original story - 9 - the original ones

by bofa xesjum

the original joker told a funny joke when the agile reporter tried to tell one of her own, except that a lucky gamble reversed the interrogation. the three kings quivered quietly. all the friendly undertakers chuckled regretfully when the friar and the street preacher hurled quiescent insults at each other behind the parade. calm down and make an effort to understand nothing, the billionaire advised. i heard nothing, the elephant boy expostulated serenely. gratefully, the youthful tyrant made a yearning obeisance to the sad and weary diva.

original story - 8. the window

by bofa xesjum

it looks nasty. it looked nastier last night. we may be obsolete. speak for yourself. i am just trying o be helpful, considering the desperate situation we find ourselves in. you just can’t face reality. > oh, really? whose reality might that be? don’t start. look out the window, what do you see? a river of despair, flowing to a sea of doom. that says it all. ii don’t believe it - i have faith. what about the river of despair? i am confused - i need a drink. after what happened last night? it was all gordon’s fault. gordon doesn’t know anythirthng. that is why it is all his fault. we should get out of town before it is too late. we got out of town that is why we are here, remember how sincere we were? not really - sincere about what? did you hear something? so - you reveal yourself at last. i promised that i would - remember? listen! the knock on the door - who could it be?

original story - 7. the pigeon

by bofa xesjum

you just can’t face reality. what do you call reality? the river flowed to the sea. roger’s fate was sealed when he agreed to lend sarah fifty thousand dollars. eugene promised roger he would stand by him through thick and thin. willie listened at the door of the conference room. all their fates were sealed when willie heard the elevator risig. constance watched willie saunter casually away from the conference room. the pigeon on the window observed eugene’s mouth moving. eugene nodded to constance when she entered thr conference room. he did not ask her where she had been the night before or why she was late for the meeting. i sincerely hope so, daniel boone asserted when eugene finally finished speaking. daniel boone slunk away down the corridor to the elevator, thinking vile thoughts chester caught up with him. what happened to you last night, he asked. daniel gave a long rambling answer, which chester was more than a bit skeptical of. eugene, daniel, constance, and chester were all obsolete. only williw would survive the armageddon. nothing could be further from the truth, willie maintained stoutly when questioned about his behavior by frank and edgar. frank did most of the talking. edgar mostly looked on with a skeptical frown on his face. the truth was never revealed, tomorrow everything may be different. if everyone learns to face reality. but even the obsolete have problems. chester did not believe anything eugene or constance said. > daniel despised them all. they all, even frank and edgar, agreed on one thing - they hoped tomorrow would be different.

original story - 6. funny

by bofa xesjum

dead men tell no tales, bud brown stated diffidently. why are you picking on me again? hogarth asked. picking on you? you do not know what picking on is, brother. i could pick you out of a lineup down at the state police headquarters. you young punks are the problem, always ready to snitch on your pals. i would play ball with you if you would play ball with me. dead men don’t play ball. everything changed the day that lion escaped from the zoo. it is too bad the lion did not tell a few tales. he was all set to, but too many reporters showed up at his trial, and he was afraifd his relatives back in africa would her about it. people do not understand how these things work. some people do. what is that supposed to mean? explain yourself, please. i do not have enough passion or commitment to undertake that task. you always were a whiner, weren’t you? hogarth fell silent, refusing to dignify bud brown’s comment, ad a flower bloomed in a garden on the outskirts of town. young people are the problem - that is just a natural fact. there is not much point in cutting them any slack. the lion is still on the loose, in the hearts of men and women, boys and girls, all over the world. the power of the people runs away like rainwater down a side street. joe stood on the corner, wondering where everybody was. he saw bud brown and hogarth slouching in front of the 7-11 halfway down the block, but they did not count. he tried to remember the heroes of his childhood, who had passion and commitment. he did not think it was funny. he wondered if his old friends with drinks clutched eternally in their hands thought it was funny. somewhere flowers were growing, and bugs were crawling around them. you think it’s funny, don’t you?

original story - 5. the lion

by bofa xesjum

has anybody seen joe? emily asked plaintively with a glass of gin in her hand. why would anybody see joe? ralph responded. this is bucky’s party. a lion had escaped from the zoo earlier in the morning, and this event had dominated the conversation until emily’s question. more people had shown up than bucky and belinda had expected, and they were running out of everything. belinda was trying to reach the caterer to order more sandwiches, especially the peanut butter and marshmallow, which had been a great hit. you will never understand, professor maling was explaining to deborah, events like the lion escaping are all part of an elaborate plan. > deborah was wearing an old red t-shirt with power to the people stenciled on it in fading black letters. her eye caught a blue flower in the hair of a younger woman she did not immediately recognize. where is the passion, the commitment, emily asked bill waters, who had been standing in one spot with a blank stare through most of the afternoon. it disappeared when the people stopped wanting power, bill replied with surprising force. you think it’s funny, don’t you, bill? emily’s dark eyes glittered. you want passion and commitment? a voice asked behind them. a lion is roaming the streets devouring innocent citizens, and you all stand around with drinks in your hands like it is the most natural thing in the world - you young people are the problem, professor maling interjecetd forcefully. but before he could continue, belinda intervened - let’s all take a break, she suggested, a fifteen minute break, and then we can all assume new identities and start this party all over again. that’s a great idea, honey, bucky seconded, because dead men tell no tales. even after we assume new identities, the young woman with the blue flower in her hair exclaimed, the people will still be without power. the flower trembled in her hair, as if it wished to bloom in the spring. let us make this a day we will always remember, emily oined. why are you always picking on me? deborah whispered to bill waters, as the guests drifted apart to take a break and assume their new identities. i forget, bill answered sheepishly. let’s do it people, belinda reminded everybody, because we have a bigger crowd than we expected. the girl with the blue flower in her hair, whose name was jenny lake, sighed wearily. outside, the lion was still on the prowl. the guests began assuming their new identities, even though nobody had seen joe. why does everybody hate me? belinda wondered, i am trying to do the right thing.

original story - 4. homeboy

by bofa xesjum

you decide - i declared i quit the system a long tome ago. i got a new word or you - kinesis. billy and al were using it before the big flop, but quietly. it is too early to tell if chucky or carlos are serious, but never look down a lonesome road after midnight. you think it is a joke, but it is a truly grand opportunity for an old homeboy. the lady in number 6 made a similar gracious remark. how suspicious are the authorities? the forgotten warriors are waiting routinely to tell the fifth joke.

an encounter

by bofa xesjum

monsieur b, i believe? why yes, i am monsieur b. thank you so much for recognizing me. it had been a long tine since anyone has. do you mind if i sit down? no, no, please do. i have always been a great admirer of yours, monsieur. thank you. my memory is not what it was. have we met? briefly, at the conference of the s society at n, in 19 something or other. i am commissioner leroy, perhaps you remember me? oh, of course, of course. if i recall, in those long ago days, we may have exchanged words - in print - good old print - not always the softest. indeed! but i always truly admired you as a pioneer. tell me, how is the espresso here? not very good, try the hot chocolate. i will take your advice. waiter! yes, monsieur. a hot chocolate, please. how do you like it? the same as this gentleman. very good, monsieur. where were we? in the dim past, exchanging thunderbolts. thunderbolts in a clear sky. waiting for a storm that never came. oh, it came it some ways. the old castles and battlements are gone, or at least silenced. one can barely hear them muttering in the backgrouappendix -nd, soft waves in a low tide. but the high tide never lifted our ships. the ships that were never built. and never sailed. but they brought us here. they left us here. your hot chooiate. monsieur.