Bedsocks and Broomsticks, page 15
part #1 of Omensford Series
“Thanks for the support.” Fi shook her head at the wyrm before she pulled on the door and stepped outside.
She ran the short distance to the farmhouse as quickly as she could in the bulky overclothes and thick-soled boots. Panting, she knocked loudly on the door. Dylan opened it with a large smile on his face. He ushered her in and instructed her to hang her things on one of the pegs lining the wall. Once she had peeled herself out of the protective clothing, he led her to the dining room. Three other faces looked at her expectantly as she entered. She ran her hand through her hair, trying to smooth it down and waved. She sank into an empty seat, put her phone on the table and stared self-consciously at the thick ceramic plate in front of her.
Owain strode into the room, a small green wyrm sitting on his shoulder, making him look like some sort of pirate. “Ah, here you are. Now we can start!” He poured everyone a large glass of ruby red wine and raised his up.
“Welcome to the Dragon Ranch wyrm handler’s beginner’s training programme.” He took a deep drink that drained half his glass. Fi and the others sipped theirs at the toast. She didn’t like wine, but she didn’t want to be rude so forced herself to have one taste before switching to water. It seemed rude to ask for a diet coke. Owain wiped his mouth with the back of his hand and carried on.
“Firstly, thank you all for coming. I know that owning a wyrm can be rewarding, but it can also be a challenge. That’s why you’re here, to learn how to care for them and meet their needs and how to train them so they aren’t a social menace.” He laughed at his own poor joke.
“Of course, it’s no joke really. The government is thinking about cracking down on wyrm ownership so it’s important that these animals are properly trained and don’t injure anyone else.
“Dylan and I founded this ranch over fifty years ago to care for these special creatures and it means so much that you’ve chosen us to help you,” a tear welled up in one of his brown eyes and the wyrm on his shoulder nuzzled his singed beard affectionately. He tickled the wyrm’s head and looked around the room.
“This course is focused on your relationship with your wyrm so while we’ll be working as a group, you won’t handle each other’s animals. The one other rule I have is that this is a safe space and there is no judgement. If you’re happy with that and are willing to learn, then we’ll have a productive time. Now tonight is about us getting to know each other. So, while Dylan brings out the excellent meal he’s prepared, why don’t you all introduce yourselves and tell us why you’re here?”
There was a pause as Dylan entered, his beard slicked into neat plaits. He laid down two enormous crockery pots filled with a hearty stew, then retreated into the kitchen and returned with bread rolls the size of Fi’s head. He passed the wicker basket of rolls around before spooning up the stew. Fi closed her eyes and breathed in the rich aroma of the stew. She hadn’t realised how hungry she was.
“Tuck in, before it gets cold,” Dylan motioned as he took a bite out of his own hunk of bread.
The small green wyrm darted across the table and sank his teeth into one of the rolls.
“Owain!”
“Get down, you silly wyrm,” Owain flapped a hand towards the wyrm. Sharptooth skittered off the table, picking the spot next to Fi to jump down and run off.
“Sorry about that, he can get a little excitable. Go on, tell us about yourself,” Owain urged one of the participants. A man in his fifties with grey hair, round spectacles and a sleeveless knitted jumper over a white shirt. The man coughed and took another sip of wine to compose himself.
“I’m Clint and this is my wife Shirley,” his wife waved, her Farrah Fawcett hairdo shaking at her exuberance. “We’re looking after our daughter’s wyrm while she’s on secondment in Singapore…”
“It’s a big promotion for her!” Shirley added, “We’re so proud! And it’s such a prestigious firm, she’s done so well. Sorry, carry on, dear.”
“Anyway, she left us with this creature…”
“She said it would be good for us now we’re retired. Clint used to run our local bank branch until it got shut down. Sorry, carry on, dear.”
“So now we’re looking after it for twelve months and it’s already burned our sofa…”
“Singed the arm! Now it’s completely black! We were lucky it didn’t burn the house down, but we got a terrible fright I tell you. Sorry, carry on, dear.”
“So, we’re here to get some tips on how to make it behave, because apparently giving the thing away isn’t an option.”
“No, she loves it so much! But it’s such a big upheaval for the poor thing and the airline’s have such strict rules about animals. So, we’re taking care of the little thing,” Shirley beamed at everyone.
Owain blinked as if he were shell-shocked. “Thank you for sharing. Now how about you?”
A younger man in his twenties leaned forward and smiled, punctuating the air with his fork as he spoke. “Hi everyone, great to meet you! I’m Theo. My other half really wants a baby. We’ve wanted one for forever, I suppose that’s why we got Pim really. But now she’s pregnant but little Pim, our wyrm, he’s not really the best behaved and we’re worried how he’ll react to the baby so I’m here to train him up.”
The dwarves shared a look and Dylan looked like he might say something, but Owain turned to Fi and nodded.
“Uh, hi there,” she forced herself not to touch her hair, “I’m Fi and I sort of inherited a wyrm, so that’s why I’m here.” The others looked at her, expecting more. “Uh, I guess we don’t really get on and Cressida, that’s her name, broke a lot of my stuff so yeah…hoping to get some tips this week.”
Everyone nodded and the focus shifted from the witch to the delicious food. Fi concentrated on chewing the tender lamb, which practically melted in her mouth.
“So, what is it you do?” Theo asked Fi between mouthfuls.
Fi swallowed, “Uh, I’m in between jobs right now.”
“Cool, I’m a project manager.”
“Oh, that’s lovely. Ciara, that’s our daughter, she manages portfolios, always working late.”
Fi let the conversation wash over her, not really noticing they had moved to dessert until Dylan brandished a large fruit cake. She reached for her phone to take a picture then frowned. It wasn’t next to her plate, odd, but she must have left it back in her room.
“That looks amazing!” cooed Shirley as the dwarf cut them each an enormous slice and then poured thick cream over the top.
Fi took a spoonful. The fumes coming off it almost overwhelmed her. Dylan chuckled, “It’s my mother’s recipe, God love her. She always says the alcohol’s the best part.”
Fi ate it slowly, savouring the plump raisins. Clint even asked for seconds. After they’d finished, Owain poured them all some mead for a nightcap and regaled them with stories about previous courses. After an hour of nightcaps, Dylan carefully took his husband’s glass away from him.
Owain took the hint. “Right, I suppose it’s bedtime.”
Fi stood up, swaying slightly. She hadn’t even drunk the mead; what had been in that cake? She wondered dazedly if the room was spinning as the dwarf continued; “Tomorrow, the real work begins!”
If you want to find out how the rest of the stay at the Dragon Ranch went, click here for a free short story. Or click here for the next in series: Cream Teas & Crystal Balls
Thank you for reading book one in the Omensford series. If you enjoyed this book, you can get a free prequel to my Rise of Dragons series and join the conversation at Gemma’s book wyrms or read along with all my books before they’re published on patreon.
As an independent author, your reviews help me decide which series to keep going so please do leave one for Bedsocks & Broomsticks and if you enjoyed this book try, Crystal Balls & Cream Teas, book two in the Omensford series.
Books in the Omensford series:
Bedsocks & Broomsticks
Crystal Balls & Cream Teas
Demons & Donkeys [coming soon]
Books in the Rise of Dragons series:
Awakening
Solstice of Dragons
Equinox Betrayal
Darkest Deception
Attack on Avalon
Fated Bloodlines
Thank You
A special thank you to my amazing patreon: Emma Ward who always supports me.
If you want to support Gemma, you can find her on patreon for exclusive first reads of new stories.
You can also join her newsletter for a free prequel to her Rise of Dragons series and follow Gemma on www.instagram.com/gemmaclatworthy, www.facebook.com/gemmaclatworthy or join the reader’s group Gemma’s book wyrms.
Other Books by G Clatworthy
Books in the Rise of the Dragons series:
Awakening
Solstice of Dragons
Equinox Betrayal
Darkest Deception
Attack on Avalon
Fated Bloodlines
Books in the Omensford series (set in the Rise of Dragons universe):
Bedsocks and Broomsticks
Cream Teas and Crystal Balls
Demons and Donkeys
Children’s Books
The Child Who series:
The Girl Who Lost Her Listening Ears
The Boy Who Lost His Listening Ears
The Girl Who Dreamed of Sleep
The Boy Who Dreamed of Sleep
Nanny Pastry series:
Nanny Pastry and the Nimble Ninjabread Man
Other books:
Coronavirus in the words of children
About the Author
Gemma started writing during the 2020 lockdown and loves fantasy fiction and dragons in particular. She lives in Wiltshire with her family and two cats and also enjoys crafts of all kinds. You can see all her writing on patreon. Join the conversation at Gemma’s book wyrms readers’ group on Facebook.
She also writes children’s books. You can find out more on her website www.gemmaclatworthy.com or follow her on Instagram (www.instagram.com/gemmaclatworthy) or Facebook (www.facebook.com/gemmaclatworthy).
G. Clatworthy, Bedsocks and Broomsticks
