Creative short stories... 4

[snotmare]

Who can make an interesting story from something that is usually considered boring and pointless?

Here is mine.

On my way to work this cool, but humid morning, I was stopped at an intersection when this little green bug attached itself to my windshield. Having been comforted by my new friend, Greg, I hoped that he wouldn't depart as I turned my corner and sped up to about 45 MPH. Amazingly enough, Greg felt the warmth of my presence and deemed my windshield worthy for at least a few more minutes despite the assumed struggle he was having against the terrible wind. I was still further amazed as I entered the on ramp to the highway that Greg didn't leave. 30 MPH, 35, 40. I saw Greg turn around, head into the wind, legs braced in a solid stance, back tilted as if he was ready to pounce - I knew with little doubt that Greg was getting the rollercoaster ride of a lifetime. Still, at 55 and 60 MPH, Greg had enough strength and audacity to enjoy this thrill. However, 65 MPH having been reached, Greg was gone. My only assumption was that this ride became too much for his poor, frail body, and that he found a new home spattered on the windshield of the truck behind me. Greg was no more, but at least he enjoyed his final moments in this life.


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He who has knowledge spares his words, and a man of understanding is of a calm spirit. Even a fool is counted wise when he holds his peace; when he shuts his lips, he is considered perceptive. - King Solomon

 

[UniqueFD]

There it was again; muffled, remote – a soft, purring sound. Unmistakable. My heart skipped a beat. I just had to find it – she would kill me if I’d lost her ‘precious’! Cold sweat stood on my brow as I cautiously swept the room. The last thing I wanted to do was stand on it – they are so small and delicate, so easy to miss. I was only trying to see what all the fuss was about, and now it was gone. Idiot!

I shuffled back and forth, trying to pinpoint the noise. It couldn’t be far – I’d only been in the lounge! It became slightly louder as I neared the sofa. “Just keep going – don’t stop”, I thought to myself. A little whimper escaped my lips as I began gently lifting the cushions. I couldn’t afford to lose the stupid thing. Not now. Not when she didn’t even know I’d been playing with it. She was so soppy – always gazing at it, that dozy, far-away look in her eyes. Girls! I knew what she’d be like: “What do you think you were doing!?” “Why were you even in my room?” “You had no business!” “It means everything to me – how could you!” I had only been curious, and now it was gone. Oh, will I be for it!

Finally! The source of my anguish! It had managed to worm it’s way under the sofa – how did it get there? No matter – I’d found it! Relief flooded through my body and my eyes became misty. It was over! With trembling hands I gently lifted it from it’s hiding place, and I couldn’t help a smile as a tremor ran through it's tiny frame. Shakily I turned it over and scanned for any signs of trauma. No – no damage done.

The tremoring stopped and I looked at it’s tiny face. Eventually my eyes focussed and I saw: 'You have two missed calls'.


Tony
___________________________________________________
Reckless words pierce like a sword,
but the tongue of the wise brings healing (Solomon)

 

[sbudzynski]

nice tony i like it


----------

Steve Budzynski


"So, pass another round around for the kids. Who have nothing left to lose and for those souls old and sold out by the soles of my shoes"

 

[UniqueFD]

Thanks, Steve. It was a nice change from number-crunching ;-)

Tony
___________________________________________________
Reckless words pierce like a sword,
but the tongue of the wise brings healing (Solomon)

 

[sbudzynski]

Is writing a hobby of yours?

Because that was pretty good!

And by pretty I mean better then I could ever imagine to write!

----------

Steve Budzynski


"So, pass another round around for the kids. Who have nothing left to lose and for those souls old and sold out by the soles of my shoes"

 

[UniqueFD]

I read a fair bit, but no, I don't write as a hobby. Perhaps I should?! I often think about it and concoct grand schemes for stories when I'm cycling to work, or at other times feel the creative urge.

The problem is, I know what I'm like. I'm great at starting things, having inspired ideas, developing theories (and spotting obscure solutions to problems, or ecouraging the best out of others, as an aside). But, I'm dismal at finishing tasks! I just about managed to get to the end of the few paragraphs above - lol.

I do love words, though. I suppose that's what draws me to MAI - expanding my repertoire and refining my skill in 'wordcraft'. Don't you think it's amazing? You can paint pictures, draw feelings and emotions from a reader, incite anger, rage, or the deepest sympathy, all on the blank canvass of the imagination. (Blah, blah, blah - I will wax lyrical all day, if I'm allowed )

Anyway, thanks for the encouraging words, Steve.

(And Snotmare for the opportunity. Hey, here's an idea: someone suggest a 'boring' subject for others to have a stab at! What do you think?)

Tony
___________________________________________________
Reckless words pierce like a sword,
but the tongue of the wise brings healing (Solomon)

 

[SilentAiche]

Tony,

Please keep writing, whether your friends at TT see it or not (and I hope we do).

No puns from me this time - just a compliment. You craft words the way I'd like to.

Tim

[blue]________________________________________________________
"To be rather than to seem" - Official Motto of the State of North Carolina[/blue]

 

[gbaughma]

I almost weeped...poor Greg.

It's just a flesh wound!

I feel happy! I feel happy!

(You're not fooling anyone you know! You'll be stone dead in a moment!)

(and yes, I know I was mixing scenes.... but it *was* the same movie, and it *was* the first thing that popped into my mind when I read "poor Greg")



Just my 2¢

"In order to start solving a problem, one must first identify its owner." --Me
--Greg

 

[snotmare]

Hey UniqueFD, excellent story! I'll give you a star in a sec. I like your idea also, about someone posing posing a boring topic, and others coming up with a short story. Perhaps we could do a contest of some sort?

Since CajunCenturion is the mod here, I'd like to give him the opportunity to run with this idea if he likes.

Otherwise, I think it'd be awsome to start a new thread or more, each with a separate new boring topic. Then people can post their stories and vote on the best ones. I suppose after a few weeks or something we'll see who has the most stars in that thread?


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He who has knowledge spares his words, and a man of understanding is of a calm spirit. Even a fool is counted wise when he holds his peace; when he shuts his lips, he is considered perceptive. - King Solomon

 

[j0ckser]

I spent most of last year delivery large non-airbrake vehicles cross a good chunk of north america. This from one such trip. I was eastbound on I57 from Tulsa to Indianapolis, and eventually north to the border crossing at Port Huron/Sarnia. It was June.


lovely day, light traffic.

...

isn't this tornado alley? hmmm. what time of year do they hit? about now? hmmmm.

...

light cloud cover. no danger there... what's that? the small bulge under that cloud... to the north maybe 3-4 miles. just keep an eye on it. i'm doing 65... should be able to outrun it. never seen a tornado for real - don't want to. people who chase them are certifiable.

...

no change...still nothing. no rain under it. not really moving.

...

still no change. well past it now.

per ardua ad astra

 

[donbott]

Cool Gray Eyes



I leaned on the counter behind me and tried to stare down her cool gray eyes. “This is 2006 dammit, we should have had this figured out by now. Why do you ask the same question every single time I see you?

Those cool gray eyes closed a bit and her hand went to her hip. “It’s not that big a deal. Do you know how many others I’ve asked? Suppose I told you it was dozens, hundreds maybe. Would you feel so special then? Would You? It’s a big world outside those doors. Check it out sometime.

“I’m not just thinking about me, but about all the people who are behind me. Some who follow might say “It’s not my bag”, but it is my bag. I feel like I’m carrying the weight of the world. I know the sins of the timber companies that raze our planet, I can feel the greed of the petrochemical conglomerates as they push their products on us”. I toyed with the idea of lighting a cigarette for a dramatic pause. “None of it will last forever, don’t you see? It’s time to make the tough choices”

I wanted the cigarette but she was smoking “Follow You? No one would follow you. If you turned around to look at the people behind you you’d see them looking for an exit, any exit, and regretting that they wound up here in the first place.” I swear she absolutely spat those words at me.

It always seems to wind up like this. Maybe it would be better if I just went somewhere else and never had to deal with her again. But if it wasn’t her it would be someone else, someone just like her but without those cool gray eyes. I decided today wasn’t the day to make a stand.

“Paper please, and I’ll take this copy of TV Guide.”


DonBott
Chairman
Omnipitence, Ltd.

 

[Trevoke]

Where are they? Where are they? Oh, this is going to drive me insane. I can't deal with this. I have things to do.
Where are they? Where are they? I hate it when this happens, one moment of inattention and they disappear like swallows in the autumn. It's always when you least expect it, though, I mean, at least swallows have a timetable.
Where are they? Where are they? I've looked everywhere that made sense. It's always in the last pocket, except today, and obviously they're not in the room.
Where are they? Where are they? Where ARE -- THEY? Oh, now I'm really annoyed and I can't search well anymore. I'll have to do without for today.
Where.... Look at that mirror. My glasses are on my nose.

"That time in Seattle... was a nightmare. I came out of it dead broke, without a house, without anything except a girlfriend and a knowledge of UNIX."
"Well, that's something," Avi says. "Normally those two are mutually exclusive."
-- Neal Stephenson, "Cryptonomicon"

 

[donbott]

Trevoke - nice one. I've only worn glasses for a year and I'ts happening to me.

DonBott
Chairman
Omnipitence, Ltd.

 

[jebenson]

I know that this is not helping. But try telling that to my hindbrain, the little million-year-old reptile that lives at the back of my skull. He thinks that watching it will make it go faster. Right now I just don't have the wherewithal to put up a fight. So I give in, and I stare.

Come on, come on, COME ON! It's never taken this long before. I check the clock...2 minutes since I last looked. I could be doing something else, something that will make the time seem to pass more quickly. I could...ah, who am I kidding? There's really nothing else I want more than this right now.

I try looking away, but I can still hear.

How did it come to this? How did I end up here? Maybe, just maybe, I should try something else. Break this habit, this albatross I wear as if it is the finest of fashions. But it doesn't really hurt anything. And I like it.

Ah, rationalization...the one thing that truly separates us from the animals.

Look at clock. Only another minute?!?

I am going to die, I just know...

FINALLY!

Pour me a cup of coffee, NOW!!

I used to rock and roll every night and party every day. Then it was every other day. Now I'm lucky if I can find 30 minutes a week in which to get funky. - Homer Simpson

Arrrr, mateys! Ye needs ta be preparin' yerselves fer Talk Like a Pirate Day! Ye has a choice: talk like a pira

 

[UniqueFD]

Excellent! I'm really enjoying this thread. Thanks, jebenson, donbott and Trevoke for some inspired writing and ideas.

Tony
___________________________________________________
Reckless words pierce like a sword,
but the tongue of the wise brings healing (Solomon)

 

[snotmare]

Such a soft and soothing voice has never pleasured my ears and touched the soul as the voice I listened to now. I hung on every word, my mouth gaped open, drool beginning to flow; I could not break the trance that I had so willingly entered.

Her voice has always been available to me, ready to speak, but never listening. If ever I needed someone to talk with, her reliability and never failing sweet voice was too much of a temptation to just turn away. Though she would not listen to my cares or concerns, I found my satisfaction in nothing more than dreaming of a face that would match her tones. Tender, smooth, and lustrous were my thoughts. Any woman with a voice such as hers would definitely be beauty pageant eligible.

The one and only thing I dreaded about her voice was that soon my time with her must end. Concentrating on every last word that it may pierce my long-term memory, sweat of worry dripped from my nose as I knew her final words were close. Though, I knew in the back of my mind that ever I need this pleasure again, her voice is never failing. Finally and regrettably, those last words came like final drops in my waterfall of passion. Having put those words in memory where all of my fondest of memories go, I recited those final words with her...

"Press 2 if you still need to speak with a technician."


---------------------
He who has knowledge spares his words, and a man of understanding is of a calm spirit. Even a fool is counted wise when he holds his peace; when he shuts his lips, he is considered perceptive. - King Solomon

 

[sbudzynski]

Tony look at what you've started, I love the surprise endings!

----------

Steve Budzynski


"So, pass another round around for the kids. Who have nothing left to lose and for those souls old and sold out by the soles of my shoes"

 

[bekibutton]

On the subject of surprise endings I thought I'd tell you about a story I wrote for a SAT (standard assessment test at school), when I was about 14.

I can't remember the question on the test but my response was to start a diary type format that sounded like the person writing was in hospital or prison or something similar. At the end I revealed that it was in fact a family's new puppy who was in quarantine after flying in from another country. I managed to get a level 8 pass on that when I was only supposed to be able to get grades in the 5 - 7 range.

I'll get practising again at some point and see if I can come up with a short story for the thread. The ones so far have been entertaining!

 

[UniqueFD]

Tony
___________________________________________________
Reckless words pierce like a sword,
but the tongue of the wise brings healing (Solomon)

 

[jrbarnett]

I know its a bit late, but here's a short one.
The idea came into my head walking home from work earlier today:

"Bill, you sure we've got everything we can out of her?,"

"Yes Max, definitely. Every single last tidbit of information. We won't get anything else from her now."

"So Bill, before we do the deadly deed, what do you say we have a little bit of fun beforehand?"

"Nah, Max, lets get it over and done with. Its a shame we have to do this really. She's a real beauty and has done a lot of good work for us over the last few years."

"You're right, lets get this over with. I don't like this either, but times move on and she's no longer any use to us."

And with that, they walked into the data centre, found the server in question, ejected the backup tape, put it carefully in its box, then gave the 10 year old box its final shutdown.

John

 

[gbaughma]

He opened his office and turned on the light, looking around at the mess from the day before. "I'll have to clean soon, before the boss comes in and comments on it." Moving towards his desk, he sees the red light at the corner of his phone, indicating that once again someone had tried to reach him when he wasn't available. "What is it this time," he wondered, as he pressed the small round button indicating "VoiceMail".

The voice of Sandy Simmons burst to life through the speaker phone. "Please enter your personal security code" said the soothing voice. He deftly entered the digits, as he had hundreds of times before. "You have one new message. The message is..." He listened as the user explained that he had once again locked himself out of his account.

He moved the mouse skillfully until it reached the icon that looked like a phone book, expertly double-clicking it to launch the program he had come to know oh so well. As the list of users populated his computer screen, he thought to himself "at least twice a day... will they *never* pay attention to what they're doing?"

He scrolled down until he saw the target he was looking for, and once again with a quick double-click, all of the personal information about the user was displayed before him. He clicked on the "Account" tab, and his eyes quickly focused on the checkbox that was the bane of his existance. One more quick click, and "Account locked out" was cleared. The user was on his way to once more being a productive cog in the complex mechanism of the company.



Just my 2¢

"In order to start solving a problem, one must first identify its owner." --Me
--Greg

http://parallel.tzo.com