ATPnovel Episode One Hundred and Ninety-One: Popcorn
Episode One Hundred and Ninety-One: Popcorn
“I hope she doesn’t burn the popcorn again,” said the Cat. “And that she makes the buttery kind and not the sweet kind.”
I chuckled. “You might want to supervise if you have such high standards.”
His tail flickered back and forth on the couch, and his whiskers twitched.
“You’re right.” He said as he lazily climbed to his feet and padded down the spine of the couch. He slowed down as he reached the arm. Then his head twisted in my direction. “I apologize for being sharp with you. Rocks are stubborn, and using magic for its strength is the goal. You don’t want to try and twist magic for other purposes. It can go... wrong.”
He let out a huff. “If things go wrong, they usually go really wrong.”
“Cat...”
He turned to face me fully.
“What really happened with the Fates?” My question hit him like a wave.
He stared down at the couch, like he couldn’t bear to meet my eyes. “I will tell you, but not tonight.”
I nodded slowly. “I understand.”
His eyes softened, and he turned back to the archway. “I need to make sure she doesn’t burn the popcorn. The microwave is going already.”
I leaned back on the sofa, letting my thoughts wander. The Cat would tell me what happened, but he needed to be ready. I couldn’t help but feel he didn’t want to be judged.
A giant bowl of popcorn rose from the coffee table, and the couch I rested on shifted from staring over the open space where the dining room was, to facing the fireplace. The screen descended from the top.
“Woah, thanks Betty.” I snagged a handful of the popcorn and found it to be the light and buttery kind. Perfectly popped.
Chirps echoed from the hallway, and Indigo flew in slower than normal. A bag of popcorn dangled from her claws, smelling sweet and a little toasted.
Another bowl appeared, empty, on the table.
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“I got sweet!”
I chuckled as the Cat slunk around the doorway with a frown. His nose twitched and his eyes lit up as he padded faster to the couch.
“We also have the other kind,” I added, motioning to the bowl.
Indigo dropped the bag into the bowl while doing a fly by.
I leaned forward and snagged both, and opened it up for her.
“How about we watch a movie about a giant peach and a little kid?”
Over an hour later, Indigo perched in her bowl of popcorn, the sweet treats surrounding her completely ignored. She chirped in fear for James when dangerous situations came up, and cheered when things worked out.
The Cat grumbled, as he sat in my lap with the regular popcorn next to us. Several times he said inappropriate things about the ‘Aunts’ in the film, and that family was family.
By the end, everyone was ready for bed.
“Indigo, how about you go take a quick shower?” I asked. Her scales shone from butter and sugar. The sweet smell followed her as she nodded and flew across the room.
“Get clean for bed!”
“I might have gotten butter in your fur as well,” I said, but before I finished a wave of green energy came from the Cat.
“All better.” He climbed off my lap and shook his head at the ending credits. His fur stood up in sections as he still grumbled under his breath.
“Are you okay? It’s just a movie.” I reached out and ran a hand along his back.
“Those Aunts, they were cruel to that poor boy, for no reason. He found his family, but then they wanted to tear him away.”
“It’s a story to teach children that the world isn’t always kind, and sometimes we need to find those we call family.” I kept my voice low and soft. “You and Indigo are family, Betty is family. While I am thankful to have a wonderful, but a little strange, family back home. That doesn’t mean each of you are any less my family.”
Warmth blazed through the cushions from Betty.
“Awww, I love you too Betty.” I patted the back of the couch.
The Cat appeared like he’d been struck by lightning. His fur stood completely on end, and his tail pointed straight into the air. He suddenly shook, then took off leaving the room.
“Night, Cat!” Hopefully, he’d get some good sleep. He had to be thinking about his children, the elves. Whatever he’d done, it had been to try to save them. Now they were on their own, and he was stuck here.
Maybe it hadn’t been a good choice of movies, though Indigo had enjoyed it.
##
For a split second the shop felt like my domain, all because Sable told Betty, no, the shop that she loved it. I ended up at the bottom of my tree, staring at the few remaining leaves on the sapling. For days it’d been looking okay, ignoring the one leaf, but now it didn’t look as lively.
Shuddering, I turned away and padded into my workshop.
Light rose from the table and that damn book, but I wanted nothing to do with it right now.
It needed to burn in a fire, and never be seen again.
Instead, I made my way over to my bed, near the fireplace, sitting around the dust bunnies and books that littered the floor. The place was a mess, but that happened if I became lost in a research topic.
Yet, nothing.
At least tomorrow would be good. My present for the solstice would arrive. A little late, but I didn’t think Sable would mind. The little dragon needed to be on her best behavior, or I’d have a talking to her.
This was too important for the dragon to mess up.
It was time for Sable to remember why she needed to leave after her contract was over. As much as I wanted her to stay, she couldn’t get stuck in this place.
She needed to be free and spread her wings. The little dragon with her. Visit the dragon lands, figure out what was going on with her family, and most importantly, stay away from the Fates. This was my burden, it would not fall to them.