Weekend Shorts: A steampunk fantasy

Posted on by Teagan Riordain Geneviene

Saturday, August 2, 2025

green moss dirigibles above city by Teagan via Night Cafe

We’ve made it to the weekend as well as the start of a new month.  Happy August.  Today I have a little vignette for you.  It’s a steampunk fantasy “slice of life.”  Actually, it’s a snippet from one of my many works in progress, but I don’t want to talk about that right now.  However, I will say that although the “universe” of this story is dystopian, it is a bright, colorful, whimsical world.  Their planet has been ravaged, but high above it, cities are made of interconnected dirigibles.  Day-to-day life reflects that situation, as you will see in the vignette.

A Morning in Cloudstead

red dirigibles with hanging flowers in clouds by Teagan via Night Cafe

Hang-gliders delivering letters and small parcels darted to and fro around the south end of Cloudstead.  That massive contrivance of connected dirigibles was the equivalent of what would have been “the country” in past generations, back when Tellurians dwelled on the surface.

Although, those messengers didn’t go quite as far as Lightbourn, where the Bellefleur family lived.  Rather, they centered on the property at Nightfield, which had long been vacant.  Nonetheless, the lady leaned out on the balcony each time a hang glider approached.

“My dear, it’s so exciting!” Narcissus Bellefleur exclaimed to her husband as she bounced on her toes.

Aloe Bellefleur seemed oblivious to the importance of the comings and goings.  Although that wasn’t really the case.  He valiantly hid his smile.  He puffed on his pipe and mumbled a noncommittal reply as he read his newspaper.  Pretending to pay no mind to his wife’s excitement, he discretely peeped over the top of his spectacles when his wife gave a put-upon sigh.

“My dear Mr. Bellefleur,” the lady began.  “Haven’t you heard that the dirigibles of Nightfield at last have new residents?  The estate has been vacant for… well, for a cockatoo’s age.”

“Eighty or ninety years?  Surely not.  Narcissus my dear, why do you look confused?  That’s how long cockatoos tend to live,” he teased, knowing the effect it would have on her nerves.

Mr. Bellefleur added that he had not been aware that the property was taken.  Glancing from the corner of his eye, Aloe saw the consternation of his wife when he made no further answer.  So, of course she made it her purpose to enlighten the silly man on the folly of his lack of interest.

Narcissus went on at great length about the importance of the event of the neighboring dirigible being occupied.  Then she deftly slipped in the even greater importance of its new occupants, to which she spoke at even greater length.  Aloe looked up over his spectacles before making a taunting response, and he endeavored to hide his mirth.  He found it impossible to resist teasing his wife.

lavender bouquet on chair balcony by Teagan via Night Cafe

Mrs. Bellefleur made an affronted noise.  Delicately she daubed her embroidered handkerchief at her nose.  Then she discretely folded it to hide the residue of purple powder that was wiped from her nostril.  “Mother’s purple helper,” as lavium was called, was all the rage, but Mr. Bellefleur disdained use of the light drug.

He hurried to speak, when he saw what a deep breath his wife took in preparation for her next speech about the new neighbor and his marvelous suitability as a husband for one of their daughters.  It was his duty to interrupt.  After all, a husband wouldn’t want his wife to faint from speaking too many paragraphs in one breath.

“Well, it is,” she went on and turned the full force of her pout on her husband.  “Mrs. Leeks told me all about the new residents just this morning.”

Mr. Bellefleur rolled his eyes at mention of the gossipy neighbor’s name.  However, he prudently refrained from additional comment.  This brought another sigh from his wife.

“I suppose there is nothing I can do to prevent you telling me what that babliaminy had to say,” he grunted.

“Don’t you want to know who has taken it?” she demanded.

“Taken what, darling?” he asked, knowing full well what she meant.

“Why the Nightfield dirigibles, of course!” she cried.

“Do tell,” he replied in the drollest tone possible, hiding his smile, and unfortunately she did precisely that ― and in great detail.

“Dearest husband, you must know!  Mrs. Leeks says that Nightfield is taken by a very wealthy young man!  He descended from the city on quite an afternoonified motorized craft.  Then he disembarked to the Nightfield dirigibles in a chaise drawn by a team of four Mastiffs — just to look around the place.  Butter upon bacon, if I say so myself.”

“Is he married or single?” Aloe obligingly asked.

“Oh!  Single, my dear, to be sure!  A single man of large fortune.  What a wondrous thing for our precious flowers!”

“How so?  Does he bring fertilizer?” her husband snarked.

“My dear Mr. Bellefleur, you can be so narking!  You know that I mean our daughters.  You also must know that I am thinking of his marrying one of them!” she cried.

“Is that his strategy in settling here then, to marry one of our girls?  Perhaps he can be persuaded to take two of them off our hands,” he risked saying.

He tried to hide not just his smile, but also the gleam in his eyes.  Mr. Bellefleur was acutely aware that if his wife continued getting worked-up they would soon make feet for children’s stockings.  He grinned despite himself.

“Strategy!  Of course not,” she snorted and quickly wiped the purple powder from her nose.

Just then a glider carrying a large crate swept down to Nightfield.  Mrs. Bellefleur exclaimed and leaned quite far against the balcony railing.  Her husband put aside his newspaper to admire her fine derriere.

Adult woman on dirigible by Teagan via Night Cafe

“Oh!  That must be a harpsichord,” she enthused, just as the balcony railing gave way.

Her next utterance was a loud scream.  The surface of Tellus was many hundreds of spans below.

Quickly, Aloe pressed a lever on the side of his chair causing a footrest to lift up even as a clawed arm extended from the side.  Safety measures were in place for just such a circumstance, but one never knew…  He listened carefully to determine the location of the next cry.  He was gratified to hear his wife’s shriek cut short with an oof.

Following the noise, he guided the mechanical arm downward to the awning he had prudently installed to shade the balcony below.  At the sound of an indignant yelp, he knew the claw found its mark.  He turned the crank on the side of his chair until Mrs. Bellefleur was lifted within reach.

“My darling, how many times have I told you, and the girls too, that the banisters are not safe to lean upon?  You know we don’t have funds to keep Lightbourn in proper repair,” he complained as he brought her back to safety and held her against his chest.  “There, there.  No need for tears.  You’re quite secure now.  Shush…  Dry your eyes.  Did you tear the awning when you landed on it?”

Mrs. Bellefleur lightly punched her husband’s chest for the remark.  However, knowing his sense of humor well, she leaned against him, nuzzling her face close.

“So, you must visit the new neighbor the moment he moves in,” she picked up her conversation precisely where she’d left off before nearly falling to her death.

“I have no time to make social calls.  You and the girls go ahead without me.  But then again, maybe you should send them alone.  You are as precious a flower as any of them.  This wealthy young man may desire you over any of our girls, and set out to win you away from me.”

“Darling Aloe, I was a great beauty in my day, but I do not pretend to be the jamiest bit of jam now.  When a woman has five grown-up precious flowers, she must stop thinking of her own beauty.”

“In some cases, a woman has little beauty.  However, darling wife, you’re no dying duck in a thunderstorm,” he said flirting and his eyebrows wiggled.

“Seriously, my dear, you must call upon him when he comes into the neighborhood,” she insisted while Aloe made groaning noises of despair.  “Think of our poor daughters.  What a lovely match it would be for one of them.  My dear husband, you really must go!  Otherwise, it won’t be proper for the girls and me to visit him if you don’t meet him first,” she declared.

“Dear wife, you put too much importance on outdated manners.  I dare say he will be delighted to meet you.  And I will send a few lines for you to give him, assuring him of my whole-hearted consent to his marrying whichever he chooses of our precious flowers.  Although I must throw in a good word for my little Trixie,” he added, though he had no intention of giving up his favorite child so easily.

“You will do no such thing.  Trixie is not a bit better than any of her sisters,” she grumbled, annoyed.

“The other girls don’t have much to recommend them,” he replied glumly.  “They’re all silly and ignorant.”

5 girls on the balcony of a Dirigible by Teagan via Night Cafe

“Mr. Bellefleur!  How can you say such awful things about your own daughters?  I think you just enjoy upsetting me.  I could ask you to have more compassion for my poor nerves,” she told him, although her eyelashes fluttered playfully.

Turning her back she discretely opened the amethyst cover of her ring.  With her pinky finger, she picked up some of the lavium and deftly put it in her nostril without him seeing.

The drug is harmless and the height of fashion.  I don’t see why he is disapproving of it, she thought.  No wonder they call it Mother’s Purple Helper.

“Now, now, Narcissus.  You know that I have the greatest respect for your nerves.  My darling, your nerves and I are old friends.  I have met them frequently these last twenty odd years at least,” he replied.

“Ah, you couldn’t begin to understand, Aloe.  You mock me,” she complained but felt that she was about to get her way.

“Gather some more of your lavender flowers.  You say that soothes your nerves.  Thank heaven Marigold is the only one who is allergic to them, else we’d all be coughing enough to propel Lightbourn hard enough to come loose from the rest of Cloudstead.  With a little time, I expect that you’ll see many young men come into this neighborhood,” Mr. Bellefleur told her.

“That’s of no use to us.  Even if twenty rich young men were to move in, because you refuse to visit them,” she snaped.

The lady’s husband was a continuous mystery — and frustration.  Mrs. Bellefleur never had a grasp of sarcasm.  Just as annoying, the man was an incomprehensible mixture of droll humor, reserve, and whimsy.  Despite decades of marriage, she never knew what to make of him.  Although, she did believe her husband was content.  Not to mention, thanks to her own fondness for amorous congress, he didn’t go without her tender attentions either.

“Did I forget to tell you, Mrs. Bellefleur?  I flagged down one of the messengers earlier this morning and the lad took me over on his whirlybird to meet the new fellow.  Now, I hope you’ll feel better, Narcissus.  And if you’ll refrain from leaning on banisters, you may live to see many young men of great fortunes come into this neighborhood,” Mr. Bellefleur replied drolly.

♦ ♥ ♦

If this vignette reminded you of a particular classic, it is meant to be a re-imagining of that story — but like I said, I’m not talking about that right now.   🙂   Friendly comments are welcome.  Thanks for visiting.  Hugs!

♦ ♥ ♦

Of course, here’s the obligatory shameless self-promotion.

Speak Chuckaboo & Speak Flapper

Speak Chuckaboo & Speak Flapper, by Teagan Ríordáin Geneviene

Universal Purchase Links

Speak Chuckaboo

Kindle:  relinks.me/B0B9W38LDJ

Paperback:  relinks.me/B0B9T8MP1K

Speak Flapper

Kindle:  relinks.me/B083HNK3BB

Paperback:  relinks.me/1656168553

♦ ♥ ♦

This is a work of fiction.  Characters, names, places, and incidents are either the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, business establishments, locales, or events is entirely coincidental.

Copyright © 2025 by Teagan Ríordáin Geneviene

All rights reserved. 

No part of this work may be reproduced, scanned, or distributed in any printed or electronic form without permission.  Please do not participate in or encourage piracy of copyrighted materials in violation of the author’s rights.

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58 thoughts on “Weekend Shorts: A steampunk fantasy”

  2. This is a wonderful story, Teagan. I love the setting. I think I would enjoy living in the clouds and I really like the way you’ve built that world and the features that make it livable. Although my first thought was that her husband was just going on with life when Narcissus Bellefleur fell through the balcony, I admired to contraption by which he saved her. I wonder if the “lucky” daughter will be happy if chosen, or if they will all be trying to avoid the attention of the rich new neighbor. I hope you have a great week and weekend and can deal with the heat – that sounds awful.

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    1. Thanks for taking time to visit during your blog break, Dan. I hope you’re getting relaxed and recharged. I appreciate your feedback. Haha. With five daughters, not to mention the mother bent on getting them married off, chaos will likely ensue.
      Most adaptations of Pride and Prejudice emphasize that about Mrs Bennet and the in-the-chair-with-pipe father. However, I had read and watched articles from literature historians specializing in that era and some with an actual specific masters degree in Jane Austen — who suggested Mr & Mrs Bennet were a very… “frisky” coupe, as well as the more common idea that Mrs B was a tad too fond of alcohol. I decided to play into those ideas with this re-imagining.
      Yes, the heat (and the fact that I was afraid not to raise the thermostat a lot, to save the AC’s life) are really getting to me. Is it really just three days since this started…? Hugs.

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  6. Intriguing tale, Teagan. Looking forward to more as time and circumstances permit. Your imagination is in top top form. Assuming without any help from the aforementioned purple powder.💜💜💜

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    1. Thanks, Pat. I really do want to finish it. Although it’s most important on a personal level to finish 1960s urban fantasy that I started in 2019. I was 300+ pages into it when I ran out of steam. Unfortunately, I deliberately let that one be far too personal, using parts of what was in my Re-Inventionator post… and it was too hard to be with the story. Even so, that one is at the top of my “want to finish” list. I’ve been “going to work on it again” for about 2 months now. LOL… Anyhow, have a good week. Hugs.

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    1. It’s good to see you, Kirt. You are so kind — thank you. Floriography plays a huge part in the world building of this story. Giving all the characters flower and plant names was a big, but fun challenge. I do want to finish it. Have a great new week. Hugs.

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  11. “It is a truth universally acknowledged, that a single man in possession of a good fortune, must be in want of a wife” even in Cloudstead! I love your take on this. You are so inventive and the little touches such as the lavium and the irony are delicious. The images are stunning too! xx

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    1. Alex, it’s a delight to see you! Heartfelt thanks for your encouragement. Actually, a few years ago, I sent the first hundred pages of the book to a few people, asking if they thought it was worth doing. But I didn’t hear back from anyone, so I put the project aside.
      LOL, that quote is so famous, that I had to make a “riff” on it too, but I didn’t include it here. It substitutes the peculiar currency of this world for “fortune”. I appreciate you reading and commenting. Big hugs.

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      1. It’s really neat the way you’ve blended the characters and backgrounds with something so very different. Sorry it’s taken me so long. I’ve had a few health blips and it’s sometimes difficult to fit everything in. I hope to be up to speed again soon! Love and hugs.

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  12. I have great sympathy for Mrs. Bellefleur–I’m terrible at knowing when people are teasing me and when they are serious. And I’ve known a few people like her husband who were relentless at exploiting that fact. (K)

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    1. Hi Kerfe. I’m glad Narcissus Bellefleur has a friend in you. She’s an interesting character to write, as I try to balance the fact that she really is not a very likeable person, but she isn’t all bad. So a little teasing from her husband… and he’s the only one who does that.

      I get what you mean about teasing. Sometimes it flies over my head too. Although my big blind spot was always flirting. I was always utterly clueless when it was directed at me. I could see people flirt with others and recognize it easily, but not when it was aimed at me. LOL, actually, I still can’t. Thanks for visiting. Hugs.

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  14. It is great to think of floating above it all. Several lines gave me a chuckle. “Does he bring fertilizer?” “dying duck in a thunderstorm,” “My darling, your nerves and I are old friends.  I have met them frequently these last twenty odd years at least,”Not to mention, thanks to her own fondness for amorous congress, he didn’t go without her tender attentions either.” I enjoyed the story, Teagan and hope you have a restful weekend.

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    1. I’m tickled pink that you enjoyed it, John. ^^’ Heartfelt thanks for reading.

      I’m bracing for the next 7 days of way-too-hot (100++), so I will definitely take it easy. … and say prayers and blessings, maybe even spells over my old air conditioner for its good “health”! Big hugs.

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    1. You are so kind, GP — thanks. I think you would like this whimsical world and the often silly characters. Although it is not at the top of my list for “books to finish” at the moment, but my priorities are in constant flux. As you’ve probably figured out! LOL. Happy August. Hugs.

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  18. Yes, it is delightful and it did remind me of a famous British author and one of her novels in particular, which I adore, but let’s not talk about that today. The images are wonderful, and the world and the contraptions are fabulously fun as well. I look forward to all of your projects, and this one is looking fabulously fantastic, dear Teagan. Big hugs and love to the Scoobies.

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    1. Thanks for the encouragement, Fraggle. I shared the first 100 pages with a few people, but when I didn’t hear back from anyone, I lost heart on finishing it. Even so, it’s still on my list of books to finish, simply because it’s a relaxing place for my mind to visit. Hugs.

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  20. A world of frivolity and gossip. I wonder if the daughters know of mothers intentions for them. I would enjoy having a whirlybird to visit the neighbours.
    Good fun read Teagan 😀

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    1. Thanks, Brian. A big dose of frivolity seemed to be in order. Yes, little whirlybirds, glider regiments, and buggies/small chaises that are pulled by Mastiff dogs rather than horses. (“While a small Mastiff might pull a cart weighing a few hundred pounds, larger individuals can pull much more, with some recorded instances of pulling over 2,500 pounds.”) I gave the world a detailed origin, but that was too much to share for this. Have a great weekend. Hugs.

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      1. They are quite powerful dogs 😲 I really enjoy anything Steampunk.Hope your weekend has been a fab one too Teagan.
        I am trying to stay warm, the fire is on and I just want to cosy up on a chair and read

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