Short fic Challenge.

[legionseagle.livejournal.com]

With ankaret's blessing and with a certain degree of trepidation, I'm stepping up to the high-board and about to plunge with my short fic Stowaway (which is only a drabble if you use the term very loosely indeed, and/or can't count) as the opening entry in ankaret challenge.

Rated: 12A (15 for those of you who watched bits of POTC 2 from between your fingers):
Gen.
Usual disclaimers
Summary (and link):

Don't use the phrase "worse things happen at sea" lightly. Sometimes it's true.

ankaret has requested: to avoid spamming the flists of people who don't like fanfic, could this be the official: Post/Link here post for the challenge, and please could people remember to post either their own drabbles or links to them in comments to this rather than in separate posts

Can I also remind people to use lj-cut and post ratings/warnings if they're including anything "post watershed" ?

Thanks

Comments

[ankaret.livejournal.com]

Home Is The Sailor (http://rose-and-lizard.livejournal.com/21473.html). leapingirbis asked for Fob (in years to come, clearly) making a brave attempt to seduce Peter. Peter/Fob, U, 100 words.

A Flutter In The Dovecote (http://rose-and-lizard.livejournal.com/21586.html). anstruther asked for anything involving any character from Diana Wynne Jones' Archer's Goon and any Marlow, but somehow it ended up with Patrick in instead. Billions of ajopolies. Gen, U, 323 words.

Entente Cordiale (http://rose-and-lizard.livejournal.com/21924.html). anstruther asked for Claudie's pillow-talk with anybody, and gets two versions. Take one, Claudie/Charles, PG, 100 words.

All-Night Sitting (http://rose-and-lizard.livejournal.com/22050.html). anstrutherasked for Claudie's pillow-talk with anybody, and gets two versions. Take two, Claudie/Helena, 18, 463 words.

Apologies for writing three for anstruther, one for leapingirbis and none for anyone else - it's just how the prompts fell.

Looking forward to seeing the rest of the drabbles!

[darth-tigger.livejournal.com]

This is my first ever attempt at fan-fic of any variety, so be gentle with me. It's only a drabble if you extend the definition to include short fiction of a few more than 100 words. It's not, I'm afraid, inspired by any of the suggested plot ideas, I hope that's OK. Nothing dodgy or post watershed.

(I'm so nervous about posting this, by the way. Like I said, I've never written any fan-fic before!)



Secrets

She'd never quite understood why she didn't fit it. Oh, she'd tried, but it was like trying to sing a song the others all knew when no-one would tell her the words. But now, ever the outsider, at last she had a key. Power, leverage, a weapon for either supremacy or acceptance. A chance overheard sentence, a few clues, putting two and two together – not that they'd ever guess she was clever enough to do that, oh no – now, at last, she knew something they didn't.

"Nicky knows what I mean." The faces, staring, just as she had imagined. But not quite right. Contemptuous. Despising. Looking as if she had crawled out from under a stone. Words buzzed in her ears.

They knew!

They knew all along and didn't tell her!

Marie withdrew back into herself once again.

[ankaret.livejournal.com]

Oooh, thank you. Marie POV! See, I *said* she was a Slytherin.

*beams happily*

[legionseagle.livejournal.com]

like trying to sing a song the others all knew when no-one would tell her the words

Great phrase, and very evocative of Marie's precise sort of isolation.

[forester48.livejournal.com]

I love seeing the POV of the minor characters - poor Marie. Such a very bleak time AF gave her at KC.

Thank you, I really liked this.

[leapingirbis.livejournal.com]

Oh yes, excellent angle - really interesting to see things from Marie's POV.

[coughingbear]

I do like this. Especially 'The faces, staring, just as she had imagined. But not quite right.'

[leapingirbis.livejournal.com]

This is my first attempt at drabble (or indeed any kind of fic) writing - I feel very brave! Not sure how to rate my drabbles; the first two include adult themes but nothing too explicit.

I have tried three times to enter my drabbles behind cuts but have failed each time. If anyone is getting email notice of all my deleted posts I do apologise. I shall try again, but if it doesn't work I have to give up and would just warn off anyone who doesn't want any reference to adult themes - cuts seemed to work in my journal OK, why are they not working here?


Drabble - Set at the Merricks' Twelfth Night Party, a Year After "Run Away Home"

Now that it was over, Ginty felt shivery and rather as if she were going to cry. But clearly that was unthinkable, she had to go back down and act as if nothing had happened. Ronnie stroked her cheek lightly and gave her one of his devastating smiles. "Don't be too long," he whispered and disappeared.

Left alone in Ronnie's room, Ginty dressed slowly and looked in the mirror. She was surprised to see she didn't look any different. She felt different. She'd wanted it to happen of course; she'd been flirting with Ronnie madly since the Boxing Day Meet and had decided he was perfect for her First Time. Now, however, she felt sad and rather empty, and badly wished Monica was there.



Drabble - Set one and a half years after "Run Away Home"

The party was in full swing. Pressed into a corner, Lawrie shifted against Tom, who groaned and slipped a hand into her shirt. "Let's find somewhere more private," he murmured.

"Patrick, have you seen Lawrie," asked Nicola.
"Not recently, last I saw she was snogging some random bloke. Actually, since everyone else is at it" ... Nicola pushed him away, giggling. "Idiot! Help me find Lal; Mum said we had to get a taxi together and Peter wants to go."

Patrick pushed open a bedroom door, took one look and backed out fast. Nicola peered past him. "No, Nick.." But Nicola had frozen. In total disbelief and disgust, she stared at her twin, who looked very small under Tom's hulking frame. Lawrie turned her head. "Go away, Nick," she said simply. And Nicola went.



Drabble - Set seven or eight years after "The Cricket Term"

About to drive through the Kingscote gates, Lois' courage suddenly failed her. What she needed before facing her past, she decided abruptly, was a drink.

Sitting down in the "Oxen", she noticed a rather dishy bloke at the next table, who was eyeing her up most appreciatively. Catching her eye, he smiled: "May I join you?"
Lois hesitated. He was definitely sexy, but still ... "I really am quite respectable," he said persuasively. "I've just dropped three of my sisters off for a school reunion down the road ... I'm Giles" he added. But Lois realised she had, somehow, already known. She reached a decision. Giving him her most ravishing smile, she moved along to make room. Rowan, she thought with satisfaction, would be absolutely livid when she found out.

[(Anonymous)]

I think there may be a problem with lj-cut not working in comments: can people post links instead if they think there's going to be a problem with content? I don't think there is one here, though; the "themes" are no more or less adult than those included in the books themselves (Claudie's "bed and breakfast"; the denoument of The Ready-Made Family being examples) and I personally don't have any problem with the level of explicitness.

Well done; I particularly enjoyed the third one, but then I'm evil that way.

[forester48.livejournal.com]

So Lois-ish, this last one. I loved it - how about another drabble for what happened next re Rowan finding out?

Re: Why not Nicola?

[darth-tigger.livejournal.com]

Oh yes! Love it!

[knityrowndalek.livejournal.com]

Posted to my own journal as well. Really sorry I couldn't write a 100 word story - i did try!




"But will it be exactly like it was for you and Auntie Lawrie, Mummy?" asked Robertina Anquetil, hopping from foot to foot in her very new Kingscote uniform.

"I shouldn't think so, Robbi," said her mother, manouvring a suitcase neatly through the converted Brixham trawler's galley. "It's all quite different now Crommie's in charge."

Robertina stood on one leg. "Will *I* call her Crommie?"

"Certainly not," said Nicola, shocked.

"Not twice, anyway," agreed Robbi's elder sister Pamela, leaning down through the hatch, a scarlet-ribboned boater on her crisp golden curls. "Not even once, I shouldn't think. How can it be like it was for Mummy and Auntie Lawrie? *Your* twin's a boy."

"It's not fair," Robbi mourned. "If I can go to Kingscote, why can't Horatio go to Dartmouth like Daddy and Uncle Peter?"

"Because that isn't how things are these days." Nicola handed the suitcase up to her elder daughter and swung herself up onto the deck. She looked with satisfaction at the shivering grey water and the neat rows of boats along the quayside. How glad she had been, to tie up her painter here at last and raise a quiverful of children. "Be quick, the taxi's here."

"I want to say goodbye to Gabriel-Jon!" wailed Pamela. Nicola thought she saw her elder daughter turn briefly from serene member of Upper IVA to child again as she leaned down to kiss the baby.

Robbi did likewise and then gave her mother one last shy hug. "I wish Daddy was here."

"So do I, Robbi, but he's got bigger ships than this one to sail."

Nicola clambered up onto the trawler's deck to watch the taxi go. She waved them off, resisting the tell-tale sparkle in her vision that whispered of unshed tears. She loved the sea; how strange that part of her heart was going ashore, and would not be whole again until those two dauntless scarlet-clad landsmen were home again.

"And don't worry if they put you in Third Remove," she said softly to the departing taxi. "If they do, it'll be the best year of your life."

[jen-c-w.livejournal.com]

I somehow missed this last year.
It just made me tearful. It's lovely.

[melandraanne.livejournal.com]

My first attempt at a drabble - 100 words according to Word ... I've posted it on my journal due to very slight Patrick/Peter content, in case people object
http://melandraanne.livejournal.com/9008.html

[gair.livejournal.com]

I cannot write drabbles, so I wrote an untitled snippet instead: it's 350 words, Nicola/Miranda, PG. Go here (http://gair.livejournal.com/36362.html) to read it. Constructive criticism very much welcomed.

[balooky.livejournal.com]

I've really enjoyed all of these. Thank you :)

[melandraanne.livejournal.com]

Two short not-quite-drabbles ...

Meeting

“Patrick, this is Mr West, who is helping us with the props for the charity performance.”
The Merrick Boy, suitably suited and polished as befitted an MP’s son, duly smiled and shook hands. Then took a deep breath as he recognised the girl
It would be so easy to say ‘Don’t you go to Kingscote ? Nick Marlow’s a friend of mine.”
But ever since the play, he had retained a perfect mental image of the Falcon Angel, on her block. What if reality could not stand up to the pedestal he’d placed her on ? What if she simpered, giggled, gabbled ?
Unbearable. And so he nodded and listened, dutiful Patrick, then turned away, dreams intact.


Esther

Esther felt sick. A hundred letters written and torn up. Hardly a day had passed when she had not picked up the phone to dial. Heavy hints on the desirability of an ever-present babysitter and the good local Comp had fallen on deaf ears. And now she’d run out of time. “Hi Nick,” she practised. “Hi, Nick.” How hard could it be ?
Familiar blue uniform and blonde hair. Deep breath. She felt sick, dizzy. And then Daks wriggled and jumped, running to Nick.
“Good hols ?” she asked, patting the panting poodle.
But although she nodded and smiled, Nick’s eyes were cool as ice. And Esther’s heart sank. If only you could turn back time…

[rosathome.livejournal.com]

Someone wanted Mrs Marlow/Mrs Merrick's first meeting after the events in Attic Term. I hope a phone conversation will do.

It's not quite how I wanted it but haven't got any more time to work at it and it's about 250 words - sorry!

‘Is that you, Helena? I was hoping to speak to Anthony.’ Mrs Marlow sounded uncharacteristically flustered.
‘He’s at the House, I’m afraid, Pam. Can I help?’
‘Well, yes, I expect so. I just wanted to apologise for my frightful daughter. I hope nothing too terrible has happened to Patrick.’
Helena Merrick’s eyelashes fluttered. Here, perhaps, was an unexpected opportunity. ‘They let him sit his exams.’
‘Oh, what a relief.’
‘But Anthony’s been told it’s highly unlikely they’ll be marked.’
‘Ah.’ Mrs Marlow’s discomfort was palpable even at two hundred miles. ‘So he’ll have to take them next term? Will his school be able to arrange that?’
Helena allowed herself a small smile. ‘He’s been expelled.’
There was a pleasing silence at the end of the line. Mrs Merrick waited.
Eventually Mrs Marlow pulled herself together. ‘I’m so terribly sorry, Helena. Is there anything you can do?’
‘Anthony doesn’t think so. Anyway, I hope Ginty’s not too distraught? She mustn’t blame herself.’
‘I don’t see why not,’ responded Mrs Marlow tartly. ‘It seems to me that she’s entirely to blame.’
‘Well, if you want to put it like that,’ Helena replied smoothly.
Mrs Marlow cleared her throat. ‘Yes, well. Shall we see you at the Lidgetts next week?’
‘No, we shan’t be coming down until Christmas Eve. Have a lovely Christmas, Pam.’
‘Yes. Well. Happy Christmas, Helena.’
‘Goodbye, Pam.’ Mrs Merrick replaced the receiver, feeling better than she had for days.

[ankaret.livejournal.com]

Another 100 word job, not to any particular prompt. Gen. U.

==

Dear Nacker

How are you? We are all fine.

Are you going in for anything at the Festivial in Colebridge this time? Kaykaren says everyone did last time and you sang. I am in all the races and the diving. Rose is making a garden in a tin tray. Fob is decerating a paper plate. I want to enter the dog obedients but Daddy says Sam could only get in as a bad exampel.

Rowan came yesterday. She and Daddy had what Methren calls an exchange of veiws. Rose and Fob and I had cake.

Yours sincerely

Chas. Wm. Dodd.

[melandraanne.livejournal.com]

I really love this - so Chas-like. Perfect. Many thanks

[forester48.livejournal.com]

Sorry, girlyswot, I did the same one - and a bit similar.

Just after Patrick has been expelled - Pamela Marlow takes the bull by the horns and phones Helena Merrick 110 words

"Helena, I don't know how to apologise for my ghastly daughter - "
"My dear, all Patrick's fault for being so naïve! Hopefully, he's learnt his lesson about whom he can trust - it's an ill wind!"
"Learnt - ? "
"Daughters are nightmares, aren't they? But if Virginia never does worse than get the occasional boy expelled then you've got off lightly from things I hear."
"Occasional - ?"
"Joke, darling! Personally, I'm delighted to get him out of that appalling school. We've had to pull a few strings but we think Gordenstoun will squeeze him in! Now that should be far enough from any trouble, don't you think?"

[ankaret.livejournal.com]

I shouldn't worry: they're not that similar. If anything, it's my fault for not letting myself in for all the bureaucracy of trying to match up prompts and authors. :)

[katlinel.livejournal.com]

This isn't in response to a request, but it's something that I thought of requesting, and then found I was working it out for myself. Hope that's ok. It's a drabble and a half, rather than a drabble.

Had She But Courage Equal To Desire

Four pairs of eyes were looking at her. Her hands rested quietly, but her toes were curled tight and her stomach somersaulted, just like when Mummy and Daddy, well, when Mummy and Daddy. She'd hoped, now, as then, they wouldn't notice her, that she could just be not there, but she couldn't not answer, not this time.

Tim’s glance slid sideways, as it always did. Miranda was as sharp and noticing as Nicola's Sprog. Lawrie might just as well wear dark glasses for all you could tell of her; she changed moment by moment, playing her parts over and over. Nicola seemed at a loss, uncertain; she hadn't seen that before, but only in Nicola’s eyes did she see enough to remind her of the one thing she could truly let herself care for.

"Wouldn’t you say, Esther, that Lawrie was an ass?” echoed in her mind.

"Yes," said Esther.

[ankaret.livejournal.com]

Shivers at 'when Mummy and Daddy, well, when Mummy and Daddy'. And how glad I am that Esther had the courage to unexpectedly say 'yes'.

[antisoppist.livejournal.com]

Word says it's 101 words but I think all the hyphenation is probably cheating. Proof pos I sometimes listen to my father and sister's agricultural woes.

There have always been Starkadders Marlows at Trennels

Joining the EEC, milk quotas, BSE, COSHH, cattle passports, the Milk Marketing Board getting the chop, foot-and-mouth, falling milk prices, dairy audits, the Single Farm Payment… Farming had changed, and it had all happened so fast.

Was it time to sell up like the Leggatts? Or to admit, if not wholly in public, to more than her two-in-the-morning-sleepless self, that she plain didn't know enough to cope? What had Nick said about being at Trennels since Alfred? Never would anyone be able to say it was her fault they'd stopped being.

She typed "Wade Agricultural College", "part-time", "mature student", into Google.

[ankaret.livejournal.com]

Oh, sensible Rowan!

I'm now wondering whether Mrs Bertie and Doris map to Mrs Beetle and Meriam... :)

Esther

[res23.livejournal.com]

Long time (mostly) lurker's first try at any sort of fiction. I gave up on 100 words after a few minutes, when I realised it was near enough impossible! I'm full of admiration for those of you who could do it. I thought I'd try to edit mine down to even 500, if that would help. It's just over 800 at the moment. I found it a bit hard to work out punctuation and italics and so on, trying to work out what was actually her own thoughts and what I was sort of describing as her thoughts, if that makes sense. Kind of like direct and indirect speech. But I couldn't be very consistent, so in the end I kind of did it intuitively. Getting the right tense was a bit difficult as well. I don't seem to be able to get the spaces between paragraphs or italics or whatever in my comment. I hope it's readable without them. I have to put the story in another comment as it says it's too long for this one...

Re: Esther

[res23.livejournal.com]

It was still too long to post here, so I put it in my journal (first post!). But I don't know how to do the link to here.

[forester48.livejournal.com]

This was inspired by Ankaret's 'All Night Sitting' . This is a double drabble 200 words. Hope you don't mind me using a quote from it as a title.

Patrick has so much sense of sin


He'd never liked the Catholic church in Colebridge - too modern for his tastes and the confessional had been designed by someone who shouldn't have been allowed to - but it was the place to take his larger sins. After all he could hardly use the chapel at home: deaf old Father Beddoes telling him to speak up and the entire O'Flaverty clan listening goggle eyed from the other side of the inadequate cubicle - all right for them, no-one could understand that impenetrable Irish bog accent anyway - damn, that was two sins - being proud - being unkind - no three - blasphemy, too . . .

What was he going to call it anyway? Having relations, like frightful Brother Francis did at school, who thought all teenage girls were the devil's work? Had sex with more casual, more experienced. His turn, Bless me, Father, for I have sinned, but he didn't feel repentant. His Act of Contrition was going to be a poor confused thing. He felt guilty, all right - perhaps guilt would do for the moment . . .

Three Our Fathers and a Hail Mary? Was that all an afternoon with Claudie was worth?

[ankaret.livejournal.com]

Ha! So like Patrick not to like a modern church, and I love the casually turned descriptions of the supporting cast in Patrick's head, particularly horrid Brother Francis.

His Act of Contrition was going to be a poor confused thing is very Forest indeed in tone.

Thank you!

You <i>Don't</i> Alway Have Paris

[legionseagle.livejournal.com]

A Madam Orly drabble, from the wartime years.

In which she belatedly realises some mistakes are irrevocable:

You Don't Always Have Paris (http://legionseagle.livejournal.com/1963.html).

[meerium.livejournal.com]

this is my first ever attempt at drabbling, too, it isn't in response to any of the requests (though it's something i've occasionally wondered about) and it comes in at about 130 words, but i hope you'll be gentle despite all that!

What Happened Next...

She looked in the mirror and tried to hide the disconcerted look that was all too plain to read in her face, as the doorbell rang. It didn’t seem to matter how much she inwardly repeated “Honestly. Load of ruddy fuss about nothing”, and convinced herself that they'd done the only thing they could in the circumstances; it had all been a singularly unpleasant end to the term and it looked like her punishment at least would extend into the holidays, too.

Her father’s voice exasperatedly summonsed her down to greet the visitor, and she knew there was no way of avoiding what came next. She forced a composed demeanour, and pressed thumbs that it stuck as she went down the stairs and said “Hello Aunt Edith. Merry Christmas”.

[ankaret.livejournal.com]

Ooooh. I've always wondered how the events of End of Term were received in the Keith household...

[anstruther.livejournal.com]

Another first-timer...

This is for legionseagle, who asked for Miss Keith and an ill-assorted "Dirty Dozen" recruited and led by her niece defending Kingscote in the last ditch against Grendel's Mother and a host of myffic monsters from the vasty deeps. Gen, U, 132 words.

Miss Keith's Dirty Dozen

"Ok Unity, what's the story with the two new recruits?"

"Well, I'm not quite sure about them, actually," said Unity hesitantly. "We still don't know how they got into the grounds, but we don't think they're spies, they seem too clueless. The podgy bloke in fancy dress keeps on insisting that he's a wizard. But he can't do any magic. Just keeps going on about the Trousers of Time and how his staff doesn't work in this universe. He says that if we had a rubber sheet and some lead weights he could show- "

"Right, well, let's give him an axe and see if he knows how to use that," said Tim briskly, making a note on her clipboard. "The big ape should be good in a fight, at any rate."

[legionseagle.livejournal.com]

Oh, that's great! But is "the podgy bloke" Mustrum Ridcully or Ponder Stibbons? Ridcully would be better in a fight, I suspect...