Both stories are barely one Word doc page long, so more of a challenge than I thought it'd be. Anyway, here is story #1:
“Colony ship!”
David
and Billy both turn to look at James, Billy’s older brother. James rarely says two words together. He hardly ever
really talks at all in front of David, actually, and when he says anything, it’s usually just one random
word, barked out at no one/nothing in particular. You could never meet his gaze, James. On account of him being an autistic savant or something like that,
and with a kind of Tourette’s thrown in for good measure. And while he didn’t swear much, when he did
bark out his words (or the rare word pair), he made them kind of sound like a swear word, if you know
what I mean. I ask Billy, “Did you tell
him we just started a unit on the Mayflower colony ship?”
Billy
hit pause on his Xbox controller. “You
know what? I didn’t.”
We both
look at James, who, of course won’t look us in the eye. He just kind of rolls his head like a blind
person. Only he can see.
“Gold!”
Billy
says, “I think it was just random.” I’m
not so sure, and I say so. Billy rolls
his eyes, “Come on, David, what do you think he snuck after us to school like
some kind of”
“Spy!”
We both
look at James again, and I know both our mouths are hanging open. Then Billy kind of shakes his head and says, “He’s
done that before. Finished someone’s
sentence. But we still don’t know if he knows exactly
what we’re talking about.”
“It’s
kind of weird,” David murmurs, looking at James out of the corner of his eye.
“Come
on, dude, you’ve known him for three years now.
Get over it.”
“Architecture!”
David
sort of shakes his head and scoffs. “Whatever.” He and Billy go back to the Xbox, but David
continues thinking. Man, three years, he’s
right. But he still creeps me out. I
mean, I feel sorry for the guy, and all, but still. Especially since he won’t ever say my name
even though I know he knows it coz Billy says he uses all his family’s names
and sometimes even talks with them. But
all I ever hear is “Farm!” “Alliance!” “Island!” And it’s annoying coz you want him
to explain if they mean anything. I
mean, why does he pick the random stuff he does? And what about like today with us at school
starting on the Mayflower….it’s like that time his older sister came home from
college and was going to tell Billy’s family she was getting married and James
said “Wedding!” right when she was getting ready to tell and NONE of them knew
besides her and she started crying and said James ruined her surprise and he
didn’t even seem to be aware. It’s
creepy.
It’s later. David is leaving. He and Billy played for another two hours and
all David heard from James was, “Revolt!” and “Culture!” David is jogging across Billy’s lawn. He lives right across the street from, and is
already thinking about what he’s going to eat when he hears, incredibly, coming
from James, “David!” And he turns to see
the drunk driver bearing down on him.
And here is story #2.
“When’s the Colony ship?”
Mr.
Gold swivels, cocks his head. “The same
time it always does, Mr. Silver, why
do you ask?”
Mr.
Silver chitters, rubbing his nose with glee.
“You’re so easy, Mr. Gold! We
better hope the other colony doesn’t have a spy!”
Mr. Gold
makes a clicking sound. “Hah! Those uncultured swine! As if they even have
the brains to have a spy! Why, have you
seen their architecture?? So amateurish!
Why I…..I….”
When he
sees that Mr. Silver is chortling with glee, Mr. Gold realizes he’s been “had”
again. Mr. Gold did not like to be “had.” He lifts his head up to look down on Mr.
Silver. “I think maybe it’s time you
went back on Farm Detail, don’t you think, Mr. Silver? Get some sun?”
Mr.
Silver sulks. Mr. Gold struts off. “Make sure the Colony ships out shipshape,
Silver!” Mr. Gold laughs his way down
the corridor.
* * *
“I’m
late for the wedding, I’m late for the wedding, ” mutters Mr. Mud as he
scrambles down to the large room, already filled, a ceremony in full
swing. Mr. Mud mutters more as he settles
in at the back. “Why we all have to view this ceremony is beyond
me. I could be busy working my way up
the chain!”
Others around Mr. Mud show, by
their body language, they are unappreciative of Mr. Mud’s mutterings. Mr. Mud is undeterred. “I could be working my way up the chain. I’m a good worker. I could be a Nickel. Maybe even a Copper. And if I was a Copper…”
A nearby Nickel hisses, “Hush,
Mud! We’re here for a wedding. Not to listen to your mutterings.” Ms. Nickel turns huffily back to the ceremony.
Mr. Mud mutters more mutely. “And if I was a Copper, I bet I could find a
nice Silver girl to marry. We would form
our own alliance – like our queen up there with that guy from the other
colony. I think he used to be a Mud! The
queen seems to have a taste for the worker bees.” Mr. Mud paused. “Sometimes I feel like we’re ALL ‘worker bees’.”
Mr. Mud was morose. “I’ll never
make it to that island in the sky,” was his last mutter.
* * *
“Revolt???” hissed Mr. Copper, and then wiped at his face. He was honored to be friends with a Nickel,
but this particular Nickel, well she was something else!
Ms.
Nickel natters on. “It’s the perfect time! Their guard is down because of the
wedding. They won’t suspect anything
because they think others will be cowed by the new Colony Alliance! I can be on the throne before anyone knows
what’s happening!”
Mr.
Copper was confused. “Is that actually,
logistically, possible?”
Ms.
Nickel does not respond as she is suddenly drenched in stinking fluid before
bursting into flames. Literally. As does Mr. Copper. And Mr. Mud and the wedding party. And Mr. Gold and Mr. Silver. All are in flames. The entire colony. All because a young boy who discovered an ant
hill was bored.
VOTE NOW!! And THANKS!
