Disclaimer: I don't own anything by Vasquez or Dirge. But that is because I am not either one of them.
Tea Party of Doom
A little boy holding a teddy bear as tight as he could glanced around the park. His parents had said they'd be right back. But he couldn't see them anywhere.
Todd was his name. Squee, Squeegee or other such names is what he was called on a regular basis.
Suddenly someone tapped him on the shoulder. He jumped roughly seven inches off the ground from a flat-footed stance. Once he landed he spun around fearing to find a crazed monster, or worse, the neighbor man.
"Hello." The extremely pale girl said.
For a moment he was too high on an adrenaline rush to speak. "Oh, uh. Hi." He finally managed.
"I'm Lenore, I haven't seen you around." She looked at him suspiciously. "Do you know chicken jokes?"
"Uh, no, not really. I'm Todd." He started to smile. Lenore was nice enough, so far.
"Hi Todd. Want to play?" Lenore asked. She gave him a smile that not only disturbed him but set off so many warning bells his head was spinning.
"I er."
"Yay!" She dragged the hapless child over to a table that was set up for a tea party. She put Squees' beat up teddy bear Shmee in a chair and sat the boy in another. "Let's play!"
Squee stared at the other member of the tea party besides Shmee and himself. It was a little rag doll.
"Lenore, is this such a good idea?" The doll asked.
Squee blinked but said no more than his usual 'squee' at such things.
Lenore fell silent giving the doll a 'look'.
He cringed. "Okay okay, fine."
"This is Ragamuffin." Lenore said pointing to the doll.
Ragamuffin waved and laughed nervously at Squee.
"Um, this is Shmee." Squee said feeling it his duty to introduce his teddy bear.
"He's cute!" Lenore said. She picked up the teapot. "Tea?"
Squees' attention was attracted by the rag-doll. He was making a 'cut' motion across his throat and shaking his head.
"Uh, no thank you. I'm fine."
Lenore duplicated the 'look', which pretty much scared him. "Um, I mean, sure!"
She happily poured him some tea that was a weird green-black color. She then poured some for Shmee, Ragamuffin and herself. She hummed quietly as she did.
Squee regarded the cup of tea with utter distaste and fear.
"This is fun!" She said radiating happiness.
"I'll distract her and you can run." Ragamuffin said out of the side of his mouth to Squee. "Hey Lenore! Look! A kitty!"
"Kitty! Where?" Her blonde head spun in the direction Ragamuffin pointed.
Squee didn't waste any time. He grabbed Shmee and bolted. For a long time he ran blindly across the park.
Suddenly he smacked into someone. Then, for the first time in his life he was grateful to see his dad.
"Oh great, you found us." Sarcasm dripped from his fathers' voice. "Alright, come on, this won't count as a runaway if people see us together like this."
Squee climbed in the car and sighed in relief. His mom asked his dad why he had picked up a strange little boy and his dad replied with a comment on her newest habit.
Squee glanced out the window and saw the weird little girl Lenore pulling another kid across the park. He had black hair, green skin and wore a funny striped shirt. But at least she had forgotten about him.
Tea Party of Doom
A little boy holding a teddy bear as tight as he could glanced around the park. His parents had said they'd be right back. But he couldn't see them anywhere.
Todd was his name. Squee, Squeegee or other such names is what he was called on a regular basis.
Suddenly someone tapped him on the shoulder. He jumped roughly seven inches off the ground from a flat-footed stance. Once he landed he spun around fearing to find a crazed monster, or worse, the neighbor man.
"Hello." The extremely pale girl said.
For a moment he was too high on an adrenaline rush to speak. "Oh, uh. Hi." He finally managed.
"I'm Lenore, I haven't seen you around." She looked at him suspiciously. "Do you know chicken jokes?"
"Uh, no, not really. I'm Todd." He started to smile. Lenore was nice enough, so far.
"Hi Todd. Want to play?" Lenore asked. She gave him a smile that not only disturbed him but set off so many warning bells his head was spinning.
"I er."
"Yay!" She dragged the hapless child over to a table that was set up for a tea party. She put Squees' beat up teddy bear Shmee in a chair and sat the boy in another. "Let's play!"
Squee stared at the other member of the tea party besides Shmee and himself. It was a little rag doll.
"Lenore, is this such a good idea?" The doll asked.
Squee blinked but said no more than his usual 'squee' at such things.
Lenore fell silent giving the doll a 'look'.
He cringed. "Okay okay, fine."
"This is Ragamuffin." Lenore said pointing to the doll.
Ragamuffin waved and laughed nervously at Squee.
"Um, this is Shmee." Squee said feeling it his duty to introduce his teddy bear.
"He's cute!" Lenore said. She picked up the teapot. "Tea?"
Squees' attention was attracted by the rag-doll. He was making a 'cut' motion across his throat and shaking his head.
"Uh, no thank you. I'm fine."
Lenore duplicated the 'look', which pretty much scared him. "Um, I mean, sure!"
She happily poured him some tea that was a weird green-black color. She then poured some for Shmee, Ragamuffin and herself. She hummed quietly as she did.
Squee regarded the cup of tea with utter distaste and fear.
"This is fun!" She said radiating happiness.
"I'll distract her and you can run." Ragamuffin said out of the side of his mouth to Squee. "Hey Lenore! Look! A kitty!"
"Kitty! Where?" Her blonde head spun in the direction Ragamuffin pointed.
Squee didn't waste any time. He grabbed Shmee and bolted. For a long time he ran blindly across the park.
Suddenly he smacked into someone. Then, for the first time in his life he was grateful to see his dad.
"Oh great, you found us." Sarcasm dripped from his fathers' voice. "Alright, come on, this won't count as a runaway if people see us together like this."
Squee climbed in the car and sighed in relief. His mom asked his dad why he had picked up a strange little boy and his dad replied with a comment on her newest habit.
Squee glanced out the window and saw the weird little girl Lenore pulling another kid across the park. He had black hair, green skin and wore a funny striped shirt. But at least she had forgotten about him.