Abecedarian Game Drabble, 4/9: JKL
The folx in my profic writers' group and I play the Abecedarian Game: any three consecutive letters can serve as prompt inspiration, and "running the letters" means answering nine prompt sets in abecedarian order (the final set is either a YZ or YZA one, depending upon preference). My group tends to select a specific dictionary from which we all pull prompts. Below, you'll find the fourth of nine little stories using words that I took from Phrontistery's Dictionary of Unusual Words.
My fourth three prompts, juramentum, kith, and latrocinate, inspired the ficlet, Weasleys!
Weasleys! (G; various Weasleys, including a bonus Weasley; 715 words): For Riley Cross, it's the best Christmas ever, being amongst Weasleys.
"It's just another word for 'oath', you great twit! Just say oath."
"Be nice, Ginny," said Ron. "Percy's been at the dictionary again. He's very importa-ow!"
"You be nice," ordered Charlie, turning to Percy. "Why do you want us to swear a juramentum? We're all kith and kin here. We won't tell."
"Right," Riley Cross, Bill's best friend, said. "Why so secretive?"
Percy smoothed down his shirt and cleared his throat. "Because it's serious. We can't be caught. I paid that horrible man for Mum's Christmas present-"
"What did you buy? We never talked about-"
"Ginny," Bill said, interrupting her interruption of Percy, "let him speak."
Percy coughed again, and then continued, "He wouldn't give it to me. He said it would cost twice more what I'd already paid him!"
"He did what?" demanded Charlie.
"I didn't know he'd try to latrocinate me!" wailed Percy. "I spent all the money!"
"That thieving arse!" exclaimed Ron.
"We should pound the-er, I mean, go talk to the bastard," Riley opined.
"Oh, now I understand," said Ginny.
Ron cocked his head at her. "Understand what?"
"Why George and Fred aren't here," she replied. "They're off 'dealing' with him, aren't they?"
"Riley and I better go find-"
"No need, Weasleys!" Arthur announced.
"Dad!"
"Oi!"
"Shit!"
"There's no need for that, but you might've employed an Extension or two in here." Arthur entered the shed.
"Yeah, crowded, isn't it?" asked Fred, or perhaps, George, as the twins followed their father. "What're you lot plotting?"
"Highway robbery," remarked Riley.
Bill laughed. "No, that's what the vendor was doing to Percy, highway-robbing him."
"Well, he was! Is! He did-"
"S'all right, Perce," said George, or perhaps, Fred. "Here." He handed Percy a small package. "I had the man Shrink it."
Arthur chuckled.
"What did you all do?"
"Oh, it was his idea," said Fred, or perhaps, George, pointing to George, or perhaps, Fred. "Never seen anyone so squeamish in my life!"
Arthur shook his head at Bill, mouthing, "It's okay."
"Well?" asked Ron, of Percy.
"Yeah, what did you buy?" said Ginny, as everyone leaned in.
"I, er, I know that we agreed on the sweeties, but . . . well, I saw these and-"
"Oh, Percy! We agreed!"
"Settle," said Bill, giving Ginny a quelling look.
Arther grinned. "Don't leave us in suspense, Percy!"
"I know she'll like them," Percy replied, opening the now restored package. "Look how shiny and sharp they still are! They're perfect, especially for second-hand goods!"
"Wow!" Riley reached out to touch the tools but pulled back his hand before he could. "Those are . . . ."
"Those are amazing, Percy!" Charlie said. "How'd you find such perfect clock repair tools?"
"And why?" demanded Ginny. "We agreed that-"
"Don't be mean to Percy!"
Everyone turned to Ron, who reddened. "It's nice, what he bought. Mum'll love 'em, Gin."
"But we said-"
"We said," said Riley, pulling Ginny into a hug, "that your mum should have something she'd enjoy."
"Yes, like sweeties!"
"Mum likes sweeties," Arthur told Ginny, "but she loves making and repairing clocks."
"Yeah," said Ron. "We can get our own sweeties."
"Won't have to," said Fred, or perhaps, George, as he pulled several bags of the same from his pockets while George, or perhaps, Fred, did the same.
"We got enough for everyone!" the twins said, as one.
~*~
Molly peered through a crack in the shed as Charlie helped Fred and George distribute their plunder-"plunder" because she knew very well they hadn't left the Burrow with enough Galleons to supply the entire family, bonus brother, Riley, included, in confections-and smiled.
I'll need to pop in to Honeydukes and make that right, she thought, already settling on a plan to punish George and Fred. They mean well, but they can't-
Her eyes lit on the little collection of clock repair tools and welled with tears. She couldn't help it, she opened the door. "You'd better not have liberated those, Percy Weasley!"
"Mum! Molly-Mum! Mollywobbles!"
A great laugh went up in the shed as Molly flushed fiercely and Ginny exclaimed in disgust.
"No, of course not, Mother!" Percy insisted. "We've been saving all year!"
"Oh, I know, I know, dears. Oh, thank you! I love them-I love all of you!"
~*~
Everyone hugged everyone else, and eventually, Bill and Riley found themselves a little behind the group hug.
"I never get tired of this, you know."
"Of what, Riley?"
"The pure fucking love."
From somewhere inside of the hug, Molly called, "Language!"
"Sorry, Molly-Mum!" Riley called, pulling Bill outside. "Thanks. You know, for . . . ."
"No worries. Chocolate Frog?" Bill smirked and handed Riley five of them. "Got to be fast in this family."
"Best. Christmas. Ever!"
My fourth three prompts, juramentum, kith, and latrocinate, inspired the ficlet, Weasleys!
Weasleys! (G; various Weasleys, including a bonus Weasley; 715 words): For Riley Cross, it's the best Christmas ever, being amongst Weasleys.
"It's just another word for 'oath', you great twit! Just say oath."
"Be nice, Ginny," said Ron. "Percy's been at the dictionary again. He's very importa-ow!"
"You be nice," ordered Charlie, turning to Percy. "Why do you want us to swear a juramentum? We're all kith and kin here. We won't tell."
"Right," Riley Cross, Bill's best friend, said. "Why so secretive?"
Percy smoothed down his shirt and cleared his throat. "Because it's serious. We can't be caught. I paid that horrible man for Mum's Christmas present-"
"What did you buy? We never talked about-"
"Ginny," Bill said, interrupting her interruption of Percy, "let him speak."
Percy coughed again, and then continued, "He wouldn't give it to me. He said it would cost twice more what I'd already paid him!"
"He did what?" demanded Charlie.
"I didn't know he'd try to latrocinate me!" wailed Percy. "I spent all the money!"
"That thieving arse!" exclaimed Ron.
"We should pound the-er, I mean, go talk to the bastard," Riley opined.
"Oh, now I understand," said Ginny.
Ron cocked his head at her. "Understand what?"
"Why George and Fred aren't here," she replied. "They're off 'dealing' with him, aren't they?"
"Riley and I better go find-"
"No need, Weasleys!" Arthur announced.
"Dad!"
"Oi!"
"Shit!"
"There's no need for that, but you might've employed an Extension or two in here." Arthur entered the shed.
"Yeah, crowded, isn't it?" asked Fred, or perhaps, George, as the twins followed their father. "What're you lot plotting?"
"Highway robbery," remarked Riley.
Bill laughed. "No, that's what the vendor was doing to Percy, highway-robbing him."
"Well, he was! Is! He did-"
"S'all right, Perce," said George, or perhaps, Fred. "Here." He handed Percy a small package. "I had the man Shrink it."
Arthur chuckled.
"What did you all do?"
"Oh, it was his idea," said Fred, or perhaps, George, pointing to George, or perhaps, Fred. "Never seen anyone so squeamish in my life!"
Arthur shook his head at Bill, mouthing, "It's okay."
"Well?" asked Ron, of Percy.
"Yeah, what did you buy?" said Ginny, as everyone leaned in.
"I, er, I know that we agreed on the sweeties, but . . . well, I saw these and-"
"Oh, Percy! We agreed!"
"Settle," said Bill, giving Ginny a quelling look.
Arther grinned. "Don't leave us in suspense, Percy!"
"I know she'll like them," Percy replied, opening the now restored package. "Look how shiny and sharp they still are! They're perfect, especially for second-hand goods!"
"Wow!" Riley reached out to touch the tools but pulled back his hand before he could. "Those are . . . ."
"Those are amazing, Percy!" Charlie said. "How'd you find such perfect clock repair tools?"
"And why?" demanded Ginny. "We agreed that-"
"Don't be mean to Percy!"
Everyone turned to Ron, who reddened. "It's nice, what he bought. Mum'll love 'em, Gin."
"But we said-"
"We said," said Riley, pulling Ginny into a hug, "that your mum should have something she'd enjoy."
"Yes, like sweeties!"
"Mum likes sweeties," Arthur told Ginny, "but she loves making and repairing clocks."
"Yeah," said Ron. "We can get our own sweeties."
"Won't have to," said Fred, or perhaps, George, as he pulled several bags of the same from his pockets while George, or perhaps, Fred, did the same.
"We got enough for everyone!" the twins said, as one.
~*~
Molly peered through a crack in the shed as Charlie helped Fred and George distribute their plunder-"plunder" because she knew very well they hadn't left the Burrow with enough Galleons to supply the entire family, bonus brother, Riley, included, in confections-and smiled.
I'll need to pop in to Honeydukes and make that right, she thought, already settling on a plan to punish George and Fred. They mean well, but they can't-
Her eyes lit on the little collection of clock repair tools and welled with tears. She couldn't help it, she opened the door. "You'd better not have liberated those, Percy Weasley!"
"Mum! Molly-Mum! Mollywobbles!"
A great laugh went up in the shed as Molly flushed fiercely and Ginny exclaimed in disgust.
"No, of course not, Mother!" Percy insisted. "We've been saving all year!"
"Oh, I know, I know, dears. Oh, thank you! I love them-I love all of you!"
~*~
Everyone hugged everyone else, and eventually, Bill and Riley found themselves a little behind the group hug.
"I never get tired of this, you know."
"Of what, Riley?"
"The pure fucking love."
From somewhere inside of the hug, Molly called, "Language!"
"Sorry, Molly-Mum!" Riley called, pulling Bill outside. "Thanks. You know, for . . . ."
"No worries. Chocolate Frog?" Bill smirked and handed Riley five of them. "Got to be fast in this family."
"Best. Christmas. Ever!"