Hauntingly Beautiful Girls

"Hard to Chew Noodles"

Lauren Cooper had thought things were going well. In her adult life, the most tense situations dealt with people claiming parking ownership of the street in front of their house.

They exchanged facts, but the arguing was really about unfounded privilege.

Things turned scary. It was hard to accept. This was a hard noodle to eat.

When the fire spirit arrived, it read me like a Rolodex. I could sense the intent. Surrender was not an choice, it would open the claim to legal disputes.

A mortal wound or death was the plan. My husband as well. Look for an opening and kill at the first opportunity.

The deity servant was a small wild card. A pawn to remove.

When the deity arrived, there was more disappointment to chew. It clearly thought the entire experience was shameful.

The only consolation was that her husband was comforting.

Lauren was worried that the attack was not over. The sound of the servant walking slowly back towards "Civilization's Edge" was her clue that the battle was over.

The stress faded into a nap with her arms hanging over his shoulders.

She woke up from a nudge. There was another visitor. This time the visitor was coming from the nearby mountain range.