The #3Things story

[swan_tower]

Earlier today, I posted the #3Things story to Twitter. Here, in its random glory, is the whole thing:

Buffeted by storm winds, the little lost hummingbird whirled and spun through the air, incapable of even falling. #3Things (1/14)

Her ordeal ended when the winds blew her into a screen of leaves. There she stayed until the storm ended & she fell down. #3Things (2/14)

Where am I? she thought (but did not say — hummingbird tongues are not good for speaking with). #3Things (3/14)

“Why, you are on an aspidochelone.” #3Things (4/14)

The hummingbird looked around to see who had spoken. She saw nothing except a lethal-looking spiky thing on the ground. #3Things (5/14)

“Yes,” I spoke,” the object said. It communicated by means of a revoltingly strong, nauseating odor. #3Things (6/14)

What’s that? the hummingbird wondered. She didn’t know whether hummingbirds could vomit, but she thought she might find out #3Things (7/14)

“I am a durian — the King of Fruits,” the spiky thing said proudly, emitting a wave of raw-sewage smell. #3Things (8/14)

The hummingbird wished desperately for some nectar to clear her palate and wondered what an aspidochelone was. #3Things (9/14)

“It’s a huge creature mistaken for an island because of vegetation,” the durian said. (It had looked this up on Wikipedia.) #3Things (10/14)

“You’ll never return to your eggs or your favorite flower. The aspidochelone is swimming out to sea with us atop its back.” #3Things (11/14)

The hummingbird leapt into the air, desperate to fly home before it was too late, but the durian shot her with its spikes. #3Things (12/14)

These were tipped with sleeping poison, and so the hummingbird fell to the ground once more, dazed and weak. #3Things (13/14)

“I may be the King of Fruits,” the durian said, “but I am a mere servant of this island, and its flowers need pollination.” #3Things (14/14)

***

Many thanks to @lrushlau for the hummingbird, @KarenMuses for the aspidochelone, and @charlesatan for the sentient durian! #3Things

Originally published at Swan Tower. You can comment here or there.

Comments

[desperance.livejournal.com]

Weirdly, I was just this precise minute thinking about aspidochelones my own self - or rather, "aspidochelone". Steve Berman of Lethe Press has just asked me to proof-listen to the audiobook of my forthcoming collection, paying special attention to potential problems. Like f'rexample the story "Keep The Aspidochelone Floating"...

[swan-tower.livejournal.com]

I see now why your wife suggested it!

[desperance.livejournal.com]

(PS - aww. Poor hummingbird!)

[klwilliams.livejournal.com]

You used my turtle! (I'm actually @KarenMuses, though.) It's Chaz's aspidochelone, though, really, and now it's yours, too! Hooray!

[swan-tower.livejournal.com]

Ack -- I knew that, and then my fingers went and substituted in the title of an Elizabeth Bear novel. Fixing now . . . .