Again, from my NaNo thingy. The first part of this is http://www.sffchronicles.co.uk/forum/529588-short-snippet.html and this follows on...
Help appreciated, as always.
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Carla went outside to the carpark, sat down on a wall, and lit a cigarette. She was admiring her nails when something plopped into her lap.
Carla looked down. And then she screamed and jumped to her feet, before taking a drag on her cigarette. She hugged an arm around her waist and leaned forwards a little.
A very large, very ugly frog slowly turned to look at her. It blinked and Carla recoiled in disgust.
"Ew," she said. She took another puff on the cigarette.
The frog's throat bulged. The creature waddled towards her and she backed up.
"Go away," she said. "Shoo."
She frowned, blew smoke into the air. The frog continued towards her, all goggle eyed and gross. Carla lifted a foot and held it over the frog. Just one, hard stamp. That's all she had to do. It would be quick.
"Oh God," she muttered. She closed her eyes, told herself that it would be an excuse to buy new shoes, and pressed down on the frog's back.
The frog croaked.
Carla cursed and removed her foot. "Shh!" she said. "I'm putting you out of your misery. God, I'm talking to a frog."
She looked around for assistance but the carpark was empty. A heron was perched on top of the fence which separated the carpark from the field and when she looked at it, it flapped its wings and then settled down again, staring impassively back at her. Carla's frown deepened. She took a final drag on the cigarette and then dropped it to the ground by the frog's side.
Before she could stand on it, the frog's tongue darted from its mouth and the cigarette butt disappeared down the creature's throat.
"Gross!" Carla exclaimed.
The frog started to smoke, a grey fog rising from its body. Its throat bulged, it blinked its eyes. Carla watched in horrified fascination, wondering if the frog was cooking from the inside. Up on the fence, the heron watched.
Suddenly, the frog exploded. Gobbets of slime and red goo landed on Carla's face, one large piece of skin hit her lower lip and hung there. Carla didn't notice any of this.
A naked man, covered in a clear mucus, stood in from of her. He coughed, spraying Carla with spittle. She took a sharp intake of breath, almost sucked in the frog skin, and then she screamed.
"Quiet!" the man roared.
Carla shut up. Her lip trembled as she stared wide-eyed at the man who, currently, was wiping mucus from his face and grumbling to himself.
"You're naked," Carla gasped.
The man looked down at himself. He had thick dark hair on his head, chest and nether regions. He raised his eyes, also dark, to look at Carla. "I am," he agreed. "Get me some clothes at once."
"I... no!" Carla said. She crossed her arms across her chest and raised her slime-covered chin defiantly. "Get your own damn clothes. And take a shower, you're gross!"
"I am not gross, madam, I am a Prince," the man said. "The Frog Prince."
"The Frog..." Carla frowned. "The frog exploded, I don't know where the Hell you came from!"
"Over there," the man said, waving a hand in a vague direction. "And more recently, from up there." He pointed upwards. "And then, there." He pointed to Carla's crotch.
Carla decided that she would stop taking that sneaky drink at work. She ran a hand over her face and then realised what she was covered in. She stared at her hand in disgust.
"Ew!"
"Ew," the man repeated. "Yes. Take me to the shower."
Carla didn't know what else to do, she was standing in the carpark with a naked man and they were both covered in slime. The heron still watched them from the fence.
"You're not going to explode into a man too, are you?" Carla asked it.
The man turned his head and followed her gaze. "Him? No, he just dropped me off." He waved a hand at the heron. "You can go now," he added. "This is the one, this is the Princess."
"This is the... who? Me?!" Carla asked. "Princess?"
"Princess," he repeated.
The heron took to the air and flew away, heading across the field and back to the pond. Carla watched it, then pulled her eyes back to the man. "I'm a Princess? Seriously?"
She laughed in delight. "I knew it. I bloody knew it! I said to Joan, I said, I'm above all this. The mindless typing and answering the bloody phone. I knew it."
The Frog Prince blinked. "Yes," he agreed. "Now. Take me to the shower at once."
"Oh, absolutely, Your Highness," Carla said, bobbing a playful mock curtsey. She grinned at the man. "Do I have to call you 'Your Highness' if I'm a Princess?"
"Yes."
"Oh." Carla frowned. "Well, come with me then, let's get you cleaned up. Do I get a tiara?"
Help appreciated, as always.
------
Carla went outside to the carpark, sat down on a wall, and lit a cigarette. She was admiring her nails when something plopped into her lap.
Carla looked down. And then she screamed and jumped to her feet, before taking a drag on her cigarette. She hugged an arm around her waist and leaned forwards a little.
A very large, very ugly frog slowly turned to look at her. It blinked and Carla recoiled in disgust.
"Ew," she said. She took another puff on the cigarette.
The frog's throat bulged. The creature waddled towards her and she backed up.
"Go away," she said. "Shoo."
She frowned, blew smoke into the air. The frog continued towards her, all goggle eyed and gross. Carla lifted a foot and held it over the frog. Just one, hard stamp. That's all she had to do. It would be quick.
"Oh God," she muttered. She closed her eyes, told herself that it would be an excuse to buy new shoes, and pressed down on the frog's back.
The frog croaked.
Carla cursed and removed her foot. "Shh!" she said. "I'm putting you out of your misery. God, I'm talking to a frog."
She looked around for assistance but the carpark was empty. A heron was perched on top of the fence which separated the carpark from the field and when she looked at it, it flapped its wings and then settled down again, staring impassively back at her. Carla's frown deepened. She took a final drag on the cigarette and then dropped it to the ground by the frog's side.
Before she could stand on it, the frog's tongue darted from its mouth and the cigarette butt disappeared down the creature's throat.
"Gross!" Carla exclaimed.
The frog started to smoke, a grey fog rising from its body. Its throat bulged, it blinked its eyes. Carla watched in horrified fascination, wondering if the frog was cooking from the inside. Up on the fence, the heron watched.
Suddenly, the frog exploded. Gobbets of slime and red goo landed on Carla's face, one large piece of skin hit her lower lip and hung there. Carla didn't notice any of this.
A naked man, covered in a clear mucus, stood in from of her. He coughed, spraying Carla with spittle. She took a sharp intake of breath, almost sucked in the frog skin, and then she screamed.
"Quiet!" the man roared.
Carla shut up. Her lip trembled as she stared wide-eyed at the man who, currently, was wiping mucus from his face and grumbling to himself.
"You're naked," Carla gasped.
The man looked down at himself. He had thick dark hair on his head, chest and nether regions. He raised his eyes, also dark, to look at Carla. "I am," he agreed. "Get me some clothes at once."
"I... no!" Carla said. She crossed her arms across her chest and raised her slime-covered chin defiantly. "Get your own damn clothes. And take a shower, you're gross!"
"I am not gross, madam, I am a Prince," the man said. "The Frog Prince."
"The Frog..." Carla frowned. "The frog exploded, I don't know where the Hell you came from!"
"Over there," the man said, waving a hand in a vague direction. "And more recently, from up there." He pointed upwards. "And then, there." He pointed to Carla's crotch.
Carla decided that she would stop taking that sneaky drink at work. She ran a hand over her face and then realised what she was covered in. She stared at her hand in disgust.
"Ew!"
"Ew," the man repeated. "Yes. Take me to the shower."
Carla didn't know what else to do, she was standing in the carpark with a naked man and they were both covered in slime. The heron still watched them from the fence.
"You're not going to explode into a man too, are you?" Carla asked it.
The man turned his head and followed her gaze. "Him? No, he just dropped me off." He waved a hand at the heron. "You can go now," he added. "This is the one, this is the Princess."
"This is the... who? Me?!" Carla asked. "Princess?"
"Princess," he repeated.
The heron took to the air and flew away, heading across the field and back to the pond. Carla watched it, then pulled her eyes back to the man. "I'm a Princess? Seriously?"
She laughed in delight. "I knew it. I bloody knew it! I said to Joan, I said, I'm above all this. The mindless typing and answering the bloody phone. I knew it."
The Frog Prince blinked. "Yes," he agreed. "Now. Take me to the shower at once."
"Oh, absolutely, Your Highness," Carla said, bobbing a playful mock curtsey. She grinned at the man. "Do I have to call you 'Your Highness' if I'm a Princess?"
"Yes."
"Oh." Carla frowned. "Well, come with me then, let's get you cleaned up. Do I get a tiara?"
