Friday, June 7, 2013

92. Three Sentences About A Life


You are at work when the call comes you have been expecting it and your sister says you better get on the plane RIGHT NOW and you are like oh God this is it and the whole flight you are praying for her not to die you want her to at least live long enough that you can see her one more time and say goodbye at least say goodbye and apologize to her not for one specific thing but you guess for your entire relationship and you swear it is the longest flight ever and then when you get there and your brother picks you up he tells you how bad it really is and when you finally FINALLY get to the house she can barely breathe but she is alive still alive and talking a little bit and she totally knows who you are and you sit up with her all night even though the hospice nurse is there by this point and you get no sleep and the nurse says you should really consider giving her some morphine but your sister doesn’t want to and your brother does you are on the fence the whole thing is such a blur so fast and yet so slow and so many memories in that house too. 
Your mom dies five days later. 

You are there. 


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trifecta writing challenge/ tell a complete story in 3 sentences
 

Friday, May 24, 2013

91. The Chaperone


The field trip didn’t go well.  Sure, the kids loved the museum, but when we left for the school bus, bratty Travis fell and skinned his knees. 

I wish I hadn’t tripped him. 


MOV
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trifecta writing challenge/ 33 words/ a fiction piece about a "confession"

Friday, March 1, 2013

90. Bathroom Etiquette

When guests need the bathroom, I say it’s broken and I just called the plumber and he’s on the way.

It’s a lie.
The truth is, we haven’t cleaned the bathroom since 1997.


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trifecta writing challenge

Sunday, December 2, 2012

89. 33 words about rebellion and/ or revolt


"You can't make me!"  He slams the door behind him.  Gone for 10 minutes, seems like eternity. 

"I'm sorry, Mom."  Big words for an 8-year-old.  I brace myself for the teenage years ahead.   

MOV

trifecta challenge

Tuesday, October 23, 2012

88. POWER

EXT. BEACH DAYTIME, LIGHT RAIN

GOD, in the form of a man dressed in a white seersucker suit, holds a white umbrella and walks toward SATAN, also in the form of a man wearing a black tuxedo, carrying a black umbrella. 

                                      GOD
You’re early.  That’s a first. 

                                    SATAN
I wouldn’t want to be late for our meeting.    

                                      GOD
So … what’s with the tux? 

                                    SATAN
I’m celebrating.  It will be nice to have people worship me instead of despise me for a change. 

                                      GOD
                             (under his breath)
Don’t get your hopes up.  A lot of people despise me.    

                                     SATAN
Okay, let’s get down to business.  The swap won’t be for too long, just a thousand years this time.  You can do whatever you want. 

                                      GOD
Really?  You’re not going to micromanage me again?  None of this “Don’t make anything worse than it already is”? 

                                       SATAN
Worse?  You’re talking to me about worse?  Ha!  That’s rich.

                                       GOD
Well, what is your plan, exactly? 

                                      SATAN
Come on, G, I reread the contract and you know I don’t have to give you specifics. 

                                      GOD
Sure, Satan, I know.  I was just asking out of curiosity. 

                                     SATAN
I’m going to have fun with it.  Some good people are going to win the lottery.  A few diseases are going to go away. 

                                     GOD
You’re not as sinister as I thought. 

                                     SATAN
You? 

                                      GOD
Well, the people that really deserve to be punished and not forgiven, they’re going to be punished. 

                                     SATAN
Ouch.  Well, you do what you gotta do. 

                                      GOD
                                   (laughs)
I will.  I’m looking forward to it. 

                                    SATAN
Can you take it easy on the natural disasters though?  If I’m playing God, I don’t want to get blamed for that. 

                                     GOD
Who’s micromanaging whom? 

                                   SATAN
Come on, you know what I mean. 

                                    GOD
We’ll see. 

                                   SATAN
Is there anything else I should know? 

                                    GOD
                           (reaches in pocket)
Oh, yeah, I almost forgot.  Here are the keys to the other galaxies.  You might need to hire some people.
    
 
 
 
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Friday, October 19, 2012

87. Winners



When we met, you were married.  I wished for you.  I won. 

You met someone else.  She wished for you.  She won. 

I shot you dead.  I was acquitted.  Guess I win again.     
 
 
 
 
 
MOV
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trifecta writing challenge:  three wishes with high consequences (33 words)

Friday, October 12, 2012

86. My Brother

 
“On the count of three…”

Mom said to me,
I was bursting with excitement—
My brother ran
False start again
Tripping me as he went. 
 
 
 
“Ha! You’re beat!”
said his look,
But he’s a cheat
in my book.  
 
 
 
 
 
MOV
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trifecta writing challenge:  the prompt is "On the count of three"