Prompt: "Where have all the gnomes gone?"
Name: The Missing Gnomes
Characters: Zane, Tina, Spider Jerusalem
Rating: PG
Summary: Tina notices that Zane's gnomes keep disappearing.
Notes: Myshuno Prompt #10
Word Count: 700
My Card.
***
Tina looked at the clock on the wall when she heard footsteps outside of the cheerful little green house she shared with Zane, Remington, Jezebel and Ruth. Zane had a "pickup" scheduled for that day and it was about the time he normally came home. She stood up from the couch with a stretch and made her way to the front door to greet Zane. She knew that doing any sort of pickup usually depressed him slightly, so she wanted to greet him with a comforting hug.
She opened the door and looked outside. There she saw Zane, who was still in his Reaper Robes (with its hood pulled back so she could see his face), gently placing a garden gnome on the dry, orangish dirt. As she stood there looking at him, a thought suddenly occurred to her. "Zane? Is that another garden gnome?" she asked.
Zane looked up at her with a wide, cheerful smile. "It is," he replied. He gave the gnome a pat on its head, made his way onto the porch, wrapped her in his arms and gave her a kiss.
After he kissed her, she looked up at him with her brow wrinkled slightly. "But that's not the same one you bought two days ago."
"No, it's not."
"And actually, now that I think about it, you've bought, like, ten garden gnomes--"
"Nineteen actually. This one makes twenty."
She cast her eyes around the yard before asking, "Where have all the garden gnomes gone then?"
"They were stolen," came her husband's cheerful reply.
"Stolen! By who? Has Thaddeus been coming by and stealing them from you?"
Zane's face darkened slightly at the Pet Reaper's name. "Thaddeus knows better than to come into my territory." His face brightened and a wide grin appeared on his face again. "Nope they were stolen by someone else."
Tina arched her eyebrow. "Zane. Who. Has. Been. Stealing. The. Gnomes?"
He took her hand into his bony one. The bones, she knew, were just an illusion, and she could feel his warm, soft skin as his long fingers wrapped around hers. "I'll show you where the gnomes have been going," he said with a laugh.
In an instant, they were standing in Spider Jerusalem's garden. The owner of the garden was very intent on his task of arranging an army of garden gnomes, which were placed in two neat rows. He stood up abruptly, waved his hand, and made the gnomes disappear when Zane called out, "Hi Spider."
"Hey, Zane. What's up? Hey, Tina, nice to see you," the winged Reaper Child said with a smile.
Tina crossed her arms and asked, "Spider, are you the one who has been stealing our garden gnomes?"
Spider rolled his eyes and crossed his arms. "'Stealing' is such a harsh word. I prefer 'collecting.' Or maybe 'acquiring.' Maybe, possibly, 'borrowing.'"
"So you did steal the gnomes!"
"What gnomes?" Spider asked blandly. "I don't know of these gnomes of which you speak of."
Zane leaned over towards Tina and said in a loud whisper, "I'd just give them to him, but he won't let me."
"Yeah, stealing them, er, I mean, 'borrowing' them is so much more fun."
"Oh my God," Tina said, "wait, so the newspapers that you leave outside, those are for Spider to steal as well?"
"Yes," Zane replied.
"What papers?" Spider asked with a smirk.
Tina rubbed her forehead. "Okay, so, is this like a Reaper Child thing?"
"No. It's a Spider thing," was Zane's response. To Spider, he said, "Do you want to come over for dinner. I have a brand new garden gnome that I'm sure you're just dying to see."
"You know, that sounds like fun," Spider responded as he slung his arm over Zane's shoulder. "It'll allow me to case out the joint. You didn't just leave it by your doorstep like you always do, did you?"
"Well, so long as you don't cheat and watch where I place it, I can move it when you come over."
"Zane, old buddy old pal, I would never, ever cheat. It'd be like cheating at chess. It's just wrong!"
Tina could only shake her head and laugh.
***
Characters: Zane, Tina, Spider Jerusalem
Rating: PG
Summary: Tina notices that Zane's gnomes keep disappearing.
Notes: Myshuno Prompt #10
Word Count: 700
My Card.
***
Tina looked at the clock on the wall when she heard footsteps outside of the cheerful little green house she shared with Zane, Remington, Jezebel and Ruth. Zane had a "pickup" scheduled for that day and it was about the time he normally came home. She stood up from the couch with a stretch and made her way to the front door to greet Zane. She knew that doing any sort of pickup usually depressed him slightly, so she wanted to greet him with a comforting hug.
She opened the door and looked outside. There she saw Zane, who was still in his Reaper Robes (with its hood pulled back so she could see his face), gently placing a garden gnome on the dry, orangish dirt. As she stood there looking at him, a thought suddenly occurred to her. "Zane? Is that another garden gnome?" she asked.
Zane looked up at her with a wide, cheerful smile. "It is," he replied. He gave the gnome a pat on its head, made his way onto the porch, wrapped her in his arms and gave her a kiss.
After he kissed her, she looked up at him with her brow wrinkled slightly. "But that's not the same one you bought two days ago."
"No, it's not."
"And actually, now that I think about it, you've bought, like, ten garden gnomes--"
"Nineteen actually. This one makes twenty."
She cast her eyes around the yard before asking, "Where have all the garden gnomes gone then?"
"They were stolen," came her husband's cheerful reply.
"Stolen! By who? Has Thaddeus been coming by and stealing them from you?"
Zane's face darkened slightly at the Pet Reaper's name. "Thaddeus knows better than to come into my territory." His face brightened and a wide grin appeared on his face again. "Nope they were stolen by someone else."
Tina arched her eyebrow. "Zane. Who. Has. Been. Stealing. The. Gnomes?"
He took her hand into his bony one. The bones, she knew, were just an illusion, and she could feel his warm, soft skin as his long fingers wrapped around hers. "I'll show you where the gnomes have been going," he said with a laugh.
In an instant, they were standing in Spider Jerusalem's garden. The owner of the garden was very intent on his task of arranging an army of garden gnomes, which were placed in two neat rows. He stood up abruptly, waved his hand, and made the gnomes disappear when Zane called out, "Hi Spider."
"Hey, Zane. What's up? Hey, Tina, nice to see you," the winged Reaper Child said with a smile.
Tina crossed her arms and asked, "Spider, are you the one who has been stealing our garden gnomes?"
Spider rolled his eyes and crossed his arms. "'Stealing' is such a harsh word. I prefer 'collecting.' Or maybe 'acquiring.' Maybe, possibly, 'borrowing.'"
"So you did steal the gnomes!"
"What gnomes?" Spider asked blandly. "I don't know of these gnomes of which you speak of."
Zane leaned over towards Tina and said in a loud whisper, "I'd just give them to him, but he won't let me."
"Yeah, stealing them, er, I mean, 'borrowing' them is so much more fun."
"Oh my God," Tina said, "wait, so the newspapers that you leave outside, those are for Spider to steal as well?"
"Yes," Zane replied.
"What papers?" Spider asked with a smirk.
Tina rubbed her forehead. "Okay, so, is this like a Reaper Child thing?"
"No. It's a Spider thing," was Zane's response. To Spider, he said, "Do you want to come over for dinner. I have a brand new garden gnome that I'm sure you're just dying to see."
"You know, that sounds like fun," Spider responded as he slung his arm over Zane's shoulder. "It'll allow me to case out the joint. You didn't just leave it by your doorstep like you always do, did you?"
"Well, so long as you don't cheat and watch where I place it, I can move it when you come over."
"Zane, old buddy old pal, I would never, ever cheat. It'd be like cheating at chess. It's just wrong!"
Tina could only shake her head and laugh.
***