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Thursday, April 12, 2012

1002

He slipped a rufie in my drink. Idiot me, I was already tipsy—it was New Years, and the club was packed. Going out alone like that? Yeah, not my best idea.

Now it was September 27th, more than two years later. Or so said my nightstand alarm clock's calendar. December 31st would mark the third year he'd kept me here.

Wherever this was. The Mojave, maybe? Something told me that despite the dry air and golden sand all around his stone fortress, I was still on American soil. I hoped. That was all I had left, you know?

“Scheherezade, my love.”

I gritted my teeth and looked away as he wrapped me in his arms. That was the price for having hippie parents. “I’ve told you a thousand times. It’s Sherry.”

See, Stockholm syndrome? Not really my thing.

He shook his head at me. “No, dearest. Tonight is our thousand-and-first.”

I suppressed a snort. His gaze cooled, reminding me of the torture tools in the dungeon.

“Y-yes, darling,” I simpered. “And what tale would you hear from me tonight?”

Once I was a children’s librarian. Now I tell this nutjob stories.

“Your namesake,” he breathed, clasping my hands tight. “Please.”

Nodding, I guided him to the bed. Our bed, unfortunately. Seated between him and the clock, I began:

“Once there was a sultan whose first wife betrayed him. In anger, he took a new wife to bed every night, then had them beheaded the next morning. Until Scheherazade. Each night, she told him tales, but she never finished before sunrise. Each morning, he would let her live so that he could hear the story’s end. When on the thousand-and-first night she ran out of tales, she expected him to kill her, but the sultan realized he’d fallen in love instead. They were happy to the end of their days.”

“And you, love?”

I blushed. “Of course.”

At that, he fell to nuzzling my neck, so passionate, so sure of himself. So foolish. I smashed the alarm clock against his skull.

Damned if I’d live with him another night.

* * *

This was my entry for Yearning For Wonderland's Once Upon A Time flash fiction contest. Be sure to check out other entries below, and feel free to join in!



27 comments:

  1. Oh... I LOVE this! I was hoping to see a crime/fairytale mix soon and you didn't disappoint :) Thanks for entering!

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    1. Thank you, SJ. I promise, I'm not *always* this violent. ;)

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  2. Well done, this. It's refreshing to see so many people bring the creepy factor back to the fairy tale genre. Fairy tales are supposed to be disturbing, something Disney has tried to do away with.

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    1. Thanks, Mike! I didn't intend to go this creepy, but it really felt like it fit.

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  3. At the end I want to shout f*** yeah! Love your Scheherezade - and agree with Mike, the dark side of fairy tales is wonderful - important way of exploring life's uncertainties.

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    1. Thanks, Meg! It's true. We all need a little bit of darkness to enjoy the light.

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  4. A wonderful exploration into the darker side of the fairy tale, without losing that sense of mischief. Brilliant!

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    1. Thanks! I feel like I might be onto something ...

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  5. Love the mischief. You threw me for a loop when she blushed and then switched to clocking him in the head so quickly, but I like the dark ending. Lots of story for 350 words!

    Melanie
    www.melanieconklin.com

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    1. Thanks, Melanie! I have to admit, I stuck to the word-count limit, and given a chance to rewrite, I'd say she faked or forced a blush. But we do what we can, right? :)

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  6. Agreed - you certainly packed a whallop with this one! Totally was not expecting the fairy tale connection in such a context -not like that. Fabulous!

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  7. Heh! Take that, you spoiled, bedtime-story-wanting creep! ;)

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    1. One has to wonder about his psycological state, to have stalked and drugged her in the first place. And dangit, now I have another new shiny ...

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  8. Absolutely love it! I thought for just a second she was going to let him live. Good girl! ;)

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  9. Um... I'm still shivering over the torture tools in his dungeon. *shudders* Very well done. I'm am most thoroughly creeped out.

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    1. Ooh, I'm glad someone noticed that detail! *grins* Thank you, Ang.

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  10. When did you stop giving lessons to the Grimm boys? That was worthy of the originals, not the santized versions - good on you!

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  11. A modern-day fairytale with a modernday heroine! Nice work. :)

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