#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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