- Lewie
- Lisa
- Lizzie
- Richard
- Tom
- Serendipidy
- Norval Joe
- Planet Z
LEWIE
The one-eyed owl had a chiseled jaw line. His hushed beak made him the perfect interceptor. Glaring silently at any who dared approach, he rarely spoke.
The moon’s beauty in the night would have its light reflected from all who approached, timid and uncertain. He would ask the question of, not who, but whom?
It was rumored that only the lollipop guild was able to pass, once they answered a question central to the forest’s concerns. Not of smoking forest fires, hooting over campgrounds, crying over garbage, or plows destroying the lands of mice.
Just a centralized accounting of consumption.
RICHARD
Just Joking
It was only a joke, but she wasn’t at all impressed.
She said she was off to the beauty salon for a makeover.
I laughed; told her she’d be better off going to the local building site rather than the salon, “Make -up isn’t going to fix that” I laughed, “hammer and chisel is what you need!”
She was not amused.
Knocked me out with a frying pan, and when I came to, I found myself with my feet in a bucket, full of set concrete.
“Hammer and chisel is what you need!” She laughed, and left me to it.
SERENDIPIDY
The professor peered at the markings on the wall, muttering to himself, “Scarab beetle… dog… obelisk… one-eyed owl… What on earth could it all mean?”
He beckoned me over, “You’re the expert, can you make sense of any of it?”
A subdued hush descended upon the tomb as I examined the hieroglyphs.
“It’s a curse” I concluded. “You will not leave this place alive.”
He laughed and told me he had no time for curses, that it was all nonsense.
I reached for the knife I’d concealed in my jacket.
“Nonsense?” I murmured, “Well, we’ll soon see about that!”
LISA
Poker Face
The room was hard to read. The one eyed owl particularly seemed to be bluffing but the magpie kept putting more money on the table. I thought I had a good hand, but folded early.
I left the table to get another drink, possibly not the done thing, but I didn’t exactly know the rules in this town. When I returned the air felt different. The mood lighter. The hush of earlier was gone.
The owl stared at me – seemed he’d just been winking earlier. I knew then it was time to stop and try to find my way home.
LIZZIE
“Hush,” he said.
“They are coming.” The fear was palpable in her voice.
They could hear her, the interceptors. They could hear her breathe. They could hear her heartbeat. The vibrations of their humming resonated on the walls.
He covered her with his body. He used to be like them, intercepting to drown the resistance.
But she’d changed everything. Her eyes. Her smile, despite everything. And in a heartbeat, he wanted to protect her, to keep her alive.
The humming became distant.
“We’re safe for now”.
And she smiled that smile that almost made him believe he had a heartbeat.
TOM
My last duchess
Maximilien Franklin entered the room through a door that had not been opened in 60 years. The light from his candles caught the spectral array of swirling dust set in motion by the passage of his even strides. On the far wall was a draped painting Max had heard about from his material grandmother. He removed the covering and the hush that hoovered in the room joined a frozen heartbeat. He thought he was ready for work of the Italian master, but the beauty captured in her sad smile brought Max to tears. His hand trembled as to touch her check.
NORVAL JOE
In the hush of midnight, Mandi’s own footfalls sounded as loud as a hammer on a chisel. She hurried across the passage to Billbert’s room.
He sat up groggily as she stopped at his bed. “What’s going on?”
“Do you know of any ghosts that live in your house?” Mandi whispered. “I heard one walk into my room.”
Billbert mumbled, “I didn’t think ghosts lived anywhere. Did Sabrina hear it, too?”
“I don’t know,” she tried to evade. “She’s not in her bed.”
Billbert lay back down and closed his eyes. “Then it was probably just Sabrina leaving the room.”
PLANET Z
Jack used to complain that portions in this country were way out of control. On the one hand, fast food hamburgers are now the size of mini sliders and king sized candy bars should be labeled court jester size. Pathetic. But at sit down restaurants, sometimes it takes two waitresses with platters to bring out your dinner plate. And your drink needs a lifeguard and Floaties. Maybe even a diving board. They charge you extra to share a plate, so you’re paying them for someone not to order. I can’t tell if this is my straw or a pool noodle.