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:
JEFFREY
Higher Education
by Jeffrey Fischer
Back in the day, a Normal School was essentially a training school for teachers. In the United States, they date back to the 19th century, while Europe had even older examples. These days, many of the Normal Schools have been transformed into typical universities. You may not even know the background of these schools; UCLA started as one, for example.
Lesser-known are the country’s Abnormal Schools. These have always been secretive, and that secrecy continues to this day. No one brags about graduating from an Abnormal School, no matter how prestigious the institution. And yet, here’s something you might not know… every national politician since the days of Millard Fillmore graduated from one of these schools. It explains a lot.
LIZZIE
A normal day always started with a nice cup of coffee. This wasn’t a normal day.
When she picked up the cup, the stain of lipstick on the brim glared back at her, a mocking slap on the face.
The stupid ass had forgotten to clean the cup right.
She walked to the bedroom and looked around carefully. Everything was in its rightful place. Except…
An earring had rolled under the bed. Silver. A loop, how fitting.
She picked up the phone.
“Go for it.”
Two days later, he was found by the river, wearing a shiny silver loop earring.
RICHARD
#1 – Abnormal Norman
Norman was far from normal – nothing to do with the odd socks with holes in the heels, the plant pot he wore on his head, or the stuffed pet fish he’d take for walks in the park.
It wasn’t the toasted marshmallows he insisted on for breakfast, or the dinner parties for dogs that he loved to host.
And it wasn’t his habit of bathing in malt vinegar and chocolate sauce.
None of these set him apart.
Norman was far from normal because he was the last king of England, and a perfect example of the folly of inbreeding.
#2 – SNAFU
Got up, fell out of bed, got a bruise on my forehead.
Made a brew; milk was off, burned the toast – smoke made me cough.
Running late, I lost my hat, made the bus in seconds flat. Wrong bus: I ended up lost, now I’m really counting the cost.
When I finally got to work, the boss chewed me out and called me a jerk.
Phone rang – it was my wife – got into a bit of strife. So no fun tonight, it’s always the same.
What a day, but can’t complain; every one is just the same…
JON
It’s Not Normal
By Jon DeCles
“It’s not normal for a dog to behave that way!” Paul said.
“You’re right,” said Ruth.
“I hope she’s not sick,” said Paul.
“I hope it’s not rabies!” said Ruth, with alarm.
They backed away.
The Collie danced around, ran off toward the gate in the fence surrounding the farm house, then came bounding back. She barked, ran off again, came back again.
“I’d take her to the vet, but if it’s rabies I don’t dare touch her,” said Ruth.
The dog did her best, but the humans didn’t understand that Timmy had fallen down a well. Thus Timmy drowned.
TOM
école normale
The tradition of teaching colleges goes back to the 1680s. Jean-Baptiste La Salle founded it in Champagne, France, given the amount of liquor the average teacher need to carry on, quite appropriate. The First normal school in America was founded in 1839 my Samuel Hall in Concord, Vermont. Not the one with shoot heard round the world. Southern Illinois, and UCLA were both normal school. Norman school were laboratory school. Providing a model school with model classrooms to teach model teaching practices to its student teachers. Children, teachers, and the teachers of the teachers were often together in the same building.
SERENDIPITY
Don’t try to tell me what’s normal!
Just because I don’t fit into your stereotypical definitions of acceptable behaviour and societal standards doesn’t mean that I’m wrong, or that you’re right.
I’m different. Live with it, and if you can’t, then keep your mouth shut and stay out of my way. You have no right to tell me how to live my life simply because I don’t happen to obey your arbitrary rules.
I don’t care that you’re a judge, and I’m guilty.
I’ll still hunt you down when I get out.
And my revenge will be far from normal!
MUNSI
Normalized
By Christopher Munroe
This is normal.
This has always been normal, and it’s the way things have always been.
Things have never been any different than this, and when people tell you “We can not allow this to be normalized!” you can safely pay them no mind.
We can normalize this.
And we will.
Although there is no need.
Because all of this is already perfectly normal, perfectly ordinary, reliable and predictable and well in keeping with what has gone before, and requires no more thought than that.
Now, if you’ll excuse me, I have a story to write.
About a Party Bus…
TURA
Normal
———
Everything adds up to normality, they say. When physicists discovered that solid matter is mostly empty space, people weren’t suddenly able to walk through walls. The physicists could even explain why.
So why did people turn into zombies when neuroscientists finally explained consciousness? People read about it and the lights go out in their head. A fundamentalist militant Buddhism that denies the self is sweeping the world.
The zombies get suspicious of the conscious ones, immune to the basilisk. There are lynchings. There’s talk of pogroms.
Everything may add up to normality, but the calculation could take a long time.
NORVAL JOE
I heard one guy say that alternate lifestyles are the new normal. Unfortunately, something alternate can never be considered normal by the very definitions of the words. Normal means, the norm. You know, average, the most common. Alternate means, not the most common, not the norm. Ab–normal.
There’s nothing wrong with being ab–normal.
There’s nothing wrong with being normal.
Alternate lifestyles are the new acceptable.
The normal lifestyle is for a man and woman to marry, endure one another for three to ten years, then get divorced.
Therefore, any relationship that lasts a lifetime is abnormal.
I think that’s great.
LAIEANNA
PLANET Z
I like to buy minor league baseball caps.
The sillier the team name, mascot, or logo, the better.
The Normal, Illinois baseball team asked their fans to vote on a name, but due to a security flaw on their website, the vote was rigged by hackers.
They ran it again with the CornBelters, the Nutz, the Coal Bears, the Fellers, and the CamelBacks.
Eventually, the fans settled on the CornBelters, and their logo is a confused ear of corn.
I added the ballcap’s store page to my bookmarks list for consideration.
Maybe I’ll buy it someday.
But I doubt it.
Richard, it has a beat and you can dance to it, and some good lyrics. You might just have a future in the music business!
Tom, this bunch is far too educated – who’da thunk two people would have written on normal schools?
You think I could be the next Justin Bieber?
Never heard of him. Does he sing?