller knocked once on his door, then quickly stepped inside.
"Hey, O'Reily, I wanna ask you a favor."
Ryan glanced down from his bunk. "It'll cost $20."
"You don’t even know what it is!"
"I know today’s Beecher’s birthday, K-Boy. I’m guessing $20 is a fair price."
Keller scowled. "Fine."
Minutes later, Ryan stood guard outside the storage closet. A suspicious Hoyt approached him, asking, "What’s goin’ on in there?"
Ryan grinned. "Five bucks, and I’ll let you take a peek."
Word spread, and an hour later, Ryan was $100 richer.
Beecher’s birthday was Ryan’s favorite day of the year.
_________________
Prompt: that day isn't today, from
cmk418(Keller, Holly, Toby)
Word Count: 200
Chris climbs the steps along the first-base line, squinting into the warm spring sunshine. He searches until he finds Holly, engrossed in reading her program. The stadium is only half-full, but he takes the seat directly in front of her. He waits.
In time, Toby appears, juggling three Cokes while Harry carries the hot dogs.
Toby sits down next to Holly, and Chris smiles as he breathes in Toby's aftershave and sweat. Perhaps, someday, Chris will allow Toby to smell his scent in return. But that day isn't today.
As Toby hands Holly her drink, the batter hits a foul ball that rockets through the air at 100 mph, directly in line with Holly's head.
With perfect timing, Chris stands up and absorbs the blow against his chest.
As Harry scrambles for the ball, Toby looks up, realizing with horror what could have been. He shakily asks Holly, "You alright?"
"Of course," Holly answers. Staring at Chris, she explains, "My guardian angel is always watching over me."
Toby mumbles, "Thank god for that."
Chris grins at Holly, then waves goodbye and turns to leave.
Toby helps Harry back into his seat and doesn't see Holly return the wave.
_________________
Prompt: brain overriding his urge (with a slight variation), from
trillingstar(Keller)
Word Count: 100
Trying to please Toby, Keller decided self-reflection was the key to self-control, using his brain to override his urges for violence.
"Write down your thoughts. Set goals, follow through."
Sister Pete usually dispensed shitty advice, but that might work. Grabbing a pencil, he started small:
Five People in Oz I’ll Never Kill
1. Toby (duh)
2. Mukada (I’d go to hell)
3. Sister Pete (ditto)
Keller paused, thinking, and added,
4. Rebadow (good chess opponent)
Then, stumped, he studied the Commons...
... until, finally, he spotted some nobody.
5. Shemin (that loser will never cause me problems)
