This week’s Friday Fiction is hosted by the talented Karlene Jacobsen over at her blog, Dancin in the Rain, click here to read and share more great fiction!

Author’s Ramblings: I’m terribly late to this meme, but I couldn’t let it go. I wanted to write something spectacular, but apparently writing with a head cold doesn’t produce the best of scribbles, so here’s a super short snippet based off of a three word prompt, for Popcorn, Castles and Porridge, courtesy of Glen H. This is the result. Apologies for the roughness!

“Blech.”
“Blech? Don’t you dare spit that out, Knotwiler!” The scowling guard glared at her. “I mean it.”
“And if I do, oh great and scowling guard of-” 
“Shut up, Tiff.” Libby rolled her eyes, scraping the
last spoonful of porridge from the carved wooden bowl. “You’re not helping at all.We’re supposed to work together.” She set the empty dish
by her feet and smiled as Jed pounced on the empty dish. The dog happily licked
away at the salty tracings left behind, ears and tail wagging in happy
acknowledgement. “Jed likes it. C’mon, just eat a little and we can get going.
Ambraile won’t save itself.” 
“Jed is a dog. A dog is an animal. I am a person!”
Tiffany’s round face grew red. “I eat people food not this kind of-”
Found through Google Images
“Then turn yourself into a dog and eat it. What’s the point of having a transformation amulet if you can’t use it!”
“Kyle, that’s not nice.” Libby brushed her coppery
bangs out of her face. “Harping on each other isn’t going to help anyone. She can use it…but turning herself into a dog really isn’t going to solve anything.”
“Oh and like you’re Miss Perfection?” Tiffany
snorted. “In your dreams.” 
“Unfortunately, we are in my dreams.” Libby frowned.
“Show a little respect, okay?”
“Kind of hard to do that when I’m trying to take him seriously and I just can’t-”
“Tiffany! He didn’t have to help.” 
“I’d prefer it if he hadn’t.” 
“Really?” 
“Yeah. He’s the geekiest guy in Science homeroom, how can I take him seriously just because he’s got shiny armor plastered all over him?” 
“The same way I’m trying to take you seriously even though you’re the second most stuck-up-girl at school?” Libby tossed her head. “Look, the sooner we get this together, the sooner we can leave.” 
“Says the resident bookworm.” Tiffany huffed. “Seriously, I like you better as a bookworm, you’re a really creepy heroine in your own dreams.”
“I’m not creepy!” 
“You’re wearing black and you have shiny spiky things.” 
“Those are not…well…they kind of are…that’s beside the point. I need these!” 
“Then what exactly are you?” 
“I’m a metalworker!” 
“Huh?” 
“Oh nevermind, Tiffany! I design swords and other…spiky things. Now will you hurry up? Why on earth did they send you two?” 
“Beats me.” Kyle muttered. “Let’s just go before my band practice-“
“I don’t wanna hear it Kyle, I don’t even know why
you’re here. I just know that this is one dream that wouldn’t go away, so I had
to ask for help.” 
“How exactly is she, help?” Kyle gestured towards
the pouting blonde. “She’s a mess of-”
“She holds the Ambrailean artifact of peace. That’s
help. Might I also remind you it’s a transformation tool as well?”
“And what am I, chopped liver?”
“With a line like that, yes.” Libby bent to snag the
cleaned bowl from by her feet. She twirled it on her thumb, then dumped it into
the half-filled pot of porridge. “Fine then, don’t eat. But we have to get
going.” She wrinkled her nose. “Kyle, if we’re not eating, it’s your turn to
dig and dump. Jed can’t eat all of that.” 
“It’s not good to waste food.” Tiffany whined.
“You’re the one wasting it, not me.” Libby dusted
off her jeans and moved towards the trio of horses tethered in the corner of
the clearing. “I’ll scout ahead. Y’all are getting on my nerves. This is supposed to be a dream. Not some daytime soap opera drama.”
“You can’t go on your own.” Kyle was on his feet in
minutes, the earlier guard persona melting away. “That’s dangerous. Look, I’m here because I’ve fought and won my own nightmare, that’s one of the requirements for being able to assist in other peoples dreams. I’m sorry that I’m not what you expected, but I am good at what I can do. Don’t just ride off and try to solve this on your own.” 
“Is that what you think I’m doing?” Libby snapped. 
“Libby!” 
“I can and I have. That’s how the dream works. I go
off by myself and stuff happens. We won’t get anywhere just sitting around and waiting for the dream to happen on its own.”
“They ordered me to never leave your side!” Kyle
streaked forward, catching her mount’s bridle in one gloved hand. “You are not
leaving her without me.” 
“Without you?”
“Without us.” Tiffany scraped her cold porridge into
the pot and dusted her hands over it. “If Mr. Guard is done playing all worried
and helpful, we need to get going. I’m starving and I can’t fix things on an
empty stomach.”
“And whose fault would that be?” Libby sniped.
“Oh be quiet, the whole lot of you.” Tiffany sighed.
 “Darkmoore Castle doesn’t require
peasant-strength from peasant food.” She sniffed. “Now if there was something
edible here in your dream, you know like potato chips or popcorn, I’d be all
over it. Let’s go now, okay?”
“Can you even ride?” Kyle retorted. “I’m not riding
double with you.”
“Hey!” 
“Popcorn?” Libby perked a brow. “Really, Tiffany?” 
(c) Sara Harricharan 10-01-2011
A/N: And I have no clue where this was going, but I kind of like Tiffany…If you’d like to read more–leave a comment and let me know. ^_^ Have a great weekend!