In The Dark With The Bear

The room is completely dark.  Writer Lady can hear random chatter around her. 

 Pixies calling, “What's happened?”  “Someone's turned out the the lights.” “Magic is so much more reliable.”  

Tinkletoes' footfalls (okay...thumps) can be heard leaving the area.

Monitor Man's arms are still around her holding her upright.  “The lights will be on again soon.”  He says reassuringly.

It's dark, no one can see anything.  I can do this...I can do this.  Echoes through Writer Lady's head.  She raises her head to face Monitor Man.  The top of her head meets the bottom of his chin.

“Ouch.”  He says just loud enough to let her know that something solid is in her immediate vicinity.

“Sorry.”  Writer Lady whispers.  I can't do this....I can't do this.   She closes her eyes.   Is that Monitor Man?   He smells so good.  Writer Lady leans in to get a better whiff and their lips meet.  I'm kissing him.   I can't believe I'm doing this. She thinks as she puts a little bit more enthusiasm into the kiss.

“Open your mouth, Silly Woman.”  Carp's voice can be heard ringing through her mind.

Go away Carp!

Seconds later Monitor Man's lips part.

Oh my goodness.  Oh yeah.  Writer Lady leans into Monitor Man because...something solid...because...difficult to stand up.

The kiss ends seconds before the lights come up.  Writer Lady and Monitor Man take turns turning away from the crowd in order to rearrange themselves.

Tinkletoes returns to the kitchen.   “Everything's all right.  A fuse went out but I have things situated.”

Writer Lady looks at Dobby as the ginger tabby follows Tinkletoes back into the kitchen.

“It's okay Mom.   We fixed it.”

“He's right. We fixed it.  I just replaced the burnt out breaker with a working one.”

Writer Lady nods, slowing her breathing as she realizes that no one knows what just happened.  Except for Monitor Man because he was there.  And Carp...because Carp somehow has the ability to muck around in people's minds again.  She looks around the room slowly, looking for signs that someone witnessed their kiss in the dark.   Tinkletoes reaches out and touches her on the arm, Writer Lady jumps.

“I fixed the lights but don't try to use the washer or dryer.  There's no power to them right now.   I'll fix it later.”

Writer Lady nods.

“You look real pretty.”  He continues.   “Would you mind skedaddling?  We're doing important political guy stuff right now.”

Get out now and come tell me everything.  Carp's demand rings through Writer Lady's head.

Writer Lady mentally rolls her eyes, nods and quietly retreats from behind the podium.

“Before you go, could you put some food out?”  Tinkletoes asks.

Writer Lady quietly waves good-bye and leaves the room.  Monitor Man waves back as Tinkletoes is checking his own appearance.

Tinkletoes leans in and whispers to Monitor Man, “You might want to check your hair.  You have a cowlick.  Unless you like playing with your hair or something.  Do you...?”

“Do I what?”  Monitor Man whispers back.

“Play with your hair a lot?  I hear you actor types do that stuff.”  Tinkletoes studies Monitor Man's spot of mussed hair.  “I bet I know what it is.  You got mobbed at the airport didn't you?  Some woman's been runnin' her fingers through your hair.”

Monitor Man adjusts his hair quickly.  “Yeah.  That must have been it.  There were so many women...”

“You probably can't keep track of all of them.”   Tinkletoes agrees and looks at Monitor Man more closely.   “Don't look now but I think one grabbed your butt too.”

Carp corners Writer Lady the moment she returns to her bedroom to change.

“You are so bad.”  Carp says.   “You never told me what a wild woman you could be.”

“What are you talking about?”  Writer Lady asks, pulling off her shoes and pulling her jeans back on under the skirt of the British flag dress.  “I just kissed him.  By accident.   He was the one who...”

Carp shakes his head.

Writer Lady looks at Carp.  “What?”

“Don't play innocent.  I was in your head.   I know where your hands were missy.”

Writer Lady blushes.

“Are you going to tell me that was an accident too?”  Carp asks.

“I never know what to do with my hands?”

“I'll forget that I know anything on one condition.”  Carp says.  “Details.  Spill.”

“Who has the next question?”   Tinkletoes asks.

Several pixies raise their hands.

Tinkletoes picks one in the third row.  “Okay you.”

“I have a question for Monitor Man.  How long have you and Writer Lady been seeing each other?”

“That's easy.”  Tinkletoes says.  “They haven't.”

Tinkletoes looks at Monitor Man.   “You haven't been seeing Writer Lady.  I would know.”

“You're right.  We have not been seeing each other.”

“Next question.”  Tinkletoes calls, choosing another pixie.

“How long have you two been texting?”

Monitor Man answers, “We haven't.”

“That's enough with the personal questions.  We are running for office.  Who has a political question?”   Tinkletoes asks.

A pixie in the back row raises her hand.  “I have a comment.”   She squeaks. “That was one heck of a kiss for two people who aren't seeing each other.  Maybe you should ask her out.”

A pixie in the front row giggles and the kitchen fills with the chatter of pixies agreeing and adding comments of their own.

“I don't know what you're talking about.”  Monitor Man says.

“You don't remember being kissed like that?  It was dark but I thought humans had better senses than that.”  The pixie in the back comments.   “We saw everything.”

“Are you sure no one knows what happened?”  Writer Lady asks.

Carp shakes his head.   “No one saw a thing.”

“Pixies are magical creatures.”

“They only see movement.”  Carp reassures her.

“But can they see in the dark?”  Writer Lady asks.

“Our eyes are far superior to yours.  Of course we can see in the dark.”   A pixie answers Monitor Man's question.

“So how well can you see?  It's just shapes...outlines.”  Monitor Man says prompting the pixie to agree.

TP pops in between Monitor Man and Tinkletoes' heads.  The two candidates are standing side by side.  Best buds.  Political brothers in arms.  “They see in the dark like a human does with night vision goggles.”

“That's pretty good.”  Monitor Man says.

“You can't hide anything from a pixie.  Silly human.”  TP says.