Category: My stories

Unusual Creatures

639167

I know you’re familiar with butterflies.
But are you familiar with I Can’t Believe It’s Not Butterflies?
They look like butterflies.
They fly like butterflies.
And, if you lick them, they taste like butterflies.
But the truth is, they’re not actually butterflies.
They are Something Else.
Unless you have a microscope, you won’t see the gearworks poking through the body that make the wings flap. The faint glow of lights in the eyes. And there’s no way you can hear the faint ticking.
So realistic. So beautiful.
You’ll believe it’s a real butterfly. And, really, isn’t that all that matters?

Baby Jane D’oh

639164

Usually, we find any abandoned babies at the back door of the hospital.
Once or twice, they been left in a dumpster. The mother’s afraid of being caught on tape, and they call from a pay phone to let us know.
And then hang up.
This was the first one we’d found in the parking garage, happily sleeping in her carrier, in the middle of an empty parking space.
The carrier was rather expensive.
Too expensive.
While we waited, a Lexus drove up and screeched to a halt.
“I must have put her on the roof, reached for my keys…”

The Girl Who Sneezed Dimes

639176

I once knew a girl who sneezed dimes.
Yeah, she could pay her own way when we went out to dinner, but have you ever eaten with someone who’s got a nasty cold?
Not all that appetizing.
The sex was okay, but I caught a snot-covered dime in the mouth more than once.
And she didn’t like being taken from behind.
It just wasn’t working out.
Over time, she’d saved up enough to pay for art school.
She packed her things, called a cab, and dumped a handful of dimes in the driver’s hands.
At least she’d washed them first.

Utah

639154

Wyoming is a rectangle. So is Colorado.
Nobody knows what the hell Oklahoma is shaped like. Rivers and valleys will make that kind of contoured mess on a map.
But Utah… it’s not quite a rectangle, but not quite a squiggle, either.
It’s a regular hexagram, all ninety degree angles, but uneven sides.
It’s got to have a name. Besides Utah-shaped. Or “Big Thick L.”
I ask the local math professor what that’s called.
He takes one look at the map.
“A polygamygon,” he says.
I thank him, and write this down for my report.
Yeah, I got an F.

Disinformation Society

639172

Sunrise. Sunset.
We know that the earth goes around the sun, right?
Dialing a number. Setting sail.
Anachronisms. Terminology based on old technology.
Prostitutes know that the term “making love” has nothing to do with their profession.
The language has become polluted. We have twisted it into the opposite of communicating thoughts and ideas.
It is a tool of miscommunication.
So, we now skip the whole concept of language and communicate directly.
It started with brain-to-brain wires, but it’s all wireless now.
No language. Just pure, honest thoughts and ideas.
The person who invents the oxymoron will become disgustingly rich.

Talons

639156

A bird came up the walk this morning.
I looked at it. It looked at me.
And then it flew away.
So, I flew after it.
Flapping my arms madly, I rose into the air and gave chase.
The bird flew to the top of a house down the street and landed.
So I did too.
I looked at it. It looked at me.
And then I flew away.
The bird did not follow me.
I landed by a puddle and I looked in the water at my reflection.
I’m a bird.
Well, that explains why I’m not wearing pants.

Fourth Pig

639160

You’ve heard about the Three Little Pigs, right?
They made their houses out of straw, wood, and brick.
There was another pig. A cousin, who was in The Big House, made of stone and iron bars.
When he heard what happened to his cousins, he broke out.
“What the fuck is going on here?” he asked the cowering pigs. “Did you spend all of my money on these stupid houses?”
The three pigs nodded.
The fourth pig made his house out of bacon, ham, and pork chops.
Nobody, not even the Big Bad Wolf dares to fuck with that psycho.

Rights

639156

The Legislature voted down the gay marriage bill for the third time in a year, and the governor said he’d just as soon sign a bill that allowed gays to fly.
So, as an April Fool’s joke, the legislature passed that bill. Unanimously.
The governor called a press conference and, in front of a dozen reporters, signed it.
And as he looked out over the assembled group, he noticed a few people rising from their chairs into the air.
Alarmed, he held on to the podium, knuckles white against the wood.
But his feet would not stay on the ground.

Bottlecaps

639160

Joe has a trash can full of bottlecaps behind the bar. He calls it his collection.
No corkboards or anything. Just a can full of bottlecaps.
“I just collect them,” he says, pulling another beer from the tap.
“From where?” I ask. “You just keep beer on tap, no bottles or cans. And you’ve never gone anywhere but up and down those stairs to your apartment.”
Joe looked at the trash can and scratched his head. “Beats me,” he said. “I guess this makes it valuable or something.”
He handed me the beer and tossed another cap into his collection.

The Stairs

639160

Lily warned me not to go down to the basement.
But I needed something from down there.
We live on four, so I went down the five flights of stairs and…
Locked. Forgot the key.
So, I went back up six flights of stairs and…
Six?
If I went up six, I should be on…
Wait. Hold on.
I went back down again, down five flights of stairs, and stood at the basement door.
Then I carefully counted each flight of stairs up.
Six.
“Somethings wrong,” I said.
“I told you not to go down to the basement,” muttered Lily.