This isn’t my strongest piece and considering that I’ve been bad sick all week I probably should have stayed in bed and left well enough alone.
Yea, right.
This is also an experiment. I’m decent at description but wanted to try doing something in pure dialog to see if I could carry a story that way.
Anyway here is my September 18th #fridayflash. Please comment below!
This entry was written by , posted on September 18, 2009 at 5:35 pm, filed under Fiction, Science Fiction and tagged #fridayflash, Fiction. Leave a comment or view the discussion at the permalink.
He sat watching the television.
It wasn’t on but that hardly mattered since he wouldn’t really be able to pay attention to it anyway.
The pills were starting to take effect. It wasn’t much, just enough to make him feel just a little drowsy and woozy. The world had taken on a bit of a glowing haze. He had just began to realize he wasn’t able to really focus on anything.
The realization that he had passed the point of no return hit him slowly. He was past the point where, if he called the police right now they would never arrive in time. The thought was pleasing, but he didn’t smile.
He had read somewhere that people who left notes were simply crying out for help, but he had left one anyway, not wanting his family and friends to live in doubt and wonder. He wanted them to know why. Wanted them to know he had simply reached the point where he couldn’t deal with anything anymore. Wanted them to know he had simply given up. He wasn’t sure how they would take or deal with it, but it wasn’t something he would have to worry about.
So he had the note. He had purchased and taken 2 bottles of the pills. It hadn’t been easy, especially the last half of the second bottle, it had hurt badly, his throat being raw from all the swallowing.
The room was rented through the end of the month, but he was sure someone would look for him in a day or two. If nothing else, to find out why he hadn’t been to work.
The feel of the room changed again. It had gotten darker but the light hadn’t changed, almost like the sun had passed behind a cloud. Slowly he realized there were only minutes left before he wouldn’t be able to keep his eyes open any longer. Not much longer after that and all his worries and problems would cease.
He leaned his head back in the chair, partially surprised he still had that ability and closed his eyes. The world swan for just a second and settled in around him.
He took a deep breath. And let go.
***********************************
He walked steadly down the sidewalk. He patted his coat pocket to make sure he hadn’t left anything behind. The timing had to be precise but it helped that he knew exactly where he was going and exactly what to do, after all he had been here and done it before. Well, HE hadn’t actually done it, but it had been done and he had done it.
The circumstances ran circles in his mind, threatening to confuse him again even though he had a firm grasp on what will and had happened. As he approached the door he reached into his back pocket and removed the room key.
He slipped the plastic card into the slot and waited for the door to click. Carefully he turned the knob and stopped, glanced at his watch and he waited. He counted to himself and when he reached a number that satisfied him, he pushed into the room.
The room wasn’t dark, but it wasn’t exactly light either. It reminded him of a sunny day when the sun was behind a cloud. He again smiled. Glancing around the room he saw the other sitting in the chair by the window just as he remembered, the empty pill bottles on the nightstand next to him.
Again he patted his coat pocket then, satisfied that everything was in place, he reached in and pulled out a syringe. He removed the cap and held the needle straight up in the air and pushed the plunger, removing all the excess air, just as he had seen in the movies. Again the smile.
Slowly he walked over to the figure in the chair, pulled up his right sleeve and plunged the needle into his arm.
When it was empty he replaced the cap and stuffed the syringe back into his pocket and waited.
He wasn’t impatient or nervous, he knew what would happen. It had happened already so there really was very little mystery.
Slowly the other’s eyelids fluttered and he woke slowly.
“Wha… where am I?
“Still in the hotel room.”
He smiled as the other started at him and squinted trying to focus.
“Don’t worry,” he told the other “everything will be fine. “
“I don’t want to live!”
“Yes, you do. You just don’t know it yet.”
“What happened?”
He laughed to himself, “I saved you. “
“Who… who are you?”
“No one.”
“I’m confused.”
“Yes, you would be. You won’t remember this conversation for a while, but you will live. Things will change and they will get better. ” he said watching the other struggle to grasp hold of reality and as the medication began to take effect.
“You can’t know that. No one can.”
“I do. I know it for a fact.”
“How?”
“I can’t tell you that.” he said as he turned his back to the figure in the chair and smiled again.
“I can tell you that Ray will be here in about 10 minutes and that the drug I gave you will never show up on any toxicology reports. It will appear to others as though he arrived in time to save you.
“Ray left this morning for New York.”
“No, I cancelled his flight and set it up so that he can’t leave until tomorrow. The details are unimportant right now.”
He walked over to the door, opened it and started out.
“I don’t understand!” cried the chair bound figure.
Pausing he looked back at him still in the grip of the medication he had given him.
“You’ll receive a letter in about 15 years explaining everything. It will take you another 5 years to accomplish your goal.”
“How do you know that!”
He reached into his other back pocket and pulled out a worn looking envelop, “Because you did.”
This entry was written by , posted on September 9, 2009 at 9:26 pm, filed under Fiction and tagged #fridayflash, 2009, Fiction. Leave a comment or view the discussion at the permalink.
Apparently there is a discussion going around in some circles about whether or not kids books should be labeled for content. It’s a tricky argument for me because on the one hand I think they (and in fact all books) should have them. I don’t want to read a book that is heavily laced with violence and pornography and if I see that on the back cover of a book, I might not pick it up where I mgith have before but then thrown it out (or donated it, back off) before I got to far in because it wasn’t my thing.
On the other hand, I don’t know of anyone else qualified enough to tell *me* what I will or won’t like. None of the Amazon, or Netflix ‘guesses’ having gotten it right and while I realize those are computer generated, I’m not sure a human will be much better.
A big sticking point for me is the fact that some people are arguing that it isn’t censorship to put a YA-14 label or “WARNING: NUDITY” label on a book or movie, or TV show.
It is censorship pure and simple, no matter how you try to argue it.
Why?
Because *someone else* gets to decide whats appropriate for you and your kids. Who says that having circumstance X and Y in a book means it’s PG-14 or whatever. I know some very mature 12 year olds that can handle certain things like violence and drug abuse in a book or movie better than some 20 year olds I know. Hell, I know some 5 year olds that can deal with some things better than I can at 38!
And guess what, even if *I* read a book and decided that other books like it aren’t the kind I want to read I’m censoring myself. For example Danielle Steele. Can’t stand them. Don’t ever want to read another one even though the last one I read was close to 20 years ago
To me it all smacks of the games they make kids play today where no kid loses, or they lower the requirements for passing a test or getting into something so that ‘Johnny won’t get left behind’ Guess what, those kids will be ill equipped for dealing with real life where there are winners and losers, and people DO get left behind.
God forbid parents should take an active role in knowing what their kids do, watch and read. You don’t have to read *every* book, or watch *every* show, but knowing what Dora is like, or checking out a Harry Potter book or movie once in a while isn’t going to kill you.
This entry was written by , posted on at 1:56 pm, filed under Life and tagged books, childrens, content, games, movies, ratings, responsibility. Leave a comment or view the discussion at the permalink.
I was determined, come hell or high water (as my grandma use to say) to use some form of ‘skitter’ in this.
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Harley sat and waited.
He continued to sit, and continued to wait but now added ‘glare’ to his action list. He had considered simply staring but glare had more menace and considering that as a Silky Terrier he was taller sitting than standing it made more sense to glare and sit. It hadn’t moved for several minutes, teasing him. He remained perfectly still, only his hair moved now and again blowing in the occasional breeze.
Suddenly it twitched! A slight wind was starting up again so it made sense that it would move, but he had to be on his guard in case it decided that was the perfect chance to escape.
Carefully, he raised his back haunches and shifted, with extreme care, into a position more suitable for stalking.
Slowly he lifted his left forepaw. No movement. He slowly extended it out in front of him and shifted his weight slightly. Still no movement. Carefully, oh so very carefully, and slowly, he lowered it again and shifted his weight forward more.
A twitch.
Harley froze.
Had he been seen? Did it know he was there? Should he pounce now? It was too far away to get to in a single jump, but it might be possible in two.
The breeze came again. A double twitch!
He crept forward a tad faster now.
Suddenly the wind gusted faster, lifting it into the air. It was escaping!
Harley gave chase.
It drifted upward slowly, just out of leaping range. He was about to give up when the wind died a little and it sank back to earth, skittering across the ground.
He sped up and just as it began to lift into the air again when the wind picked up he pounced.
He grabbed it securely between in his teeth, lifted his foot to free it, turned and trotted back to the porch with his head held high and a grin on his face as he carried the yellow candy wrapper.
This entry was written by , posted on September 4, 2009 at 9:56 am, filed under Fiction, Fun and tagged #fridayflash, dogs, Fiction, Fun, harley. Leave a comment or view the discussion at the permalink.