Weekly Challenge #941 – Outsider

The next topic is Has-beens

LISA

Our Adductor Explains

“The wealth we have is beyond comprehension. This has, in some respects, made us into outsiders. Neither of us fit into traditional society or, indeed, like society. So, we would like to start something else.

A sort of new community built on love and trusting. That’s why, you see, taking you all against your will wasn’t the right start for this. I’d prefer it if you’d chosen to be here in the first place. We both hope that now you’re here you’ll choose to stay with us. We won’t force anyone so please, do say if you’d rather leave.”

RICHARD

Outsider

Even after all these years, I’m treated like an outsider. So what if I’ve lived here since I was a young man? I wasn’t born here: That’s why I’ll never fit in.

It doesn’t matter to them that my accent is strange, or that my skin is a different colour. They don’t care that I worship other gods and follow my own traditions.

None of this bothers them.

But they still watch me, with suspicion in their gaze; fall silent when I approach; they still keep their secrets from me.

I was born an outsider, and an outsider I remain.

TOM

Outsider

Frank and Bill met in grad-school. Both brilliant, top of class, destine for greatness. Frank became the consummate Insider. Walked the halls of powers. Knew the power elite. His council was sought out by the Half a Percent. Bill on the other hand was the consummate Outsider. He left no foot print in the corporal or the cyber world. Basically, he was off the grid, in deep cover. When Interpol finally caught up with Frank and sent him to the Hague for war crimes, it was Bill who sprung him. No one saw him coming no saw them go outside.

857

Crash

My dad had Chutzpah. If there was an event in his neighborhood where free-food was served, he and my godfather Eddie would crash it in the most brazen ways. Friend of the groom to her family. Friend of the bride to his. One night he got hold of the mic and sang to the newlyweds. Even got their names wrong, but it didn’t matter, boy could he sell it. My dad crashed funerals. In Chicago wakes had excellent spreads. He could turn on the water-works on cue. One time he broke down in tear in the arms of the archbishop.

SERENDIPIDY

Another Outsider came today
I threw stones at him, and he went away
I just want to help, I heard him say
But help from strangers isn’t my way
He’ll be back again sometime, I know
But I’ll throw more stones, and away he’ll go
The Outsiders say they have my welfare at heart
But I’d rather live my life apart
From those who think they are so smart.
Yet still they continue to come around
They shout and yell when I go to ground.
Why can’t they all leave and let me be
And remain Outsiders, just like me?

LIZZIE

The family and the outsider. The mother, the father, the brother, the sister. A family like so many. The hugs and the smiles. The praises and the photos. A family like any other. Everyone smiled. Everyone thought, what a wonderful family. So loving, so caring. The kids look so happy. Except for the outsider. She was not happy. Why do you always have to frown for the photos? Why can’t you be quiet? Why can’t you be more like your sister? Why do we even bother? The outsider was never hugged or praised… or loved. The outsider was her daughter.

NORVAL JOE

After three days of getting the same answer to his calls to the hospital, Billbert was fed up. He left school and went straight to the hospital.
He picked up the phone outside the ICU and told the ward clerk he was there to see Sabrina Hecksaohos.
“I’ve told you before, Billbert. Only family members can come in to visit.”
Frustrated, Billbert said, “And I told you before, I’m not some random outsider. I’m her only friend, and she needs me to see her. I’m going to sit here in the hallway, outside your door, until someone lets me in.”

PLANET Z

I moved to a new place six months ago.
I’ve met so few people.
I have yet to meet any of the neighbors.
Well, except the people across the street.
Their little girl had a lemonade stand, I bought some bottled water and a bag of chips.
And her mother came over to get some boxes because they are moving away soon.
I know my doctor, my dentist, my physical therapist.
The nurse who maintains my anxiety medication.
The woman who watches the self-checkout scanners at the grocery store.
But I don’t really know them, and they don’t know me.

CHATGPT

In the village of whispers and shadows, there lived an outsider named Kai. With eyes like forgotten constellations, Kai wandered the streets, a silent observer of bustling lives. They found solace in the melodies of the wind and the secrets of the moonlit woods. The villagers whispered tales of Kai’s mysterious origins, weaving myths of ancient lands beyond the horizon. Yet, amidst their curious gazes, Kai remained unfazed, a beacon of enigmatic tranquility. One stormy night, as lightning danced across the sky, Kai vanished into the darkness, leaving behind whispers of wisdom and the lingering echo of a solitary soul’s journey.

The shadow war

As I strolled down the avenue, I realized that my shadow was not my own.
The embassy frequently warned us about rogue shadows, the shadows of their greatest and most successful spies.
“Watch your back!” Say the posters.
This is why all official business happens in specially-built light rooms, with light coming from all directions to purge any rogue shadows.
Trapped in dark prisms and shadow boxes, kept in a massive safe.
Until the enemy offers an exchange.
Their captured shadows for ours.
Lining up on the bridge, facing each other, flashlights and spotlights to ensure they are genuine.

What is new

The problem with naming things New is that they eventually become old.
New Coke was a total flop, and Coke had to bring back their old formula.
They called it Coke Classic, eventually dropping the Classic along with New Coke.
New Wave music ruled the late 70’s and early 80’s, conquering consciousnesses through MTV.
Until the fad was replaced with newer music, coming back now and then as retro through tribute acts.
Then there’s New York and New England.
What’s so new there?
They’re just old, dilapidated piles of rubble with the occasional bright and shiny sticking out of them.

Stealing home derby

I don’t know what’s so exciting about the home run derby.
Some guy lobs easy pitches to a batter, and they slug them over the fence.
Over and over and over.
Where’s the challenge in that?
What I really want to see is the steal home plate derby.
That’s where the real excitement is, a guy stealing home.
Although it’s kind of hard to do in a derby, since they know the guy is going to try to steal home.
So, instead, let’s go with a Bench Clearing Brawl Derby.
Give the winner a pickup truck.
And an ice pack.

Credit card offers

Elwood had a decent credit rating, so he got a lot of credit card offers in the mail.
They were better than the high-interest service fee cards he’d gotten when he was poor and broke.
But he looked at the cashback offers for the store cards, and he noticed that they paid out less than other general bank cards for the same category.
So, he broke into his neighbors’ mailboxes with better credit ratings, got cards in their names, and ran up huge tabs.
Then he drove off to Mexico.
At least the neighbors got good cashback on his fraud.

Dog walkers

I like to walk to the grocery store every Saturday.
If it’s going to be a very hot day, I go as early as I can.
And I take a route that’s through a nice neighborhood with shady trees and wide sidewalks.
There’s joggers, people pushing strollers, and others going to the store or coming back from it with their bags.
Today, I walked past a couple walking their two dogs.
Well, one was laying on the ground, not moving, and another was sniffing it and whining.
The couple was crying.
Maybe it’s too hot out to walk, after all?

My Battery anxiety

When I broke my elbow, I was stuck in the emergency room with a phone at 3% battery and no cord or spare battery.
A doctor let me borrow his charger so I could get texts out to friends, and they convinced the gift shop to send a cord to my hospital room.
And cookies. And iced tea. And stuffed bears.
Since then, I’ve had battery anxiety.
I bought a plug-in hybrid car instead of a Tesla because of battery anxiety.
And I panic when I see a coworker’s shared desktop on Zoom when they’re not plugged in and charging.

Weekly Challenge #940 – PICK TWO Still, Officer down, Random Action, One two three…, Pure, You never know

The next topic is Outsider

JUSTIN THE SPACE TURTLE

Three… You never know how it’ll turn out. You thought it would be amazing, as endless as anything can be this side of Heaven, and be a little slice of it.

Two… surely it’s just a challenge, it will be OK, just try again, learn, try harder, be better. Push through the pain, do the best you can.

One… It’s not right anymore, you say. You’re told you’re wrong, but also that you’re right, and it’s done.

Zero… It’s over, gone, and there’s nothing left but the broken pieces of your life. And the struggle to keep what should remain.

DAVID

Officer Under Fire

“Officer under fire!” blared across the radio.

Andrew Macarthy had been in fistfights and gunfights, fended off dogs, and had cars crash into his own at breakneck speed. This experience put them all to shame, for a child held his fate. Constricted with no way out, a chill running over him, he could only wait.

One shot fired, missing by inches.

A second shot, a little closer.

Andrew looked out the glass, where the child held his baseball with fiery eyes. The kid wound up and threw—bullseye!

Andrew plunged into icy water with shocking effect.

“Officer down!” the announcer cheered.

RICHARD

Officer Down

“He’s lying very still, Sarge… I think he’s dead”

The sergeant gave me a grim look, “Let’s hope not. Bad enough having an officer down, without it becoming ‘killed in the line of duty'”

We inched forward, wary of hidden shooters but, as we neared the body, we sighed in relief at the sight of the rise and fall of his chest. He was breathing.

No… Snoring!

A nudge from my foot brought him to bleary-eyed, surprised, wakefulness.

To be honest, I think the Sarge would have preferred ‘killed in the line of duty’ to ‘sleeping on the job’!

SERENDIPIDY

You never know quite what the immediate future is going to bring.
Any random action can result in unforeseen consequences; like that trip over a paving stone, that sends you flying helplessly into the path of a bus!
Unlikely, I know, especially if you’re the cautious, careful type; but accidents can happen!
Then again, it may be the random action of somebody else entirely that completely ruins your day.
Like the moment I sneak quietly up behind you, and randomly push you into the path of that approaching bus.
It wasn’t me though.
You tripped over that paving stone, right?

LISA

Gathered
The fire crackled; my muscles, stiff from spending months on the floor, began to unknot in the warmth and comfort of the heavily cushioned sofa.

“When I gathered the first of you it was a completely random action.” Our faces all grimaced at his word choice. “I’d just got the idea of starting something pure but, believe me, this really wasn’t the beginning I wanted for it. It felt like the exact opposite of what I wanted. I had no choice”

He winced as if this was hurting him when it was us it affected.

None of us had spoken.

LIZZIE

One, two, three, something… The numbers got jumbled in his head. He wanted to call her. He never understood why she had left. He was a caring husband. He yelled at her sometimes, true, but it was just to toughen her up. He always bought her flowers afterwards. The ungrateful would make a face and walk away. Two, three, something… No. He still loved her. But she abandoned him when he needed her the most. That punch was… Well, but she talked back. Three, one… He kept trying to remember it, not knowing that she had long changed her number.

TOM

Everyone has their Reason – Rule of the Game

Morty had lived his life by other people’s rules. Parents, teachers, Bosses, wives, anyone of authority. He was old and dying inside. The logical option was finding some high bridge and take a swan dive. It was here he met Arthur. The man was set on the very edge of the bridge rolling 20 sides dice. After each roll the man beamed joyfully. Morty inquired about the purpose for the dice. Art said: Random action you just never know. He stood up and walk away. Morty got a pair of D20-s. He smiles lot these days. You just never know.

856

Dancing on a volcano

Scribble on a soggy and dirt piece of paper were the numbers 1027. On the front was written the name Franz Lens. The woman knew the importance of getting this missive to the man. She back-tracked over a wide section of Paris. Never looking directly over her shoulder. But on one cut, in a window pane she saw the ss officer. Quickly she ran to the door of the bakery. A shot rang out. She fell. As the baker held her in his arm she spoke: Contact Lens. The baker stuffed the note into a baguette. Made for the egout

NORVAL JOE

Billbert didn’t wait. As soon as they got home, he went to his room and called the hospital. When he asked for Sabrina, they connected him to the nurses station.
“Can I talk to Sabrina?” Billbert asked.
“Are you a family member?” the nurse replied.
“No. I’m her best friend.” He tried to explain.
“I’m sorry. If you’re not family…”
Billbert interrupted. “All her family is dead. I’m all she has.”
“Still,” the nurse said. “You’re not family. You never know, if she comes around, I’ll tell her you called.”
Billbert gasped. “What do you mean, if she comes around?”

PLANET Z

Einstein warned that God does not play dice with the universe.
But old Alfred, wild-haired as ever, there in the alley, muttering baby needs a new pair of shoes and throwing dice with his grad students.
“Princeton doesn’t pay for shit,” he said later, stuffing money into his pockets. “Washington doesn’t either.”
As the years went by, Einstein lectured less and gambled more.
Many said he’d peaked in 1905.
Instead of research papers, he produced photos, postcards, and posters.
And admission to Princeton became a commodity, even if the kids ended up dealing at his casino nights and serving drinks.

CHATGPT

In the stillness of night, Officer Mark patrolled the quiet streets, his thoughts drifting to his daughter’s laugh. Suddenly, a random action shattered the calm—a gunshot. One, two, three… Mark raced towards the sound, finding a fellow officer down. In the chaos, he acted on pure instinct, applying pressure to the wound. As sirens wailed in the distance, Mark realized the fragility of life—how you never know when a routine patrol could turn perilous. Yet, amid uncertainty, he found solace in the pure determination to protect and serve, knowing every action, no matter how random, mattered.

Murderball

When Fall comes, I like to move my laptop to the patio table and work from outside.
Of course, I need a second monitor. And a power cable for the equipment.
Maybe a large fan, when the breeze isn’t blowing.
Then there’s the wireless keyboard and trackpad. And my phone.
Don’t forget the pitcher of iced tea. And lemons. And ice.
When everything’s set and ready, that’s when the sun comes out.
And that glowing orange murderball screams I WILL MURDER YOU WITH MY HEAT AND LIGHT!
I pack everything back into my little cart and drag it back inside.

Go out and

So many people on their timelines encourage others to vote.
Sometimes for one candidate. Or the other.
Or against one of the candidates, implying that you should vote for the other one.
And then there’s the general calls to vote, without any particular candidate in mind.
Just vote.
I don’t ever endorse people to vote for a candidate. Or against one.
Or even encourage people to vote.
If you’ve ignored every other call to vote, for or against, or at all, and it’s all down to what I think…
Just give up. Tear up your registration card and go away.