Frabbles, page 1
Frabbles
Chess Desalls
Table of Contents
Title Page
Frabbles
The Fawn and the Hawk
The Dragon and the Drone
The Meeple and the Moth
The Monster and the Mutt
The Parrot and the Hen
The Monkey and the Lizard
The Polar Bear and the Seabird
The Finch and the Fiddle
The Lynx and the Ant
The Leopard and the Zebra
The Owl and the Fox
About the Author
Text copyright © 2017 by Czidor Lore, LLC
All rights reserved in the collective work as well as each individual work.
No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, or stored in a database or retrieval system, without the prior written permission of the copyright owner, except for noncommercial uses permitted by copyright law.
First Edition: 2017
“The Fawn and the Hawk” © 2014 by Czidor Lore, LLC
“The Dragon and the Drone” © 2014 by Czidor Lore, LLC
“The Meeple and the Moth” © 2014 by Czidor Lore, LLC
“The Monster and the Mutt” © 2014 by Czidor Lore, LLC
“The Parrot and the Hen” © 2014 by Czidor Lore, LLC
“The Monkey and the Lizard” © 2014 by Czidor Lore, LLC
“The Polar Bear and the Seabird” © 2014 by Czidor Lore, LLC
“The Finch and the Fiddle” © 2015 by Czidor Lore, LLC
“The Lynx and the Ant” © 2015 by Czidor Lore, LLC
“The Leopard and the Zebra” © 2015 by Czidor Lore, LLC
“The Owl and the Fox” © 2016 by Czidor Lore, LLC
Frabbles is a collective work of fiction. The characters and events portrayed in the collection and in each individual work are used in a fictitious manner and are the products of the author’s imaginings. Any resemblances to real persons, living or dead, or to actual events are purely unintentional.
Cover design by CoverMe Design
Frabbles are fables written in the style of 100-word drabbles.
Each piece is exactly 100 words long.
The Fawn and the Hawk
A pile of fallen apples lay in the woods, watched by Fawn who was being watched by Hawk.
Fawn paced closer and then started as Hawk landed on top of the pile.
Hawk opened his hooked bill into a garish smile. "Mine," he said.
"I'm hungry," said Fawn.
"As am I."
"Then we must share."
Hawk shook his head, showing off his sharp hooked bill.
"Why not?"
A long, thin tail poked up through the pile of apples.
"Because hawks don't eat apples and deer don't eat mice," said Hawk. He snatched the mouse with his bill and flew away.
The Dragon and the Drone
Drone, a robotic hummingbird, gently flicked his wings across the snout of the sleeping Dragon.
Eyes of fire snapped open, then narrowed. Dragon growled. "Who are you? Why are you here?"
Drone lightly pecked Dragon between the eyes. "I'm Drone and I'm here to take pictures—to prove you are real."
Dragon lifted her head and smiled. "What if I choose not to be proven?"
"Too late. I took pictures of you sleeping."
"How did you take these pictures?"
"Like this," Drone said, flashing his eyes.
Dragon laughed, engulfing Drone in a ball of fire until Drone was no more.
The Meeple and the Moth
"Lift and swivel. Down and lift. Swivel and Down," Meeple sang as she waddled along her papery route.
Moth watched Meeple from above, noting how she kept within the twisting brown lines, careful not to stray into the blue or green.
"That's awfully tedious," Moth said. "Why not walk across the board? Can't you see that it's flat?"
"Humph. What would you know?" Meeple glared up at Moth, which threw her off her game.
Meeple teetered. Before she fell, Moth swooped down, caught her with his legs and lifted her up.
"Allow me to show you to the other side."
***
Ed. Note: A meeple is a game piece, usually made of wood, used to represent a player’s character in a board game.
The Monster and the Mutt
Monster stalked through the mists of midnight, treading softly through fields of green.
Mutt slept nearby, dreaming of fireplaces, open spaces and bones.
Spotting Mutt, Monster stepped to the side, careful not to disturb him.
Mutt slept peacefully while Monster walked on, unseen.
Had I wakened him, thought Monster. He would've seen me for what I truly am.
On his return home, Mutt was awake when Monster reached where he lay.
Monster stopped. Covering his face with his hands, he said, "Close your eyes and sleep while I pass."
Mutt laughed. "Monsters and men are all the same to me."
The Parrot and the Hen
Parrot landed near the chicken coop and found Hen in her pen. Tapping the mesh of the pen with his beak he said, "Poor domesticated fowl. It's unworthy of us Psittaciformes to surrender our freedom."
Hen looked up from her scratch and blinked. "Cluck."
"Ah yes," said Parrot, studying Hen. "Speech must be the first to go. How humbling that must be."
"Cluck."
Parrot shook his head in disgust. "Are your thoughts as simple as your speech?"
"No," said Hen, rolling her eyes. "I'm saying you're a cluck. Quiet birds can make a point without unnecessary words or unfair assumptions."
The Monkey and the Lizard
Lizard watched Monkey through half-closed eyes.
Monkey jumped and flipped, catching a tree branch with his tail. Then he lowered himself until his upside down head dangled right in front of Lizard. Monkey laughed. "Why so sad?" he asked.
Lizard sniffed. "Quit clowning around. The blood will rush to your head."
"I'm not worried about that. I can see you better this way. Look!" said Monkey, pointing. "There's your frown, upside down!"
Lizard pulled his lips up into a fake smile. "And now?"
"I'd say you look rather silly that way."
"That's because true intentions aren't well-hidden behind fake expressions."
The Polar Bear and the Seabird
Seabird landed on a warm heap of snow.
The heap shifted. A smaller mound, with umber eyes and a charcoal nose, lifted and turned.
“Good morning,” said Seabird.
Polar Bear sniffed. “Is that whale on your breath?”
Seabird hopped backward and turned his beak.
“Have you been eating the hunters’ leftovers again?”
“Ah,” squawked Seabird. “I don’t rely on human prey.”
“You brought down the whale yourself?” Polar Bear grinned. “Or was it one of mine?”
“I belong to a colony!”
“Scavengers range large and small.”
Seabird flew away, knowing he’d have snacked on the remains of Polar Bear, too.
The Finch and the Fiddle
Finch relaxed her wings as she landed, grazing her claws across a pair of open strings.
Without a player and wanting of bow, Fiddle's strings sang out.
Finch twitched and lifted into the air. Then, calmed by a measure of silence, she rested on the strings without making a sound.
With a gleam in her eye, Finch flew upward. Delicate claws plucked the strings where she'd perched, producing a tinkling of consonant tang.
She twittered back, raising each note by a third.
When Fiddle failed to respond, Finch swooped down, landed, and lifted.
Time became a gentle dueling of duet.
The Lynx and the Ant
Lynx blocked Ant's path with her paw. "Take a break and chat with me."
"There's no time," said Ant.
Lynx grinned as she lifted Ant from the ground and flung him in the air, toward a clock.
Gripping the seconds hand with his legs, Ant held on as the seconds passed. He slipped each time the hand descended toward six o'clock.
Lynx watched the seconds fly by.
"Help me," cried Ant. "Time stretches with each rotation."
"Isn't that what you wanted?" Lynx helped Ant to the ground. "Sixty seconds only last a minute. The difference is in how time's perceived."
The Leopard and the Zebra
Zebra paused from foraging to find Leopard lurking nearby. "You're a strange looking lion," she said.
"Dear foal," said Leopard, shaking his head. "I'm a leopard, not a lion."
Zebra's ears perked. "I see. Your spots are what make you prettier than a lion."
"You're too kind. But they're small and splotchy," Leopard said as he crept nearer. "I'd love to acquire stripes, regal ones—"
"Like mine?"
"They'd suit me quite well."
Flattered and intrigued, Zebra narrowed her eyes, then blinked. "Can a leopard change its spots?"
Leopard licked his chops. "No more than a zebra can change its stripes."
The Owl and the Fox
Fox found Owl keeping watch in a barn. "How is it that you are so wise?"
Owl stared.
"Come now," Fox simpered. "There's no need to be humble. What is the source of your wisdom?"
The yellows of Owl's eyes focused more intently on Fox.
"Do y
Owl lifted her wings and glided from her perch to the ground. "No," she said.
"And?" Fox licked his chops. "Tell me more."
Owl cocked her head sideways.
"Why do you gawk in silence?" growled Fox.
"To listen and to learn."
About the Author
Chess Desalls is an author of award-winning YA fiction.
For more information about upcoming books, please visit www.chessdesalls.com.
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Novels by Chess Desalls
Travel Glasses (The Call to Search Everywhen, #1)
Insight Kindling (The Call to Search Everywhen, #2)
Time for the Lost (The Call to Search Everywhen, #3)
Darker Stars (The Song of Everywhen, #1)
Novellas by Chess Desalls
Glistens (Glistens, #1)
Wrapped in the Past
Lantern (Lantern, #1)
Beacon (Lantern, #2)
Torch (Lantern, #3)
Chess Desalls, Frabbles
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