For Megan
For Megan Derr whose prompt 
inspired this
I apologize for any errors. I’m posting this from work and it’s going to be raining soon which means internet may not be available from home. And I’m going home SOON.
Title: A Heart in a Bottle
Author: charisstoma
Word count: 540
“It’s a bit odd, isn’t it? To keep a heart in a bottle. “Allun leaned forward to look more closely,“ and it’s beating! How?”
Ruat wiggled his fingers, “Magic?” Then he shrugged, “don’t know how it’s done. It was that way when I found it in a junk shop in amongst a bunch of other stuff in the box. Had to buy the whole box to get the clock that was in it.” He nodded at the disassembled pile of gears, cogs and other clock innards on the work bench.
“You should take it back to the junk shop,” Allun advised. “Things like that potentially cursed. You don’t want to end up like that fellow with a raven talking to you.”
“I tried. The shop owner kept repeating, ‘no returns,’ at me.” Rual pulled a face, “So much for trying to do a good deed and return something that might be worth something to someone.”
“You could always take it to that wizards’ shop over near the bazaar. They might take it.”
Shaking his head, Ruat said, “There’s no telling what they might do with it there. Whoever lost this thing … I don’t want to be the person who has to explain that they’d turned over their heart in a bottle to wizards to play with.”
“A wise choice,” came from the doorway. Dusk had fallen and the figure standing just outside the room was tall, darkly clad, and menacing. “You have something that belongs to me.” In the gloom the teeth gleamed, “Not that the wizards would know what it was they had but the misuse or abuse could have interesting repercussions. One doesn’t play with a demon’s sack lunch and he’s hungry.”
“Demon’s sack lunch …” Ruat and Allun said faintly.
“Exactly. Now if you’d hand it over,” the sentence was left dangling with meaning.
Ruat’s, “Wait. How do I know that it belongs to you?”
“If you want I can bring the demon to you to collect his meal,” was answered with deceptive smoothness.
Almost Ruat handed the bottle over but he hesitated.
“Look,” was said forcefully as a hand dipped into a pocket, “As proof that my claim is valid,” he brought out the twin to the bottle Ruat had found, even down to the heart within.
Taking in a deep breath Ruat approached the figure and holding it by the stopper extended it toward him.
A surprisingly graceful normal hand grasped the bottle’s glass body and when Ruat released his hold the bottle disappeared. The other bottle disappeared as the image dropped. It hadn’t been there at all.
A chuckle came from the figure. “Cinderella’s glass slipper Ruse. Amazing how it worked for her. Don’t worry, this really is my demon’s lunch and he does get irritable if it’s not delivered in a timely manner. The bottle keeps it fresh you see but his stomach has its own time table.”
Ruat saw the figure’s head shake from side to side, “Why I had to fall into loving lust with a demon … “ There was a chuckle , “the sex is great and it comes with magical benefits.” And with a bow the figure disappears as easily as the false image of the bottle.
inspired this
I apologize for any errors. I’m posting this from work and it’s going to be raining soon which means internet may not be available from home. And I’m going home SOON.
Title: A Heart in a Bottle
Author: charisstoma
Word count: 540
“It’s a bit odd, isn’t it? To keep a heart in a bottle. “Allun leaned forward to look more closely,“ and it’s beating! How?”
Ruat wiggled his fingers, “Magic?” Then he shrugged, “don’t know how it’s done. It was that way when I found it in a junk shop in amongst a bunch of other stuff in the box. Had to buy the whole box to get the clock that was in it.” He nodded at the disassembled pile of gears, cogs and other clock innards on the work bench.
“You should take it back to the junk shop,” Allun advised. “Things like that potentially cursed. You don’t want to end up like that fellow with a raven talking to you.”
“I tried. The shop owner kept repeating, ‘no returns,’ at me.” Rual pulled a face, “So much for trying to do a good deed and return something that might be worth something to someone.”
“You could always take it to that wizards’ shop over near the bazaar. They might take it.”
Shaking his head, Ruat said, “There’s no telling what they might do with it there. Whoever lost this thing … I don’t want to be the person who has to explain that they’d turned over their heart in a bottle to wizards to play with.”
“A wise choice,” came from the doorway. Dusk had fallen and the figure standing just outside the room was tall, darkly clad, and menacing. “You have something that belongs to me.” In the gloom the teeth gleamed, “Not that the wizards would know what it was they had but the misuse or abuse could have interesting repercussions. One doesn’t play with a demon’s sack lunch and he’s hungry.”
“Demon’s sack lunch …” Ruat and Allun said faintly.
“Exactly. Now if you’d hand it over,” the sentence was left dangling with meaning.
Ruat’s, “Wait. How do I know that it belongs to you?”
“If you want I can bring the demon to you to collect his meal,” was answered with deceptive smoothness.
Almost Ruat handed the bottle over but he hesitated.
“Look,” was said forcefully as a hand dipped into a pocket, “As proof that my claim is valid,” he brought out the twin to the bottle Ruat had found, even down to the heart within.
Taking in a deep breath Ruat approached the figure and holding it by the stopper extended it toward him.
A surprisingly graceful normal hand grasped the bottle’s glass body and when Ruat released his hold the bottle disappeared. The other bottle disappeared as the image dropped. It hadn’t been there at all.
A chuckle came from the figure. “Cinderella’s glass slipper Ruse. Amazing how it worked for her. Don’t worry, this really is my demon’s lunch and he does get irritable if it’s not delivered in a timely manner. The bottle keeps it fresh you see but his stomach has its own time table.”
Ruat saw the figure’s head shake from side to side, “Why I had to fall into loving lust with a demon … “ There was a chuckle , “the sex is great and it comes with magical benefits.” And with a bow the figure disappears as easily as the false image of the bottle.