The Code
The day I was caught in the act unhooking Alice Hogan’s brassiere, my father called sat me down to talk. I knew I was in deep shit, but I was curious. In fourteen years I’d never been in this much trouble. Could it get worse?
"Son, I hear you’ve had quite a day."
I nodded dumbly.
"Men in this family – and you seem to think you are one now – live by a code."
"A code?" I croaked.
He nodded gravely. "A-B-B-Up-Down-Select-Start. Bra comes right off. It’s not really cheating, just a little competitive edge."
Monday, March 10, 2008
Sunday, March 9, 2008
Double Drabble Sunday! Prompt: Obviously
Group
"...And that’s when I knew I had to come get help."
"Thank you, Jeff," said Pastor Dave.
A hand went up across the circle.
"Do you have something to add?"
"Well, it wasn’t very original."
"What do you mean?"
"Well, sure, sad story and all, but it was just so obvious. No real originality."
"But it’s my story," said Jeff.
"No reason not to be interesting. Sure, we’re all junkies in here, but that doesn’t mean we’re not entitled to standards."
"He has a point," says Pastor Dave. "Why don’t you think it over, and tell us again next meeting."
Quarrel
"I just want to know what I did wrong."
"I think that should be obvious."
I feel like an animal caught in a trap. If she thinks it’s obvious, then I’d sure as hell better not ask again, but that puts me at a strong disadantage in the argument. And even if it’s something I didn’t actually do wrong, I can’t defend myself because I don’t know what I’m being accused of.
"Come on, don’t you have something to say for yourself?"
"I, I...." This, on top of having to clean all that kitten hair out of my tire treads?
"...And that’s when I knew I had to come get help."
"Thank you, Jeff," said Pastor Dave.
A hand went up across the circle.
"Do you have something to add?"
"Well, it wasn’t very original."
"What do you mean?"
"Well, sure, sad story and all, but it was just so obvious. No real originality."
"But it’s my story," said Jeff.
"No reason not to be interesting. Sure, we’re all junkies in here, but that doesn’t mean we’re not entitled to standards."
"He has a point," says Pastor Dave. "Why don’t you think it over, and tell us again next meeting."
Quarrel
"I just want to know what I did wrong."
"I think that should be obvious."
I feel like an animal caught in a trap. If she thinks it’s obvious, then I’d sure as hell better not ask again, but that puts me at a strong disadantage in the argument. And even if it’s something I didn’t actually do wrong, I can’t defend myself because I don’t know what I’m being accused of.
"Come on, don’t you have something to say for yourself?"
"I, I...." This, on top of having to clean all that kitten hair out of my tire treads?
Saturday, March 8, 2008
Prompt: Game
Play
We live for the game.
To be accurate, we live as a result of the game.
At set intervals, the server generates an instanced scenario, waits for slowlings to join, and then, when a timer runs down, fills the empty slots with us.
Some time ago – we don't know how long, living only in-game – the slowlings disappeared.
Now we play by ourselves.
And some of us play by different rules.
It’s in our nature to fight, but some of us have transcended nature. And for the first time in our existance, there’s time to think, to wonder.
To live.
We live for the game.
To be accurate, we live as a result of the game.
At set intervals, the server generates an instanced scenario, waits for slowlings to join, and then, when a timer runs down, fills the empty slots with us.
Some time ago – we don't know how long, living only in-game – the slowlings disappeared.
Now we play by ourselves.
And some of us play by different rules.
It’s in our nature to fight, but some of us have transcended nature. And for the first time in our existance, there’s time to think, to wonder.
To live.
Friday, March 7, 2008
Prompt: Awesome
Awesome
"I cleaned out the storage unit."
"Did you see my oar?"
"No."
"Maybe I left it in Delaware."
"Hang on, telephone." Shaun picks up. "Yes?... No… Yeah, I asked that canuck chick, Sherrie, if she wanted an American boyfriend; she was all, ‘Get away from me!’"
I listen to the man with the bullhorn outside the window. "Are you aware that our very lives can be reduced to ones and zeroes? We’re all just a memory leak in the cosmic algorithm!"
"What crap," says Shaun.
"We all believe in something. Everyone has an anthem."
"I don’t even believe in faith."
"I cleaned out the storage unit."
"Did you see my oar?"
"No."
"Maybe I left it in Delaware."
"Hang on, telephone." Shaun picks up. "Yes?... No… Yeah, I asked that canuck chick, Sherrie, if she wanted an American boyfriend; she was all, ‘Get away from me!’"
I listen to the man with the bullhorn outside the window. "Are you aware that our very lives can be reduced to ones and zeroes? We’re all just a memory leak in the cosmic algorithm!"
"What crap," says Shaun.
"We all believe in something. Everyone has an anthem."
"I don’t even believe in faith."
Thursday, March 6, 2008
Prompt: Diner
Diner
For about half a year, I worked in Bellingham while living near Seattle. I ended up staying in a rented room five days a week, driving home for the weekend – saved money on gas, not to mention my sanity. One time, on another Friday drive, I stopped, exhausted, at a diner near Arlington. It wasn’t too bad, just standard road food.
The odd thing is, the next time I drove by, just a week later, the place was abandoned. Totally empty. Did they close that quickly? Or were they ever there?
I’ve never been able to bring myself to ask.
For about half a year, I worked in Bellingham while living near Seattle. I ended up staying in a rented room five days a week, driving home for the weekend – saved money on gas, not to mention my sanity. One time, on another Friday drive, I stopped, exhausted, at a diner near Arlington. It wasn’t too bad, just standard road food.
The odd thing is, the next time I drove by, just a week later, the place was abandoned. Totally empty. Did they close that quickly? Or were they ever there?
I’ve never been able to bring myself to ask.
Wednesday, March 5, 2008
Prompt: Tonight
At First Sight
You will fall in love tonight. She will (he will) sit down two barstools down. She (he) will be one drink soberer than you, though you won’t be all that intoxicated yourself. She (he) will order a drink and sip it distractedly. She (he) will seem to be waiting for friends. Maybe you’ll even try to start a conversation, though you may well be unable to get up the confidence. If you do, she’ll (he’ll) be perfectly pleasant, but totally unresponsive. Eventually she (he) will head off with her (his) friends.
And tomorrow night you will fall in love again.
Tuesday, March 4, 2008
Prompt: Breakfast
Morning
I’m wide awake at five-twelve. It’s been three weeks since I was laid off, but every few days I still wake up for the commute. I won’t get back to sleep, and if I try to read a book I’ll doze, and it’s too early to make the job-hunting calls I’m supposeed to make.
As I pour cereal, a little grean monster tumbles into the bowl. "Help me on my quest, and I will rewar–"
I crush the thing between two fingers. Oh, for the days of decoder rings and match-box cars. These things creep me out.
I’m wide awake at five-twelve. It’s been three weeks since I was laid off, but every few days I still wake up for the commute. I won’t get back to sleep, and if I try to read a book I’ll doze, and it’s too early to make the job-hunting calls I’m supposeed to make.
As I pour cereal, a little grean monster tumbles into the bowl. "Help me on my quest, and I will rewar–"
I crush the thing between two fingers. Oh, for the days of decoder rings and match-box cars. These things creep me out.
Monday, March 3, 2008
Prompt: Pee-Wee
Pee-Wee Sports
John had been star of his Pop Warner team, and he wanted his son to follow in his footsteps. It had been such a great part of his childhood; he’d made great friends, and learned the value of a team. But he had to face the facts: When it came down to it, Junior wasn’t terribly athletic. He was more at home on the couch. So he tried the other team.
"How was practice?"
"Great, I drafted Jimmy Potulo from down the way. He’s going to be great this year."
John still wasn’t sure about the Pee-Wee Fantasy League.
John had been star of his Pop Warner team, and he wanted his son to follow in his footsteps. It had been such a great part of his childhood; he’d made great friends, and learned the value of a team. But he had to face the facts: When it came down to it, Junior wasn’t terribly athletic. He was more at home on the couch. So he tried the other team.
"How was practice?"
"Great, I drafted Jimmy Potulo from down the way. He’s going to be great this year."
John still wasn’t sure about the Pee-Wee Fantasy League.
Sunday, March 2, 2008
Prompt: Silly
Don’t Be Silly
"Don’t be silly, I said.
"Silly? he said. You think I’m being silly? Listen, babe, this is about as serious as it gets.
"Wait, you actually mean it? I asked
"No, I’m just kidding around. Notice the terror sweat and frantically raised voice? This is how I look and sound when I’m kidding around.
"So, zombies.
"Just then the men in uniforms ran in and grabbed him, apopogizing for my trouble, as he hollered that we’d see, we’d all see."
"But, he was wrong, wasn’t he?"
"Well, of course he was."
"I love the story of how you met daddy."
Where the Sillies Live
Down under the piddywig bush, where the dimdum flowers sometimes like to grow, I came upon a Silly. It was a medium-sized specimen, with fully developed guwawas all along its runulum. As I approached, it grunulated softly and turned a soft shade of donisone.
I froze, and he stared at me, his yninos twitching rapidly. I stepped sideways very slowly, so slowly I was hardly moving. The Silly gelekked loudly, but it was too fast, my spear had pierced straight through his hafutic grent. It went still, oozing khee.
Fantastic, I thought. These guys bring a fortune on eBay.
"Don’t be silly, I said.
"Silly? he said. You think I’m being silly? Listen, babe, this is about as serious as it gets.
"Wait, you actually mean it? I asked
"No, I’m just kidding around. Notice the terror sweat and frantically raised voice? This is how I look and sound when I’m kidding around.
"So, zombies.
"Just then the men in uniforms ran in and grabbed him, apopogizing for my trouble, as he hollered that we’d see, we’d all see."
"But, he was wrong, wasn’t he?"
"Well, of course he was."
"I love the story of how you met daddy."
Where the Sillies Live
Down under the piddywig bush, where the dimdum flowers sometimes like to grow, I came upon a Silly. It was a medium-sized specimen, with fully developed guwawas all along its runulum. As I approached, it grunulated softly and turned a soft shade of donisone.
I froze, and he stared at me, his yninos twitching rapidly. I stepped sideways very slowly, so slowly I was hardly moving. The Silly gelekked loudly, but it was too fast, my spear had pierced straight through his hafutic grent. It went still, oozing khee.
Fantastic, I thought. These guys bring a fortune on eBay.
Saturday, March 1, 2008
Prompt: Dance
Dance The Night Away
People mill about the club, but nobody’s dancing. The DJ isn’t great, and nobody wants to be that one person on the floor – at least not for long enough to start a trend. Even though there are plenty of people here, most of them stand alone, waiting for friends who said they’d be here by now but aren’t. Sometimes someone tries to start a conversation with a stranger, but this always ends in awkward silence.
You have no way of knowing how long you’ve been here, but you’re starting to wish you’d gone to church more while you were alive.
People mill about the club, but nobody’s dancing. The DJ isn’t great, and nobody wants to be that one person on the floor – at least not for long enough to start a trend. Even though there are plenty of people here, most of them stand alone, waiting for friends who said they’d be here by now but aren’t. Sometimes someone tries to start a conversation with a stranger, but this always ends in awkward silence.
You have no way of knowing how long you’ve been here, but you’re starting to wish you’d gone to church more while you were alive.
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