#CoffinHop Day 5: Finding the Unicorn

Another story for today, this time a tale that didn't make
the cut for Fairy Tale Fusion (mostly because I forgot to include it):








Finding the Unicorn












On a windy evening in October, Sammy the Troll stomped into
the Monster’s Bar and Grill, with a scowl on his face and anger in his heart
(or at least that tiny shrivelled mass of muscle he called a heart). He scanned
the twisted and misshapen faces in the bar, looking for the particular mug of
Oscar the Fairy. Oscar was an investigator, of the private variety, and the
toughest, meanest fairy this side of the Seelie
Court. He was exactly who Sammy needed.

Sammy pushed across the crowded bar, knocking over a few
tables and a hoard of pixies that stood in his path. Upon reaching Oscar he demanded, “I want you to get my
unicorn back!”

Oscar slowly sipped his whiskey before replying. “Details,
you pug ugly. What happened to the unicorn?”

“Emily the Ogre took him when she left me. The stupid beast
took him for spite and I want him back.”

“Oh yeah, I heard you and Miss Nasty Ogre checked into
splitsville. Tough break, her taking your precious unicorn, but it seems to me
this is a domestic thing. I don't do domestic.”

“I'll triple your normal fee.”

Oscar whistled softly. “Okay, for triple, I'll do domestic.
You care how I get the unicorn back?”

“Nope, do what you got to do. I just want my baby back.”

Oscar smiled. He figured he'd get free rein. Everybody in
the Worlds knew how Sammy felt about the unicorn. “If I get my money up front,
you can have your unicorn back by midnight.”

“Done.” Sammy slammed a thick wad of cash onto the table.

Oscar smiled wider and picked up the money. “See you later
tonight, pug ugly.”




A few spells later and Oscar stood face to face with Emily
inside her lair. She had planted herself between him and the unicorn. “Hand him
over, sweets, and nobody gets hurt.”

“Try and take him, fairy, and I'll rip off your wings.”

“Don't say I didn't warn you, sweets.”

Oscar opened his hand and showed her the dust. She screamed,
but it was too late. He tossed the fairy powder into her face, she went “poof”
and shrank down to the size of a pixie. A very angry, yelling, pixie-sized
ogre. Oscar bent down, scooped her into a sack on his belt and then retrieved
the unicorn. He gave it a squeeze.

He shook his head in disbelief. “All this fuss over a plush
toy.”




Still muttering about the foibles of trolls and ogres, Oscar
headed to his client’s den and returned the unicorn to Sammy who was all
smiles.

“My baby snookums is back.” Sammy hugged his toy. “Now get
lost, fairy. I need my rest. I haven't had a good night’s sleep since my baby
got stolen.”

Oscar watched Sammy snuggle into his bed of leaves still
clutching his precious toy, and as he left, he could hear the sound of the
troll’s snores. Oscar went back to his house, counted his cash and put an ad up
on the internet: For Sale, One Angry Shrunken Ogre. Needs a Good Home.






Thanks for reading. Anyone who leaves a comment today gets a chance to win an e-copy of my book, Gothic Cavalcade (via Smashwords).




Now scroll on down for
the list of more Coffin Hoppers, and continue down the dark path… and don't forget to enter the Rafflecopter contest. 





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