Writers Block (A short story by Ray Daley)

Previously, when I was still a legit Codexian, I took part in The Pete Wood Challenge, where Pete would give us a prompt & word count then tell us “Go write stuff”. Bruce Bethke would publish the 5 best on Stupefying Stories.

I wasn’t asked to take part this time around. My memory isn’t great, I may have asked Pete not to include me next time around. We haven’t spoken in over a year. Pete, if that was the case, I changed my mind. Loop me in, next time, please?

Anyway. This prompt was Writers Block, with a 125 word limit. Here’s what I wrote.
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Writers Block

19/07/23

By Ray Daley

On the chopping block today, an oldie. A slice of Stephen King. Dark cellars, machines which chewed you up. Death in the least expected manner. Yet it failed to yield results. No new ideas.

So I asked the dispenser. “Horror. Weird. Old school. Freaky.”

I’d never seen meat that colour before, and it was cooked, too.

Seared into the top, these words. “The Cabal will embrace you.“

Psychos in button masks, men with pins in their heads. Books of blood, shelves streaming with gore. A land of monsters, just below our own.

I asked the dispenser, “Is there more of this meat available?”

“Limited supply. Buy now, avoid disappointment!”

It showed me great sights. “Who the hell was this?” I asked the dispenser.

“Clive Barker.”

THE END.