Cleaned Out

An Odd Prompt

This little slice-of-life was inspired by ‘Nother Mike, who prompted with “The dry cleaners was owned and operated by fairies.” My prompt this week for MOTE went to Fiona Grey, with “Bang through all of it at the last minute.” You can find all the prompts, responses, and play along yourself over at the MOTE blog!

The brilliant flash of light and percussion rattled the basement door on it’s hinges. A moment later, tendrils of smoke curled out from the bottom, then the sides and even the top.

A man old enough to know better looked up from his bowl of stew at his wife, who was standing at the stove, her spatula poised in midair while she looked at the writhing smoke.

“Do you want to talk to him, or shall I?”

“I think we both will in about a minute.”

There was a heavy thudding of feet, a louder thud of a body hitting the door, then it clattered open, while their son fell through it to sprawl on the floor.

“Honey,” His mother said loudly. “Close the door behind you.” Then she coughed, and lifted her apron hastily to cover her nose and mouth.

“What was that…! No, nevermind. Joe, come with me. Ardel, please put on the fan and join us on the porch.”

A couple of minutes later, doors and windows open to the pleasant spring evening, the three of them were gathered on the porch.

“Son,” the boy’s father looked his child up and down. The offspring of his love for Ardel was never going to be tall, and at the moment his complexion was more than a little green under his freckles that matched his sandy-red hair. “Would it be possible for you to carry out your science projects in the shed?”

Joe shook his head so emphatically that a lock of his hair dropped into his eye. Ardel made a mental note, another one, to see that he went to the barber soon.

“I can’t, Dad. Conditions out there aren’t stable - too hot, too cold, and besides,” his voice dropped to a mutter. “The pixies can get in it.”

His parents exchanged a speaking look. Joe dug his toe into the painted floorboards of the porch.

“I don’t know why it blew up. I wasn’t trying…”

“We know.” His mother interrupted him. “That was more energetic than I expected from your plan.”

”Joe,” His father had pinched his nose between two fingers, and closed his eyes. Now he dropped his hand back to the arm of his chair. “Where have you been getting your chemicals?”

“The dry cleaners.”

“And who told you about pixies?” His mother crossed her arms over her chest. Unlike his father, she hadn’t sat down, and now she was tapping one toe on the boards.

“The dry cleaners?”

“Really?” His father cocked his head slightly to one side. “Both answers, Joe?”

“I’m not fibbing, Dad! The dry cleaners are owned and operated by fairies!”

Ardel blinked and looked at her husband. “Oh, dear.”

“Well, he was going to find out sooner or later.” He reached out a hand and she took it. “Joe…”

He looked back and forth between them. “What? I’m adopted?”

“No, dear. You are definitely,” Ardel gave a wry grin to both of them, “our son. But there’s something I need to tell you.”

She dropped her glamour as she said, “I’m a fairy.” And showed him her true form for the first time.

“I’m not,” his father squeezed her hand, smiling up at her from his comfortable chair. “So you are only half fae.”

Joe blinked, staring at his mother. “I’m… like that?”

“Not quite. But you do have… a shimmer, is a good way to describe it, to those with the Sight. Which is why the dry cleaners has been selling you chemicals, cheap. Am I right?”

Joe ducked his head and shrugged one shoulder. “I dunno. The chemistry set ran out, and I didn’t know where else to get stuff, and when I was walking by, the old lady waved me in…”

“I see.” Ardel let go of her husband’s hand and folded her arms again, pressing her lips together tightly. “I am going to have to talk to these… people.”

“They were being nice!” Joe protested. “I paid for it, they didn’t give it to me.”

“At least there’s that.” She sighed.

“Joe, right now it looks like the house has stopped smoking, so I want you to go down and clean up. Then we can talk about formulating with magic involved, because,” he looked at his wife. “Ardel…” She looked down at him and nodded. “Right, you probably have magic that is interfering with your experiments. This is going to be complicated.”

“We’ll have to send for a teacher.” His mother threw her hands in the air. “Argh! I didn’t want to talk to my family so soon!”

“Am I… in trouble?” Joe looked between them.

“No.”

“Not right now,” His mother amended with a glare. “Best do a good job cleaning. March, young man!”

“Yes, Mom!” He vanished in a twinkle of legs, the door clattering shut behind him.

“Now you can laugh,” Ardel informed her beloved husband. “And even say ‘I told you so.’”

”I value my life,” He was chuckling, “too highly to risk that, O my life and light! He is just like you.”

“Oh! Men!” She turned on her heel and went back to the kitchen.