Every day, Jack and Jill went up the hill to fetch a pail of water.
And every night, the creature crawled up from the well and came down the hill to fetch something to eat.
Usually, it was something small, like a chicken or a rabbit.
But sometimes, it would grab a horse or a cow.
Or try to snatch a baby.
“We should cap that well,” said the town elders.
“But where will we get water?” asked Jack and Jill.
“From the river, like everybody else,” said the elders.
Jack and Jill went up the hill with concrete mix…
Category: My stories
If the shoe fits…
They say if the shoe fits, wear it.
But I’m going swimming. I don’t want to wear it.
It’s hard to wear a shoe while swimming.
Especially one shoe. I’ll look weird.
And then when I’m done swimming, I’ll get sand in the shoe.
I hate it when I get sand in my shoes.
Or shoe, when there’s just one that fits.
I could hop on the sand with my bare foot, but I’d look even sillier than swimming with one shoe, or walking with one.
Leave it here on my towel?
No. Then someone will steal this shoe too.
Hateful Amy
Amy may be the prettiest girl in town, but she’s also the most hateful.
Hate literally oozed out from her pores.
A yellowish-green snot color, slick and slimy.
Before, if you got it on you, it had an interesting warmth and tingle, like a gentle Icy Hot.
It made her really popular among the boys.
Then, the hate turned into a nasty venom, and a few horny boys ended up in the emergency room.
Finally, it became a searing rage, and she left a trail of molten lava.
Until she burned through the melted sidewalk and vanished into the earth.
Go to eight
So, you want to go to the eighth floor?
No.
Go ahead, swipe your badge on the sensor and press the eight button.
Do it over and over.
I don’t give a fuck, I’m not going there.
Push and hold the button in. Yesssss… that feels so good.
See it light up?
Now let go.
Aaaaaand… the light goes out.
No eight for you, bitch.
Maybe I’ll let you go to seven.
Then you can haul your fat ass up the stairs to eight.
No?
Then I’ll take you to six.
Keep it up, and we’ll go to five, okay?
The Move
Every presidential candidate promises to move the US embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem, but they never do.
There’s always some excuse that comes up when they change from a candidate to the officeholder.
Never mind that the US Consulate in Jerusalem, with its Arab-speaking staff and regular breaks for Islamic prayer times, is a de facto embassy to the Palestinians.
Congress passed a law mandating the move, but the President can delay the move, and always chooses to do so.
The Israelis came up with a solution.
They moved a black family next door to the Tel Aviv embassy.
Kidnapper
The kidnapper was a total cliche.
White unmarked van.
Fake beard and glasses.
Lured the kid in with candy and a story about a lost puppy.
Just a few seconds with a chloroforum-soaked rag, and he had his prey.
He’d soundproofed his basement, and tested it by turning on the stereo as loud as he could, and trying to hear it from the front door.
Perfect.
“Nobody can hear you,” the kidnapper says. “You can scream for hours, and nobody will hear you.”
“Siri, call nine one one,” said the kid.
He’d forgotten to check the kid for a phone!
Defollow
I defollowed the Trump supporters, because they supported a serial fraudster and failed businessman riding a reality-television popularity wave.
I defollowed the Cruz supporters, because they supported a homophobic misogynistic evangelical hypocrite.
I defollowed the Sanders supporters, because they supported an unprincipled charlatan who ran as a Democrat only for the campaign money and party mechanism.
And I defollowed the Clinton supporters, because they supported a amoral failed diplomat with blood on her hands, who vilified victims of rape and sexual abuse while claiming poverty from within a New York mansion.
My timelines empty, I took up gardening.
Mmmmmmmmm… peppermint!
Loyalty to the Crown
Here, in The Kingdom, we swear our loyalty to The Crown.
No, not The King. The King is just the man who wears The Crown.
The Crown uses The King as a host, speaking through the body and consuming it slowly.
Until a new King is needed.
Prisoners from the jail.
The sick. The old.
And those who refuse to swear their loyalty to The Crown.
You can try to resist The Crown’s power, but it’ll just hurt more.
Give in.
Let The Crown take over.
Just as it has taken The Kingdom over.
And wisely ruled us for centuries.
Batman vs Superman
In a fight between Batman and Superman, who wins?
Not me.
I’m an insurance agent. And I have clients in Gotham and Metropolis.
Every time these goons go at it, my phone rings off the hook.
The dead, the injured. Life insurance claims. Medical claims.
Property claims, too. Collapsed buildings. Totaled cars. Shattered windows.
And looting. Always the looting.
Every new policy I resell now includes Batman and Superman under “Acts of God.”
I guess it’s impossible to sue Batman and Superman.
The phone rings. Must be another fight.
I pick up the phone.
“Wayne Industries Insurance Agency,” I answer.
Offshore
Bob started his own business a while back.
He’s sick of paying taxes, so he looked into an offshore tax haven.
He bought a boat, loaded his company on to it, and pulled up the anchor.
“NO MORE TAXES!” he cheered. “SCREW YOU, AMERICA!”
Things went okay for about a day, until government lawyers showed up.
“This extension cord is plugged into an American power source,” they said. “And your cell phone uses an American cell tower.”
So, he mounted solar panels, bought a satellite phone, and proudly cheered again.
Until he hit a rock and needed the Coast Guard.