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impulsereaderHm, I was just going to post these as replies, but this first one got a bit long. Go to this post to request a drabble of your very own. http://impulsereader.livejournal.com/48933.html
Title: He built it.
Written for![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
azriona
Word count: 730
A/N: Inspired by Carolyn's line in 2x6 Limerick: It's a big house of course. He has his own part of it. But even so, a house containing Arthur is very difficult to mistake for an empty house.
*****
CLUNK
Carolyn’s head jerked up from her book, her mind automatically categorizing ‘clunk’ as a fairly normal Arthur sound; worthy of noting but not alarming on its own. She went back to the explanation of how the dinosaurs could never possibly survive on their own if ever they were to somehow escape the island.
After a few more pages, there came another CLUNK which was followed by a BANG and a subsequent squelch.
Carolyn considered this sequence. Still within normal Arthur parameters, she decided; there might be some clean up involved, but not the A&E. She resumed reading.
She was just getting to a really good bit when she heard an outraged SQWACK.
Right. Time to step in.
“Arthur dear,” she called as she walked down the hall, “what are you up to in there?”
“Mum! Come see! I’ve built a parrot!”
“You’ve built a what? You don’t build parrots, Arthur, they’re hatched from eggs.”
“Yes I know, but I didn’t have an egg so I decided to build one instead. Isn’t he brilliant?”
And…there really was a parrot in Arthur’s living room. Carolyn blinked at it. It blinked back at her. It was a handsome bird with colourful plumage and a lovely yellow beak.
“Sqwack,” it said. “Polly wanna cracker!”
“Oh!” exclaimed Arthur, “OK! Just hang on, I’ll be right back!” He scampered out of the room.
Absolutely gobsmacked, Carolyn stared at the bird.
The parrot ducked its head, almost as if it were embarrassed because it realized that by all rights it really shouldn’t have been there. It shuffled from side to side a bit; it was perched on the back of the sofa.
She didn’t even know where to start.
Arthur had built a parrot?
Surely not.
Carolyn looked around the room, knowing there had to be some other, very simple, explanation.
There were no open windows.
There was no one else in the room.
She looked back at the bird.
She wondered – no, no that would be silly.
She looked around the room again.
There didn’t seem to be any other option.
She took a breath.
“Where did you come from?” she asked the bird, speaking slowly and clearly.
It let out a wolf whistle, and Carolyn startled.
Arthur came running back into the room, a packet of crisps in his hand. “We’re out of crackers, but I’ll go out and get you some straight away! While I’m gone you can have these.” He tore open the packet and carefully placed a line of crisps along the back of the sofa. The parrot delicately pecked at the first one and proceeded to eat it, using its beak and one of its feet.
“We can keep him, can’t we Mum?” Arthur looked up at her with pleading eyes.
“But Arthur, where did he come from? If he’s someone else’s bird we have to give him back!”
“No! I told you, I built him! That’s what’s so brilliant! He’s like a plasticine pet but better because he talks and everything!”
“But Arthur, you can’t have done. You cannot build a parrot.” Feeling ridiculous, she elaborated, “In order to get a parrot you need parrot parents.”
Unconcerned, Arthur shrugged. “But I did.” He beamed at the parrot, who was shuffling forward, eating the crisps one by one. “He is brilliant, isn’t he? And we can keep him, can’t we?” He looked up at her again, eyes still pleading.
Carolyn threw up her hands. Long experience had taught her when she wouldn’t be getting any more sensible explanation out of her son. “Fine! But you’ll have to post flyers to be sure no one has lost him.”
“But Mum, I told you -,”
“Yes, I heard you, you built him. Fine. But you’ll post the flyers anyway,” she stated firmly.
Arthur smiled indulgently. “All right, Mum. I’ll put him on a leash and take him with me.” He put out his arm. “Come on Tiddlywinks, let’s go get you some crackers!”
Carolyn watched as the parrot stepped onto Arthur’s arm and the two of them left the room together.
She sighed. Dealing with Arthur had long ago stopped giving her headaches, but there was a bit of pressure building at the moment. If Arthur had somehow gained the ability to make animals magically appear, she was in real trouble. She really hoped there was some other explanation for the parrot.
Title: He built it.
Written for
azrionaWord count: 730
A/N: Inspired by Carolyn's line in 2x6 Limerick: It's a big house of course. He has his own part of it. But even so, a house containing Arthur is very difficult to mistake for an empty house.
*****
CLUNK
Carolyn’s head jerked up from her book, her mind automatically categorizing ‘clunk’ as a fairly normal Arthur sound; worthy of noting but not alarming on its own. She went back to the explanation of how the dinosaurs could never possibly survive on their own if ever they were to somehow escape the island.
After a few more pages, there came another CLUNK which was followed by a BANG and a subsequent squelch.
Carolyn considered this sequence. Still within normal Arthur parameters, she decided; there might be some clean up involved, but not the A&E. She resumed reading.
She was just getting to a really good bit when she heard an outraged SQWACK.
Right. Time to step in.
“Arthur dear,” she called as she walked down the hall, “what are you up to in there?”
“Mum! Come see! I’ve built a parrot!”
“You’ve built a what? You don’t build parrots, Arthur, they’re hatched from eggs.”
“Yes I know, but I didn’t have an egg so I decided to build one instead. Isn’t he brilliant?”
And…there really was a parrot in Arthur’s living room. Carolyn blinked at it. It blinked back at her. It was a handsome bird with colourful plumage and a lovely yellow beak.
“Sqwack,” it said. “Polly wanna cracker!”
“Oh!” exclaimed Arthur, “OK! Just hang on, I’ll be right back!” He scampered out of the room.
Absolutely gobsmacked, Carolyn stared at the bird.
The parrot ducked its head, almost as if it were embarrassed because it realized that by all rights it really shouldn’t have been there. It shuffled from side to side a bit; it was perched on the back of the sofa.
She didn’t even know where to start.
Arthur had built a parrot?
Surely not.
Carolyn looked around the room, knowing there had to be some other, very simple, explanation.
There were no open windows.
There was no one else in the room.
She looked back at the bird.
She wondered – no, no that would be silly.
She looked around the room again.
There didn’t seem to be any other option.
She took a breath.
“Where did you come from?” she asked the bird, speaking slowly and clearly.
It let out a wolf whistle, and Carolyn startled.
Arthur came running back into the room, a packet of crisps in his hand. “We’re out of crackers, but I’ll go out and get you some straight away! While I’m gone you can have these.” He tore open the packet and carefully placed a line of crisps along the back of the sofa. The parrot delicately pecked at the first one and proceeded to eat it, using its beak and one of its feet.
“We can keep him, can’t we Mum?” Arthur looked up at her with pleading eyes.
“But Arthur, where did he come from? If he’s someone else’s bird we have to give him back!”
“No! I told you, I built him! That’s what’s so brilliant! He’s like a plasticine pet but better because he talks and everything!”
“But Arthur, you can’t have done. You cannot build a parrot.” Feeling ridiculous, she elaborated, “In order to get a parrot you need parrot parents.”
Unconcerned, Arthur shrugged. “But I did.” He beamed at the parrot, who was shuffling forward, eating the crisps one by one. “He is brilliant, isn’t he? And we can keep him, can’t we?” He looked up at her again, eyes still pleading.
Carolyn threw up her hands. Long experience had taught her when she wouldn’t be getting any more sensible explanation out of her son. “Fine! But you’ll have to post flyers to be sure no one has lost him.”
“But Mum, I told you -,”
“Yes, I heard you, you built him. Fine. But you’ll post the flyers anyway,” she stated firmly.
Arthur smiled indulgently. “All right, Mum. I’ll put him on a leash and take him with me.” He put out his arm. “Come on Tiddlywinks, let’s go get you some crackers!”
Carolyn watched as the parrot stepped onto Arthur’s arm and the two of them left the room together.
She sighed. Dealing with Arthur had long ago stopped giving her headaches, but there was a bit of pressure building at the moment. If Arthur had somehow gained the ability to make animals magically appear, she was in real trouble. She really hoped there was some other explanation for the parrot.
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no subject
Date: 2012-10-16 05:31 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2012-10-16 05:36 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2012-10-16 05:37 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2012-10-16 05:41 pm (UTC)*dances*
I should go work on my Cabin Pressure intro to Much Ado while I'm all excited about it.
no subject
Date: 2012-10-16 06:40 pm (UTC)(and for that matter...how did Arthur create the parrot?)
no subject
Date: 2012-10-17 12:33 am (UTC)(erm. I don't really know. While I was writing it was feeling rather 'magical', but now I think the poor bird just somehow wandered in with really spectacular timing. There have been signs in my neighborhood about a parrot theft which involved the owner having his two parrots outside with him, apparently unrestrained [I think this is intensely stupid] and that may have been working in the background of my mind. Parrots on the loose!)
no subject
Date: 2012-10-17 03:05 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2012-10-17 04:30 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2012-10-16 08:21 pm (UTC)The voices were really spot-on and if anyone managed to build a parrot, it surely would be Arthur! :-D
Really well done, I had so much fun reading it! (And now I'm thinking I should have asked for something funny, too...)
no subject
Date: 2012-10-17 12:34 am (UTC)Thanks! I'm so glad you enjoyed it!