In the last post: High in the branches of a fir tree, Alf wakes with a hangover and Morris wants to know why he's up there...

Dear friends, on Tuesdays and Saturdays I’m blogging nibble-sized chunks of new ‘Life in the Clouds’ stories. You can check in regularly and read them free, or wait to buy the whole story when published. ‘Eerie Eve’ is drawing to a close. Next up is ‘Enchanter on the Roof.’ Starting soon.

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​Eerie Eve ® James Field. Part 31

Morris watched as Alf freed his trouser belt and then untangled his robot. After taking a firm grip on the fir tree's trunk, Alf kicked the robot loose and it bounced through the branches and crashed to the ground in a heap. Then Alf climbed down, agile as a monkey, and stood before Morris. "Got any water?" he croaked.

Morris waved a hand in front of his nose and took a step back. "What in God's name have you eaten? Smells like troll shit." He plucked a bottle of water from one of the rucksack's side pockets and passed it to Alf.

After emptying the bottle, Alf's mouth remained tight, as if he could still taste something bad. Then he gave a quick, disgusted snort. "Trolls? You and me should know. There ain't many people in this world who's met a troll—like what we have."

Morris heard the sarcasm in Alf’s words but decided not to respond. When neither of them knew what had happened to the other, and how they had reacted, he felt that his honour was saved.

"I'll come for Crusher later," said Alf. "His hydraulics sprung a leak." Before Morris had a chance to scrutinise the robot, Alf swung Morris's rucksack onto his broad back and marched off.
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To be continued…

Image by Christian Dorn from Pixabay

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​The real world:

Rather than miss an instalment, it’s easy to follow my blog on bloglovin’. They’ll give you a friendly nudge as I release new parts.
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Like to know more about Alf, Bert and the rest of the gang? You can read their chaotic history in What on Earth.