For those new to my blog I took a class recently on How to Write Flash Fiction That Doesn’t Suck. I made some effort to use those new techniques to write this story. Hope you like it.

The Magic Room

They stood looking down at their sleeping newborn, Nadia. The nursery had everything imaginable, from the highest ranked crib for safety to the fire retardant carpet on the floor; nothing was too good for their new baby.

“She’s perfect, Adira. Let her sleep.” Kyle tried to gently pull his wife away.

“I’ll be there in a minute,” Adira whispered. “I just want to look at her a little longer.”

As he left she reached over and turned on the baby monitor. She wanted to be aware of the least little problem. Adira leaned over the crib side and gave the soft, warm cheek a kiss, adjusting the light blanket just so. Sighing, she turned and left the room, turning out the light and leaving the door open a crack.

After the house was asleep, Rigo, son of Gab, slowly opened the door to the magic room inside the nursery door. Forced by sheer human numbers to find alternate living arrangements, the gnomes had found they could safely live right under the human’s noses.

He crept into the nursery, the night light provided more than enough illumination for him. It had been so long since his kind had any children. The magic was so hard to generate with so few gnomes left. Peering through the netting of the crib, he watched the tiny, blonde, girl child breathe, her thumb stuck in her pink little mouth. Reaching into the crib, he pulled the baby out, making sure to wrap the blanket around her securely. Sure she was safe; he turned to hide back in the door when the light snapped on.

He froze, baby in his arms.

“What?” Adira cried out. “What are you doing?”

Rigo tucked the baby tighter into his arm. “The baby is now mine.”

Adira gasped, “No! You can’t! She’s the only baby I have!”

He could see the crack in the door where he could slip in and the humans would never be able to reach him. “We have so few children. She will be my child. A gnome child.”

“No, she’s a girl, not a gnome,” Adira took a step, hands outstretched. “Please, give her to me.”

Shaking his head he inched forward, just a couple of feet more and he’d be safe. “I’ve seen humans and how they treat their children; television, computers, no time for play outdoors. She’ll be better off with me.”

Tears formed in Adira’s eyes, “No, please,” she took another step toward him, “that won’t happen. We love her. Please let me have her.”

The gnome hesitated. His wife had died, broken hearted, for lack of a child. “Have another; humans can have so many children.” He moved toward the door again.

Adira stepped in front of him. “No, I can’t, I can’t have any more. She’s my only child.” Tears began to flow down her face. She bent over to touch the baby. “Please, give me Nadia.” Just as she touched the baby, a tear fell from her cheek onto his hand.

His hand burned with the grief, the longing, the desire, the love of Adira for the baby. He couldn’t resist the power of that tear. Slowly, he handed the baby over. Adira wept, great sobs escaping her throat, baby clenched tightly to her.

The gnome slipped unnoticed through his door, closing it behind him.

The End

556 Words

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