Weekly Drabble #340: Over-joyed (Patreon)

This week's prompts are 'bursting with joy' from Xpholia and 'from the ashes' from Tyronne.

Enjoy!

~

Over-joyed:

“This is a bad idea,” Lucy said as she filed her nails, pointing the file towards Karen. “You know what she gets like.”

“It’ll be fine,” Karen asserted.

“You remember when you announced you and Derrick were getting engaged?” Naomi pointed out skeptically. “The police and fire department got called. She does this all the time.”

“It’s not her fault,” Karen protested. “She has that condition...”

“Yeah, and that condition is why she’s not allowed in my house any more,” Seo-yun complained. “I like her, Karen – I do, but there are times...” she trailed off. “My mother still hasn’t forgiven her for what she did to the new curtains after you first told her Derrick asked you out.”

“She’s just a little high-strung. She gets over-excited.”

“And that’s why I’m prepared this time,” Naomi added, patting the metal cylinder resting next to her leg. “Because when you tell her the news, she’s going nuclear and I’m making sure we’re ready for it.”

“Here she comes!” Lucy shouted, peeping out the window. “Everyone get your asbestos suits ready!”

“Karen!” Phoebe said with a huge grin, throwing her arms around the shorter woman as the brunette opened the door for her. “I’m sorry it took me so long to get here. Traffic was such a nightmare to deal with.”

“It’s all right, I’m just glad you’re here.”

“So, what’s the big news Kare-bear?”

“Well, I was going to tell all of you at once,” Karen said, shooting a glare at Seo-yun, who looked as innocent as she could. “But Seo-yun was with me when I found out and because someone has a big mouth...” her glare intensified as she included her other two friends in it. “But I swore them all to secrecy because I wanted to be the one to tell someone other than Derrick and I really, really wanted that person to be you.”

“What is it?” Phoebe insisted. She was practically vibrating with excitement now.

“Well... Derrick and I.... we’re....” Karen looked down at her stomach, then back up at Phoebe, biting her lip.

It took a second for the other woman to catch on, but as soon as she did, she let out a shriek of joy that probably ventured into the ultrasonic range.

“Ohmigosh ohmigosh ohmigosh that’s amazing!” Phoebe waved her hands. “I’m so happy for you, Karen!” she let out another excited and high-pitched squeal, hopping from one foot to the other. Phoebe grabbed her friend’s hands. “That’s wonderful news! When did you find out? What did Derrick say? Do you know if it’s a boy or girl or is it too soon? Which are you hoping for?”

“Here it comes...” Seo-yun whispered to Naomi. “Ready?”

She reached down behind the couch and grabbed the cylinder, ready to bring it to bear at a second’s notice. “Ready.”

Caught up in the excitement and her friend’s overabundance of energy, Karen didn’t realize she shouldn’t be letting Phoebe get this wound up until she felt her hands getting hot and saw wisps of steam rising from the other woman’s exposed skin. She let go and immediately backed away.

“What?” Phoebe said, blinking in confusion. “What’s wrong-” Phoebe looked down at her smouldering fingers. Steam was rising from her arms and her face. “Oh,” she said. “Oh, crap. I really liked this outfi-”

FWOOOSH.

With a dull roar, the young woman ignited into a pillar of fire. “The curtains!” Karen shouted, covering her eyes as Lucy pulled her away from the all-too-expected inferno.

“On it,” Naomi said. She’d pulled out the fire extinguisher she’d brought up from the basement and sprayed the blazing torch that had just been their friend. It didn’t do anything to stem the flames enveloping her, but it kept the fire from spreading to the rest of the house. Still, when it was over, there was a circle burnt into the plush carpeting and the room smelled of charred hair and synthetic fibers. Right where Phoebe had been standing was a pile of ashes. Not even bone remained, just a few bits of jewellery, now worse for the wear, sitting in the blackened mound.

Karen slowly pulled her hands away from her face. “The curtains...?”

“They’re fine,” Seo-yun told her. “But you’ll need to replace another piece of carpet.”

“I told you we shouldn’t spring this on her,” Lucy complained with a definite i-told-you-so air.

“I guess you were right,” Karen sighed. “I just thought she’d enjoy the surprise. Naomi, love – can you sweep Phoebe up? Put her in the downstairs bathtub, please.”

“I’ll raid your closest,” Lucy volunteered. Phoebe and Karen were the same size, “so she’ll have something to wear when she pulls herself together.”

A few moments later, the other four girls were staring at the pile of soot in the bathtub. Naomi knelt down and stuck out her left forefinger.

“What are you doing?” Karen asked.

“What I told Phoebe I was going to do if I had to sweep her up one more time.” With delicate precision and considerable realism giving the medium, Naomi doodled a penis in her friend’s ashes, then stood up and took out her phone. There was the click of the camera and Naomi’s teeth flashed in a wide grin.

“Naomi, that is so childish.”

“Yep. Still doing it, though.”

Karen looked for backup from the other girls, but they immediately followed suit, giggling like schoolgirls as they each took a turn to draw something comically vulgar in Phoebe’s remains, snapping photos all the while. Even Karen broke down and drew a giant butt after Seo-yun had her turn.

When you had an overly excitable friend with some phoenix blood in them, you did end up with some opportunities to make your own fun.

“Now, while we’re waiting for Phoebe to join us again,” Seo-yun said, clapping her hands to brush off bits of Phoebe before running them under the tap to clean up. “Who wants cocktails?”

Karen’s hand shot up.

“Nice try. Virgin only for you,” the other woman said with a laugh. “Now come on – let’s get this party started!”