Off we go…
I closed out 2023 with a new story in the style of Twilight Zone, Tales from the Crypt, and others where a narrator leads into the story and then caps it at the end. Obviously, I wasn’t going to use Rod Serling or the Crypt Keeper, so instead I introduced Digger…
Oh, hello. I’m not used to having folks around while I work. Name’s Dalton Graves, but everyone round here just calls me Digger. Y’see, I dig the graves here and maintain the cemetery too. What’s that? Oh yeah, I don’t use a shovel much. No, most of my work is done with this here post hole digger. Why’s that, you say? Well, let me tell you a story about old Joe Morrison and then I reckon you’ll understand. I call this story, ‘And Now, A Word From Our Sponsor’…
The story came out nicely, and a friend I shared it with absolutely loved it. It gave me an opportunity to take a healthy dig at the proliferation of commercials we have to endure if we choose to watch network television, and now Amazon is going to place commercials into the content Prime subscribers are already paying for? That is pathetic… bastards stay up nights figuring ways to squeeze more blood from a rock, and if the paying customers become collateral damage, well, too bad for them.
I’m in the process of reworking an old one I stumbled across while organizing my files right now… I think the idea has potential, but I need to dig in and improve that draft from some time ago.
Update! I’ve finished the rework, and the title is “The Ride Home” – here’s how it begins:
As the train doors slid closed, Joe Quinn closed his paperback book, leaving his index finger inside as a bookmark. The elevated subway train rolled out of the station and began the long arc that would feed it onto the bridge, which offered a perfect view of his destination. He got out of his seat to stand at the doors and look across the river at the city, which was breathtaking in the early morning light.
The golden sunrise reflected off the majestic steel and glass towers, making it look magical, a hidden kingdom in a fantastic adventure tale. This far away, you couldn’t see the litter, the graffiti, the homeless sleeping on cardboard in the streets. No, from here it was perfection, a shining Nirvana floating in the dark sky behind it, taking on a new life in Joe’s imagination.
The illusion was short-lived once the train made its way onto the bridge, the grimy steel structure and constant noise of traffic bringing back the gritty reality of another commute. Soon, the train would head down into the labyrinth of tunnels under the busy streets, and he’d need to change trains to continue up to midtown. The lights came on as the train entered the tunnel, and he reopened his book to continue reading where he’d left off as he returned to his seat. He made the mistake of looking out into the tunnels once when he first started working in the city, and the subway rats he saw scurrying around down there looked to be the size of small dogs.
That was when he began bringing books to read on the train. Joe focused on his reading to avoid letting those monstrous rats into his head, fearing what he might conjure up in his sleep.
This will join the other 5 newbies as new members of my collection of shorts. I may shop them around a bit, and if I don’t get any bites, I’ll cobble a collection together.
Oh, before I forget – hope you all have a happy, healthy and prosperous New Year!
