Submission (#3790) Approved

(This prompt contains 1167 words and uses two terras! Sorry about that, got really into writing this one ^^')

The day was pretty average. The nice thing about Terrah was that it was a pretty peaceful place. The most you got was loud personal disputes, but those were easy enough to ignore.

This was also true for Tobias before they showed up. One day, strangers started appearing on his doorstep. “Freaks” he loved to call them. The problem with them was that he could never be completely sure if they were messing with him or if they were actually just like that. Nobody was just that weird, right? But if this was just a prank that went on for way too long, why him? As illogical as it seemed, it was a possibility that Tobias wanted to prepare for.

That is just what he was up to this April Fool’s.

If this was all just a sick joke, he’d spend today at least trying to get back at them for years of weird torment. Then they could all laugh about it and finally leave his life forever.
Tobias put the stool down a little harder than he meant to. Of course, that was because at the same time that he was carrying the stool, he was wrestling with the door to keep it open. He almost fell at least twice before finally opting to push his entire body weight into it with his backside. Exhausted from all of that, the wooden stool slammed into the ground as he moved to drop it. He took a few long moments and gulps for air to rest. Pranking sure was thirsty work.

It was early in the morning, which was well before Velvette’s little bakery opened. The hours of the place were weird and never displayed anywhere, but after years of observation, Tobias managed to narrow it down. The door he’d been fighting was the back door into her store, where only she came and went.

After a good rest and a wicked snicker to himself, Tobias got to work. With those faucet and hose out back, he started to fill an old half rusted bucket that he found in someone else’s trash. “Finders’ keepers,” He’d told himself as disturbed onlookers watched his dumpster diving escapades in horror.

Lifting the filled bucket was another thing. He could do it. Trouble was, it was difficult to balance on a stool while raising a filled bucket above your head to place atop a slightly ajar door that was taller than him. But he did it.

As he was doing it, though, something off in the distance caught his eye. In the dark edges of a nearby park’s tree-line stood Calamity; one of those “freaks.” Oh. Oh please no. Not now.

Tobias froze for a moment when he saw her, failing to mind the bucket. His heart pounded as he sensed that she saw him too. She was here for him somehow, he just knew it. Just as he had this realization, the edge of the bucket’s bottom slipped from his fingers and using its own weight, propelled itself forward and tipped over. Towards Tobias.

The cold shower came too fast for Tobias to react. The bucket clattered to the ground next to him as he dripped and shivered, embarrassment burning his head and chest. He’d fallen for one of their stupid tricks again.

As he grumbled to himself, he let the door close on the stool to walk around it and take another good look at Calamity to shame her for what she’d done. But she was gone without a trace. Tobias felt a chill run up his spine, in part because of the water, but mostly because Calamity just disappeared like mist. At will.

She was gone now though, meaning Tobias was probably safe to continue. Probably. He set up his trap again, this time keeping a firm grip of the bucket. Getting soaked due to his own hubris was plenty annoying, but having to put the bucket up a third time was not something he wanted anything to do with. This time, he finished setting it up without any issues.

Except for the fact that when he moved to step off the stool, it shifted suddenly and violently, throwing him off balance. He landed on the grass next to him with a thump, winded and grumbling. When he finally found his bearings and looked up, Calamity stared back at him, mere inches from his visor, paws firmly planted on the sides of the stool. They stared for a long, heated moment. Tobias took a sudden swipe at her, the two scrambling to move. Tobias tried to grab her to stop her, but Calamity was quicker, the stool scraping unpleasantly on the ground as she took it. She made off with it, disappearing once again into the trees. Tobias could only watch her go.

He lay there for a while, defeated, before a new determination to pull off his prank filled him. He was going to get them back no matter the cost, especially now, since Calamity was clearly trying to stop him.

With a determined snarl, Tobias invited himself into Velvette’s shop to find something else to stand on. He found an old box which seemed sturdy enough, and definitely hadn’t been used in some time. He wanted to prank her but he didn’t want to be rude and take something she’d miss. Funny as that would be.

He set the box down harshly, ready to just finish his setup and hide to watch now that Calamity had gotten what she apparently wanted. He did so, this time executing it flawlessly thanks to the practice. It was over in a minute, and he stood back proudly, letting the box hold the door for him before he finished positioning it.

He heard crackling leaves nearby, his head snapping to the side to look. This time, he watched as Calamity lumbered out with a boldness he’d never seen in her before. She walked right past him, their shoulders brushing, and she grabbed the box with a certain authority. She looked back at him, probably making sure he was watching as she stole from him again.

Tobias snickered again, this time knowing he’d had her beaten. He didn’t need the box anymore and Velvette went looking for it, he could blame Calamity for stealing!

Calamity took it and ran, once again disappearing into the trees. He snickered after she was gone, knowing he’d won. Then the door began sliding closed and he didn’t react fast enough. It slammed shut. Of course, just his luck, the bucket tilted towards him and drenched him again, clattering to the ground upsettingly loud. As he turned around to see what went wrong this time, he suddenly realized the door would always close on its own and could not be left slightly open.

His prank wouldn’t have worked, even without Calamity here.

Tobias kicked the bucket before stalking off to seethe in peace and quiet somewhere else, giving up on his prank endeavors entirely for the year.