Too Many Tacos
The day would have been a hilarious experience to most observers,
but not to the Yaddithian wizard Zkauba, who cursed his decision to come to the
Jopsan Market in Sakrab in the hopes of purchasing a necessary component for
his pilfered soft drink dispenser at a pittance. He had only intended to remain
for as long as it took to obtain the part, but before he knew it, he had
consumed too many tacos chased by more than a touch too much Jopsan Nectar, a
zesty fermented beverage that tasted like a perfect combination of Terran apple
cider with cinnamon, nutmeg, and allspice.
“Blasted Jopsan Nectar is like drinking a fizzy apple pie!”
the tapir-faced, bird-headed, insectoid wizard groaned as he hurried into a
clandestine alley where he could empty his bursting bladder behind a waste
receptacle. “Curse it all, in my time on Earth, I learned to love Terran foods
far too well! I should have stuck to my plan to get the necessary component for
the dispenser and get out, but how could I resist a tasty street taco or a dozen
with a pint or two of Jopsan Nectar to chase them ever so delightfully down my
gullet in a fizzy fountain of flavor?”
The silver key on the black metallic cord around Zkauba’s
wattled neck vibrated and glowed.
“Yes, yes, my precious friend, I am aware that they are in
pursuit,” Zkauba acknowledged. “I must manipulate my form, so they are not able
to spot me as quickly. I shall transmogrify myself into the form of a…”
At that moment, a shepherd walked by the alley with a flock
of bleating sheep. Before Zkauba had the chance to hone his spell, he was
transmuted into a sheep himself.
“Blast!” Zkauba bleated. “Well, I suppose they won’t be
looking for a sheep, so this may be advantageous. Still, I had better hide lest
an overly zealous shepherd attempts to integrate me into his flock.”
Zkauba glanced up and spotted a charming vase full of
sunflowers sitting in a windowsill. As he looked at the sunflowers, he began to
salivate.
“Oh, this is ridiculous,” Zkauba wailed, his complaint
bursting forth in an impassioned bleat. “I cannot very well accomplish my
mission in the guise of a sheep! What I need is a good night’s sleep. Perhaps
this ramshackle building can serve as a hotel. Then again, perhaps I should just
return to the base beneath Tfgil and rest for a time before seeking out the
component to my drink dispenser in a place that is Nyarlathotep-free. Blast it
all, why could I not have turned into a bird? Then I could flutter up and away
through the window instead of having to climb stairs on four legs!”
Zkauba was conscious of the clacking of his hooves as he
loped up the stairs in the nearly abandoned tenement. He had the odd thought of
wondering if his wrists would hurt when he changed back to his normal form,
considering that he was not usually a quadruped.
Acknowledgments
Nyarlathotep is the creation of H.P. Lovecraft, initially
appearing in his 1920 story of the same name.
Yaddith, the silver key, and the wizard Zkauba appear in the 1934 story “Through the Gates of the Silver Key” by H.P. Lovecraft and E. Hoffmann Price.
The following prompts from https://puttingmyfeetinthedirt.com/ was also utilized in the creation of this story.
Too many tacos
The story utilized the Saturday Mix prompt Mad About Metaphor.
The story used the 8 November 2020 Sunday Writing
Prompt “Creating Context.”
The story utilized the words from the 9 November 2020 Wordle.
https://mindlovemiserysmenagerie.wordpress.com/2020/11/09/wordle-214-2/
Sortable- someone you can take anywhere without being
embarrassed
Sunflowers
Windowsill
Charming
Impassioned
Conscious
Wrists
Salivate
Venus
Sleep
Hotel
Flutter
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I really enjoyed this romp - while feeling for Zkauba. Thank you.
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