One of the reasons I decided to include flash fiction snippets in my newsletters is so I can write fun stories about my side characters. I spend a lot of time fleshing these guys out, even if they only crop up on a few pages.
Recently, one of my readers asked me to write about Henry from my Magical Midlife Mom series. Henry may be an invisible-turning sasquatch with the body hair to prove it, but he still passes for a normal person (and you better not call him a "bigfoot." He has average-sized shoes, thank you very much). Henry spends a lot of time doing muscle jobs for Stronghold Incorporated, so I thought it would be fun to see what could happen to him when he tries to go home after a long day of work. Enjoy!
Working Overtime
(a Magical Midlife Mom story featuring Henry the sasquatch)
Henry grunted as he plopped down into the wire chair. He instantly regretted that decision when its flimsy legs shook. He grabbed the rim of the circular metal table, transferring its wobbliness to the striped umbrella attached to it. He worried he might have broken something, but the entire structure finally settled down.
It had been a long day at Stronghold Incorporated, and Henry was starving. He'd just ordered a late dinner at this small cafe not far from the office. He deserved a quiet meal after watching disgruntled fae protest at the Capitol Building. All of the other patrons sat inside the large glass windows, throwing their jackets and hats into corners of their booths. Only Henry, with his plaid shirt covering most of his excessive chest hair, felt warm enough to dine outside in the waning light of the late spring evening. As a sasquatch, the cold rarely bothered him, even on his exposed face and hands.
He allowed himself a tenative stretch before relaxing on his seat. The day's work was finally over.
Or so he thought.
An alarm suddenly blasted through the narrow downtown corridor. Henry frowned, looking for a vehicle's blinking headlights to indicate someone's alarm had gone off. Instead, he saw a bank's entrance three doors down slam open, increasing the siren's decibel level. A heavyset man in a ski mask spilled onto the sidewalk. He flung a heavy backpack over his shoulder.
The burglar ran straight for him.
Henry's instincts kicked in as a weight from his gut washed over his entire body. He'd gone invisible.
But he wasn't sure how he could help. The Salem police didn't know about fae magic, and Stronghold certainly didn't condone their employees interferring with human business.
As the burglar raced toward him, though, grinning like an idiot through his ski mask, Henry knew he wasn't just going to let this guy get away.
Henry stood, barely moving the wire chair as he silently stepped into the burglar's path. Even without his magic, he knew how to move without making a sound. Not that the burglar would have heard him, anyway, since the guy was pounding the sidewalk so hard.
Henry considered tackling him, but at the last second, thought better of it. He swerved to the side to allow the burglar to rush past him, only he left one foot out and hooked an ankle against the thief's.
The burglar crashed onto the cement like a ton of bricks.
The patrons in the window of the cafe gasped, wide-eyed. One woman screamed, her voice muted through the glass. The burglar glanced around, his hands scuffed where he'd tried to break his fall.
"What the f—?"
"Stop!" a security guard finally dashed out of the bank toward them. "Don't move!"
The burglar had no intention of complying. He tried to scramble to his feet.
The security guard reached for his gun, threatening a shoot-out.
Henry gave a long suffering sigh. He'd already had to douse a few fireball-happy fae at the protests today. The last thing he wanted was gunfire to ruin his supper.
Henry plopped down on the burglar's back just as hard as he had onto the wire chair earlier.
The burglar let out a "Oof!" as the air rushed out his lungs. Once he caught his breath, he tried to move, but Henry pressed down on him more.
"I said, 'Stop!'" The security guard halted a few feet from them, pointing a gun unknowingly inches from Henry's head. Henry froze.
The burglar squirmed underneath him. "What's going on?" he shrieked.
"Spread your arms on the ground!" the security guard yelled.
The burglar didn't comply, still trying to break free. Henry, not wanting to a bullet in his skull, slowly leaned over and whispered into the thief's ear.
"Do it, or I'll kill you myself."
The burglar gasped, frozen.
The security guard, who hadn't heard Henry, nodded in satisfaction. "That's right. Be still, and everyone lives."
Henry waited, still leaning over the burglar's ear, until the security guard slowly withdrew handcuffs at his side.
"Good boy," he whispered to the thief. "And remember, if you try any funny stuff, I'll be watching you."
The burglar whimpered as Henry rolled off him, but he remained in place on the ground. Henry managed to slip past the security guard so that they didn't touch.
Henry quietly strode over to the cafe's main entrance and slipped inside. No one noticed the door opening and closing since everyone had their eyes peeled on the burglar's capture.
Henry didn't go visible again until he was standing next to a column, mostly thrown in shadow. Then he waltzed up to the pickup window, where a slack-jawed cashier tried to peek above the heads of the patrons to watch the action.
He strode up to her and asked, "Is order number 561 done?"
She blinked a few times before snapping to reality. "Uh, yeah." She pushed a plate of food towards him.
"Can you put it in a to-go box?" Henry asked. "I think I'm done hanging downtown for today."
If you have a favorite side character from my books you'd like featured in a future newsletter, please drop me a suggestion at [email protected]. And if you like disappearing sasquatches and other fae, you can read more about them in Midlife Magical Mom.
More Amazing Fantasy Book Recs
Midlife Bed and Broomstick: Witches and shifters and secrets, oh my! Can this midlife MS warrior find a new lease on life?
Raven's Influence is Cleo Harwell's story about returning to the town of Raven after 25 years. With her mother on her deathbed, Cleo learns that Raven is actually a prison for the merciless gods and goddesses from Ancient Rome. And now she's in charge of keeping everyone in line.
Butter, Sugar, Magic is completely FREE in the Amazon store, March 1st only! Can this forty-something single-mom-turned-witch bake up a fantastic fresh start?
Until next time, happy adventuring!
-DM Fike
Books by DM Fike
Magic of Nasci Nature Wizard Series
A secret society of wizards live in our national forests, protecting nature against supernatural threats. Ina may command the four elements at her fingertips, but she can’t stop the savage creature leaving corpses along the Oregon coast. Will summoning forbidden lightning defeat her enemy, or will the storm destroy Ina first?
Legends of Llenwald YA Portal Fantasy Trilogy
As Avalon gets pulled toward a secret world where others covet her legendary powers, she must decide whom to trust—an amnesiac fairy, a shapeshifting trickster, or even her former doctor—all of whom may only be exploiting her for their own gain.
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