Post by greenie on Oct 19, 2009 13:25:02 GMT 10
Title: Stories have their uses
Rating: PG
Prompt: Once upon a time
Summary: Clary wants a story, her Nursey tells her about the Shadow Snake.
A/N: Clary’s four, and I’m using her two siblings from my Clary fic Balancing Act. That makes her sister Rosalind eight and her little brother Berkeley (Klee) two.
................................................
Small hands tugged on the woman’s skirt as she sat mending clothes. “Nursey, I want a story.”
“What do you say?”
The little girl huffed and rolled her eyes, and then plastered a falsely bright smile on her face. “Please may I have a story?”
“That’s better. That wasn’t so hard now, was it Clara?” Little Clary scowled back up at her, and the woman chuckled. “You run and fetch your comb and then I’ll tell you one.”
…………………………….
Clary came running back, comb in hand, to find that not one but both of her siblings were now clamouring for their nursemaid’s attention.
“Cwawy!” Klee gave her a wide smile.
“You can stay, so long as you’re quiet and don’t bother us,” she told him seriously. He just looked up at her, eyes wide as he clutched his stuffed toy. She gave her sister a solid poke. “Go away, Nursey’s telling me a story.”
“I want her to do my hair, and I’m older.”
“I asked first!”
“Go away Clara, you’re annoying me.”
“You’re annoying me more!” Clary shoved her as hard as she could, although it didn’t cause her sister to do anything more than stumble. Klee chortled.
“Settle down, girls,” said Nursey, before Rosalind could react. “I’ll do Rosalind’s hair while I tell Clary her story.”
Clary stomped her foot. “But I asked first! And you were going to do my hair. I went all the way upstairs because you wanted my comb and I even brought my favourite ribbons too.”
“Shut your gob,” snapped Rosalind. “It’s bad enough that I have to listen to your poxy story.”
“It’s not poxy! You don’t even know what it is!”
Rosalind stuck her nose in the air. “Whatever it is, it’ll be poxy just like you.”
“I’m not poxy,” Clary retorted, and she kicked her on the shin.
Rosalind shoved her so hard that she fell on the floor.
“Rosalind! That is completely unacceptable behaviour. You could have seriously hurt her,” scolded their nurse.
“Clary started it.”
“And you should have known better, she’s only half your size. Not to mention that Berkeley could also have been hurt.”
Clary had been about to get up and continue the fight with her sister, but Nursey’s words gave her a better idea. She burst into tears.
“Are you hurt?” asked Nursey, concerned. She picked the little girl up and settled her on her lap.
“I hurt here, and here, and here, and here,” sobbed Clary, pointing to various parts of her body. “And she’s always mean to me.”
“Don’t be such a baby, you’re not actually hurt,” snapped Rosalind.
“See? She’s still being mean to me.”
Rosalind rolled her eyes. “She’s just pretending, to get me in trouble.”
Clary wiped her eyes on her sleeve and smirked at her when Nursey couldn’t see.
“See, I told you so! She’s just pretending!”
Clary sniffled miserably and cuddled herself into Nursey.
“That’s quite enough from you, Rosalind. You can wait until some other time for me to do your hair.”
“But it’s not fair!” Rosalind pouted. “I’m telling Mama,” she said, and slammed the door on her way out of the room.
“You can tell me my story now, Nursey,” said a very satisfied Clary.
“I’m not done with you either. No matter how angry you are, it’s not proper for a young lady like you to get yourself into fights like that.”
“But it was Rosalind’s fault.”
“It doesn’t matter whose fault you think it is. It’s bad to fight people.”
Clary scowled. “I don’t care.”
“Well you should,” replied the exasperated nurse. “If you’re bad, the Shadow Snake will get you.”
Clary was silent for a moment and then twisted around to look up. “What’s a Shadow Snake?”
“No wonder you’re such a bad little girl if you’ve never heard of the Shadow Snake.”
“I’m not bad,” said Clary, her eyes wide and a little worried. Klee was wide-eyed too, his thumb stuck in his mouth as he watched them.
“Well, I’ll tell you about the Shadow Snake then,” Nursey told her. “And then you’ll know to be good.” She took the comb and ribbons from Clary’s hand and let her long hair out. “See, once upon a time, there was a little boy…”
………………………….
“…and now the Shadow Snake waits at the crossroads for children that are bad, and he takes them.” Nursey finished tying the second ribbon on Clary’s braid. “There you go, all finished. And now you know to be good.”
“I’m not scared of the Shadow Snake,” Clary informed her nurse. “Da told me all about snakes. They’re not big enough to steal me. If I saw one, I’d just stomp on it.”
“The Shadow Snake is different, he’s too big to be stomped on. He’s big enough to eat the bad children, remember?”
Klee didn’t seem to be worried in the least; he’d fallen fast asleep on the rug.
“But I’m not really bad, am I Nursey? Rosalind’s badder, and the Shadow Snake hasn’t taken her yet.” The little girl frowned and chewed on her nail. “Or did she taste so horrible that the Shadow Snake spat her back out?”
“I don’t know,” answered Nursey, pulling Clary’s hand away from her mouth. “If you want to find out, you’d best be very bad and then ask the Shadow Snake himself.”
“But I don’t want to get eaten.”
“Best be good then, hadn’t you?”
Clary nodded and climbed off Nursey’s lap. “Thank you for warning me,” she said seriously.
“That’s alright,” Nursey answered. “You run along and play now, I’ll put Berkeley into his bed.”
“I’ll help you,” offered Clary. “You said I was bad before, so I’d best be good so that the Shadow Snake doesn’t actually think I’m bad and eat me.”
Nursey just smiled. Spooky stories certainly have their uses.
Rating: PG
Prompt: Once upon a time
Summary: Clary wants a story, her Nursey tells her about the Shadow Snake.
A/N: Clary’s four, and I’m using her two siblings from my Clary fic Balancing Act. That makes her sister Rosalind eight and her little brother Berkeley (Klee) two.
................................................
Small hands tugged on the woman’s skirt as she sat mending clothes. “Nursey, I want a story.”
“What do you say?”
The little girl huffed and rolled her eyes, and then plastered a falsely bright smile on her face. “Please may I have a story?”
“That’s better. That wasn’t so hard now, was it Clara?” Little Clary scowled back up at her, and the woman chuckled. “You run and fetch your comb and then I’ll tell you one.”
…………………………….
Clary came running back, comb in hand, to find that not one but both of her siblings were now clamouring for their nursemaid’s attention.
“Cwawy!” Klee gave her a wide smile.
“You can stay, so long as you’re quiet and don’t bother us,” she told him seriously. He just looked up at her, eyes wide as he clutched his stuffed toy. She gave her sister a solid poke. “Go away, Nursey’s telling me a story.”
“I want her to do my hair, and I’m older.”
“I asked first!”
“Go away Clara, you’re annoying me.”
“You’re annoying me more!” Clary shoved her as hard as she could, although it didn’t cause her sister to do anything more than stumble. Klee chortled.
“Settle down, girls,” said Nursey, before Rosalind could react. “I’ll do Rosalind’s hair while I tell Clary her story.”
Clary stomped her foot. “But I asked first! And you were going to do my hair. I went all the way upstairs because you wanted my comb and I even brought my favourite ribbons too.”
“Shut your gob,” snapped Rosalind. “It’s bad enough that I have to listen to your poxy story.”
“It’s not poxy! You don’t even know what it is!”
Rosalind stuck her nose in the air. “Whatever it is, it’ll be poxy just like you.”
“I’m not poxy,” Clary retorted, and she kicked her on the shin.
Rosalind shoved her so hard that she fell on the floor.
“Rosalind! That is completely unacceptable behaviour. You could have seriously hurt her,” scolded their nurse.
“Clary started it.”
“And you should have known better, she’s only half your size. Not to mention that Berkeley could also have been hurt.”
Clary had been about to get up and continue the fight with her sister, but Nursey’s words gave her a better idea. She burst into tears.
“Are you hurt?” asked Nursey, concerned. She picked the little girl up and settled her on her lap.
“I hurt here, and here, and here, and here,” sobbed Clary, pointing to various parts of her body. “And she’s always mean to me.”
“Don’t be such a baby, you’re not actually hurt,” snapped Rosalind.
“See? She’s still being mean to me.”
Rosalind rolled her eyes. “She’s just pretending, to get me in trouble.”
Clary wiped her eyes on her sleeve and smirked at her when Nursey couldn’t see.
“See, I told you so! She’s just pretending!”
Clary sniffled miserably and cuddled herself into Nursey.
“That’s quite enough from you, Rosalind. You can wait until some other time for me to do your hair.”
“But it’s not fair!” Rosalind pouted. “I’m telling Mama,” she said, and slammed the door on her way out of the room.
“You can tell me my story now, Nursey,” said a very satisfied Clary.
“I’m not done with you either. No matter how angry you are, it’s not proper for a young lady like you to get yourself into fights like that.”
“But it was Rosalind’s fault.”
“It doesn’t matter whose fault you think it is. It’s bad to fight people.”
Clary scowled. “I don’t care.”
“Well you should,” replied the exasperated nurse. “If you’re bad, the Shadow Snake will get you.”
Clary was silent for a moment and then twisted around to look up. “What’s a Shadow Snake?”
“No wonder you’re such a bad little girl if you’ve never heard of the Shadow Snake.”
“I’m not bad,” said Clary, her eyes wide and a little worried. Klee was wide-eyed too, his thumb stuck in his mouth as he watched them.
“Well, I’ll tell you about the Shadow Snake then,” Nursey told her. “And then you’ll know to be good.” She took the comb and ribbons from Clary’s hand and let her long hair out. “See, once upon a time, there was a little boy…”
………………………….
“…and now the Shadow Snake waits at the crossroads for children that are bad, and he takes them.” Nursey finished tying the second ribbon on Clary’s braid. “There you go, all finished. And now you know to be good.”
“I’m not scared of the Shadow Snake,” Clary informed her nurse. “Da told me all about snakes. They’re not big enough to steal me. If I saw one, I’d just stomp on it.”
“The Shadow Snake is different, he’s too big to be stomped on. He’s big enough to eat the bad children, remember?”
Klee didn’t seem to be worried in the least; he’d fallen fast asleep on the rug.
“But I’m not really bad, am I Nursey? Rosalind’s badder, and the Shadow Snake hasn’t taken her yet.” The little girl frowned and chewed on her nail. “Or did she taste so horrible that the Shadow Snake spat her back out?”
“I don’t know,” answered Nursey, pulling Clary’s hand away from her mouth. “If you want to find out, you’d best be very bad and then ask the Shadow Snake himself.”
“But I don’t want to get eaten.”
“Best be good then, hadn’t you?”
Clary nodded and climbed off Nursey’s lap. “Thank you for warning me,” she said seriously.
“That’s alright,” Nursey answered. “You run along and play now, I’ll put Berkeley into his bed.”
“I’ll help you,” offered Clary. “You said I was bad before, so I’d best be good so that the Shadow Snake doesn’t actually think I’m bad and eat me.”
Nursey just smiled. Spooky stories certainly have their uses.
Somehow having Rosalind and Klee there made everything just so realistic. I loved this!
Maybe once we'd have seen it during Smackdown!