Weekly Challenge #504 – Drop

Welcome to the 100 Word Stories podcast at oneadayuntilthedayidie.com.

This is the Weekly Challenge, where I post a topic and then challenge you to come up with a 100 word story based on that topic.

We’ve got stories by:

Huggy sleepy

CHARLIE

He dropped a hip hop record a few days ago. His group, Fake Ass CP were big in The Valley. DoWaDittyBop decompressed and put down some lines:

Rapping tighter than a Christmas present. When they had you in their stomach when they were pregnant. Never had forgiveness, you better stay distant, cause i’m all about my business. You diss me, yet my rep is listed for Christmas.

DoWa had a learning disability. The lyrics, continued:

Rolling up blunts of the christmas kush, so pussy go back home or go to school. This is the end of my fucking song. Shit.

2nd

A single drop was sufficient. Four drops under the tongue, thirty in the keester, and a drop each in the eye. Usually it’s a bottle of cough syrup and a half pint of sloe gin, and we’re ready to party. The rest of the coeds poured the full bottles of cough syrup in each others behind, and they were ready to boogie. Three of them called their parents and said they were staying overnight at a friend’s house. Five went home and then slid out their bedroom window to return to the Christmas party. Only two OD on horse tranks.

3rd

The backdrop for the annual family photo was Essie Oberlocwins patio. She was a landscape artist and her patio was the cat’s ass. It had two water accents, a large fire pit, and benches made from rare woods and bamboo. My wife stood behind me, and the kids sat at my feet. This was the pose we always took for family portraits. The wife took the subservient roll, and the kids looked up at me as their savior and protector. Essie teased me for arranging the family in this way, so I stuck three fingers in all the hors d’oeuvres.

JEFFREY

Rain Man
by Jeffrey Fischer

The drought had continued so long the townspeople couldn’t remember the last good rain. In desperation, the mayor hired a rain man. He arrived in traditional American Indian garb and shouted incantations at the sky as he danced. I was as skeptical as anyone.

When I felt wetness hit my face, I couldn’t believe it – he had created rain! I wiped away those first drops, only to find my hand orange and sticky. Odd. I tasted the next drop. It was raining Orange Crush! Even though we knew this would end as a sticky mess, we were so happy we even paid the Indian a bonus.

No one saw his assistant disconnect the huge sprayers on the outskirts of town and drive away in a Pepsi truck.

Tech Support
by Jeffrey Fischer

“Good morning, Dropbox help line. How may I assist you?”

“I installed your product, Boxdrop, just the way my friend told me to.”

“That’s good, ma’am. By the way, it’s Dropbox. What seems to be the problem?”

“I gave Boxdrop all my files, just the way my friend said. Moved ’em to the Boxdrop folder, and then they were gone.”

“Dropbox, ma’am. Gone, you say? Let’s try to figure out what happened.”

“Now I get email telling me I need to pay if I want my files back. You people are crooks!”

“I understand you’re upset, but let me assure you Dropbox is a reputable company.”

“Why do you keep saying Dropbox?”

“The confusion is understandable. People sometimes reverse the names, but we’re Dropbox, not Boxdrop.”

“Nope. B-O-X-D-R-O-P dot R-U. You don’t even know the name of your own product!”

MUNSI

On Subscription Boxes

By Christopher Munroe

I want a subscription box that, every month, sends me a box from another, different subscription box service.

The box will arrive, and I won’t know until I open it what I’m receiving. One month could be beef jerky, the next X-Men merchandise, there’d be no way of predicting.

The contents, after all, aren’t why I enjoy subscription boxes. It’s the surprise, the anticipation as I tear open my monthly treat.

And, without any clue what’s in the box, it’d be all the more surprising.

That said, knowing my luck, my first box would wind up containing Gwynith Paltrow’s head…

LIZZIE

He dropped the letter in the mailbox and glanced one last time at her window.
It had taken him several days to write that letter, many hours of writing and rewriting. And so many sleepless nights that he had lost count.
As he walked away from his life, he wondered if she would notice the tears on it.

When she opened the envelope, she saw a piece of paper inside with nothing written on it. She turned it over a few times and shrugged. She was going to throw it in the garbage, but instead gave it to the cat.

RICHARD

Drop Zone

As we neared the drop zone, the atmosphere grew tense. You could see the foreboding growing in the faces of those around you. Smiles faded, jaws clenched, voices were stilled, whilst knuckles grew white as hands gripped the edges of seats.

It was always the same. No matter how many times you endured it, you never found it easy, and that old familiar feeling would creep back, time after time.

A collective drawing of breath signalled the first glimpse of the drop zone… It would be very soon now.

With a grinding of gears and a final shudder, the bus came to a halt and we disembarked.

The first day of a new school term.

TOM

Justifiable

The targeting staff at the Pacific Fleet compiled a selection of easily recognizable landmarks to direct the bombards to the drop sites, weather permitting. Since the primate site was wrapped in clouds the crew’s bombardier opened the envelope marked: secondary. When his scope matched the photo in front of him Commander Ashworth released Fat Man. It was not known at the time that the landmark that was used to target the city was the Urakami Cathedral. All who attend that mass were dispatched to meet their maker. This was the last time an Atomic weapon was dropped on practicing Christians.

SERENDIPITY

A drop in the ocean… So inconsequential and unimportant, it scarcely matters.

In the wider scale of things, insignificance is – for all practical purposes – nothing.

Nothing at all.

You are my drop in the ocean.

But, to somebody, you are far more – you are their world, their life: You are their everything. Or so they told you… But we’ll see about that.

Because, if they won’t pay up to set you free, I’m going to cut that rope with this knife, and you will drop into the cold, dark ocean depths below, and never be seen again.

TURA

Drop
———

There was a man who refused to pay taxes. He was not poor, and did not dispute the amount. He said only that he recognised no authority to make these exactions.

So perplexed was the magistrate that he referred the case to his superior, and thus it came before General Wei.

General Wei said, “The monsoon begins with a single drop. Thus may the meanest of men foretell the destruction of empires.” Then he had all involved with the case executed, and instructed the tax officials to act henceforth with high-handedness, to draw the anger of subjects upon themselves alone.

MARV

“Drop that lid, you little twit!” Santa shouted, coming up behind and grabbing Marcus the elf.

Marcus jumped up and turned to face Santa as the box flew from his lap.

“Well little fellow” Santa began, “Your little prank isn’t going to have the effect you were planning on” as Santa pulled out his Colt Python aiming at the elf and then he cocked the hammer.

“Now Santa” Mrs. Claus blushing, interjected, “After all, it was only a tiny winnie, little joke”

“Well little fellow, I guess you’ll be going for a sleigh ride on Christmas Eve instead.” Santa roared.

NORVAL JOE

Henry was tired of the rest of the pigeons.

They were stupid and boring and happy to sit on the roof top all day.

Adventure to this crowd was startling and flying to the next house when someone opened a door, below.

They all looked at him cross eyed when Henry suggested they drop bird bombs on the local cats sneaking through the bushes.

There had to be more to life than being a non-descript, cookie cutter copy, one of a million other, pigeon.

“Forget them. I’ll be a red tailed hawk,” he said and made the sky his limit.

PLANET Z

I used to love won ton soup, but it got boring quickly.

So, I’d try all the other soups at the Chinese restaurant.

Egg drop soup.

Hot and sour soup.

Spicy vegetable soup.

And they were all great.

But over the years, I’ve developed an allergy to eggs.

Egg drop soup is like a shotgun blast to my colon.

And I can’t eat much in the way of spicy foods, either.

Which rules out hot and sour soup. And the spicy vegetable soup.

So, I’m back to plain old boring won ton soup.

And smoking weed to make it interesting.

Weekly Challenge #503 – Box

Welcome to the 100 Word Stories podcast at oneadayuntilthedayidie.com.

This is the Weekly Challenge, where I post a topic and then challenge you to come up with a 100 word story based on that topic.

We’ve got stories by:

Myst

TOM
(no audio)

Wrapped Up With a Bow

“What’s in the box,” asked Laura. Frankie replied, “Stuff.” “OOOOH” said Laura. “I want to see.” “Nope, you got to wait.” “I want to see it now.” “Not a chance. We open the box on HogFather’s day just as the sun rises.” “That sucks.” “Get over it.” Frankie placed the package under the yum-yum tree. “Moooooooooooom! Frankie wouldn’t let me open the box.” Much to Frankie horror Mom put the box in Laura’s hands and smiled. She tore it open to find a lump of coal. “Should have waited,” smile Frankie, until she clock him in the forehead with it.

MUNSI

Drop It

By Christopher Munroe

“Drop it like it’s Hot” is an amazing early 2000s club jam, quite possibly Snoop Dogg’s finest moment.

It is, however, horrible advice if you work at a resaurant. The food is always going to be hot and in spite of that it does need to be carried to the table safely.

Dropping things simply because they are hot means re-cooks, angry guests and wasted food. Frankly, in spite of how amazing we all agree Snoop D-o-double-g is, we cannot afford to be following his example.

It wouldn’t be economically viable.

In summery: Snoop Dogg is awesome, and you’re fired.

JEFFREY

The Boxer
by Jeffrey Fischer

Matt had an anger management problem. He would lash out at co-workers, kick holes in walls, and beat up hapless office equipment. His therapist suggested he learn to box to channel his aggression. Matt took the advice to heart.

One day his trainer said Matt was ready for an opponent in the ring. He laced his gloves and stepped into the ring with one of the regulars at the gym. Forty-five seconds later, Matt was back in his corner, bleeding and woozy. “What happened, kid?” the trainer asked. “You never got off a punch.”

“I dunno,” Matt replied. “My shrink told me to leave all my angry thoughts with the bag. When I looked into Juan’s eyes, I realized I had no quarrel with him. I couldn’t hit him.”

The Most Precious Gift
by Jeffrey Fischer

Jake was only seven, but he understood the true meaning of Christmas: presents, mainly for him. As early as October, he pestered me for one thing after another. Legos, trucks, superheroes, video games – you name it.

As I thought about what to get him, inspiration struck. On Christmas morning, Jake ripped apart the wrapping and eagerly opened the box to find… nothing. The box was empty. I told Jake, “You have the opportunity to use your imagination – can be anyone, do anything. You don’t need a specific toy.”

For some reason, Jake didn’t seem as appreciative as I had expected. He didn’t speak to me for two months. For that, I considered the box to be my most successful gift ever.

CHARLIE

She kept things in her box. Bits of string, small stones found on the beach, scraps of paper, the stump of a pencil, a few coins, and the first flower her boyfriend gave her. As she got older, she stuffed more and more things into her box. It was almost filled to the breaking point. Her family didn’t understand, and they admonished her for doing what she was doing. They didn’t want their daughter to break her box, or to imperil her health. Her box had been in the family for twenty years, and they wanted it for twenty more.

2nd

The box held all that I knew, all that I thought, and all that I produced. It was a fifty petabyte storage unit that was tethered to high speed fiber. It allowed me to back up all devices with access to my personal network, including my implant. I could backup to the cloud and to the box, itself. The box was still experimental, and the IBM/Amdahl chips inside were still in beta, as was the implant in my skull. If I wanted to go “off line”, I had to hold a small radio to my temple to switch it off.

3rd

She always thought far outside the box. In fact, many thought that she didn’t know what a box was. She was the top designer at GeenDozen…a firm in Holland. She surrounded herself with very capable designers, writers, and artists. They would bid on an assignment, and within a few days would have a workable solution, templates, and mockups to show to the client. Mariëlle kept her secret from her fellow workers. She would sneak out at lunch and consult with an old woman in the storefront across the street. The old woman would brew a special, red tea for Mariëlle.

LIZZIE

It was impossible not to notice the stench.

Postal Inspection officers opened the parcel. Dogs were called in to sniff the box for drugs and human remains. They found nothing.

The parcel was sent on its way.

The next day, the news reported the mysterious death of an elderly couple, after the mail was delivered to them.

No one mentioned the man with a grudge against the Postal Inspection Services, grumbling in his living-room.

Opening the box should have triggered an immediate lethal chemical reaction. Okay, it was a really bad idea to send the damn parcel to his parents…

RICHARD

Treasure

Feeling rather pleased with himself, Bilbo Laggins secured the ogre’s bonds, brushed off his hands, and headed off down the path to find the brute’s hoard.

Sure enough, behind the third oak on the right, hidden in a small cave, he found a large wooden box, secured with a solid looking padlock.

No problem – Laggins still carried the stake with which he’d clobbered the ogre; a couple of solid blows soon released the hasp, and with a smile, he carefully lifted the lid.

Staring at the glittering treasure, he began to think maybe this quest was worthwhile, after all!

Clearly Capable

The interview seemed to have gone well…

“Got to tell you son, I’m giving you the green light – you’ve got the engagement delta we need. Our people think outside the box, push the envelope and harness their vertical experiences in scalable rethinking!”

This didn’t sound like me at all.

“Are you sure I’m your guy?”

“Hell yes! We need to push the peanut forward on this… Get you onboard to start leveraging our effectiveness matrix.”

“So you’re offering me the job?”

“Yep. You’ve got the footprint that sits squarely in our operating model.”

“Meaning what?”

“You’re a straight talker!”

TURA

Box

———

Abba Jerome visited Abba Genarius on the day of Our Lord’s birth, and gave him a box of Egyptian sweetmeats.

A year later, Abba Genarius visited Abba Jerome, and gave him that same box, still full, saying, “Thank you for this opportunity to resist the weakness of my body.”

A year later, Abba Jerome visited Abba Genarius, giving him that same box again, saying, “The virtue of abnegation cannot be contained.”

A year later, Abba Genarius gave the box to Abba Jerome, saying, “I cannot open this while my brother stands in want.”

Then they laughed and ate them together.

——

Music credit: “Chant from a Holy Book”, by Georges Gurdjieff, played by the Gurdjieff Folk Instruments Ensemble.

DANNY

How did that telemarketer know I was suffering from acid indigestion the exact moment he called, and he specifically was the cause of it despite the fact I was already taking Maalox? Is that what a premonition is supposed to feel like? Annoying? I feel trapped inside this large square like thing, what do you call it? I wish I was trapped in this thing last time I walked my deaf dog off leash, because I assure you, as soon as he sees that 1st car go by, he ain’t coming back no matter how much you call his name.

SERENDIPITY

So, you want to know what’s in the box?

Well, that would be telling… And it really is better for all concerned that you remain in ignorance, to be quite honest.

But when you look at me with those puppy dog eyes, it’s so hard to resist…

All right then, if you must, and if you’re really sure you can handle it, I might consider relenting. After all, what harm could it do?

I insist that it’s on my terms though: You come to me.

Call round tonight, and come alone – you know the address.

Just ask for Pandora.

ZACKMANN

The shopkeeper told me he wasn’t sure if he had a small lockable plastic box nor a three lock box. He had a heart shaped box for Always. He did have a toy Porsche Boxster driven by a boxer dog and a music box with a pro boxer dancing around the ring. I told him a dancing boxer seemed silly to me then he told me not to say anything around Manny or he would give me a Pacqui owie. Then I found the plastic ammo box. It might be strange that I purchased an ammo box to store medicine.

MARV

The Box.

Marcus the elf had always been the practical joker in Santa’s workshop. He took a box, drilled a large hole in the bottom, attached a lid and painted it like a Jack in the box. Then he painted the insides white, highlighting the hole in red. He then poked his finger through the hole and wiggled it around, Perfect!

As Mrs. Claus approached on her weekly inspection tour, he calmly sat with the box in his lap. When she stood in front of his station, he Flipped open the lid with both hands, smiled and asked, “Like the new Jack?”

NORVAL JOE

At the beginning of the 21st century several bored billionaires developed a plan to mark humanities place in galactic history. They gathered images from pivotal moments of life on earth, placed them in a crystal cube, and the cube into a protective titanium box.

When activated, the cube would flash the images in chronological order.

They placed the box in a probe and launched it toward the outer depths of space.

42 million years later an advanced civilization retrieved the probe from space, followed the diagram instructions on how to open it, removed the cube, and played in the box.

PLANET Z

Every Christmas, I wrap dozens of boxes and drop them off at the Toys For Tots.
Laptop computer boxes, chemistry set boxes, building block boxes… lots of boxes.
Nothing in them, mind you. Just the boxes. Empty boxes.
I pick them out of my neighbors’ trash cans.
Then, I wrap them up and give them to Toys For Tots.
Is it cruel?
Of course it is.
My cats love empty boxes.
I’m taking away their boxes and giving them to the kids.
Plus, they love to play in wrapping paper.
And the ribbons and bows, too.
Stupid Toys For Tots!

Weekly Challenge #502 – “Pick a card… any card”

Welcome to the 100 Word Stories podcast at oneadayuntilthedayidie.com.

This is Weekly Challenge, where I post a topic and then challenge you to come up with a 100 word story based on that topic.

We’ve got stories by:

Happy lap cat

MUNSI

My Favorite Card Trick

By Christopher Munroe

Shuffle the cards, and make sure they’re shuffled well. Allow others to shuffle, if anyone would like, it makes no difference.

Once the deck’s randomized to everyone’s satisfaction, have somebody pick a card, not show it to you, and put it in their pocket.

Then look that person in the eye and, in a calm, steady voice, ask: “Is your card the queen of clubs?”

One time in fifty-two, this trick CRUSHES, people I did it for years ago STILL wonder how I pulled it off.

I tell them I’m an actual sorcerer.

There are times when they believe me…

JEFFREY

Reading the Future
by Jeffrey Fischer

Madame Zathras turned over five cards from her private Tarot deck. Beth watched in fascination as the reader explained, “First card: two rocks. Misfortune looms before you. Second: pencil stub. You will have a short life. Third: eyeglasses. Misfortune will be the result of one who does not see well. Next card: bleeding heart. Your husband will miss you terribly. Last card: blind man. You are skeptical of my predictions.”

Skepticism didn’t come close to what Beth thought. She mainly regretted the $25 she had given this fraud. Nodding to Madame Zathras, she left the shop, banging the door behind her. Still angry, she stepped off the curb and into the path of a Metro bus, whose driver was texting and failed to see Beth.

Madame Zathras was wrong in one respect: Beth’s husband was not particularly upset.

Indecision
by Jeffrey Fischer

“I just can’t decide,” said Stanley. “Maybe Ozzie Smith, the ‘Wizard of Oz.’ You know he won an amazing 13 Gold Gloves?”

“Uh-huh. Good choice.” The day was drawing to a close, and the dealer was getting tired. One more sale and he’d be on his way.

“No, wait. How about the amazing Rogers Hornsby. Lifetime .358 batting average, two Triple Crowns, the only player to hit 40 home runs and bat above .400 in a season. Or Bob Gibson, with his 1.12 ERA in 1968. Or my namesake, Stan Musial, with a .331 lifetime average over twenty-three seasons. Or Lou Brock and his 938 stolen bases.”

“All great choices, kid, but I ain’t got all day. Just pick a Card, any Card.”

CHARLIE

I shuffled the deck and asked one of the guests to pick a card. A woman pulled a card from the middle of the deck and held it close for a moment, setting it down on the table. It burst into flames and the ash and smoke lifted up a few feet, and in a split second, vanished. The flame was the trick. I asked if anyone had taken a picture or was filming during the trick. No one had. What person or force had caused the flame and the total absence of ash or residue? The maid laughed aloud.

##

I am a jack of all trades, a bit of a showoff, and a self-taught pilot, inventor, poet and astronomer. I carry six different business cards wherever I go. When I am engaged in a conversation, and it’s time to leave, many ask for my card because I am so frigging fascinating. I pull out my packet of cards and ask them to pick a card…any card. Cards list one of my six, different occupations. The cards include all the basic information, including my hourly rate. I am not affordable, and don’t like to be bothered, excluding Goth women.

RICHARD

Cynic

Call me cynical, but commercialisation of every notable occasion is getting out of control.

It used to be that we only celebrated birthdays, weddings and Christmas. Now it seems anything Is fair game… ‘Grandparents Day’, ‘Congratulations on getting the sack’, ‘Best of luck with your bankruptcy’ – if there’s an occasion that can possibly be marked, Moonpig has you covered – and you dare not forget to send a card.

Personally, I no longer try to conform, I just pick a card – any card, and whatever it is, I send it.

So, Happy Persistent Vegetative State Day! Enjoy it!

LIZZIE

The seer spread the cards on the table.

“Pick a card… any card.”

The one Sophie picked said “Wind, Doll, Disgust”.

“Which deck is this?” asked Sophie.

“My own… You’ll die.”

Sophie was horrified. She had been told that seers never announced someone’s death like that.

“Stabbed.”

“What does that have to do with wind, doll and…?”

“Nothing.”

Annoyed, Sophie left.

A gust of wind dragged a naked, headless doll to Sophie’s feet; it was covered in blood. She stopped to kick it out of her way and… a piano fell on her head.

Yep, the seer was still learning.

SERENDIPITY

Is lady luck smiling on you today?

Go on, pick a card, any card, and don’t tell me what it is.

Not that it really matters what card you’re holding – you see, I’m the dealer, and the odds are firmly in my favour.

How about we raise the stakes a little – are you willing to bet your life on that hand you’re holding?

Now, let’s see your cards.

Impressive. But I still win.

You see, not only was the deck loaded, but so is the pistol pointing straight at you, that I had hidden underneath the card table.

MARSHA

GYPSY

Every year I went to the carnival that came to town. I entered a small battered tent that read “Madame Sophia”, your heart’s delight will be revealed. A dark haired beauty stared at me and said it would $20. She laid ten cards face down on the table and asked me to take a card…any card…..I awoke 3 days later in an alley outside of town with a tattoo on my penis that says Shorty’s. When erect it says Shorty’s Truck Stop, Chattanooga Tennessee.

ZACKMANN

After Cliff said “If you people keep linking to things on Pinterest, I’m going to have to sign up for it.” I actually lemented Pinterest’s steps toward Facebookafication. Changing their website to require signing in to see posts. My current Pinterest Board is a sportball Board maybe I will start with that one city, Defiance or whatever it’s called. You know the one with giant silver half a McDonald’s sign. I don’t really follow much sportsball but want to Pin a profile of one important player for each sportsball team. What I am saying is “Pick a Cardinal any Card.”

TOM

Now you see it, now you don’t

Frankie double fanned the black dagger desk and lowered it level to Laura’s eye line. “Pick a card any card,” he said. Laura ran upstairs and dragged a stool under dad’s dresser. She dug around the top draw until she felt the edge of the card. “Here.” She said. “That’s not part of the trick,” said Frankie. “Is now,” said his sister “Don’t you dare,” yelled Frankie. “Ecto Morta, Esto ProMorta,” invoked Laura. Later that evening just about supper time Mom asked her if she had seen her brother. “Oh I saw him hop off in search of carrots.”

ANIMA

EVER THE OPTOMIST

My life is a game three card Monte. How does that damn one eyed Jack always show up where the red queen just was?

Lady Luck, why have you forsaken me? I put my five dollars down, and you sent me to a second rate college. I upped my bet, and got a job as a Lifestyle editor at a newspaper. I doubled down, when I thought I had enough in my 401K, but the shill called out “Cops!” and the stock market tanked.

So pick a card, any card, Is the lovey Judith going to show her face today??

NORVAL JOE

A stoop shouldered fortune teller limped through the crowded fair.

“One copper to reveal your future,” she cried in a crackling falsetto.

A gaily dressed lord approached the crone, winked at the lady holding his arm, and said, “Here’s a copper. Now, reveal my future.”

She thrust a tattered deck of cards at the man. “Pick a card. Any card.”

He chose and turned the card. “Ace of spades. Am I to die?” He laughed, slapping the deck from her hand, revealing all as ace of spades.

“Yes.” She gathered her cards as the man dropped dead at her feet.

TURA

Pick a card … any card!

———

“This is a nice card, don’t you think?”

“Goodness, no! It’s a misch-masch of Christmassy imagery, without composition or draughtsmanship. Your aunt will think we have no taste at all!”

“What about this one? Old Master fine art!”

“On a Christmas card? The very definition of kitsch. Anyway, it’s an inch too large. Remember, I hardly know her, and this would be slightly too much even for my own aunt.”

“This one?”

“Too eclectic. There’s symbols for at least four different religions!”

“Darling, we’ve been looking at Christmas cards for three hours.”

“Oh, just pick a card then. Any card!”

———

PLANET Z

The first card game I learned to play was War.

Deal out the cards, then show one card after another.

Highest card wins.

There wasn’t any skill to it. Unless you counted stacking the deck so you got all the aces.

Eventually, I learned Solitaire, Gin, Poker, Eurchre, Bridge, and so many other games.

Plus, Liar’s Poker and countless drinking games.

At my first job, I went back to War.

We’d collect everyone’s business card, and whoever you’d think would win an argument, won the matchup.

The owner of the company learned about the game, and he tore up my card.

Weekly Challenge #501 – “Pin”

Welcome to the 100 Word Stories podcast at oneadayuntilthedayidie.com.

This is Weekly Challenge, where I post a topic and then challenge you to come up with a 100 word story based on that topic.

We’ve got stories by:

Read to your cat

MUNSI

On Cosplay
By Christopher Munroe

I love Hellraiser, but I’ll never cosplay Pinhead.

A fact that at times does hurt my heart.

I’d like to, either for Horror-Con, Halloween, or just out at my local gothic nightclub, but I won’t. The costume’s too elaborate, even if I COULD afford it I’m not good enough at makeup and prosthetics to get the look right.

And a character that iconic you do have to get right.

So no, sad though it makes me, I’ll never cosplay Pinhead. It’s not the end of the world…

After all, I’m pretty sure I could pull off Chucky like a boss.

CHARLIE

Pinned down by enemy as tough words in letters to the editor appeared during the time we tried to convince them that the new building housing the city offices was atrocious — looking like a large freighter on its side in dry dock. Twelve million was spent on this atrocity. No “architecture” in the architecture…no style…no panache, no departure from the mundane. The color palette they chose for the paint and trim was reminiscent of hotel facades in San Francisco in the sixties. City fathers puffed out their chests the first weeks of occupation. Deflation ensued in the following weeks.

2nd

You put up too many pictures on your wall, Fred. You have pictures covering pictures. You used roofing nails instead of pins or tape. I like most of the pictures, but some of them are…shall we say…vulgar? Why did you put that picture of a scrotum on the wall? Whose scrotum is that, anyway? Is that a human scrotum? Oh. I’m sorry. That’s a picture of that nutjob that’s running for president. Where did you get that, Fred? Was that from the novelty store, or did you find that on line? How much did a poster of Donald Trump cost?

3rd

Pin point pupils. Skin flushed and itching. He was higher than a kite on opiates, and he was only ten. I had four others like him in my classroom. I agreed to teach at the private school because of the loss of the math teacher in the middle of the semester. She had been arrested for consorting with pupils in her ethics class. It was a progressive, Quaker school in Maryland. The principal was a tyrant, and worked weekends as a dominatrix. It was the best job I ever had, and provided tons of material for short stories and essays.

JEFFREY

Pin Money
by Jeffrey Fischer

The taxi dropped off Caroline at a strip mall on the sketchy side of town. It was Monday morning, which meant Bob had left Caroline’s pin money for the week on the counter. She wasn’t sure how it had come to this. Before they married, Caroline had a decent job and could take care of herself. After she married Bob, he convinced her to quit her job and move to this lousy town where she knew no one. He then provided her with a small amount of cash every week for her to “go wild,” as he put it. It was humiliating.

She had been saving up that pin money for several months, and she was ready to go wild. She entered the gun shop and smiled at the guy behind the counter, pointing at the Smith and Wesson .38 Special. “Do you give a discount for cash?”

Quiet Neighborhood
by Jeffrey Fischer

The neighborhood was noisy at night, with drunks coming home from the bars, kids playing outside, horns honking a steady beat. But it was peaceful in the late morning, a time when Yusef found he could work without interruption.

In fact, it was so quiet in the little apartment that one could hear a pin drop. Unfortunately for Yusef, that pin belonged to a hand grenade, one of several he had recently acquired. As the seconds ticked by, his hand frantically swept the floor, to and fro, hoping to find the pin so he could replace it in time. How long was the fuse in one of those things anyway?

Aha! he exclaimed. There it was, just a few feet away…

RICHARD

Party animal

As a child, I was never one for going to parties. It’s not that I didn’t like jelly and ice cream and dressing up, I even liked clowns!

However there was one thing about parties that terrified me… party games, and there was one game in particular that lay at the root of all my fears:

Pin the tail on the donkey!

A simple, inoffensive parlour game you might think, but not so when you have well meaning, but misguided parents.

And, if you’ve ever tried sticking a pin into a real donkey’s arse, you’ll know exactly what I mean!

LIZZIE

The young reporter was nervous.

“They pinned it on me, the bastards,” said the prisoner. “I was there, but I didn’t see anything. I didn’t do anything. I swear on my mother’s grave. I tried to explain how things happened, but they didn’t care. They wanted a scapegoat. Yeah, that’s right. So, here I am. The bastards pinned it on me.”

Years later, while reviewing old cases, the reporter found the photo they had published back then. Readers always enjoyed reading about familiar faces of the past. So, he decided to interview the prisoner’s mother, who was still very alive.

TURA

Pin
———
Voodoo is too mired in tradition. Everyone insists on sticking silver pins into the doll, but it’s always worth experimenting, or how will the art develop?

With modern technology, you can make pins of diamond fibre. The target dies of epileptic seizures, which I wasn’t expecting! Pins of enriched uranium bloat the target with radiation cancers. But rather difficult to get hold of. My latest idea is to manipulate the instruments under liquid nitrogen and make the pins of high temperature superconductors.

Calm down and stop struggling, it disturbs the measurements. Now, what do you feel when I do THIS?

SERENDIPITY

Always clean up after yourself – that’s what my parents taught me from an early age, and it’s a lesson that I’ve never forgotten.

Which is why, after every job, when others would run away and hide, you’d always find me taking that extra moment to tidy up, clear away and spend some time checking I’ve left nothing behind that might give me away.

I’ve learned that to rush away from a crime scene is to invite disaster – always take the time to clean up.

Try all you like, but you’ll never be able to pin it on me.

TOM

It Was A Simpler Time

There was a time in America when courtship was signified by a series of tokens which marked the passage from initial meeting to matrimony. When one committed to “going steady” one would give their girl a pin. The costume was oddly known as “pinning.” When things got a bit more serious a Lavalier was giving, yup it was call Lavaliering, and beer, vomit, kissing and abduction played an important role. An engagement ring followed by a wedding ring would round out the collection. In the age of the Hook-Up this all must seem quite amusing to the millennials

NORVAL JOE

An automated voice spoke from below a keypad in the door.
“To access this function you must establish a personal identification number of 8 to 26 characters.”
Dergle entered, 12345678.
“Your PIN must include upper and lower case letters.”
Dergle entered A12345678z.
“Your PIN may not include more than four consecutive numbers in a row.”
Dergle entered, A12348765z.
“You must use at least two special characters which do not include, @, &, or #.
Dergle added, $ and %, to the existing string.
“Please re-enter for security reasons.”
Dergle entered $A12348765z%.
“That is correct. You may now access the restroom.”

PLANET Z

When Parker was born, his parents gave him a map.

“You can use this to track all of the places you travel to in your life,” they said through the glass of the incubator.

Parker, full of tubes and surrounded by wires, struggled to breathe.

After three days, his parents agreed to pull the plug.

Despite the initial setback, Parker’s map accumulated many pins.

His parents carried his plastic-encased corpse all over the world.

Oh, sure, there were some strange looks from security personnel, but it was only a matter of a sufficiently-convincing bribe.

Plus, he’s a pretty good paperweight.

Weekly Challenge #500 – “Wind”

Welcome to the 100 Word Stories podcast at oneadayuntilthedayidie.com.

This is Weekly Challenge, where I post a topic and then challenge you to come up with a 100 word story based on that topic.

We’ve got stories by:

Fluffy neighbor

MUNSI

Wind, or Wind
By Christopher Munroe

The wind whips your hair back and forth as you wind your way through the woods, wind whistling through wood as you wander, wondering where you will wind up.

Your watch has wound down, you would have wound it were you aware you’d wind up wandering these woods, but without warning it’s no wonder you wander without…

Your mind wanders, and you wish you were willing to welcome the wonders without, without wondering what those wonders wrought whereupon they wandered upon you, gentle wanderer.

And that’s when you realize: You’ve completely lost track of what you were trying to say…

CHARLIE

The wind emanated from Grandma Lucy. Untethered by heavy clothing or undergarments, the winds drove across the dining room while we gathered for Christmas Dinner. Granny had been on a healing diet of rich, Greek food, dates and exotic grains. The cats left the room for the saving oxygen of the back yard, while we kept our heads down, lighting more candles, and sipping wine to anesthetize ourselves and burn off any flammable gases before they collected in the corners behind the heavy furniture. Gran was unaware of her blistering discharges, and continued with her special dinner. Merry Christmas, all.

It was my job to wind the clock in the hall. I had to stand on a chair after retrieving the brass key from the hanger, and check the time on the local FM station before I wound the clock. I was careful not to overwind the clock, and after it was wound, I set the correct time by moving the minute hand either clockwise or counterclockwise. The clock never lost nor gained a minute between windings. I dusted it, quickly, and reported that I finished. The week that I neglected winding the clock was the week I passed away.

JEFFREY

Trash Talk
by Jeffrey Fischer

“Mouth” McFadden was a good cornerback, but his claim to fame was his ability to trash talk opponents. Every play, all game, McFadden would have a comment about the offensive player’s hygiene, his IQ, his mother – you name it.

One game, the opposing team had enough. They called a play in McFadden’s direction. Three receivers converged on the cornerback, ignoring the ball. Each collided with the Mouth, who went down to the turf gasping for air. He couldn’t speak a word.

Looking over the prone McFadden, one of the receivers said to his teammates, “Looks like we knocked the windbag out of him.”

They were happy to take the 15-yard penalty.

Extra-Marital
by Jeffrey Fischer

Judy’s eyes lit up. She had her cheating husband dead to rights. He thought he was being clever, ordering the life-sized wind-up doll when she was out of the house, but he forgot that Judy got the email confirmation. She couldn’t believe what she saw: a clockwork sex toy! Sure, their marriage had its problems, and she rarely showed any excitement in bed with him, but honestly!

She had tracked the order and made sure she was home for the delivery. She burst into the bedroom, the accusation already on her lips. The doll, now fully wound, opened its mouth. “It’s so nice to see you home,” it said to her husband. “How was your day, dear?” Judy looked at the box. this wasn’t a sex doll, it was a conversation doll, fluent in Wife!

LIZZIE

The flag flapped in the wind, resilient and shredded. It had survived centuries of battles, countless journeys… and John. When he discovered the relic in the attic, he decided to play with it. He imagined fierce pirate fights where kings and aliens joined forces in improbable alliances. For weeks, that flag was a cape, a belt, a beach towel, a hat, a blanket, a traveler’s bag. When his parents realized what he had done, they were horrified and decided to place the flag in the garden, flapping safely in the wind, but away from John’s dreams. The flag wasn’t happy.

RICHARD

Storm

It was a dark and stormy night, the wind howled through the empty streets, whipping up stray pieces of litter and sending tin cans clattering down alleyways.

The windows rattled in their frames, rain thudding against the glass; the building creaked and protested under the assault of the storm outside.

I peered out into the darkness, inwardly shivering at the thought of leaving the warmth of the fire and braving the storm.

Some decisions are simple.

I returned to my chair by the fireside, poured a good measure of scotch and raised a silent toast to my own good sense!

SERENDIPITY

I gave the wheel a spin, taking up the slack on the ropes, snagging them tight.

It’s about now that I really should be asking you to confess, but to be quite honest, I’ve no interest at all in anything you have to say… All I want to hear is your screams!

It’s a question of balance – judging the precise amount of tension that will exert the greatest amount of pain.

Just one more turn. One final wind of the rope.

Your joints pop; sinews tear; muscles burst…

And you scream – a confession!

And a job well done.

TOM

Even in the Quietest Moments

Francis spent months in the Brass, but didn’t have the Embouchure. He left percussion because he lacked stamina. He sawed away in the strings until the first cellist formally petitioned for his removal. “Dad I’m just not cut out for this,” said Francis. His father set his baton on the podium. He hand the young man a flute. “Let’s give the wind section a try, shall we?” A bit rocky at first, but in time Francis found his place in the orchestra. They said when he played the sound of wind blow in the pines flow through the hall.

ZACKMANN

I was unloading lumber on a windy day. When I took a piece of plywood off a lumber truck I got hit by a strong wind. I felt like Piglet on that blustery day. I wish someone had seen me before I was a hundred feet in the air. My father couldn’t chase me because his car flooded so he had to wait ten minutes before trying to start the car again. Luckily I was close to the ground when the wind died down. The family whose farmhouse I wound up near let me use their phone to call home.

NORVAL JOE

Five hundred warriors assemble in ranks, armed with pen and paper. Their badges of rank, tin, silver, gold and iron monkeys clasp their cloaks at their necks. Contestants, like knights of old, take up the challenge, proud upon their linguistic steeds, prosaic pennants billow in the wind.
“Set you alarms. Mark your calendars,” the commander calls. “You have but seven days to find the one hundred perfect words to complete your mission. Not one word more or less or you will wind up among the losers. And if you don’t like the sound of your own voice, that’s your problem.”

TURA

Wind
———
Ok, I *am* the Messiah! Crazy, right? No argument from me there. See, I’ve always known it, never believed it.

What’s it like? It’s like a violent wind gusting through me, the greatest wind there ever was, but also completely still. That might take in a village carpenter’s son two thousand years ago, but I’ve studied neuroscience, and I don’t take my brain seriously when it pulls stuff like that.

Oh, your club foot? Looks ok to me.

Thanks, but I still don’t believe in these so-called miracles. After all, it’s not exactly a randomised controlled double-blind trial, is it?

PLANET Z

WIND airs Christian talk radio up in Chicago.

You can listen to it over the Internet, but I’d rather listen to my music, or the most recent podcasts in my collection.

I have a playlist for when I’m driving to work, or when I’m driving home.

Because the one rock station airs more commercials than music, and the local NPR station is always in a fundraiser.

Same with the classical station, but the fundraisers there are calmer and more relaxed.

More relaxed than the talk on WIND, I suspect.

I connect my iPhone, tell Siri to play, and drive on.

Weekly Challenge #499 – “Deck”

Welcome to the 100 Word Stories podcast at oneadayuntilthedayidie.com.

This is Weekly Challenge, where I post a topic and then challenge you to come up with a 100 word story based on that topic.

We’ve got stories by:

Tinny

MUNSI

Home Improvement
By Christopher Munroe

We were so excited when the project began.

I mean, none of us were carpenters, we’d never built a veranda before, but we were reasonably intelligent individuals, and youtube does exist after all, how hard could it be?

Unbelievably hard, as I’m sure will come as no surprise to the handier among you.

The resultant porch looked terrible but, more tragically, friendships ended over the fights attempting to build it caused among us. We went our separate ways, dispirited by failure, and never spoke again.

A tragic end to a tragic tale…

…especially as we’d started with such great deck-spectations.

JEFFREY

Weekend Getaway
by Jeffrey Fischer

Sam and Lisa sat on adjoining deck chairs, staring at the ocean. They had arrived at the beach house earlier in the day and planned to do little the rest of the weekend but sit in those chairs and relax.

“This is the life,” said Sam, hoisting a beer bottle in Lisa’s direction. A seagull passed overhead, spattering Sam.

“Except for the seagull poop,” observed Lisa.

“Right.” A gust of wind sprayed sand in Lisa’s face.

“And the sand.”

“Amen.” The wind brought with it clouds, which opened on the couple, drenching them.

Sam and Lisa sat on naugahyde chairs inside the beach house as rain pelted the exterior. “This is the life.”

“You bet.”

A Matter of Balance
by Jeffrey Fischer

The bar rocked to and fro as the waves battered the ship. Outside, the slippery deck and gale-force winds made walking dangerous. I figured I could hole up in the bar until the worst of the storm passed. Only one problem: the swaying of the ship caused the occupants of the bar to sway as well. I could steady myself by gripping the edge of the bar with both hands, but that left me one hand short for hoisting my glass.

Then the solution hit me: drink *more*. If I got just drunk enough, I would sway in the opposite direction to offset the ship. Problem solved!

“Hit me,” I told the bartender. I was no longer just a casual drinker: I was a man on a voyage of scientific exploration.

CHARLIE

We had to swab the deck, chip paint, polish the brass, clean windows inside and out, type letters, carry messages, answer the phone, keep the calendar, erase the boards, punch the holes in the papers, file the memos, check the spelling, lock the doors, unlock the doors, stand guard, wake the guards, pick up the trash, blow up the balloons, neuter the cats, change the tires, darn the socks, air the laundry, start the rumors, shine the boots, blow the noses, change the diapers, walk the dogs, clean the drains, feed the elders, change the oil, and count the meds.

Second

First time I set foot on the holodeck, I was shocked. Someone hadn’t cleaned up after the last user. There was food, empty bottles, used condoms, and the stench of cat’s ass and hamster food. The family had room and equipment keys, but they were very careless about tidying up after their sessions. We were able to save a shitload of money by not buying gas, going on vacations, or going to parties. Grandpa used the holodeck in his wheelchair, and I used to spend all weekend in there, with some poppers, a bottle of nitrous, and a call girl.

RICHARD

Ogres – Not the brightest of the bunch

The ogre grinned wickedly at Laggins who, quaking in his boots, whimpered, “I’m just a poor traveller… What are you going to do with me?”

“First”, replied the ogre, “I’m going to deck you. Then I’m going to steal your gold for my secret hoard!”

“You have a secret hoard of gold?”

“Yes”

“Where, exactly?”

“Down the path, third oak on the right… Now, where was I?”

“I was going to deck you and steal your gold”, replied Laggins.

“Get on with it then!”

Laggins whacked the ogre as hard as he could with his stake, knocking him clean out.

LIZZIE

“All forms of alien life, clear the deck.”

When asked about the sign, Ray pointed. “You can’t see them? The bastards! They are sitting right there, mocking me.”

That was odd. No one had ever seen any alien around.

Everyone laughed. Ray was just the local oddball.

He thought he was a prepared oddball though. He had plenty of food and water in that boat, just in case.

When the electricity system collapsed mysteriously, Ray said “See! That’s why I didn’t want them to get comfy in my boat.”

But they did and they ate all of Ray’s supplies too.

SERENDIPITY

This job sucks.

Early hours of the morning – I’m bored, tired and half frozen to death.

‘A life on the ocean wave: See the world and live the dream!’ – That’s what they promised – more a nightmare, in my own opinion.

Plus I keep getting saddled with the crappiest jobs, like tonight, stuck out on deck peering into the darkness, while everyone else is partying down below.

I’d had enough, and sneaked below deck to try and warm up.

Which is why we hit the iceberg.

Such a shame about the ship and all those people… it wasn’t unsinkable, after all.

ZACKMANN

When you lived as long as I, you will have many regrets. Likely your biggest regrets are those you could have avoided with free professional advice. If only I’d asked the paint counter what paint was good for wooden decks they would have told me to use seal or stain for wooden decks and I never would have painted it. After failing to remove old paint with multiple power tools and chemicals, I am trying deck restoration paint but from the YouTube reviews heavy duty paint is still paint and still likely to bubble and chip in two years too.

TOM

Benny Decked Lucy

He knew it wasn’t the proper thing to do. His parents had told him it wasn’t right to knock the daylights out of his little sister, even if she provoked it. Grandma had a bit different take on the matter. “Make her throw the first punch.” So Benny found the one thing that would unhinged his sister and delivered it during dinner. Sure enough what Lucy heard wasn’t what his parents heard. What his parents saw was Lucy fly over the table and grabbed Benny by the throat. When Benny decked Lucy his parents had to implement new rules.

MARSHA

Title: Saturday Night

Every Saturday night around 6:30 I meet with eight of my nearest and dearest. We gather at a different location. Money and snacks are involved. We play a variety of games, and no one knows where some originated. One lady has dreamed a couple up, and I mean literally. Eights or if’n, gone fishing, leaping lena, the wings just to name a few. Some of them are wild and some are not, but all are either high or low and sometimes both. The thing we all agree on is, if things aren’t going your way get two new decks. Deal suckers.

NORVAL JOE

Rick Racker pulled on his own brown hood adjusting the eye holes to see clearly and sat at the table. He said, “Have a seat.”
Dergle sat in the remaining empty chair.
“Shouldn’t your hats be stylized armadillos?” he asked.
“Why?” Rick asked.
“Well, because, you know, they’re…” Dergle stammered.
“Julio. Cut the deck,” Rick said to one of the hooded men.
Julio produced a deck of cards, split it into two equal piles and set them in the middle of the table.
Rick took a card and turned it over.
“The Joker?” Dergle asked.
“Yeah.” Rick smiled. “The Joker.”

TURA

Deck
———
After designing cards for standard decks, Tarot, and Magic: The Gathering, I branched out into new areas of the ludocartological art. My creations include a deck for the Chinese Five Elements of Nature and Twenty-Nine Ranks of the Court, and a modern one crossing the Periodic Table with Gell-Mann’s Eightfold Way.

My Unity deck has just a single card, showing the eye of God. At solitaire you always win.

The Zen deck has no cards. The design on the back is a brush-drawn circle, the display case a solid block of wood. The sage plays without playing, and wins all.

PLANET Z

Officers used to shout “All hands on deck” to gather the crew so they could deal with a big emergency.

It also helped them weed out the jokers on the crew, who’d rush to the top deck and put their hands on the wooden slats.

A boot in the ass would knock them face down into the deck, and they’d learn not to make light during an emergency.

These days, you hear that expression everywhere. Network engineering, grocery store checkout lanes…

Less boots in the ass, though.

Unless it’s for a run on dominatrixes at the local brother, of course.

Weekly Challenge #498 – “Order”

Welcome to the 100 Word Stories podcast at oneadayuntilthedayidie.com.

This is Weekly Challenge, where I post a topic and then challenge you to come up with a 100 word story based on that topic.

We’ve got stories by:

Tinny in her hidey hole

MUNSI

Order
By Christohper Munroe

I believe there is a fundamental order to the universe..

By which I mean that everything in the universe has a certain, specific order.

Linear time, I mean, I believe in linear time.

Yes, I’m aware that there are theories to account for the notion that time does NOT occur in a linear fashion, but while I find them fascinating to consider each in their turn, I couldn’t speak to the likelihood of any of their truth.

I don’t have the background necessary.

But I don’t begrudge said theories’ existence.

After all, in an orderly universe, everything has its place…

JEFFREY

The Verdict
by Jeffrey Fischer

The jury filed in, stone-faced. None would make eye contact with the defendant. The judge asked the forewoman, “Have you reached a unanimous verdict?” She said yes. “On the charge of capital murder, what is the decision of the jury?”

“Not guilty, Your Honor.”

The courtroom erupted. Friends of the victim shouted in disbelief, while friends of the defendant shouted in glee. “Order in the court!” demanded the bailiff, to little effect.

“You’re free to go,” the judge told the defendant.

“Thank you, Your Honor. May I say a few words?” The judge nodded.

“I want to thank the jury. Despite my obvious guilt, you bleeding hearts acquitted me so I can kill again. Thanks, suckers.”

The Natural Order of Things
by Jeffrey Fischer

I kept the car at a steady ten miles per hour over the speed limit. Lilly drummed her fingers but said nothing. “Yes?” I prompted.

“I wasn’t going to say anything, but, since you asked… Do you really need to drive that fast?”

“Not really sure, but it’s quite possible that I do. Do you have another question? I think you get three.”

“Are you going to be like this all weekend with my parents?”

“Almost assuredly. You have one more – make it a good one.”

“Why is it that you always end up driving, anyway?”

“Ah, that one I can answer. It’s the natural order of things. Man was meant to drive, woman was meant to sit in the passenger seat and complain.” I was still expounding on the theme when I lost control of the car and hit the guard rail.

CHARLIE

I placed my order on line. Using my iPad, I punched in size, toppings, extra toppings and type of crust, followed by my credit card number and address. I included the address with the cross street, and the GPS coordinates. I asked for the preferred delivery time, and the precautions that the delivery should take in my neighborhood. I mentioned the other delivery drones that work the neighborhood and the apartment complex, cautioning them about the two apartment blocks that frequently shoot down or drone-jack any delivery vehicles. The last four digits of my social security card completed the transaction.

2nd

Given the order by the office to attend to Mrs. Rummage, I was charged with attending to her personal needs as my first assignment. I was an in-home, part time, care nurse. Mrs. R. was ill, having relapsed as a recovering cancer patient. She was very polite and patient. My duties included personal care and making meals, minor cleaning, answering the phone, and snooping in her bureau drawers, refrigerator, and her medicine cabinet. We discussed a lot of personal things, and she told me that she only had one child, as dwarfism ran in the family on her husband’s side.

3rd

I like to afford order to my home and studio. Things are arranged in large, plastic bins if they are large, and in old, Altoids™ tins if they are small. I have a large and multifarious collection of electronic parts, watch parts, desert dioramas and human teeth. The teeth are carefully packed in cotton, and are divided into molars, incisors, canines and premolars. Dentists have asked me for consultations, and I make a nice little income by sharing my collection and knowledge. None of my friends are amused by my collection, but dentists and tooth fetishists appreciate my unique services.

LIZZIE

“That’s not the right order,” the man repeated.

His team ignored him. They wanted to solve the puzzle of the box quickly to move on to the next task and win the TV show challenge.

“Isn’t this a team effort?” he complained.

They clicked and rotated the sides of the box randomly.

“You’ve already tried that.”

Suddenly, they heard a click. Everyone froze.

“There’s a good click and there’s a bad click. Which one do you guys think this was?”

The box slowly unfolded to reveal a bright light.

A bad click… The show was suspended. The TV station closed.

RICHARD

Linguistics

They say that English is a difficult language to learn, but I have to disagree. Having spent a good many years now learning to speak a wide variety of languages, other than my own, I can confidently say that English is pretty simple, compared to some.

There’s no complications with tonality; no clicks or whistles, and once you get the hang of the relatively straightforward grammatical rules, the only real difficulty is one of contextualising the meanings of similar sounding words.

Of course, I’m a native English speaker – for foreigners, it’s tricky to words really in the get order right!

SERENDIPITY

“Are you ready to order now?”

The waitress was obviously growing impatient. I’d been at my table for over an hour, and I hadn’t yet decided what to have. I asked her what she’d recommend.

She suggested the steak.

I ordered: Medium rare, with peppercorn sauce, onion rings, chips and vegetables.

She was right – it was a good meal, and I was glad I’d taken her advice.

After all, your last meal should be a good one.

I looked around the crowded restaurant, estimating the body count, before starting the timer on the device.

Unfortunately, no time for a coffee.

TURA

Order
———
He stands before me, anxiously proferring his papers. I make a show of inspecting them closely, dragging the moment out. Finally I defecate on his hopes.

“Your papers are not in order.”

He gabbles of his wife and children. I gesture to the soldiers to remove him. He will be handed to whatever faction’s tinpot colonel first shows up to arrest “deserters”. His wife will exhaust her money on useless bribes, then I will take her and give her children over to the men.

Here, at this shithole of a border crossing, I am God. There is no finer pleasure.

TOM

If you can’t stand the heat

In my 20s my sister got me a job working as a short order cook. It was your basic Bar and Grill fair. Sandwiches, Fries, Soup. At first I was inept. Orders backed up and I was running my ass off trying to get food ready. Not having a background in food prep I had no idea that prep is everything. When I figured that out order replaced chaos. Further I started track the different sandwiches ordered daily and group them together. Sometime like Kevin Spacy in American Beauty I long for those days working in the Bar and Grill.

NORVAL JOE

Rick Racker, owner of the Bust-a-gut 24 hr gym knocked on the door of Dergle’s van.
Dergle looked at his watch. “1:30 am. What does Rick want?”
“I’ve got some people you should meet,” Rick said when he rolled the window down. “Come back into the gym.”
Rick showed Dergle to a back room where five figures bent around a table, each wearing bike shorts, sleeveless muscle shirts, and brown hoods over their heads. They turned as one and peered through their eye holes at Dergle.
“Mr. Vander Hoont. I Introduce you to the secret order of the Unarticulated Armadillo.

PLANET Z

For a while, it looked like every show on broadcast television would be a spinoff of Law and Order, CSI, and NCIS.

Even on PBS. For a pledge, you could get coffee mugs and tote bags with Richard Belzer’s character on them.

The networks tried to revive and reboot a few old series, but the only ones that worked were Battle of the Network Stars and Celebrity Apprentice. And those ended up featuring actors from Law and Order, CSI, and NCIS.

Not that anyone noticed. By then, everyone was watching Netflix, Hulu, and Amazon.

Or sleeping. People still do that.

Weekly Challenge #497 – Crush

Welcome to the 100 Word Stories podcast at oneadayuntilthedayidie.com.

This is Weekly Challenge, where I post a topic and then challenge you to come up with a 100 word story based on that topic.

We’ve got stories by:

Sleepy Tinny in Darkness

MUNSI

My Creed
By Christopher Munroe

What is best in life?

To crush your enemies, see them driven before you, and to hear the lamentations of their women.

Now, it’s 2015, we want to be inclusive, so let me add: Crushing female/non-binary enemies and hearing male/non-binary lamentations is also best in life, in whatever combination is appropriate to your experience, both of your gender and that of whomever you count amongst your enemies.

It’s not “What’s best in life, given a particular limited demographic?” after all.

And if anyone claims otherwise, crush them, see them driven before you, and hear the lamentations of…

…well, of whomever.

DANNY

I have a crush. I’ve had this crush for over 35 years, all on the same woman I left behind in my former life. She was never mine, she never even knew I existed. We talk on a regular basis now, yet I’m sure she still doesn’t know I exist. I’ve thrown away my life for her, well, not really. I’ve thrown away my life for my own selfish reasons. Yet I delude myself into believing life all has some purpose. It doesn’t, because in the end, life is just a fiction, and this crush, is nothing more than my imagination.

JEFFREY

Jenny
by Jeffrey Fischer

As a high school junior, I had an infatuation with Jenny. She sat in front of me in Spanish class. Rather than conjugating verbs, I spent my time daydreaming of conjugating Jenny, contemplating her long, dark hair, her impish smile, and, when possible, her rounded derriere.

She had no interest in me. In fact, she probably didn’t know my name. Nonetheless, I learned why this feeling was aptly called a crush: when I saw her with her boyfriend, someone immeasurably cooler than I would ever be, my teenaged spirits were crushed.

Orange Crushed
by Jeffrey Fischer

Rush hour on Metro’s Orange line is nicknamed the Orange Crush. At station after station, riders enter the cars, first taking the seats, then taking standing room, then taking socially acceptable personal space. People cram onto cars until the doors no longer close. Someone unable to get into a car invariably shouts: “Move to the middle of the car – there’s plenty of space!” as though being squeezed like a tube of toothpaste constituted “plenty of space.”

Small wonder, then, that workers tend to arrive at their offices already in grumpy moods. It’s the perfect way to ensure service with a snarl.

CHARLIE

It was time to say goodbye to my truck. I was acquainted with the fellow running the junk yard, and he agreed that I could run the hydraulic press to euthanize my truck if I helped him drain the fluids and hazardous items from the truck before it went into the press. This included the gas tank, radiator, tires, battery, catalytic converter, air bag units, and mercury switches. I also had to remove the refrigerant from the A.C. It was a lot of dirty work, just to enjoy and videotape the few minutes it took to crush the remaining husk.

Second

I had a crush on Connie Sue Chambers. She sat one desk from the back of the room, one row over to my left. She wore her Girl Scout uniform, and her fleshy legs and her long blond hair would cause my eleven year old groin to buzz with passion. Sitting low in my seat, I could sneak a peek at her panties. Unless I was day dreaming I recall executing some maneuvers while Mr. Turner was at the front of the class. I varnished the night stick, while stealing glances of Connie Sue, sitting quietly and working math problems.

RICHARD

Recipe for disaster

“I’m not sure about this cake”, said my wife, eyeing my creation cautiously.

I could understand her reticence – I’d never baked a cake before in my life, and this was a complete departure from my usual trade – heavy engineering.

But the fact was, I’d lost my job: This was my opportunity to build a new career… Why not pastry chef, I thought?

My wife bit into my efforts and shrieked.

One expensive dental bill later, and my baking days were over.

How was I to know the crushed nuts in the recipe weren’t supposed to be mild steel?

TOM

Simple Joys

Fall in the Wine Country is a tactile experience. Acres of leaves turning color, but the real pleasure driving down highway 29 is in the air. Its known simple as: The Crush. Dozens of wineries over about 30 miles are pressing tons of different grapes. So much liquid is being processed the air is charge with the smell of grapes. The strongest concentration is outside of Rutherford, were the wineries nearly outnumber the residents. I just roll down the window and drink in the Sauvignon Merlot Zinfandel Chardonnay Sauvignon Blanc Riesling. The Crush in Gilroy is a bit more garlicy

LIZZIE

Leo’s favorite place was hanging from the old tree in the park.
He hated school, despite his mother’s words of encouragement. All he cared for was that tree, but the city council decided to chop it down.
Leo was crushed. He climbed as high up as possible and refused to come down.
When the police decided to force him down, he jumped.
To everyone’s amazement, it seemed the tree stretched and moved to soften Leo’s fall.
The tree is still standing. No one had the heart to cut it down. And Leo is still hanging from that tree… after school.

SERENDIPITY

My first crush was James Madison: He was two years above me in school and something of a high achiever.

All the girls had a thing for him. He could have had any of them.

Secretly, I hoped he’d pick me.

He didn’t, of course, he went for Sophie Tucker… She of the perfect skin, top grades, and an ability to wear a school uniform as if it was something out of Paris fashion week.

Of course, I was gutted, but I soon got over it, especially after the ‘freak’ school bus accident… which – unfortunately – crushed them both to death.

ANIMA

Summer Lovin’

Whatcha doin’ Joey?

Nothing much. Waiting for it to darken up enough for the lightnin’ bugs to come out. Got me a jar with holes punched in the lid all ready.

Nearby, neighborhood kids laughed and played flashlight tag. The heat of the day radiated from the ground.

Care if I sit here with you?

That would be alright. Shouldn’t be much longer now. Hear them cicadas sing!

Joey leaned over and invited me to share the rest of his orange soda. It wasn’t icy any more, but sure tasted good.

He also held my grimy hand.

My first Crush.

NORVAL JOE

This week Bartholomew had a crush on Brooke. Her hair was dark mahogany and fell in shimmering waves to the middle of her back. She sat in front of him in math class, next to Rachelle who Barty had fallen for a week earlier.
They couldn’t be more different. Rachelle lacked anything which could be called a curve, had white-blonde hair, and a voice as deep as most boys.
None of that mattered. If a girl made eye contact and smiled, Barty was in love.
In fact, before Rachelle it was the Linda Ronstadt poster in his Grand Father’s attic.

TURA

Crush
———
Montepulciano is famed for its wines, but their finest are secrets known only to the few.

The first pressing collects the juice released only by the grapes’ own weight. It makes the purest of all wines, reserved for the Pope and the cardinals.

In the second pressing they are trodden by the feet of virgins. This wine graces the finest aristocratic dinner tables.

The third is tramped by rude labourers, and goes to commerce. You will never see any higher grade than this.

The fourth deploys mechanical presses. This produces rough wine for peasants, and foreigners who know no better.

PLANET Z

When I was growing up, there were only two flavors of Crush soda: orange and grape.
Wikipedia shows a long list of flavors. I think I’ve seen strawberry, pineapple, and watermelon.
The rest don’t look familiar at all. And some of them sound pretty damn gross.
I mean, I’ve had Crush Pineapple, and it was really bad.
But when I poured it down the sink, it unclogged the drain brilliantly.
For a while, I used Crash Pineapple that way, but the EPA showed up one day and told me to stop.
I was ruining the environment.
I drink whiskey now.

Weekly Challenge #496 – I remember when…

Welcome to the 100 Word Stories podcast at oneadayuntilthedayidie.com.

This is Weekly Challenge, where I post a topic and then challenge you to come up with a 100 word story based on that topic.

We’ve got stories by:

Tinny rules

MUNSI

Remember Remember
By Christopher Munroe

Remember when that one Guy tried to blow up parliament with a cartload of gunpowder?

Oh come on, you remember. Guy pulls up, gunpowder in tow, he’s intercepted, nothing explodes but he’s ALL OVER the news, people screaming for his execution? It was a whole huge thing, #GunpowderTreason was trending on Twitter and everything, EVERYONE was sharing stories .

No?

Are you sure?

Huh.

Oh, nothing, I was just wondering how that whole thing turned out. After the initial outrage I kind of lost interest.

I guess these sorts of stories get covered differently in the age of social media…

JEFFREY

One Thing to Agree On
by Jeffrey Fischer

Peter asked his dad for forty dollars to fill the car. He really wanted to get away from the boring family reunion. His dad replied, “I remember when gasoline was two bucks a gallon and you could buy a nice house for a hundred thousand.”

Peter’s granddad replied, “That’s nothing. I remember when gasoline was 75 cents and you could buy a nice house for $75,000.”

Peter’s great-grandad wasn’t too mobile any longer, but he still had his memory. “In my time, gasoline was a quarter, and a polite young man pumped it and checked your oil. Oh, and a nice house was $20,000.”

Peter said, “Every generation thinks younger people have it easier.I bet you can’t agree on one thing.”

In unison, all three elders said, “Today’s music sucks. It’s all noise.”

Common Sense
by Jeffrey Fischer

Bryan’s parents often fought. If that wasn’t bad enough, they tended to use Bryan as an intermediary in their battles. Even though both were in the same room, each would direct remarks to Bryan.

“I remember when your mother used to have a hot meal ready when I came home from work.”

“I remember when your father had a good job and could provide for us.”

“I remember when your mother was attractive.” There was a long pause after that comment. Bryan thought his father might have gone too far that time.

“Well, I remember when your father had the good sense to keep his mouth shut.”

CHARLIE

I remember when it was Thursday for the full day. I remember it came right before Friday and a little before my favorite day, Saturday. I think I was two or three months old. My dad was home on Saturdays, and it was the day he threw me up in the air a half dozen times in the surf, and caught me right before I touched the cold Atlantic. The day my parents decided I should learn to swim was the day that dad threw me far into the air, and let me fall into the water. Since I had swum around inside my mother’s womb for nine months already, I took to swimming in the ocean, immediately.

RICHARD

#1 – Back

I remember when I was a kid, addicted to Star Trek, Arthur C Clarke and Asimov… The future was going to be amazing.

Unfortunately, it isn’t: Moon holidays, flying cars, teleporters and intelligent robots are still science fiction; we still have to work for a living, iron our clothes and the same inconveniences we thought would one day become things of the past.

The future has badly let me down.

However, I have a cunning plan – I’m waiting for Marty Mcfly and Doc Brown to turn up, and when they do, I’m grabbing a lift… back, to their future.

#2 – Grandpa

Back in the day, grandpa would often take me out into the garden and stand, smoking his pipe and reminiscing about the good old days.

“I remember when this was pasture and farmland, as far as you could see”, he’d say, with an expansive gesture; “Now look at it”

Factories, roads, houses filled the view as far as the horizon.

That was before the asteroid struck.

Now, in the bleak days of eternal winter, I find myself standing in the same spot with my young son…

“I remember when this was all civilisation, as far as the eye could see…”

SERENDIPITY

I remember when I was in school, you used to tease me; you’d steal my homework and bully me in the playground.

Do you also remember?

I think not. You’ve almost certainly forgotten me – an inconsequential, unimportant name from the distant past.

A nobody.

And that suits me just fine – the lack of recognition in your eyes, that blank look you gave me when I introduced myself, work entirely in my favour. Will you remember Nurse Haven when you wake up? I don’t think you will.

But you’ll certainly remember what it was like to once possess legs!

LIZZIE

“I remember when saving a man’s life meant exactly that. People would be praised on TV for stopping someone from jumping off a bridge or for saving them from a train approaching at high speed. They were true heroes.
Nowadays, saving a man’s life means nothing of the sort. Anyone can jump off a bridge with little consequences, no one really cares, and there aren’t any trains anymore.
These days, people are hailed as heroes for saving a dead man’s life. Well, they’re half dead… Honey, where’s the gun? The beasts are at the door again and they are hungry.”

ZACKMANN

Grandpa started saying “I remember when…”
“You couldn’t wait to love me?” interrupted Joe.
“No, that is not what I was saying and have no plans to love you late at night.”
Joe said “Yes, Wen was nose guard for our high school football team junior year.”
“I wasn’t talking about the Wen kid just saying that I remember when earworms weren’t as cool as Stephanie Mabey’s Zombie Love Song but not as sucky as Baby by that Canadian kid with the funny hair.”
Joe replied. “Doesn’t have funny hair, anymore and the worst ear worms were inflicted by Khan.”

TURA

1.

“I remember when it was nowt but fields around here,” said Young Tom.

He was called Young, because he was only eighty years old.

“I remember when it were wild forests, and you could get eaten by boars!” rejoined Old Tom, Young Tom’s father.

“Youngsters!” said Great-Great Grandma. Nobody knew how old she was. “I remember when it were ice year round, a mile thick!”

“Tell us about the ape-men!” said Little Tom.

Great-Great Grandma shot him an evil look. “Any Neanderthal was twice the man you’ll ever be. I remember when…”

I sighed. There was no stopping her now.

2.

I remember when the world was young
The knife-sharp air, the mile-high trees, the tides
Reciprocating like a giant’s breath
So strong one feared the day that he might wake.

The empty skies, yet pure of any life
The swamps where giant sloths boomed, mate to mate
Primaeval oceans, wherein ichthyosaurs swam
And trilobe-teeming mud condensed to rock.

When deep convection drove tectonic plates
Which, jostling, raised the Himalayan peaks
When asteroids combining made this globe
When nuclear fusion first began our Sun.

But tell that to the young folk of today,
And they will not believe, whate’er you say.

TOM

Nostalgia
I remember when a small carton of milk was three cents at my high school cafeteria. Of course this was the 70s when the dairy industry got major subs. In fact the whole lunch program was pretty much one big subsidy. I guess they wanted to produce a generation of reasonably well fed children. My parents wouldn’t spring for a paid lunch, so I had to work in the school book store. I recall eating an inordinate amount of cookies. And a lot of tater tots. What you could get for a buck then would costs you seven dollars today.

MARSHA

(Story was over 200 words when I ran it through Wordcounter. Sorry.)

NORVAL JOE

I remember when the backyard was filled with the happy sound of excited puppies.
I remember when we used to get dressed up and head out in the dead of night to leave puppies on the porches of unsuspecting new owners.
I remember driving in the micro-van with our ears and noses alert for the presence of danger, for criminals and the evil they would perpetrate.
I remember when the pack leader stopped believing in himself, when his plastic card wouldn’t buy us food, and our home was taken away.
I wish we could go live with the Bambi woman.

PLANET Z

I remember when Dan and I took a day off of work and he took a foul ball to the head.
Dan doesn’t remember it, though. In fact, Dan doesn’t remember much of anything.
He just sits there and stares.
I could swear, he’s almost smiling.
You could set his hair on fire and he wouldn’t do anything about it.
I still take him to baseball games.
Maybe he’ll take another foul ball to the head and wake his ass up.
That way, he can tell me the combination to the safe.
Or die, and I can collect the insurance.

Weekly Challenge #495 – Stick

Welcome to the 100 Word Stories podcast at oneadayuntilthedayidie.com.

This is Weekly Challenge, where I post a topic and then challenge you to come up with a 100 word story based on that topic.

We’ve got stories by:

Myst

JEFFREY

The Jump
by Jeffrey Fischer

I peered out the open door, watching farmland speed by. The instructor had gone through the safety check one last time. I made sure the parachute straps were snug against my chest and stepped into the air.

As I fell, I counted off the seconds before pulling the cord. The chute flew out; I slowed. Then the ground came at me quickly and all my training flew out of my head. I landed awkwardly on one leg, bounced up, and dragged across the ground until I stopped, rolled into a ball mixed of human and nylon parachute. I hardly stuck the landing, but I made it down alive, which must count for something.

Job Satisfaction
by Jeffrey Fischer

The best part of being a cop, Frank thought, was surprising the perp and slapping the cuffs on him. Right now the guy had no idea his evening would end poorly, but that would change when Frank kicked in the apartment door.

When Frank had the perp’s arms behind his back, the guy unleashed a torrent of curses. Frank’s parentage was questioned, his wife’s fidelity was challenged, and the perp was just getting started. “Stick these cuffs up your ass until they come out your nose,” the guy rasped.

Frank laughed and tightened the cuffs some more. “I think that’s anatomically impossible, sir, but I appreciate your imagination.”

RICHARD

#1 – The Man

There comes a time in everyone’s life when realisation dawns that it doesn’t have to be this way: We make a promise – no more will we be victims of oppression!

My moment came last Thursday, waiting for the bus home.

This particular oppressor was a spotty youth, rudely pushing ahead of the queue… Something inside me snapped.

Time to stick it to the man!

Unfortunately, it seems the man has a bigger stick than me, and a pretty good left hook too.

One broken nose later I decided my moment had passed. What’s wrong with oppression and drudgery anyway?

#2 – Rustling…

Left alone guarding the camp, Laggins cowered beside the fire, muttering decidedly un-hobbit like grumblings about his fellow travellers.

A rustling in the bushes sent his heart racing – he scrabbled in the darkness for a weapon. In addition to several slugs lurking in the undergrowth, his hands finally found a large and heavy stick, which he raised bravely above his head, ready to face the unseen enemy.

A small rabbit then popped out from the bushes, looking at him quizzically.

Laggins laughed and congratulated himself on his bravery, before turning round, straight into the arms of the waiting ogre!

CHARLIE

We threw another stick on the campfire, and stuffed big gobs of hash into the pipe. It was our first year at Summer Camp in the Dardanelles, and we all wished that this was the year we were going to be awarded our colored kerchief for conduct and sportsmanship. Fuck that. I wanted a bag of candy from the gedunk and some cooch. The little trail leading to the rocky enclave where the campfire burned was the highlight of my day. It was pitch black in the forest, and provided lots of opportunities to play grab ass with the girls.

2nd

Not everything I learned stuck. I didn’t know the secret of making dates and names stick in my Art History class. I relied on how small and how legible I could print on my palm and forearm. I shaved my forearm so it wouldn’t interfere with writing. I put a couple of dozen artist’s names and movements on my arm. This got me through the midterm and final exams with good grades. I feel guilty cheating in Mr. Bate’s class, because he was such a sweet, patient man. If he can hear me, I would like to say, “I’m sorry.”

LIZZIE

“And he wouldn’t shut up,” said the prisoner in cuffs.

The detective nodded. A piece of gum was sticking to his left shoe.

“He went on and on about it.”

The detective tried to scrape the gum off with his right shoe. Shit. Now the gum was on both shoes.

“That’s when I hit him. I couldn’t take it anymore.”

The detective stood up. “That was simple enough. I have to go now. I have gum on my shoes. Stick around.”

“Yeah… Com’on… It’s not like I have a choice, right.”

“Right,” replied the detective. “And… shut up about it.”

TOM

The Purpose of Language is to Present Irony

I spent my formative years 13 to 19 working at on all Jewish country club. It was formed in the days when the Chicago gentry was less then P.S. Lots of the members spoke Yiddish as a first language. I had just take up close contact magic. When you’re out on the back nine, four foursomes deep, on the 13th hole, bit of distraction, is in order. “Yea Kid, your patter is excellent, you need an excellent shtick,” said Mr. Garfunkel. He suggested doing my act balanced on my head. Damn if that wasn’t the best advice I ever got.

SERENDIPITY

You don’t want to believe everything you see in the movies about vampires – most of it is complete nonsense, especially all that stuff about killing us with stakes.

That would be far too simple; and anyway, how exactly do you define ‘stake’? Would any old stick do the job? And what about splinters – a very real concern when you spend most of your time hanging around rotting wooden coffins.

Not that it matters – it’s simply not true about stakes.

And as for drinking your blood…

Yep, that’s quite definitely true; and tonight, I’m having yours for supper!

ZACKMANN

“My mother wants to see you.” Sara told her husband.
“I am not sure I want to see her. She hit me with a cane.” replied Joe.
“It was a walking stick and serves you right for asking about how it felt to be on the Mayflower when you know my family came on the Jamestown. Even so she has a gift for you” said Sara
“Why would she, when Being the grumpy old lady is you mothers shtick?”
“My father can’t drive safely anymore so she is giving you his car since I refuse to drive a manual transmission.”

MUNSI

A Public Service Announcement
By Christopher Munroe

Teddy Roosevelt once famously said, “Speak softly, and carry a big stick.”

Good advice for its day, perhaps, but I think we all agree it needs to be updated.

“Walk on two big sticks.”

In this modern age, height’s never been a more important factor in determining success. With this in mind, can you deny yourself the opportunity to be your best, tallest self?

Jump on a pair of stilts today, as Roosevelt would have, had he the technology to do so.

This message has been brought to you by the Canadian Stiltwalkers Federation. For more information, consult our website…

NORVAL JOE

“Here you go, good buddy,” Dergle said to Long John. “Fetch.”
Dergle hurled the stick with every ounce of his 235 pounds behind it. It sailed across the open, grassy area of the park in a long arc and bounced to a stop.
The wiener dog looked up at his master and panted.
“Go get it,” Dergle said, trying to sound enthusiastic.
Long John looked over his shoulder at Bambi, siting on a park bench, reading a magazine.
“I get it,” Dergle said, walking toward Bambi. “I don’t believe in myself. Why should anyone, even my dog, believe in me?”

KYM

From the third floor window, I saw a tutued girl turn three cartwheels on the
walkway. Then a rat ran across and stopped, two feet away from the tree side. I thought the oblivious kid with the headphones and sagging skinny jeans would surely step right on it but, alas. Many walked by, all noticing it, even if only at the last moment, giving it a wide berth. Some stopped a moment to investigate. Some got as close as six inches but the rat did not move. I imagined someone poking it. Then the pedestrians were gone. And the rat ran away.

We lay on my couch and I wondered if this was a bad idea. But I went through with it. My first one-night stand. It sucked. Had you EVER done this before, I wondered. But me, I was amazing apparently. I had everything you wanted and now I can’t get rid of you. You moved in and started causing too many extra dishes and wearing my socks. I wonder why you won’t stop breathing; you wonder how you got so lucky. Turns out, I’m not good at one-night stands. But dating sucks. So… this is it, huh? OK. Let’s have dinner.

TURA

Stick
———
I awoke on the bank of a river, as a boat drew up.

“Hi, I’m Sharon,” said the figure in the stern, “I’m your ferryperson for this journey, and this is the sticks.”

“Yes, it is pretty deserted,” I said.

A cat leapt out of the boat. “If you go, you can’t come back,” it warned.

“You just did,” I observed.

“Oh, I can do that,” it replied. “Up to a point.”

A light swelled behind me, and Sharon and the cat with nine lives receded into the distance. The light grew brighter still and resolved into a hospital ward.
———

PLANET Z

One of the funniest comedy routines I ever saw was Johnathan Winters on the Jack Parr show.

Jack handed Jonathan a stick, and the comedian went through dozens of different scenes and characters in under four minutes.

I’m sure that Jonathan had prepared and imagined all of these characters up beforehand, but even to just remember them and roll them out one after the other was impressive.

Call it genius or madness, it sure was fucking funny.

Robin Williams had that kind of magic too.

But they’re both gone now. And we’re left holding the short end of the stick.