A Trying Endeavor

Octoberville

 It was a trying endeavor. A man sitting on a beam, working up high. No ropes, an emptiness below him. Just sitting there and hammering away. But she took that photograph, plus the one with the buildings. Her father had told her that those two represented the company's prestige. A man dangling, hammering away for a pittance, building the company's prestige. The pride of the family. When her father died, she took those photographs and burned them. Yes, she got rid of the company's prestige, and she got rid of her family. It was a trying endeavor. Freedom's never easy.

100 Word Stories

George was a Pirate

Then this happens...

100 Word Stories

.... and I smile.

Potato Eyes

 

Octoberville

Don't say that. Don't put it there. Don't look that way. Don't, don't. Didn't I tell you not to...

I am sick of it. And I want to move on.

But she grabbed my ankle and her hand was a shackle. She drags herself through the mud and she doesn't let go.

I knew I would... Yes, die, say it, say it, die.

She would never let go. Never.

Don't throw that away.

The potatoes? Potato eyes. The potatoes have eyes. The potatoes have...

And I throw it away, I throw everything away.

The eyes, the will, and the soul.

100 Word Stories

Split

 

Octoberville

The show is about to start.

And she laughed and laughed.

The stage was empty, but she laughed and laughed.

I just sat there, my mind filled with perplexity.

She waved her arms and laughed and laughed.

I sank in my chair. What could I do but wait for the show to start?

And I waited and waited.

That's when I realized that she had her own stage. In her mind. Everyone owed her attention, a lot of attention. She was the show. And she thought everyone knew that.

When no one clapped, she stopped laughing. Hate. She hated everyone.

100 Word Stories

Riot of Color

 

Octoberville

Out of the blue, he jumped from behind the giant canvas. Sword swallowing. A daring exhibition. He had to practice, right? "Almost caught red-handed," he mumbled. And when they asked him questions, he chuckled. "Oh, it wasn't me, officer." And they believe him, because he told them a harmless little white-lie. The officer grinned. But then he was given two days to leave the circus... Why?! Making a random passer-by swallow a sword hardly seemed a good enough reason to be fired. The said passer-by vanished into thin air, true. But still. Well, their loss. A daring exhibition no more.

100 Word Stories

Old Videos

 

Octoberville

"Come on. It's starting," I said. Old videos and popcorn!

But... I had forgotten. Our old videos don't go with popcorn. They go with sorrow.

"Say cheese for the camera," they would say cheerfully.

We never did, no.

"Don't be so grumpy all the time, you two."

We were kids. We weren't grumpy. We weren't stupid. We weren't shitheads. We were just kids.

Memory is such a trickster, isn't it? It erases everything.

And here I was, in front of the TV, a bowl full of popcorn on my lap.

I wanted to cry, but I had no tears left.

100 Word Stories