“Five-card stud,” the new dealer said. “Aces and Colt .45’s are high.” One of the other men sighed. “So much for a friendly game.”
Month: November 2013
Fiction: Two Prisoners on the Eve of Battle
“Drink up, lads!” the king yelled. “Tonight we feast, and tomorrow we storm the castle!”
A cheer rose from manly throats eager to dine and drink.
But not from Thomas. He casually wandered away from the roast beeves and the hogsheads of ale.
He went off into the woods, alone. When he came to a little clearing, he sat on the ground and rested against a stout tree.
“There must be more to life than storming castle after castle on the say-so of a mad king,” he muttered.
“Couldn’t agree more,” said an unexpected voice.
Thomas looked up and saw a man emerge from behind a tree. The man was adjusting his lower garments, making it easy to guess what chore of nature he had been tending to.
“Who’s there?” Thomas asked.
“Nobody important. Just the son of the mad king who keeps ordering us to storm castles.”
Continue reading “Fiction: Two Prisoners on the Eve of Battle”
Quotable 179
A plagiarist should be made to copy the author a hundred times.
– Karl Kraus
haiku 291
going south –
in the far lane
dead fox
#quikfic 78
The seashell had a USB connector on it. Tim took it home and plugged it into his computer. The ocean soon began to fill his home.
Quotable 178
Stories are a fundamental human form of thought.
– Iris Murdoch
haiku 290
running errands –
full moon rises
into a pale blue sky
#quikfic 77
The day after his death, Stan lay on a lounge chair on the beach. His final request was to have a decent tan to take to his grave.
Quotable 177
Above all, give us characters we will carry with us after meeting them. Give us people we will remember as if they were real.
– Silas House
haiku 289
misty gray day –
waiting on a long
funeral procession