Gazebo

How much do you know about sousaphones?

“Not much,” is the usual answer from an average person on the street. The dorky kids in your school band played sousaphones or tubas.

Did you come to hear our band playing tonight?

I’ve got the dork-plus instrument, the sousaphone with the fiberglass bell. Cheaper and lighter, the entry-level version of the instrument. It doesn’t even sound identical, whatever the manufacturer claims.

The spoiled brat next to me is the conductor’s kid. He’s playing real brass. I hate him for it.

Did you know that brass conducts electricity very, very well?

Inspired by this week’s Friday Fictioneers photo prompt:

PHOTO PROMPT ©David Stewart

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Viewing Portal

“Eugene?”

“Yeah, Marty?”

“Have you made any progress figuring out what’s happening, yet?”

“I have a theory, that what we’re seeing is a sort of portal into the spirit world. It’s like a painting, but with movement.”

“Magic?”

“I’m not sure. Certainly not the sort of magic you hear about in the stories. Watch this bit, here.”

“Mountain, trees, grass. That’s all familiar. But what’s that big thing there?”

“I’ve seen a lot of this before. I’m thinking maybe it’s a god of some sort.”

“It’s certainly big and shiny enough. But what makes you think it’s a god?”

“I’ve just got a hunch, really. There seems to be a lot of reverence attached to it by these spirit-world folk. And they’re all so scrawny, like little stick-figures.”

“So this here is another kind of deity, then?”

“I’m still studying, of course, but they seem to have an entire pantheon that can be viewed through this portal. This one seems to be quite small. Looks like a lizard.”

“Toy Yah Ta. Guy Khoh. They have some weird gods.”

Eugene and Marty grew quiet as they peered from their totem poles, passively studying and evaluating this fascinating spirit world’s “television screen.”

200 words. Inspired by this week’s Sunday Photo Fiction prompt:

No image attribution

 

Magical

The exquisite fragrance of Madonna Lilies lingered in the atmosphere surrounding the mahogany altar. Vorveserech gazed fondly into the eyes of Oudueta, resplendent in her column silhouette gown, which perfectly accentuated her lean and slender figure. He lifted her hand in signal, and they kneeled as one to complete the ceremony that would bind them together forever as man and wife.

The demonic powers struggled to be free of their bindings. Somber and inky shadows gathered in stygian swirls, and the demons seethed with impatience. So close now, after all of the preparation. Immortal souls are so delicious.

Bride and groom reached together to touch, sharing this tender moment. Their heads tilted to bring cheeks to fingertips, and each gently, carefully peeled the last precious bits of flesh from grinning skulls. Crossing arms, each gently offered the other a taste.

The shadows exploded inward with a joyous howl as the consumption of the flesh completed the dark ceremony. Vorveserech and Oudueta rose, as the demon-magic swirled around their animate skeletons, creating new and everlasting bodies of solidified magic.

Oudueta grinned at her husband, the first time as liches.

“Let’s just see what you have planned for the honeymoon.”

Inspired by (last?) week’s Sunday Photo Fiction prompt:

(Hey, I was on vacation!)

199 or 198 words (word and scrivener disagree).

No photo attribution