'I don't know how you put up with her antics Mrs Pixie. No doubt she's been causing mischief since the moment she could #crawl .'
'Oh no, Mr Gabriel. You'd be very wrong.' Mama gives me a proud smile. 'She's a true pixie. Tweaked her dad's nose, the moment she was born.'
#vss365

'Your mother is on the phone for you, Gabe.'
'Oh no. I'm not falling for that again, Pixie. You will not #manipulate me into leaving you with the last brownie.'
'OK. But you can explain why you left her hanging.'
'...'
'...'
'Fine, I'm going. But if you're lying...'
Munch
#vss365

'Pixie, you've managed to set free a chaos demon!'
'But, Gabe, if you didn't want it released, you shouldn't have left its container laying around.'
'It had a #lock , several angel seals, was buried 6 feet deep & guarded by a hydra, Pixie!'
'...I like a challenge.'
#vss365

'...& then Pixie sprinkled her pixie dust, the dragons all bowed &-'
'Me & Gabe skedaddled as fast as we could!'
'It sounds like you two have been through quite a #saga .'
'No, mother, that's actually a fairly average Thursday morning when it comes to dealing with Pixie.'
#vss365

' #Greed had nothing to do with it, Gabe. I was sooo hungry & you know I get grumpy when my sugar levels dip.'
'True, Pixie, but goodness knows how someone so small managed to put away 38 brownies. At least there's 1 left for me.'
'Noooo. The last brownie is always mine!'
#vss365

'It's gonna cost you, Gabe. I'm not going to lie. Bribing me with the last brownie isn't going to cut it. I expect BIG compensation.'
'That's low, Pixie. But what choice do I have? Go ahead & name your price. Just don't #rat me into my mother about hating her cooking.'
#vss365

Gabe meticulously brushes his wing feathers until each is gleaming.
He checks himself in the mirror. 'Not too shabby. The Angel Council will be impressed. Behave while I'm gone, Pixie.'
I'll be helpful while he's out & wash the time delay luminous dye from his #brush .
#vss365

' #Chop chop, Pixie, or you'll be late.'
'But, Gabe, I don't want to go, & anyway, my tooth feels fine now.'
'I'm warning you, Pixie, if you don't visit the tooth faery & then start complaining again later, I'm going to the shed & getting the pliers &'
'On my way, Gabe.'
#vss365

'I know you like to plan, Gabe, but... maybe it's time to be more #fluid .'
'I am not retreating, Pixie. It wouldn't dare touch me. I am an angel.'
'I'm not sure the fire breathing demon cares, Gabe. In fact, I think it wants to eat you.'
'Well, perhaps this once... RUN.'
#vss365

Gabe removes the bucket from his head & scrapes slug slime from his hair.
Giggle. 'Oh, Gabe, you look so funny. Lose the frown. It was a fair prank. I'm sure you can #muster a smile from somewhere if you try really hard. No? Ah well... Hey! Don't flick that gloop at me!'
#vss365

'People underestimate the classic pixie pranks, Gabe. Like cellophane over the toilet seat, or snake in a jar.'
'Fortunately, Pixie, I am wise to your tricks. You won't catch me out... hmmm... what's going on? This is stuck to my hand!'
Giggle. ' #Glue , Gabe. A classic!'
#vss365

I #probe the tooth with my tongue. Ouch!
Gabe raises an eyebrow. 'Sore tooth, Pixie? It's all those honeyed beetles you eat.'
'Don't know what you're talking about, Gabe... Ouch... I'm fine.'
'Hmmm... I'm going to call her.'
'Noooo, Gabe. Please. Not the tooth faery!'
#vss365

'Pixie! Stop! Throwing rubbish out the window is not the same as tidying.'
'But it works, Gabe. The place looks better & it's very #cathartic . You should give it a go.'
'I might just do that, Pixie.'
WHOOSH
'Hey! Throwing me out the window is not what I meant.'
#vss365

'Gabe, please help me. I can't go on. My wings ache, my ears droop & my pixie dust has lost its sparkle. I'm exhausted, starving & #parched . Don't be cruel. Let me rest before it's too late...'
'Pixie, you've only been tidying your room for 5 minutes. Now get on with it!'
#vss365

'What does #lithe mean, Gabe?'
'Limber, Pixie. Why?'
'Well, these 2 girls were talking about you in the Angel Arms, & I wasn't sure what that meant.'
'Talking about me? Lithe? Really... Ahem. What did they say... exactly?'
'Exactly? Let me think... He's not very lithe...'
#vss365

'Quick, Pixie, that was my mother on the phone. She's coming to see us. You need to scrub & clean away every #speck of dirt. And I need to check my underpants are sparkly white.'
'What? She won't know what underwear you have on, Gabe.'
'She'll know, Pixie. She'll know.'
#vss365

'What a #wheeze , Gabe. We should do that more often.'
'Wheeze!' Gabe mantles his feathers, straightens his halo & shakes ash from his robe. 'You have a strange sense of fun, Pixie. Next time you lose at Scrabble to Hades, someone else can rescue you from the Underworld!'
#vss365

'You just have to know how to handle him, Goblin.'
'But, Pixie, aren't you on parole with Gabe?'
'He thinks so. But if I want something, I subliminally drop an idea, let it #percolate in his brain &...Here he is...Hi, Gabe. Hot chocolate. Thanks!'
'Wow! It worked, Pixie.'
#vss365

'Again! Again! Me! Me!'
'If I have to #fling one more pixling into the air...'
'Don't be grumpy, Gabe. It's a birthday party & they love you. Anyway, it's cake time now. So there's only one last thing for you to do.'
'Fine... What is it, Pixie?'
'My turn. Fling me.'
Growl
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I line everyone up under Gabe's window. The frogs begin ribbiting, the cicadas whirr & the bees hum. A #cacophony of nature.
'Pixie! It's the crack of dawn. Stop that racket!'
'Hmm... Remember yesterday, Gabe, when you kept harp playing even tho it gave me a headache..?'
#vss365