Today’s 100 Words:
Welcome to talk radio. You’re on the air.
My entry:
“And, line three, Steve – you’re on ‘Midnight Truth!’”
“Hi, Dan, long-time listener, first-time caller.”
“What’s on your mind, Steve?”
“Global Warming, Dan. I think it’s aliens, maybe the Grays. That way they could destroy the economy, human civilization, make us defenseless. Maybe just to keep us locked on Earth.”
”An interesting theory,” Dan said, cutting off the call. He looked beyond the glass. His broodmate was already comming the intervention saucer, reading off the reverse-Caller ID address from her monitor.
Dan smiled, toothily. “Let’s see if anyone else out there thinks Steve’s hypothesis makes sense. Our number once again …”
Print
100 Words theme:
The car won’t start …
My entry:
“What’s the matter?”
“The car won’t start.”
“What do you mean, it won’t start.”
“Pretty much what I think I said. It. Won’t. Start.”
“Are you turning the key far enough?”
“I believe I’ve started this car enough times to know how, in fact, to do it. And, yes, turning the key is part of that, which is why it’s what I tried first.”
“Okay, sorry. Is the battery dead?”
“I don’t know. Maybe the alternator has a problem.”
“Do we need to call someone?”
“No, I think all those SWAT guys over there will probably take care of it.”
Print
Today’s 100 Word topic:
A bolt, a colt, and a dolt.
My entry:
He turned the door knob. It turned cleanly, but when he pulled, the door didn’t open.
“The hell?” Len muttered, and tried it again. Same thing. He tried it four or five more times.
“Dammit.” He set the can of malt liquor down, put both hands on the knob. It turned freely, but the door still wouldn’t open.
He tried pushing the door instead. Nope. “Naw, that’d just be stupid.”
Len shouted, “Honey! Damn door won’t open again.”
Kari’s tired voice drifted from the kitchen. “Did you open the second lock this time?”
Oh. “Yeah, that’s got it. Thanks, sweetie.”
Print
100 Words Theme:
He was the luckiest guy in the world.
My entry:
“Let’s see.” The angel ran a quill pen along the page of the lengthy tome. “Hmmm, yes. You tripped over a skateboard, smashed your knee on a fire hydrant, staggered into the street, were hit by a car, thrown thirty feet, landed in the broken glass in the middle of the avenue, caused a major accident, in which the car that came to rest atop you burst into flames, killing you after two agonizing, screaming minutes. You were very lucky, Mr. Forester.”
“What? You call that lucky?”
Then the angel told him what would have happened had he lived.
Print
100 Words topic:
If I only had a …
My entry:
“Brain!” Jay said, grinning madly.
Dominic looked up, realizing he’d been talking aloud. “No, that wasn’t it.”
“Heart!”
Dominic pondered a moment, then shook his head. “Close, but …”
“Courage!”
“If I only had a courage? That doesn’t even make sense. And, no more Oz, okay?”
Jay continued cutting. “Soul!”
Dominic stopped. He looked at the bodies, some tied in chairs, others lying in pools on the floor. “Huh. Yeah, maybe.” He got back to work.
After a few moments, Jay said. “Way back home to Kansas!”
Dominic glowered. “Just keep it up, I’ll kick your ass over the rainbow.”
Print
Today’s 100 Words theme:
This is the special tour.
My entry:
“On your left,” the guide pointed out, “you’ll see your senior year high school prom.”
“Oh, God,” Carter said, trying not to look, failing.
“Out of fashion tux, check. Large pimple on nose, check. And, yes, those were her feet. Again.”
Carter had thought himself beyond still blushing, but was not.
“Next, the parking lot you chose for a post-prom tête-à-tête. Classy. And here we see Jennifer discussing the evening with her friends. Ah, mirth and merriment.”
Carter tore his gaze away, only to see –
“Ah. Now on our right, we have your first day at college …”
Print
100 Words:
An unusual animal.
My entry:
They bowed their heads.
“Oh, what a work is man,” intoned Zack, closing his eyes.
“How noble in reason,” added Sara, softly.
“How infinite in faculties, in form and moving how express and, um, admirable,” Thomas said. His memory was never very good for these sorts of things.
“In action, how like an angel, in apprehension how like a god,” Zack continued. Reverence breathed through his words, quiet, still.
“The beauty of the world,” Sara agreed, nodding.
“The paragon of animals.” Thomas concluded.
“Right, that’s that. Pass a bit more of him over, would you?” Zack asked. “And the mustard.”
[click to continue…]
Print
100 Words:
“Earth? Never heard of it.”
My entry:
“Earth? Never heard of it.”
“Queer little world in Sector 47. Dihydrox-carbon biology, main tool users have recently discovered atomic theory and how to send out crude robot probes, though they’re socio-politically a mess.”
“No wonder I’ve never heard of it.”
“Your race is lucky. They’ve been polluting certain wave-bands something awful the last twelve rotations, and it’s your job to do something about it.”
“Any suggestions?”
“Well, either give them a tech boost so that they use the sub-bands, or telepathy, or advance beyond mass broadcast culture. Either that, or extinct them.”
“Swell. Anything else?”
“Don’t drink the water. You’ll explode.”
Print
100 Words:
“I wrote you a love song …”
My entry:
“I wrote you a love song.”
She glanced up from her book in surprise. “You did?”
“Yeah, it’s not very good.” He stood up, cleared his throat, and croaked out a few lines. His voice wasn’t strong, his pitch wavered, his sense of rhythm was occasional, and the lyrics were — well, there weren’t any poets laureate out there worrying.
He trailed off, looking at her, watching her face. “It, um, it’s not very good, I guess. Maybe if I could play guitar or something –”
She smiled at him, got up, and took his hands. “Enough with the love singing. Let’s start with the love dancing.”
Print
100 Words:
There’s an elf at your front door.
My entry:
I opened the front door to the polite knock. The creature there was fair of visage, softly glowing in the afternoon light, luminescent of skin and shimmering of hair. Also, frowning of face.
“Yes?” I asked of the elf.
He nodded. “I am Elenthel, son of Almithrien of Gildarion. My comrades and I –”
I looked past him. Along the sidewalk was a small party on foot and ahorse, similarly with the glowy and shimmer. I waved. They looked gravely back.
“– well, we were wondering. We’ve been walking, sailing, processing into the West, for ages untold.”
“Yes?”
“Well — are we there yet?”
Print
