[Original: Drabble] "Follow That Baby!" [Raised by the Dead, G]
Title: Follow That Baby!
Prompt: writerverse challenge #3 table of doom, alpha list #1 ‘baby trail’
Word Count: 529
Rating: G
Original/Fandom: original (Raised by the Dead ‘verse)
Warnings: ghosts (very friendly, happy ghosts)
Summary: Zoe goes missing… and finds a friend.
Note(s): originally posted to the writerverse wv_library
Follow That Baby!
Hans had only turned his back for a second. Cooking something as simple as oatmeal had been easy when he was alive, but as a ghost, it required much more skill, since he could hardly smell or taste anything. He thought little Zoe had been secure in her highchair, but when he’d turned back to her a moment later, she was gone.
He hurried out into the hallway, where he promptly collided with Tiberius.
“Careful there, plebian!” the other ghost snapped, straightening his translucent armor.
“Zoe’s missing!” said Hans, ignoring the insult- the Schneiders had been minor nobles until the Kaiser had taken power.
“Oh,” said Tiberius. Zoe might have only have been a year old, but she’d already charmed every ghost in the house, even the perpetually-grumpy centurian.
“Did she go past you?” Hans asked.
“No. But she can’t have gotten far. Look!”
Further down the hall, a large potted plant had been knocked askew, and there was a toddler-sized dirty handprint on the wall beside it.
“This way,” said Hans.
There were more handprints on the wall by the staircase, getting fainter as they reached the parlor. Inside, a few blocks had been knocked over, and several of Zoe’s dolls had been rearranged in their little chair, but the girl herself was nowhere to be seen.
“She didn’t get outside, did she?” asked Tiberius, eyeing the door to the patio.
“No,” said Hans. He crossed to the room’s other door, which had been left ajar. It led to the narrow servants’ stairs that would have been much more suited to small legs than the grand staircase in the main hall. The door at the top of the stairs was wide open.
“Can she climb stairs now?” Tiberius asked, as they headed to the second floor. “Wait until Cordelia hears that!”
“Well, we’d better find Zoe before we tell her,” said Hans. He was starting to worry, now.
The upstairs hallway was quiet, but at its far end, another door was open a crack. That one led to the large room with large picture windows, where they kept a varied collection of houseplants. In one corner, a wooden rocking chair held the ghost of an older woman in a long, homespun dress.
“Lillian-” Hans began, but she quickly put a finger to her lips.
“You’ll wake them,” she hissed.
Hans and Tiberius shared a confused look, then followed her gaze to the window seat. Zoe was curled up in a pile of pillows beside a ghostly tomcat. He was a sturdy-looking things, with a wide head and an ear that was missing a sizable chunk. His black-and-white fur clearly hid an impressive collection of scars, but he opened one watchful eye as Zoe shifted in her sleep and began a wheezing purr.
“Where did he come from?” asked Hans.
Lillian shrugged. “I don’t know. But he’s been so careful with Zoe. Went straight to her when she came in, let her pet him… I’ve been keeping an eye on them, though, of course.”
For a moment, the three ghosts simply stood and watched the sleeping pair. Then, Tiberius said, “What’s that smell?”
Hans’s eyes widened. “My oatmeal!”
THE END
Note: the ghost cat is based on a real cat- Socks, a stray who used to come around our house. He was very friendly, even came inside occasionally in bad weather. But most importantly, he brought us four of his kittens, being extra-friendly with my mom so they’d get used to us. He taught the kittens to hunt (which is weird for a male cat) and looked after them, even after we’d officially taken them in. He disappeared a few years ago, and he was quite old even before the kittens were born, so we’re pretty sure he’s passed on.
Current Mood:
tired
Prompt: writerverse challenge #3 table of doom, alpha list #1 ‘baby trail’
Word Count: 529
Rating: G
Original/Fandom: original (Raised by the Dead ‘verse)
Warnings: ghosts (very friendly, happy ghosts)
Summary: Zoe goes missing… and finds a friend.
Note(s): originally posted to the writerverse wv_library
Follow That Baby!
Hans had only turned his back for a second. Cooking something as simple as oatmeal had been easy when he was alive, but as a ghost, it required much more skill, since he could hardly smell or taste anything. He thought little Zoe had been secure in her highchair, but when he’d turned back to her a moment later, she was gone.
He hurried out into the hallway, where he promptly collided with Tiberius.
“Careful there, plebian!” the other ghost snapped, straightening his translucent armor.
“Zoe’s missing!” said Hans, ignoring the insult- the Schneiders had been minor nobles until the Kaiser had taken power.
“Oh,” said Tiberius. Zoe might have only have been a year old, but she’d already charmed every ghost in the house, even the perpetually-grumpy centurian.
“Did she go past you?” Hans asked.
“No. But she can’t have gotten far. Look!”
Further down the hall, a large potted plant had been knocked askew, and there was a toddler-sized dirty handprint on the wall beside it.
“This way,” said Hans.
There were more handprints on the wall by the staircase, getting fainter as they reached the parlor. Inside, a few blocks had been knocked over, and several of Zoe’s dolls had been rearranged in their little chair, but the girl herself was nowhere to be seen.
“She didn’t get outside, did she?” asked Tiberius, eyeing the door to the patio.
“No,” said Hans. He crossed to the room’s other door, which had been left ajar. It led to the narrow servants’ stairs that would have been much more suited to small legs than the grand staircase in the main hall. The door at the top of the stairs was wide open.
“Can she climb stairs now?” Tiberius asked, as they headed to the second floor. “Wait until Cordelia hears that!”
“Well, we’d better find Zoe before we tell her,” said Hans. He was starting to worry, now.
The upstairs hallway was quiet, but at its far end, another door was open a crack. That one led to the large room with large picture windows, where they kept a varied collection of houseplants. In one corner, a wooden rocking chair held the ghost of an older woman in a long, homespun dress.
“Lillian-” Hans began, but she quickly put a finger to her lips.
“You’ll wake them,” she hissed.
Hans and Tiberius shared a confused look, then followed her gaze to the window seat. Zoe was curled up in a pile of pillows beside a ghostly tomcat. He was a sturdy-looking things, with a wide head and an ear that was missing a sizable chunk. His black-and-white fur clearly hid an impressive collection of scars, but he opened one watchful eye as Zoe shifted in her sleep and began a wheezing purr.
“Where did he come from?” asked Hans.
Lillian shrugged. “I don’t know. But he’s been so careful with Zoe. Went straight to her when she came in, let her pet him… I’ve been keeping an eye on them, though, of course.”
For a moment, the three ghosts simply stood and watched the sleeping pair. Then, Tiberius said, “What’s that smell?”
Hans’s eyes widened. “My oatmeal!”
THE END
Note: the ghost cat is based on a real cat- Socks, a stray who used to come around our house. He was very friendly, even came inside occasionally in bad weather. But most importantly, he brought us four of his kittens, being extra-friendly with my mom so they’d get used to us. He taught the kittens to hunt (which is weird for a male cat) and looked after them, even after we’d officially taken them in. He disappeared a few years ago, and he was quite old even before the kittens were born, so we’re pretty sure he’s passed on.
Current Mood:
tired