'Well, thanks for the chat.' I wave to the fusty faeries, swoop out the door & land on Gabe's halo.
'You seem happy,Pixie. Does this mean... good news?'
'Nah. Appeal #rejected. But on the bright side, I get to stay with you.'
Gabe's so pleased, he looks like he might cry.
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'Pixie, how could you be so foolish. Have you never watched Back to the Future. The slightest change can vastly affect the present.'
'But, Gabe, I only went back to stop your mother coming to stay.'
'...I guess we could hide the #extinct Dodo I just found in the garden.'
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'You'd be surprised, Pixie. Gabriel was a real pronker in his youth.'
'Really, Mama G?'
Gabe splutters & reddens.
'Oh, yes. Him & his friends in tight trousers & glitter, #pronking on street corners & parks in Angel City.'
'Can we have a demonstration, Gabe?'
He growls.
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'I saw a black cat, Gabe, a rainbow & my ears keep itching. All good omens.'
'You'll be telling me you saw a #qilin next, Pixie.'
'I thought I did, Gabe, but it turned out to be a goat. Still, portents are adding up.'
'Sorry, Pixie, my mother is staying for another week.'
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Mama G fastidiously wipes her mouth with a napkin. 'All my family have a guardian spirit of sorts, Pixie. Mine is a #serval, Michael's a rhino, Azrael's a spider & Gabriel's is a -'
'Oh, oh, let me guess. Let me guess... Is it a... Is it a... bunny rabbit?'
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'What are you, Gabe? A sloth? On your feet. Straighten that halo. Smooth those feathers.'
Gabe leaps up, frantically preening & polishing, eyes darting around as he searches for Mama G.
I flit away, stifling a giggle at my #mimicry skills.
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The #amarok pauses beyond the door. We shudder. She can scent a lie with a single sniff. Cut through bullshit with a glance. Quell dissent with the quirk of an eyebrow & spot a dust mote at 100 paces.
Gabe straightens, mantles his wings & opens the door.
'Hello, Mother.'
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I deliver the news in trembling tones. Gabe’s mouth opens & closes. His skin turns more colours that a #parrotfish.
‘Pixie… She… my mother… she really said she was coming to stay for 2 weeks?!’
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'Stop laughing, Pixie. It's a feather thing. They think I'm a giant bird.'
'I'll never forget the image of you wrestling with a housecat, Gabe.'
'It wasn't a housecat, Pixie! At the very least it was an #ocelot, or perhaps a small tiger.'
Snigger. 'If you say so, Gabe.'
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Euugh! Too many pickled slugs. But they were so delicious. Now they're gurgling through my guts.
Gabe's busy with his newspaper. It's easy to lift a buttock & let out a sneaky one.
He frowns. Sniffs. I put on my most innocent face. I guess it was silent but #deadly.
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