Random Short Stories/Written Ideas

Little Darling, Why Art Thou So Cute?

WARNING: there is a child. That is all.

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"What are you doing, child?"

Giggling resounded as another light tug on the ageless being's night-black hair had them tilting their head back a notch. Little hands worked the dark strands, twining one thick bunch of hair around another, and then winding a third on top of the other two. A few loose strands hung in front of their pale face, and they had to lift a gloved hand to brush them away before any entered one of their eye sockets.

"Making you look pretty!" The little girl chirped from behind them.

The sun, pinched between the leaves of the trees above the pair, shone brightly as it was dangled tauntingly. Normally, the ageless one wouldn't bother with the bright, cloudless days. They much preferred shadows, rather than the blinding light permanently etched into the blue, blue sky.

But the radiant little witch behind them managed to persuade them out of their cloak-and-dagger ways. She'd taken them out of the kingdom's walls, and into the lush forest around it. They'd been wary about spending so much time around the child, but not uncomfortable. Crypt had grown quite fond of her and their little outings, and they were proud to admit that.

"I don't look pretty enough for you?" They teased, one of their shadows poking the girl's side lightly, almost playfully.

This elicited more giggling from her, which, in turn, had Crypt's lips tugging upwards into a soft smile.

"That tickles!"

"Oh dear," they said. "How about if I-" They didn't continue the sentence, allowing their actions to finish it for them. The girl received another poke to the opposite side, causing her giggling to become almost hysterical. This resulted in another tug on Crypt's hair, which they didn't mind at all. They were basking in the giggles and laughter they caused the child.

"No, no! Stop that! You're really pretty already, I promise!" She squealed as another round of shadows unleashed a mini torrent of pokings.

Of course I am, they thought smugly, their ego inflated by the child's words. 

They relented, the shadows melting away, and the poking fading with them. A dramatic sigh of relief sounded behind them, causing them to chuckle lowly.

"You're so mean to me." The little witch whined, the pout audible in her voice.

"My deepest apology, little lady."

"Just a 'sorry' would do," was her reply.

"My," they chuckled again. "Aren't you a sassy one today."

After a few more words of friendly bickering were exchanged, they settled into a comfortable silence. The child had tied off their hair, the thick, neat braid thudding against their back as she released it for a moment. Their hair wasn't free for long, though, for it received an onslaught of poking and prodding once the girl fetched what she'd needed. 

The silence didn't last long, either.

"It's sad that these would wither if they were real..." Crypt's witch muttered. 

They hummed in question, fighting the temptation to tilt their head. They didn't want to disrupt her work, whatever that was.

"The flowers," she said by way of explanation. "Why do things die around you?"