Crazy day today. Holiday traffic and a giant tree that fell across 4 lanes of highway blocking my way home. Made it in the end!
Donkey, photo by Greudin
While I’ll be back tomorrow with Q, today’s story is courtesy of writer, mama and brilliant bookseller Sarah Bagshaw. Enjoy!
Pietr the Potent
The donkey knew he was in a bad situation when the man loaded that heavily pregnant woman onto his back before dawn.
Of course, bad is all relative. It was bad the night he tried to break into the wizard’s house and his hissing of “Turn Key! Turn Key!” at the doorknob resulted in his present physical manifestation.
He was never very good at that spell.
And bad went to worse when he got hauled off by an ostler and rented out as a pack animal. Turned out “Hee Haw” wasn’t an effective communication pattern, so he’d been at this job for a while.
The census was forcing this couple to travel to Bethlehem and he was the designated beast of burden. She was going to end up having that baby all over his backside. This was NOT what he signed up for when he applied to go to Magical University.
When the lady spoke about a bright vision and how she was sure to be carrying the child of a god his ears pricked up. Why that scheming so and so… He’s done it!
Rumours had been swirling around the University that the yearly challenge had been won by Pietr the Damned. He claimed he would make someone believe they’d seen a god. Randy bugger, he obviously took advantage of it. They were going to have to re-name him Pietr the Potent.
But the donkey’s claim to fame — Paul the Pony? And, to top it off, everyone will think this baby is the child of a god. Really, could it get any worse?
***
For the month of December, my goal is to post a piece of festive flash fiction here to the blog every day. Twenty-five stories, each 250 words or fewer — a little fictional festivity to brighten the darkest month of the year. For readers, I offer these stories as a moment of peace within a hectic month of busy. And writers? As you can see from this Donkey’s Tail, I’ll feature any flash fiction you’d like to share!
More soon…
~kc