short story – Page 24

Bath Tub

February 8, 2019 LittleFears9 Comments

Brass Ep. 24

Home, at last, Copper pulled a tin of WD-40 off the shelf and started giving the creature a clean. Wondering what this robot was for in a previous life. A faded red rectangle with an indigo cross suggested it was built in Norway. Although its front legs were burnt black, she could make out bird decorations on them.

Copper slid the creature into a bathtub filled with oil and let it soak. She figured this Norwegian robot could have been created to study remote bird life. So it Scandinavian.

Thanks to Warren for the $10 Patronage.

Black Drink

February 7, 2019 LittleFears8 Comments

Brass Ep. 23

Copper needed a rest and a drink of oil. She couldn’t carry this creature the whole way home. She could see a row of shopping trolleys across the street. Further up the road, Copper could see 4-stroke motor oil stacked into a tidy pile.

“This isn’t a date or anything,” she said to her new silent friend. “But I’m about to take you somewhere very expensive.”

Copper eased the creature into a shopping trolley and wheeled her into the petrol stations forecourt.

Thanks to Warren for the $10 Patronage.

Love Morph

February 6, 2019 LittleFears26 Comments

Fear of Ink (ep. 2)

“Wimmin, huh?” laughed Sprite.

Cloud dropped a few raindrops on Sprite. “So what happened?”

“I told her she should embrace her mistakes,” replied Morph.

“And then?” asked Sprite.

“Well, nothing,” replied Morph. “She just hugged me.”

Cloud held it in as she drifted off on the breeze.

Thanks to Warren for the $10 Patronage.

Magnetic Switch

February 6, 2019 LittleFears11 Comments

Brass Ep. 22

She tried a switch to turn it on. Aside from a click, there were no signs of life. The metal creatures appearance pleased Copper. She wasn’t sure why. She dragged it out of the earth and gave it a brush, removing the loose soil.

Copper noticed the creature contained magnets as she struggled to release her grip of it. Despite the rust, it looked to be in good condition. A few minor repairs and a battery charge might have it working again. She knew better than to get her hopes up. But she found the idea of a new magnetic friend in these decaying lands quite attractive.

Photo by Caylee Betts on Unsplash. Thanks to Warren for the $10 Patronage.

Rust Theory

February 5, 2019 LittleFears17 Comments

Brass Ep. 21

Copper reached down and clawed at the dirt around the metal lump. The soil around it was dark, both burned and stained with oil.

Stones came up in her claw. Underneath, a cracked bulb glinted up at her. She dug her talons in around the metal casing and lifted it out. A long and narrow head, similar to her own emerged. A rigid body and four legs followed. Its stiff tail coiled like a spring. A rusted patina browned with age and dirt.

Who or what-ever this was, she knew it wasn’t evil. After all, there’s no rust for the wicked.

Thanks to Warren for the $10 Patronage.

Falling Street

February 4, 2019 LittleFears24 Comments

Brass Ep. 20

Copper darted outside when she heard a rumbling from up the road. She could see the supermarket had collapsed in the distance. The rot of this human-made world was decaying faster by the day. No change there.

As she started the long walk home, she noticed the storefronts had rotted in the short time she’d been in the hardware store. Buildings creaked as the timber frames gave.

A clunk came from below her, as she stubbed her toe on a lump of metal protruding from the ground. Something was afoot.

Photo by Andrew Amistad on Unsplash. Thanks to Warren for the $10 Patronage.

Bird Table

February 1, 2019 LittleFears13 Comments

Brass Ep. 19

Next to the exit were the pet and bird foods. She’d always filled the bird tables despite the seed never being eaten. The wind would always take it eventually.

The only seed that hadn’t blown away was David Elms heavy bird food. A five-kilo bag was only the size of a one-kilo bag of flour. Also, the poshest bird food Copper had seen. The seeds wore tiny tuxedoes. The birds still didn’t eat it.

Copper figured it was un-peckable.

Photo by Jacek Dylag on Unsplash. Thanks to Warren for the $10 Patronage.

Vice Chip

January 31, 2019 LittleFears23 Comments

Brass Ep. 18

She hurried up the aisle of the hardware store, emptying the shelves of various oils into her trolley.

She rounded a corner and saw clamp attached to a workbench. Beside it laid seven decks of playing cards, a pile of £20 notes and a handful of casino chips.

She knew the shopkeepers only vice was gambling.

Thanks to Warren for the $10 Patronage.

Electric Ave

January 30, 2019 LittleFears40 Comments

Brass Ep. 17

Copper pulled a few lengths of wire off their reels. Electrical work wasn’t her speciality. Despite needing some electrical work, she’d repeatedly avoided repairing herself. A lot like the lady used to avoid going to the dentist.

She picked up some fuses and looked around for some rubber matting and safety gloves. Her inability to repair basic faults had been called into question many times.

People were frequently shocked when they realised what a bad electrician she was.

Photo by Steve Johnson on Unsplash. Thanks to Warren for the $10 Patronage.

Paint Canned

January 29, 2019 LittleFears20 Comments

Brass Ep. 16

Copper made her way up the paint aisle. She loved the rainbow of paint pots. Racing Green, Warm Sand, Yellow Sulphur and Deep Violet.

Suddenly, she realised there was no blue paint. She backtracked along the aisle reading the names on the pots. Copper saw labels that read Royal Blue and Ultramarine Blue. They both appeared to be green. Her heart sunk. Was she going colour blind?

That’s come completely out of the green.

Original photo by Joey Huang on Unsplash. Thanks to Warren for the $10 Patronage and a howdy to Karl Duncan. A long time Fear who’s just subscribed to my Patreon.