I love you, Miss Muffet.

You are so beautiful, sitting on your tuffet, eating your curds and whey, that you send shivers up and down my cephalothorax.

Can I be your special pet, Miss Muffet? You could stroke the soft fur on my abdomen, tickle me under my pedipalps. Life would be so wonderful.

See how handsome I am, fangs gleaming and sparkling, polished with beetle-wing wax, rinsed with early morning dew!

Oh why doesn’t she look at me?

Here I come, Miss Muffet. Perhaps a gentle nip?

OH, MY GOD! What a bloodcurdling scream!

Did I frighten you away?

Author’s Note: Well, I just wanted to tell the Little Miss Muffet nursery rhyme from the spider’s viewpoint!

Categories: Fiction, Tony Steven Williams | 2 Comments »

Merlino snapped his fingers. Whhhhoooffff! The cake blazed in Technicolor, yet the ten candles remained unlit. Damn, he thought, but raised a theatrical eyebrow. Little Trixie bounced in her pink frock.

“This time,” intoned Merlino. Blinding lightning jagged across the room. Zzzzishhhh! The icing heaved green sea and the ten candles were flashing lighthouses (which promptly failed). Kzzzzammmm! The family gasped at the can-can dancers (but the ten floodlights died). Double-damn.

Merlino threw a monstrous fireball. Shhhzzzpahhh-splutttt! The ten candles stood proudly dormant on the black ruined cake.

Merlino sighed and reached for the matches. “Happy birthday, Trixie,” he laughed.

Author’s Note: Merlino is a retired wizard who is actually very powerful, but let’s say rather rough in application. One drink too many doesn’t help either.

Categories: Fiction, Tony Steven Williams | No Comments »

Deep in a dark Namibian cavern, a cluster of huge eggs sat as they had done for countless centuries. The roar of a lion echoed briefly and, from the jagged mouth of the cave, a near-full moon reflected faintly in one of the thick black shells.

Many eggs stirred, as they did more often now that the years grew warmer. A few even vibrated softly but soon returned to rest. As each dragon fetus briefly woke, its brain charged up a little more, sparked by instinctive visions of flight, fire, hunting, and feeding. Their growing bodies pushed ever harder.

Soon.

Author’s Note: Dragons are irresistible and a dragon drabble has such a nice sound. Adding an environmental touch is also very satisfying.

Categories: Fiction, Tony Steven Williams | 1 Comment »