**Updated**

This is a short story WIP, from the viewpoint of a side character in a novel I'm working on. All critique is very much appreciated.

“You can’t catch me!” Flip taunted his soaking wet brother as he scrambled behind a head of lettuce.

“I’m gonna rip that hat off your head and stuff it down your ugly throat!” His red faced brother tore through the budding asparagus and down the neat row separating the two crops, “I don’t why they didn’t leave you behind! I can’t get anything done with you around!”

Dust churned and rocks flew under the bright sun in Glacier Falls Community Garden as the miniature brothers carefully tumbled in and out of manicured beds, mindful of the budding flowers. Although Trip was three pebbles older than his little brother, Flip was incredible fast. Knowing he would not catch him outright, he had to outsmart him. Trip slipped behind the water barrel and waited for his brother to zip by. Flip, always up for a game of hide and seek, spied his brother sneaking away, leaving him with no other option but to turn and head straight into the trap.

“Fat feet!” a high pitch vibration echoed over the entire garden, through the tomato vines and strawberries, passed the watering trough and sheds, zapping each gnome solid as they worked or played. The warning system had been implemented within days of the crossing from the old world to protect them from prying eyes and so far it worked like a charm.

“Yew ah guhna hay hor ach, Hip!” Trip’s threat gurgled out his mouth. Water dripped from his tiny frame as his features froze into a growl.

The corner of Flip’s lips dared to touch his eyes and, if not for the exuberant glee coursing through his tiny statue, this would normally become oddly uncomfortable during solid time.

“Sssss…” The plea hissed out of Flip’s fixed lips, begging his brother for silence.

"The punishment for alerting others to our existence is banishment." Flip's mischievous joy faded as the distant memory floated through his mind. The new world was full of mundane, unmagical creatures and if their existence was revealed to the wrong person, who knew what would happen to them.

“Clear!” the low buzz rolled around the garden, slowly freeing the gnomes. One by one, the busy community returned to their chores. Watering, feeding and nurturing all things that grew from the ground was more than a hobby for them, it was their life and slipping in and out of “solid time” was a small price to pay for the safe haven that had been given to them. For these displaced workers, “solid time” was, more or less, a perpetual game of freeze tag.

Trip's toes tingled as tiny specks of life swirled up his stubby legs and whisked across his chest. He crouched in preparation as luck gave him the upper hand, turning his growl to an evil grin.

Trip heaved his body forward, clearing the space between himself and his brother instantly.

“Flutterbugs...” Flip groaned and braced for the impact.

Trip landed squarely on Flip’s back, making good on his threat.

“Got you know! I told you I was gonna make you pay...”

The older gnome froze as a long beard tickled his ear. Not out of compliance with “solid time”, but fear. Dropping his brother’s hat, Trip rolled over, freeing the younger sibling.

Flip gathered himself up, spitting out dirt and wiping the dust from his dirty smock.

“Ha, Trip, yeah, you got me,” Flip reached over and gave his older brother a weak punch in the arm, careful not to set off his temper, “Come on, brother, let’s get back to work.”

Trip stood unusually quiet, “What’s wrong with you?” Flip poked Trip in the cheek, “Are you stuck?”

“Flip.” Trip sent his brother a pointed glance.

Flip squinted into the morning sun and attempted to focus in the direction of his brother’s stare. He quickly ducked his head, cheeks flaming in embarrassment.

“I’m sorry, Popup,” the boys mumbled.

Popup’s once ebon beard shined brightly in the sun. Strands of uncertainty, hardship and unfortunate decisions had stolen their way into his hair leaving only a wisp or two of his former life. As with all the elders, stress has taken its toll.

“My young ‘ips,” Popup sighed, closing his eyes.

The garden went silent. Plants and gnomes froze while the breeze drifted over the fence and skittered the walk. Popup was a fair and wise eldest, but uncertain times in a strange home made punishment harsh and swift. These were not times of patience and second chances.

“You have chosen to disobey the laws which govern our family and keep the community safe from harm.”

The two ‘ips quaked in their little muddy boots.

“Surely they would not ban us,” Flip’s lips quivered, “I am barely 7 pebbles. We could never survive the old world on our own! I’m going to die!”

Flip’s eyes blurred as a constant drum beat louder in his ears. His hands flew up to his neck. He could not breathe.

“Flip,” Popup raised an eyebrow at his youngest son. “Get control of yourself.”

Trip snickered at his brother.

Popup squared his eyes on Trip, “Son, clean your face and see yourself to the fertilizer. The winter here has passed and the plants are hungry. You will feed them and care for them during the growing season.”

“Ha ha. Trip’s got poop duty.” An invisible face from the crowd laughed at the young gnome’s fate.

“Yes, Popup.”

Flip’s arms were glued to his side, eyes wide. His chest heaved with each breath he sucked in.

“Flip, my young ‘ip, it’s time we walk.”

“To the gate?” Flip’s hands gravitated back to his neck.

Popup released a rare chuckle. “No, son. You are seven pebbles now, it is time I give you your share of the knowledge.”

“How to open the gate?” Flip squeaked.

“Flip, you are not to be banned.”

“Oh!” Flip cried, “Praise the Sun, praise you Popup! I love you, my Popup, and I am so sorry!

Popup’s pale cheeks colored at his son’s outburst.

“Shhh, let us walk.”

“Fat feet!”

“Flutterbugs…” Popup muttered as the garden fell silent.

II

“Mopup!” Sweat poured from Flip’s forehead.

“Mopup! Popup! Where are you?” The youngest son of the eldest thrashed and cried out from his sleep.

“There now, sweet Flip,” Mopup’s heart slammed against her chest as she pushed aside the tall grass that cradled her son’s sleep, “Mopup’s here.”

She discretely wiped away a single tear before it could slip down her cheek. The thought of the terrors that have haunted her children’s sleep for the past months was a difficult pill to swallow. They may now be safe from the evil that tore across their homeland, but she could never erase those memories from her children’s minds.

“Mopup, the elves were there,” Flip sniffled as he recalled the nightmare, “They wanted Trip to tell them…”

“Shh, my sweet gnombie,” Mopup smoothed down his dark tresses, coaxing him to relax.

“…tell them where the key is,” Flip frowned, perplexed, “But, Mopup, we don’t use doors. Why would Trip have a key?”

It was Mopup’s turn to frown, “How did I not know about this? When was Trip questioned by the Elven?”

“Then, the fat rabbits came and gnawed away at the entire winter crop, I tried to stop them, Mopup, I did, but my legs would not move and then you showed up, but they just laughed. I think because you were purple.”

“My, my Flip, what a crazy nightmare. Don’t you worry, we are safe in our garden. Nothing can hurt us here”

“I’m sorry, Mopup.” Flip squirmed in his little burrow.

“Flip, what do you have to be sorry for?”

“I think I might have laughed, too.”

Mopup’s chuckle erased some of the worry lines from her face. She bent down and kissed her son’s cheek, then hummed a song from the old world while she fluffed the grass around him, lulling him back to sleep.

Flip, like every hardworking gnome, didn’t need much convincing and quickly fell back to sleep.

Mopup stretched her back and bumbled out of the tall grass. Sure that Flip safe and sound, she darted down the fence line under the canopy of budding shrubs and trees. Her walking stick clacked against the gravel path as the mist swirled and snuggled about her boots before continuing on its leisurely stroll. Mopup glanced up at her stick. The dandelion oil turned out to be perfect substitute for the nip nip seed used in the old world. Fireflies loved the smell and flocked to it, illuminating her path, even on the darkest of nights.

Mopup crossed a drainage ditch by way of the sturdy planks Mr. Jones had kindly provided for them after a few mishaps had occurred on some exceptional rainy days. She rounded the far corner of the garden and placed her stick in a holder next to the onion sprouts. Quickly, she glanced over her shoulders, before slipping into the apple orchard. The night was as quiet as it was dark as she made her way to the center of the tiny forest. This journey has become a nightly ritual for all the elders since the first week of the crossing.

“…it may be quiet now, but peace can never last here,” An irritated elder spoke up as Mopup joined the meeting, “Fat feet are slobs, they care not for the ground and what it provides.”

“Thank you for your input, Digup. For now, it is quiet, and the children are safe,” Popup sighed. It was the same argument, night after night. Fat feet this, and Fat feet that. No appreciation for what had been provided to them.

The group mumbled on about the growing crops, their annoyance at the ever increasing solid time and other mundane topics that plagued the community.

“There has been a crack,” An animated voice spoke up before the meeting could conclude.

“Zipup?” Popup raised an eyebrow.

“It found a young fat feet. A possible key,” Zipup spoke in short incomplete sentences, raising more questions and answers.

“Zipup, how do you know this?” Popup voice had become hard since gnomes were strictly forbidden to leave the garden without approval. One small mistake could put the entire community in jeopardy.

“We need to know the lay of the land. We need to know if we are safe here,” Zipup took a quick breath, “I am the fastest. Fat feet are so slow they cannot see me.”

“Zipup…”

“The crack is close, um, twenty-five, maybe twenty-seven trees by wings, very close.”

“Zipup, please use the Fat feet language. We must learn to understand them if we are to remain here.”

“Right, yes. Um, a half of one mile as the pigs fly,” Zipup smiled

“Crow,” Popup corrected.

“A half of one crow as the pigs fly,” Zipup pondered the length of measurement for a moment, “That is not very far at all, Eldest.”

“No, Zipup, as the crow flies.”

“Ah, yes. Crows. Duly noted,” Zipup smiled and thanked the eldest for the information.

“Was the young fat feet harmed?” Popup returned the conversation back to the matter.

“No. Well. She did not ride the giant two wheeled gizmo very well. Not well at all. For a big young fat feet, she did not appear to understand how to operate it.”

“But, she did survive?”

“Yes, it appeared that a giant fat feet pulled her to safety before she could harm herself,” Zipup smiled as he remember how crazy the young one was, “Oh, she spoke of the smell, the smell you cannot breathe and her eyes could not see.”

Zipup suddenly let out loud laugh, drawing the attention of everyone. He looked around as the group stared at him.

“It’s just that, the young one probably could not control the gizmo because she could not see. I thought she was a slow one.”

“Zipup, we need to travel to Mr. Grants dwelling. Please scout a route as quickly as possible,” Popup’s commands fired out as a plan was formed by the elders, “We much speak with him in regards to the crack immediately. If the dark elves find passage here, we much fortify our community and ready the town for battle,” Popup stood, drawing himself up to his full 16 pebbles, “This village is now our home and we will protect it and the people who live here with our lives.”

Zipup slipped away while the elders headed back to the garden.

III

“Flip, wake up,” Trip shook his little brother, “Come on you big baby.”

Flip opened an eye, but did not move.

“Flip, it’s important.”

“Sleep is important.”

“Gah, come on! Mopup and Popup are leaving the garden,” Concerned laced Trip’s words and caught Flip’s attention.

“What? They would not leave us. You fat lying toad. Leave me alone.”

“I’m not lying! They are traveling to Mr. Grants. They said the elves are coming,” The air tensed between the brothers, like a new layer of ice on a pond. The tiniest bit of pressure would send it shattering into the depths.

“They are leaving us?” Flip’s heart thumped against his chest.

“I don’t know, I didn’t hear the entire plan. Just get up. We are going to follow them.”

Flip crawled out of his sleeping burrow with his head hung low, “I’m scared, Trip.”

“Don’t worry. Get on your boots, we’ve got a long walk ahead.”

Zipup breezed back into the garden, cheeks red from the night air, “The path is clear, Eldest.”

“Listen up, everyone. If the elves are making their way here, we must notify the other families. Misup will stay behind to watch the children. Our trek should not take long at all. Stay together and remember, if a Fat Feet approaches, freeze. Since Misup will not be with us, we will not be using the solid spell and, no absolutely no walking sticks. We cannot bring attention to ourselves.”

Popup led the group of thirty or so gnomes to the gate, “Stick to the brush and fence lines. Let’s try to act as gnormal as possible.”

One by one the elders passed through the broken picket.

“Trip. Trip. They are leaving,” Flip whispered as the two brothers waited next to the shed.

“Hush, Flip. They can’t know we are following them.”

“Why? Don’t they want us to go, too?”

“No, you gnork, they want us to be sleeping, like gnombies” Trip rolled his eyes, “They don’t want us to know what’s going on.”

“Why are we going then?”

“Can you just be quiet? You are gonna get us in trouble!”

“But…”

“Flip!”

“Okay, fine.”

“Good. Let’s go before the Missup sees us.”

The two dashed through the mist, through the broken picket, and down the walk. Trip looked ahead for their parents but the dense fog blocked his view.

“Do you see them?” Flip’s little white eyes darted across the foreign landscape.

“Shh. Keep your voice down. Not yet, but I know the way to Mr. Grant’s. I overheard Popup and Zipup talking about it. We keep going straight to the cows and then turn and head towards the water. Mr. Grant’s home is lit up like a summer festival bonfire, we should be able to see it from many trees away.”

“Stop!”

“Huh?”

Flip froze as Trip’s small boot caught a gnarled vine creeping across the walk. He fell to his knees with a tiny thud, just enough noise to catch the attention of a furry four footed animal. The creatures long furry ears perked up as he hopped their direction.

“Oh, no, no. It’” As hard as Flip tried to remain still his body began to shake as the animal got closer.

“Flutterbugs.” Trip remained on the ground, waiting for the beast to pass.

A cold wet nose sniffed the air around the two brothers, then taking a step closer, the animal stuck it’s nose right up to Flip’s neck.

Flip let out a tiny giggle.

“Shh!” Trip warned his brother.

The animal responded to Trip and moved to investigate. The cold, wet nose struck the older brother right in the eye. Trip could not contain himself.

“Gross! Ugh! Get out of here!” The animal rewarded him with a vigorous tongue bath and a small bark, “Flip we need to move, the beast that Fat feet call a bog will not cause us harm.”

The bog bowed and wagged his fluffy tail at the brothers, “Awe, I like him, Trip. He tickled me,” Flip pet the snout of the fat feet pet and gave him a rub behind the ears, “He’s so cute. I want him.”

Trip joined Flip in petting the dog, momentarily forgetting his mission, “He is so soft.”

“Copper!” the cry bellowed out of the dark, startling them.

“Fat feet!” Trip whispered loudly, “We need to go!”

Copper, the furry beast pet of the fat feet, bounded off in the direction of his owner, leaving the boys alone.

“I miss Copper!” Flip wailed.

“Well, I miss the farm, but we will never get back if we don’t find out what the elders are planning.”

Flip suck up his tears once more and followed his brother down the path. They zipped across the street, ducking into the safety of the yard gardens. Under the scarce moonlight they were able to remain undetected and virtually unscathed for the rest of their journey.

“Bonfire!” Trip had never sounded happier, “We’re almost there!”

Heavy lake air and mist rolled by. Trip and Flip slowed their pace and snuck down a fence line before preparing to cross the last street.

“The new world is so quiet,” Flip thought about the old farm. Gnomes, dwarves, fairy and the like would work day and night, building, harvesting, and even celebrating. There was little quiet in their bustling community. The only quiet came when scouts spotted dark elves approaching. It was not a happy time for their family.

“Look, we are almost there. I see a young fat feet on a two wheel gizmo, but she is not paying attention to anything but the ground.”

“Isn’t that a bit odd?” The boys had been in the new world for nearly an entire season, but had rarely left the community garden.

“I don’t know. Maybe she lost something, Fat feet are weird.”

“As soon as I give the word, head straight for the bush across the street.”

Flip looked up at his brother in admiration, “Trip you will make a great Eldest when it is your turn.”

“Uh,” The color rose in Trip’s cheeks. Thankful for the dark night, he ignored his brother’s complement, “Okay!”

Trip sped across the street as the young Fat feet turned her back, “Okay, now, when I say go, head to the trees.”

Trip stood staring at the girl, waiting for his brother’s response, “You got that?” he turned to look where his brother should have been standing and it was empty, “Toads!” Trip looked back to where they were standing and there was Flip, at the edge of the fence with his hands wrapping around his throat.

Trip glanced back at the girl who was steadily observing the walkway. He dashed back across the road to his brother, “Flip! What happened?”

“You didn’t say the word!” Flip sputtered out as his chest heaved, “You left me!”

“Flip, calm down, we are almost there,” Trip placed a hand on his brother’s shoulder, “You’ve got this.”

Flip took a deep breath, “What’s the word?”

“The word is, “Let’s go!”” Flip zipped around his brother, across the street and into the shrub.

“What in the mother of frog brains…” Trip spewed out a few more gnomish obscenities before noticing a large four wheeled contraption approaching in the in the distance. Not pausing for another thought, he sped after his brother. As soon as he hit the shrub, a bright light lit up the entire field behind Mr. Grant’s house.

“I see Mopup!” Flip squealed in joy as his brother came to rest next to him.

“Shh, another Fat feet just showed up to look at the path,” Trip frowned at their dilemma, “Just be quiet and don’t move till I push you in the direction of the trees. When you feel me push, just take off into the mist. They will never see us.”

Flip acknowledged his brothers plan with a quick nod.

The young girl grabbed the boy as he approached her. She appeared scared and was pointing at the tree line, trying to get him to leave.

“It’s just the fog,” the boy told the girl, “Wait here and I will check it out.”

The girl turned to watched as the boy disappeared into the field. Trip gave Flip a quick shove from the back and the young gnome quickly took off towards the cover of the trees.

Just as Flip disappeared, the girl turned towards the bush, frowning.

Trip had never been this close to young Fat feet before. She was beautiful. Her hair glowed in the bonfire light with green eyes that sparkled again her freckled cheeks. Trip knew he could not stay here, he had to get back to his brother. The girl turned and the trance that held Trip was broken, he zipped off towards the trees, slipping into the mist behind his brother. The air had grown thicker, making it difficult to see more than a foot ahead. Trip did not stop, he had to catch up to Flip. A large rock suddenly appeared, fumbling Flip’s escape route. He fell over the rock and landed smack on his face.

Trip lie in the wet grass, stunned from the sudden impact, unaware of the approaching footsteps. “What’s this?” The boy crouched down and picked him up, “So you are the little devil trying to scare my friend.”

Trip did not respond. Who was this fat feet? He smelled faintly of elven, but not dark. Does he know who we are? Trip could not take the chance.

They strode through the field, back to the girl, Trip held out stiffly in the boy’s arms. The fog had become so dense it swirled around them from head to toe. Trip hoped the boy could maneuver the field better than he had. They emerged from the thick shroud and the boy held Trip up to his friend. Just as Trip came face to face with the scared beauty, the girl shrieked and slapped Trip right in his jaw, knocking him to the ground.

“Gwendolyn! It’s just a little dwarf statue!”

Trip stared up at the two as he lay in the damp grass, “Something is very wrong here, why would that elf call me a dwarf? She’s the dwarf!” Aches and pains from the bruises and scratches he suffered nibbled away at him as he tried to remain still, “This town makes no sense. How is the worlds am I going to explain this to Popup?”

The dwarven maiden called Gwendolyn and the boy elf moved back to the walkway, completely forgetting about the small gnome they had just assaulted.

“What are you doing out here so late?” The elf questioned the young girl.

“There was a crack in the walkway, it was horrible. Strange things have been happening to me all day. I just wanted to check it out.”

“Another crack? I bet the horrible was the smell. Dark elves using evil magic again. I’ve got to warn the others,” Trip chanced a glance, “No matter what they smell of, I will not put my family in danger.”

Gwendolyn and the elf were completely distracted by each other, wrapped in each other’s arms, “I’m losing my mind. A dwarf and an elf holding each other? Have they no idea of the war? Impossible! Unless, they are stupid. I did overhear the girl was slow. But, she is so pretty,” Trip continued to lie in the grass, his pains completely forgotten as he watched her.

“Trip!” a stern whisper slipped out of the fog.

Instantly, the young gnome stood up and dashed across the field. He stopped next to a very large oak, catching his breath.

“You are in trouble,” Flip let out giggle and wagged his finger at him, “Mopup and Popup know what you did.”

“I don’t care! I’ve got to talk to Popup. I’ve got some very huge news for him. Where’s Popup?”

Flip giggled, “Right behind you.”

IV

“Mr. Grant, it appears we have a dire situation on our hands,” Popup stood neatly on a small stump in the backyard of Mr. Grant’s home. The community elders huddled around their eldest supporting him as he addressed the giant dwarf.

“Eldest, I have seen some strange happenings in town the past few days. I’m not sure what to make of them as of yet.”

Popup continued on, “There has been talk of the smell you cannot breathe, cracks in the Earth, and just now, my son has informed me there are two young Fat feet that smell of dwarf and elf,” Popup cleared his throat, “They are possibly, “friends”? Have you heard of such things?

“Eldest, I do know of the dwarven girl,” Mr. Grant stopped, his voice stuck in his throat.

“Go on. Our entire community is at stake. We were told this place was safe. I will not tolerate secrets that put my family in jeopardy!” Veins on Popup’s neck pulsed as his pressure began to rise.

“Eldest, you must understand my situation. The decision was made to protect my family as well.”

“What are you not telling us Iron Mountain?”

Worried, Mopup looked up at her husband. Popup rarely used titles from the old world.

“The girl, Gwendolyn, she is my daughter.”

The entirety of the gnome community gasped. Hands flew to necks and mouths. Many paced and mumbled at the ground. Trip jumped and shouted, “Ha, I knew it!” as his brother cheered him on. The news of the daughter carried many repercussions going back hundreds of years.

“This is very, very bad,” Popup rubbed his forehead as he searched for an answer, “You daughter is a key, Iron Mountain! How could you have kept this from us?”

“Eldest, please. Gwendolyn is protected here. We all are,” The dwarf attempted to plead his case, “Gwendolyn has never even been to Reicalg. She was born here and has never left this town. The dark elves could not possibly know about her!”

“She has your royal blood, they will find her. They will destroy our new world and then they will take her from you.”

“You are wrong…”

“No, you are wrong. The ground is changing. Cracks are appearing and disappearing. There has been talk of the smell you cannot breathe. Evil is coming to Glacier Falls and there is nothing we can do to stop it,” Popup climbed down and gathered up his people for the journey home. Mr. Grant had no words and no excuses for the gentle leader. He sat and watched them disappear into the night.

“Mopup, do you think they will take Gwendolyn?” Trip filled an empty wheel barrow with fertilizer as his mother looked on.

“It’s hard to say. She is a key and the dark elves will stop at nothing to destroy anything that can bring down there vicious rule.”

‘If she is a key, then she must be a princess,” missing his target more than once, fertilizer began to pile up around the wheel barrow.

Mopup had never seen her son so distracted, “Well, technically you are right. She has the royal blood and she is a direct descendent of the Queen, so that would make her a princess, but in the new world they do not observe such customs and it’s a little hard to be a princess if you do not have any subjects to rule, don’t you think?”

Trip continued piling fertilizer around the wheel barrow till it was virtually engulfed. Mopup stood by amazed, her arms crossed and eyebrow cocked.

“We are her subjects, Mopup!” Trip threw down the shovel and waved his arms in the air, “We will save her!”

“Trip!” Mopup grabbed her chest, muttering about toad brained ideas as her oldest son spout out nonsense of raising an army and fighting the dark elves, “Trip, we are farmers, not warriors. And, it’s not even our war; the dwarves can fight the dark elves.”

Mopup’s harsh words snaked out and bit Trip right in the heart, “How can you say that? How can you toss them aside after what the dark elves did to our farm and our family? How many nights does Flip have to suffer as the dark elves invade his dreams. What about the farm they trampled and the relatives they abducted?” Trip’s speech had drawn the attention of a few gnomes around him, along with the Eldest.

“Enough, Trip.” Popup silenced the growing ‘ip before his words could get away from him.

Defeated, Trip’s shoulders hung low, countless sleepless nights and scarred memories weighing them down, “I’m sorry Mopup.”

Full of humiliation, Flip looked down and noticed the mess he had made while shoveling, “Awe, come on,” he grabbed the shovel, moving the misplaced pile into the wheel barrel so it could be carted off.

Mopup understood frustration coming from her son and knew there was nothing she could say at that moment to make him feel better. She removed her gloves and walked over to her husband, “Let’s give him some time to himself.”

Popup nodded and the two walked down the gravel path discussing things that gnomes parents wouldn’t normally discuss, unless, of course, they raised an extraordinary son that cared for the world as much, if not more, then they did.

“He’s right, of course,” Mopup conceded, “We must protect the dwarven princess.”

“Mop, how in the worlds could we possibly protect her from the evil underneath?”

“The ground is our ground. It is our life and our death. We may be small, but we have all this at our disposal!” Mopup spread her arms wide, “We can grow anything, track anything and communicate with all.”

“What are you proposing? Growing a giant wall around the child?”

Mopup shook her head, “Don’t be ridiculous, the dark elves are using magic to break through the ground, they could snatch her anywhere. Hiccup is working on a new strain of battle plants to replace the ones we left behind.”

“Battle plants do not grow in this world.”

“True, but there are many herbs that mimic the magic the plants used in Reicalg. Sleepness, dizziness, sickness, and blindness to name a few. I am meeting with her today to check on her progress. Would you like to join me?”

Popup looked at his wife in admiration, “If the community only knew who was the real brains behind it all, they would rewrite the elder laws and…”

Mopup blushed at the compliment as Hicup crashed through garden like a pinball bouncing from trees and tools calling out to the wife of the Eldest.

“Mopup!”

“Hicup?”

Hicup turned at the sound of her voice, skittering down the gravel path, straight passed the bewildered couple.

“Hicup, we right here, behind you!” Hicup turned and headed back towards them, stopping in front of a tomato vine.”

“Mopup! I have great news!” Hiccup reached out and clasped a budding leaf in her hand, shaking it vigorously, then turning it over and over in her hands, “Oh, Mopup, you do not feel so well.”

“Hicup, we are behind you,” Mopup called, “Are you making progress with the blindness potion?”

“Mopup what a ridiculous question, she obviously can’t see a thing right now,” Popup pointed at the little mess of a gnome who was leaning down into the tomato plant to try and get a better look.

Mopup frowned at Eldest, “Hiccup, we are two steps behind you. You are talking to a plant.”

Hicup dropped the vine, spun on her heals and took two large steps towards the couple, “Ah, thank you Mopup. It’s seems the blindness potion is a success. It is very bitter and concentrated so it only takes a few drops to bring on an episode.”

Mopup gagged as the gnome came face to face with her.

“I see. Yes, it does appear to be very pungent,” Mopup coughed and tried to collect herself.

Popup gingerly guided the incapacitated woman back a foot to give his wife some relief, “Hicup, I am so grateful for your expertise in battle plants. If we are going to save the young princess we are going to need one hundred percent from everyone. Exactly how much of the blindness potion did you drink?”

“Let’s see, I took approximately one thumb with only a slight reaction. My vision began to blur around the edges. So, I then ingested two more thumbs and within two minutes I was completely blind,” Hicup waved her hand in front of her eyes, “Yes it is working quite well.”

Popup folded his hands in front of his chest, pondering how this gnome was still alive.

“Do you often test your experiments on yourself?”

“Of course! How will I know if they work?”

“I see. And do you have an assistant, if anything should go awry?”

“No. The others are so busy. Nobody is interested in apprenticing for me,” Hicup frowned, “Those that I have asked are pruning or feeding or even washing their hair.”

“Hello Popup, Mopup and Hicup!” Flip skipped into their conversation, full of smiles as usual, “It’s so pretty today, isn’t it?

“Hello, young Flip,” Hicup turned and patted the head of lettuce to her right, “My, what happened to your hair?

Flip stared at Hicup, not sure how he should answer.

“Flip, what duties have you right now?” Popup wasted no time finding the confused herbologist an assistant.

“Well, Mopup told me to…”

“Great, it’s settled”

“Huh?” Flip continued to stare at the trio as he tried to figure out what was going on.

“Flip you shall accompany Hicup to her laboratory. You will assist her with her experiments and other any other duties she requires of you. You will be her assistant.”

“I’m an assistanant? That is the best day ever!” Flip pumped his fist, the smile returning to his face.

“A-sis-tent, yes, it is wonderful! Flip there are many rules when working with battle plants, you must listen to everything Hicup tells you and be very diligent.” Popup beamed down with pride.

“I’m an assistorant!” Flip jumped up and down, yelling at anyone who passed by.

“A-sis… Never mind, off you go. I’m sure things will flow smoothly for you, Hicup, Please let me know if there is anything else I can do.”

Hicup thanked the asparagus and shook Flip’s hat, “Off we go!”

The unlikely duo skipped back to the laboratory falling all over each other, dragging a tomato plant behind them.

Stephanie Smith

Cupcakes make good ammo.

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