Word of Night Drabble Collection

Another assortment of exceptionally short stories.

Eleanor rolled over onto her side. “It’s so damn hot!”

C knelt down next to her, grinning, having barely dressed down on what was a hot morning even by Moroccan standards. They were surrounded by hand-planted grass and flowers in a quiet park.

Eleanor kept rolling until she was in the shade of a tall argania tree. C nudged her legs so that she took up, and got a glare for his troubles.

“Well, look,” he said, “you’re trampling all the poor flowers.”

“The flowers can kiss my ass,” she said. “They like how hot it is, or they wouldn’t be growing. I need the dew more than they do.”

“If you keep rolling like that, one of them is going to kiss your ass, you know,” C smirked. “You’re going to be just covered in dirt and flowers. And then the bees’ll be paying more attention to you.”

“Shit,” Eleanor’s face was against the dewy grass and her voice was muffled. “You’re right. Well, fuck it, I’ll just kill the bees. Hey, why aren’t you bothered by the heat?”

“Summer Survivor,” C smiled easily and rubbed the nape of his neck. “I got an app for that. I’d share it with you, but it’s for smart brains, not smartphones.”

Eleanor lifted her head up to look at him, a fleck of dirt on her reddened cheek.

C waved a hand defensively. “Smart in the, uh, computerized sense.”

“Thank God for those new curtains.” Eleanor collapsed on the sofa in the darkness of her apartment. It was the middle of the day, but the only light was coming from the tablet in C’s hands.

“Well, Him, too, but it couldn’t hurt to thank me.” C chuckled.

“Yeah, yeah, thank you, you’re the best, my hero, I love you, all that stuff. Listen, I do not care if the civilians start thinking I’m a vampire. This is worth it.”

“Wonder if there even are any vampires out here. Seems like they’d be uncomfortable forever even if they could go outside.”

“Or they could just stay inside forever, protected by some blackout curtains like us.” Eleanor stretched her arms past her head to the arm of the sofa. “We can get back to the job in just an hour. I promise.”