Unlimited Credit The check came. “I’ll get this one.” “Oh, you will, eh? Which ‘you’?” “Let’s see. Do they take Mastercard?” “Use one of the visas.” “Here’s one: Randall James.” “That’s a platinum card. Save that for something big.” “How about this one: Adelbert Hanspeter.” “What?!” “What’s wrong?” “That’s my grandfather.” “Maybe it’s someone with…
Tag: drabble
A Bunch of Triangles
A Bunch of Triangles “What were you thinking?” I blushed. “It was an art project, sir.” “Art? What about the Prime Directive? We do not interfere with cultures that haven’t made extraterrestrial contact.” “It was just a bunch of triangles . . .” “Yeah, 500-foot-tall triangles! That’s not going to go unnoticed!” “It was mostly…
The Devil Missed His Connecting Flight to Georgia
The Devil Missed His Connecting Flight to Georgia Harry was taking a walk when a morose imp approached him. “Hey,” it said listlessly. “You want to have a competition? If I win, I get your soul.” “What if I win?” Harry asked. “You get this aluminum kazoo. It’s a kazoo competition.” “Shouldn’t it at least…
The Origins of Brownyz
The Origins of Brownyz
The Sum of All Games
The Sum of All Games The field below is an undulating Rorschach test, ten thousand overlapping players forming ever-shifting patterns of dramatic wins and crushing defeats. Death has freed me from the shackles of linear time but by concentrating, I can distill individual events. The Champion’s memorial is nearest, the crowd standing silently for their…
Nowoman’s Land
Nowoman’s Land Her arthritic fingers ached as she laid kindling in the fireplace, checking for moisture. The surrounding bomb-blasted houses provided plenty of wood, but most was wet, which made smoke. Smoke spotted from her chimney would mean certain death. She was boiling water when she heard a crash. She crouched, peering out. Below, three…
Circling Back
Circling Back The project was simple: a group picture where each artist painted one square of a picture. I gave John the middle since he was our virtuoso. The outside came together quickly. I started emailing. Tactfully. Hi John, just wanted follow up about the bridge picture . . . John, just circling back about…
The One Labor of Jordan
The One Labor of Jordan Jordan now understood why Lena said that her father was mythologically old school. “Three things you gotta do to date my daughter,” Mr. Iraklidis said, holding up sausage-like digits. “Hey, it usta be twelve. First, clean the cellar steps.” But Jordan could go mythological too. He had no river to…
Tethered
Tethered “Come on, it’s New Year’s.” Maria’s tone was pleading. “Show off those new cybers. Put my dancing to shame with your robot legs.” My new upgrades let me bench press 800 pounds and run a 3-minute mile, but I couldn’t afford good batteries. The club said its wireless electricity for fully T6 but what…
The Green-Walled Treehouse 