Funk-N-Fiction

Happy Wednesday, my lovely reader friends! And happy Kiernan Kelly‘s Halloween Flash Fiction story day! I love her sweet take on this dramatic gargoyle image!
And just a comment below gets you entered to win a free ebook!!

Sticks and Stone
by Kiernan Kelly

“Today’s the day!” Stone shivered off the last of the curse, the one that kept his family encased in stone for three hundred and sixty-four days of the year. He grinned and stretched. It felt wonderful to be free again.

“Yeah, yeah. We know.” His brother, Flint, rolled his eyes. “Tell me again why you spend every Halloween chasing after somebody who doesn’t know you’re alive?”

“Because this year it’ll be different.”

“You say that every year.”

Stone sniffed. “None of them were The One. This year, I’ll find the right person and break the curse. You wait and see.”

“Don’t be stupid. The One doesn’t exist!” Flint slapped Stone upside the back of the head, which, now that he was flesh and bone, stung.

Stone rubbed the back of his head. “I’ll spend my day however I please, thanks. What do you have planned for today?”

“I’m going to West Hollywood again this year. Big Halloween parade, great costumes. Lots of drinking. I’m just grateful our magic comes back when the curse lifts or I’d be stuck here in Paris.”

“So, you plan on spending tomorrow with a stone-cold hangover?”

Flint smirked. “Gargoyles don’t get hangovers. You know that.”

“Yes, but by tomorrow the curse will be lifted and your first free day in a thousand years is gonna be spent with a headache and a fuzzy tongue.”

Flint groaned and shook his head. “Whatever. You do you, bro.”

Stone gave him a million watt grin. “I plan on it. I’m going to Florida this year. Halloween Horror Nights at Universal Studios.”

Flint sighed. “ Have fun. Bring me back a souvenir.”

***

Teleportation was the only magic skill left to Stone since the time his family was cursed into gargoyle-hood, but it worked perfectly, and in the blink of an eye he was standing in the middle of Universal Studios.

Stone looked around him in awe. Halloween Horror Nights was in full swing, and the air was filled with screams and laughter. It was so different from Paris, where Halloween was still considered a relatively new and frivolous holiday.

As he walked around, taking in the sights and sounds, he caught sight of a group of people dressed in elaborate costumes. One of them, a man with longish black hair and a red cloak, caught his eye. He was laughing and joking with his friends, but Stone couldn’t help feeling drawn to him.

Stone followed him, keeping a safe distance, watching as he moved through the crowds.

He’d just gotten up the courage to approach the man, to say something, when he heard a scream coming from one of the haunted houses. He turned to look and when he turned back, the man was gone.

As the night went on, he started to feel more and more like a human. It was a strange feeling, but one that he welcomed. He was so lost in his thoughts that he didn’t notice the man in the red cloak until he was right in front of him.

“Hey,” he said, smiling. “I’ve been seeing you around all night. Are you following me?”

Stone felt his cheeks flush, embarrassed. “No, no, I wasn’t following you. I just…I just noticed your costume. It’s really cool. I’m Stone, by the way.”

The man’s smile widened. “Thanks! I’m Gabriel, but my friends call me ‘Sticks.’ Nice to meet you, Stone.”

“That’s an odd nickname.” There was nothing about Gabriel that looked remotely like sticks. He was well-built, with a wide chest and majorly sculpted arms.

Gabriel laughed. “I’m a drummer, bro. That’s why they call me Sticks.”

They started chatting, and Stone found himself drawn to Gabriel’s easy laugh and the way he listened to everything Stone said.

As the night wore on, they found themselves sitting on a bench, watching the fireworks light up the sky. It was quiet between them, but it wasn’t an awkward silence. It felt…comfortable.

Stone cleared his throat. “Gabriel, I know this may sound crazy, but do you believe in fate?”

Gabriel looked at him, a small smile playing at his lips. “I don’t know. Why do you ask?”

Stone took a deep breath. “I’ve been cursed. My family and I, we’re gargoyles for most of the year. But on Halloween, we get to be human. And every year, I search for The One. The person who can break the curse and set us free.”

Gabriel’s expression was one of surprise. “Wow. That’s both the most intense and weirdest come on I’ve ever heard. Do you think I’m The One?”

Stone felt his heartbeat quicken. “I don’t know yet. But I feel like…like we have a connection. Like we were meant to meet tonight.”

Gabriel reached out and took Stone’s hand. “I feel it too, Stone. At least, I feel something. There’s an aura about you that’s pulling me towards you. Maybe it’s fate, maybe it’s just a really good night, but I’m willing to find out.”

Stone felt a thrill of excitement run through him. “So you’ll help me break the curse?”

Gabriel squeezed his hand. “I’ll help you with anything you need, Stone. Let’s take this one step at a time, okay?”

Stone grinned from ear to ear. “Okay. One step at a time.”

As the fireworks faded away, Gabriel leaned in and kissed him. It was a soft, gentle kiss that sent a jolt of electricity through Stone’s body. They pulled away, both grinning like fools.

“I think that’s a good first step,” Gabriel said, his voice low.

***

After the park closed, Stone turned to Gabriel. “Are you sure you want to help me break the curse?”

Gabriel gave him a lopsided grin. “Still going with the whole ‘I’m a gargoyle’ thing? Sure. I’m in.”

“Okay. Grab my hand and hold on tight.” Stone paused a moment. “You might want to close your eyes. It gets a little hairy the first time you do it.”

“Do what?”

“Teleport.”

Gabriel’s grin grew wider, but he closed his eyes. “This is where you kiss me, right? Note for the future. A simple, ‘I’m going to kiss you now’ would’ve sufficed. You didn’t need to go through this whole teleportation gimmick.”

Gabriel tilted his head and parted his lips waiting for a kiss…that never came. Instead, there was a weird sense of vertigo, and the feeling of cold air blowing through his hair and against his skin. Only Stone’s hand was warm, clinging to his, grounding him.

Then he opened his eyes…

…and oh, Lord, they weren’t in Kansas anymore. Or Florida for that matter. They were standing on the roof of a cathedral in a city Gabriel only recognized from postcards and magazine covers.

Paris.

That was the freaking Eiffel Tower over there! And there — wasn’t that the Arc de Triomphe?

He began to shake.

“Hey, hey Gabriel? Are you okay?” Stone’s soft voice whispered in his ear while a strong arm wrapped around his shoulders.

“This…this is Paris.” Gabriel’s mouth felt dry and scratchy.

“Yes, I know. I had to bring you here in case the curse isn’t broken. I couldn’t risk turning into a gargoyle in the middle of Central Florida. I’d stick out like a stone thumb.”

“Y-you really are a g-gargoyle?” Gabriel’s eyes went wide, and his face paled. He took a half-step back. Gargoyles are real? Oh, my God…what do I do now?

“I told you all about the curse. Did you forget?”

Gabriel looked at the stone demon faces edging the roof of the cathedral and blanched. “They’re all trapped in stone?”

Stone laughed. “No, no. Most stone gargoyles are just that — stone, and nothing more. Only my family has been cursed into gargoyle stasis.”

“Who cursed you?”

Stone’s smile faded. “It was a long, long time ago. Babylonia, if you can believe it. A jilted lover cursed my grandfather’s entire bloodline.”

“That’s awful!”

“I know! But she did it, and now we’re stuck. Until such a time as one of us finds our fated mate. Then the stars will align, and the curse will be broken.”

Gabriel cocked his head. “What makes you think we’re fated mates?”

Stone cocked his head and blinked. “Our kiss. Didn’t you feel it? I did. I felt something deep inside sort of shift and find its center.”

“Well, yeah, it was a good kiss. A great kiss, even.”

“Are you telling me you felt that way with someone else?”

Gabriel shrugged. “Not that I recall, but–“

“See? It was our souls touching, Gabriel. We’re fated mates. I just know it.”

Gabriel looked down at the city again. It was a fairy city now, aglow with millions of twinkling lights. “What happens between fated mates, Stone?”

“Oh, it’s a big thing. They’re super rare. Practically legend.”

Gabriel narrowed his eyes at Stone. “Practically legend, or are legend? How many of these fated mates do you know of?”

Stone cleared his throat and suddenly found something extremely interesting about his thumbnail. “Well, actually, only…none. But we’ve all heard about them from people who knew people who knew them.”

“So, like maybe your father’s best friend’s uncle’s mechanic’s wife’s cousin knew one?”

Stone puffed his cheeks full of air and blew out a long breath. “You’re making it sound like they’re not real.”

“I’m beginning to wonder if they are.”

“Don’t say that!” Stone’s eyes grew round and teary. “Finding a fated mate is the only way to break the curse!”

Gabriel threw up his hands. “Okay, okay! I’m sorry!”

To distract from their almost-argument, Gabriel broke out the drumsticks he carried with him everywhere, and tapped out a beat on the head of a stone gargoyle.

“Now I know why they call you Sticks. You’re good!” Stone exclaimed with a wide grin. “Of course, my uncle, Henri, is going to have a whopper of a headache when he wakes up.”

Gabriel’s jaw dropped and his hands froze in midair. “This is your uncle?”

Stone laughed. “No, but I had you going for a minute.” Then he still, and sobered. “Look! The sun is going to rise!”

Gabriel stuffed his sticks back inside his pocket, then grabbed Stone’s hands. “Stone, just in case, you know, things don’t go as planned, I really enjoyed spending tonight with you…and I’d really like another kiss.”

Stone smiled softly, and took Gabriel into his arms. Their lips met just as the sun winked over the horizon, casting the City of Lights in a pale, golden glow.

And the kiss went on.

The light grew stronger as the sun’s rays swept over them, warming their skin.

And the kiss went on.

Gabriel finally broke the kiss and leaned back to look at Stone…

…who looked back at Gabriel with wonder in his beautiful eyes. “It’s done,” he whispered. “The curse! It’s broken.”

“You did it!” Gabriel grinned, a wide and delighted smile.

“No, we did it. We’re fated mates!”

Gabriel’s smile slipped a bit. “Um, Stone, I’m not sure I want to be mated to anybody. No offense, but we hardly know each other and…”

“So? All fated mates means is that eventually we will fall in love. It’s not insta-love. It’s going to take time. Did you think I was going to throw you down and ravish you?”

Gabriel swatted his arm. “Don’t tease me. I didn’t know what to expect!”

“Well, I know what to expect. Kiss me quick, because my family is going to start popping in at any moment and there’ll be hugging and crying and introductions, and my mother will tell you embarrassing stories of my childhood, and my brothers will want to know your intentions and it’s going to be a big, happy, soggy mess.”

So he did, and it was, and from that moment on life was perfectly wonderful for a man named Sticks and a gargoyle named Stone.

This morning’s contest is easy peasy, and the prize is something we all love — a free ebook!

Simply leave a comment on this post about the story, and you’ll be entered to win a free ebook copy of White Dragon: Dragon Islands Book One.

Contest starts today, and goes through midnight on November 1st. Our winners will be chosen from all eligible entries on November 2nd and notified, and then announced in our wrap-up post on November 3rd.

Good luck!!