Wednesday, November 25, 2015

My Short Short for the Day


It was a day like any other day.  Nothing in particular stood out as Wilbur scuffed along the dirt path.  The sun was shining…like always.  The air was stale…like always.  The heat was uncomfortable…like always.  The lecture was boring…like always.  Wilbur sighed heavily and shifted from one foot to the other to keep his legs from going numb.  When would this end?  With another sigh, Wilbur looked around trying to find anything interesting to distract him.  Everything looked brown and lifeless…like always.  Then something caught his eye.  

It was a flash of something.  He scanned the ground trying to catch another glimpse when the flash blinded him for a moment.  Without thinking he moved towards the shining object.  What was it?  The lecturer carried on taking no heed of the student wandering away.  Wilbur walked briskly towards the flash, never taking his eyes off it.  As he got closer he realized the flash was coming from the stones laid out in some kind of pattern on a flat, gray rock.  He squinted to make out the pattern.  He leaned down closer to get a better look.  The flash came again and he felt a sudden jerk.  He couldn’t move.  He couldn’t see.  He couldn’t breathe.  He couldn’t think.

“And here we have the lizard stone.  Long ago, people believed this stone possessed the power to capture souls.  Whatever you do, don’t look directly into its eyes.”  The lecturer spoke in monotone.  “And here we have the prickly pear cactus…”

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