The Inspiration:
A story:
It was a punishing summer, crops and townfolk fading under a relentless sun.
They rolled in with the dust at the edge of town with tents of gaudy gypsy color, crackling torchlight glinting off spangles. Hungry from our months of sun-leeched existence, their bazaar bewitched us.
Fried delicacies entranced the children, the menfolk sampling exotic drink, the women drawn to silks and potions of promise. A night of wild music and abandon.
I huddle in a root cellar listening to the fire and screams that consume the town. I write furiously in the dark, a witness to the approaching doom.
*********************
Now, your turn.
The light blazed from the singularly illuminated edifice. The barricades funneled us past it every night. Every pass was nearer to the entrance. Resistance waned with each step. “It looks so fun.” she’d say. “Just a little closer.” Gravity and evil, a pair with which it can be difficult to contend.
The candles danced on the back of her now empty chair. I am finally the last. As the smile started to erupt, I went to the once threatening maw and let the light and warmth completely engulf me. It was time at last to move on to the next.
A picture is worth at least 100 words. As you can see, I’m gobsmacked.
Hey, didj’a see that headline: “Clinton Foundation to refile 5 years of tax papers after errors emerge”?
Quite the passive voice clownshow, eh? Heh, “errors emerge”. That’s a good one. Just watch the gaping maw waiting for the errors to emerge.
Look, drown ’em.
Just chuck the olives in and drown ’em. Your choice of gin. Good. Now let’s have another. These suckers are sweet, aren‘t they? Well no, I don’t mean sugar sweet, you know, just plain oblivion sweet. They go down so easy — perfect accompaniment to watching the self-destruction of these greedy carnival barking bastards. Less Vermouth this time.
Limited Time Investment Offering!
Now You Too Can Own,
Your Very Own,
“Into The Mouth Of Madness” Franchise!!!
Exclusive Territories.
Call Now!
1-666-1313
[…] Denmark – Muslims Who Whipped Woman In Face With Iron Chains Laugh In Court Protein Wisdom: Friday Fiction – 100 Word Challenge Shot In The Dark: Let’s Try Some Free Association STUMP: Obamacare Tax Watch – News You […]
[…] Fiction picked up this week from Darleen at protein wisdom. Check out her story, which is certainly more harrowing than […]
In the root cellar I was delighted to stumble across several parsnips I’d plum forgotten about.
“Hey Debbie Jo lookit I found us some parsnips!”
“Oh blessed goddess,” said Debbie, who was an honest-to-God practicing wiccan. “That’s a mandrake rut!”
Del dropped that mandrake like it was a poisonous snake, and it scampered into the dark, chittering madly.
“Oh shit Debs we in a pickle. If the carny folk don’t get us that darn mandragora gonna be the death of us.”
“Don’t worry Del we be ok lemme have a swig of your fanta and I think up a stave.”
Had you considered submitting any of these? I get a real kick out of them and they seem appropriate for one of my favorite podcasts: Drabblecast.
http://www.drabblecast.org/
And now I feel like I’ve posted a rather ridiculous spam-looking comment as the first on this new account.
If you stick around and comment on other things — agree or disagree, as long as it’s in good faith — you can easily get over that feeling.
The people of Gotham City weren’t the sharpest knives in the drawer. All the Joker had to do was leave off his green hair and maniacal grin and hide his pointed nose with a clownish red bulb (how diabolically ironic!), and they would strut right in, cheerfully oblivious.
Even more wicked was that each person entering was only counted as they passed; when the count reached a certain quantity, that visitor was marked with a time-release formula of his lethal Grin Gas, a new random number would be chosen, and the counting begin again.
No one died near the trap.