Odd Prompts: Week 48

Another week at More Odds Than Ends and another stand-alone prompt for me. I’m working on getting book 2 fit for my beta readers, so I’ve been focusing on that. I plan on returning to Cursebreaker as soon as I send that out. Meanwhile, please enjoy this response to a prompt from ‘nother Mike: The Amazon delivery box didn’t have a book in it. Instead, when they opened it, a small elf jumped out. I did modify it a little bitMy prompt went to Leigh Kimmel.

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The doorbell always startled Cici. It was a very loud, strange half buzzer-half electronic sound and made her jump every time, even if she was expecting it. This time she wasn’t expecting it and jumped even higher than normal.

Grumbling at the interruption, she marched over to the front door and threw it open. Sitting on the door mat was an Amazon box. She looked up at the truck pulling away from the curb.

“Didn’t even wait to see if anybody was home. Idiot,” she muttered. The box seemed to twitch at her words.

Cici picked the box up and carried it inside. She would swear it trembled. She stared at the label hunting for some clue as to who had sent this to her. Next week she was driving to her parent’s house for Christmas with the whole family and some of the cousins. So, none of them should be sending gifts. It might be a book. But the box was too tall for a normal sized book and she didn’t remember ordering any books. Huh. Puzzling.

She dropped the box on the kitchen table and dug into a drawer for a pair of scissors. She started ripping through the tape and once again, it felt like the box trembled. Tape cut, she slowly opened the flaps of the box.

The box did not contain a book. Instead, when she opened it a small elf peered up at her from the depths of the packing peanuts. Cici jumped back with a shout.

“What the hell?!”

The elf ducked back into the peanuts. “S-sorry! I didn’t mean to scare you!” he squeaked.

“I’m startled…but not really scared. Although I admit, I didn’t think you guys were real,” Cici slowly stepped back to the table. The elf hopped out of the box. He was only about a foot tall and dressed in what Cici would have called a classic elf outfit. Red and green tights, tunic, and pointy hat.

“I’m sorry. We’re both the butt of a joke. I’m Siveril. I fell asleep and some of the others shoved me into the box. I’m not sure why they picked your address,” Siveril stared down at his feet.

“Um…hi. I’m Cici. Why did they pack you in a box? Are you okay?”

“I’m okay. I’m not sure how I’ll get back, but I’ll figure something out. I won’t bother you,” Siveril looked so crestfallen that Cici felt sorry for him.

“Don’t worry about it. Are you hungry? I have no idea what elves eat, but you can go through the fridge.”

“Do you have any cookies by any chance?” Siveril looked up hopefully.

“I think so. Let’s go look,” Cici turned toward the cupboards and then looked back. “Um…should I carry you? Or…”

Siveril jumped from the table to the chair and then down to the floor. “Don’t worry. I’m good at getting around in big people places. I have to do it all the time.”

“What do you mean?” Cici glanced down at him as she pulled open the pantry door.

“Oh. Well. Um…most elves are about the same size as smaller humans. So, like you,” Siveril looked up at her.

“So, you’re a…little person…elf?” she hesitated.

“Yeah. That’s how they fit me in the box.”

“You never did say why they did that,” Cici found a package of Oreo cookies and showed it to the elf. Siveril’s eyes lit up and he reached for the package. “Why don’t I take it back over to the table and you can dig in over there,” she suggested.

Siveril darted across the floor, scrambled up the chair and pulled himself onto the table. Cici opened the package of cookies and put it down next to him. The little elf tore into a cookie.

“Oh, these are my favorites. They’re so good!” he sighed around a mouth full of cookie. “Oh. The box. Well, that happens a lot. Elves like to play practical jokes. Once I hid under the sleigh and when Tanyth came to clean it up before we loaded the presents, I jumped out. You should have seen it! He almost hit the ceiling, he jumped so high!” Siveril laughed and cookie crumbs flew onto the table. The cookie seemed to restore his energy.

“So…this thing with the box…it was revenge?” Cici asked.

“Um…yeah. I guess so. Will you help me think of a way to get back to the village?” Siveril started in on his third cookie.

“Sure. Why not?” Cici thought that offered some interesting possibilities for the rest of her winter break.

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Come on over an grab a prompt. There’s always spares, and stealing one of the assigned prompts is perfectly fine as well (I did it the other week…)