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“That’s some story,” Rae said, putting down Lilly’s journal, almost knocking over her mug of wassail. “I like that last line about the Goddess’s blessing.” (The Little Match Girl)
Rae was sitting with three of her friends, Lilly, Manaria, and, of course, Claire, in a private room close to the temple where Lilly had just given a holy day sermon. The room, with its smoke-stained timbers and the smell of roasted meat and onions from the next room, made a comfortable atmosphere to celebrate Lilly’s coming of age. The four of them were feeling it, too. Rounds of the inn’s spiced holiday wassail and savory meat on slabs of bread had left them festive and a trifle intoxicated.
“Your miracles precede you, Goddess of all Things.” Manaria raised her mug, toasting Rae.
“Wha?” Rae looked at her, puzzled.
“Well, you created the world, didn’t you?” Manaria asked. “With all our ways of experiencing gender, relationships, and sexuality. Then you came and blessed us with tolerance.”
“That’s right,” Clair chimed in. “And the suffering too! You should have made it so people were more tolerant to begin with.” If Rae had been sober, he might have noticed Clair was having trouble keeping a straight face.
“Spawn of an impotent monkey,” Lilly burst out. “I should have killed you when I could. Curse you, ill-begotten gorilla!” Her voice was deeper and harsher than usual. It was a voice they hadn’t heard in many years, the voice of Lilly’s alter ego, the “Masked Man,” Salas Lilium’s twisted version of Lilly.
Rae’s face blanched. “No, not you. You’re gone; we banish…”
Rae’s words were cut off as Clair exploded into uncontrollable laughter, spraying wassail over the group. “Ahahaha! Ahahaha!! KiKii KiKii Ki Ki KiKii.” Then she scratched under her arms. "Gorilla! Monkey! Ki Kii Ki"
Rae sat looking stunned and puzzled.
“Oh, we got you good there, Clair explained, stopping laughing. You should have seen your face!”
“And you should see your face,” Manaria said, handing her a napkin.
As she finished cleaning wassail off her face, Clair shouted, “A toast to Lilly’s birthday and her clever prank!”
Everyone raised their mugs and took a gulp of holiday cheer.
When the cheers, toasts, and drinking calmed down, Rae began, “Seriously though. How can I ever make up for the pain you must have felt when everyone was calling you a pervert?”
Lilly almost choked on her drink. “That was unexpected,” she thought. “Let’s see how far I can push it.”
“There is one way,” she said. “As of today, I’m old enough. Sleep with me. You...”
“No,” Clair and Rae said together.
In case Lilly missed the point, Clair added, “Not going to happen!”
“Ahwe, but it’s my birthday,” Lilly said.
“I have a better idea,” Manaria said. “You can sleep with me. And Rae and Clair can join us. The family that sleeps together…”
“No way!” Clair repeated. Next to her, Rae made monkey motions and grinned.
“Okay, but be gentle,” Lilly said, batting her eyes at Manaria.
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Story by Nara Moore
Twitter/X:@nara_moore
Bluesky: @naramoore.bsky.social
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WordPress: Josei Yuri and Paranormal Romance