Thomas longed to live in harmony with his neighbors but none of them deserved it. Everywhere he turned they would rush off just as he was warming up to explain again what they were doing wrong. They reminded him of those rats in his yard scurrying from one neglected debris pile to another.
In the evening, feeding on beer and popcorn, Thomas set his thoughts on the day’s alleged news and contentious commentary until he could stand it no longer and let his wagging tongue off its leash. At such breaking points he would rise, pace the floor, open his mouth, and without a clear understanding of what his hardened heart was leading him to say curse the stale air of his living room. Demons loved to party there.
Denise offers the word “harmony” to be used in this week’s Six Sentence Stories. This story is continued at Match – Six Sentence Story.
I was thinking of Proverbs 18:21, “Death and life are in the power of the tongue: and they that love it shall eat the fruit thereof.“
Poetry, Short Prose and Walking 
I KNOW this guy!
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I am glad the description rang true. Thank you, Rebecca!
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Lord help him: “Demons loved to party there.”
Shalom!
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May he see how his words are letting those demons take over. Thank you, Michael!
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Our heart can only be given to the LORD, others are just the source of endless troubles.
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Good point – our hearts can only be given to the Lord! Thank you, Cassa!
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Hell of a nerve, that Thomas. 😉
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He was asking for trouble. Thank you, Doug!
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Also James speaks of this. No man can tame the tongue.
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Good point! We have been warned about the tongue. Thank you, Mary!
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I try to steer clear of the Thomases. (spelling?! lol)
Nice example Frank, showing how negativity breeds negativity which dead ends in misery for self and others.
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Good point that negativity not only affects ourselves but others around us. Thank you, Denise!
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There are many people like this. Wonderfully portrayed Frank
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I am glad the description rang true. Thank you, Sadje!
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You’re welcome Frank.
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Oh this is Brilliant, Frank–you’ve got your sharp-edged pen going 🙂
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Thank you, Zelda! I am glad you liked this!
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I truly did!
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Vividly written, Frank! I can see and hear him as he paces with his ‘wagging tongue off the leash’.
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Thank you, Chris! I am glad the description was vivid.
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“…curse the stale air of his living room. Demons loved to party there.”
Not the only line I loved. The whole Six was, well, excellent.
Concise yet evocative, you totally put us Readers right there with Thomas.*
no relation, I trust, to one, D. Thomas, who was reputed to be a fan of the ‘alleged news’ of resurrection and such
lol
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No relation to Dylan Thomas. I picked a name that none of my immediate friends or family has. I am glad you liked that ending. Thank you!
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genius
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Thank you, Paul!
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A neighbour from hell, Frank.
An opinion on everything and desperate to share it.
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That’s a perfect description of him. Thank you!
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Thomas and the demons – birds of a feather flock together.
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He fit right in with those demons. Thank you, Eugenia!
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Most welcome, Frank!
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A modern day parable! Well done, well done.
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Thank you!
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Not a neighbour I’d wish to have!
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I’d seek to avoid him as well. Thank you, Keith!
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How many demons does one need to carry before it becomes a party? Great 6.
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Good question! All Thomas would need is one to make a mess of things. Thank you, Greg!
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I wonder if Thomas will ever realize the problem was him all along?
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He may and I pray all those like him actually do. I want to see the laughter on their faces when they experience the joy they are missing. Thank you, Mark!
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My heart aches for all like him, they know not what they are doing. They think they do, but they don’t.
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They don’t know what they are doing. Thank you, Mimi!
I enjoyed your story of our little blue planet that is sadly out of tune.
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Almost like dancing with the devil…excellent six Frank!
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Good observation. Thomas is dancing with the devil.
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It was a joy to read! Thanks for reading mine as well.
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Poor Thomas, he is a wreck onto himself! This is great Frank😄
Pat
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Thank you, Pat! I am thinking of writing a part two where even someone like Thomas can change.
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Good idea!🙂
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Ya, I definitely feel that I have know this guy. By the time I was done I had a backstory for him in my head. I love a six-sentence-story for that.
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He is a common character. I hope I do not imitate him in moments of weakness. Thank you, Anne!
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Poor Thomas. I hope one of his neighbours perseveres in friendship with him and he can finally see how he’s destroying his own happiness.
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I hope to write a part two to this where Thomas repents. At the moment he likely thinks everyone else needs repentance. Thank you, Jenne!
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Last line was sobering: Letting satan a headquater!
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He probably doesn’t know the full consequences of his actions. Thank you, Jim!
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True
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“let his wagging tongue off its leash.”
THAT is fabulous–I’ve never before heard those words put together in that way. What a great metaphor!
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Thank you, Liz! I am glad you liked that wagging tongue phrase.
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I would hope not all Thomases are like this, Frank… we all have our demons though, thinking about it… eek!
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We all have demons we don’t need but don’t want to get rid of. I just picked a name that was not one of my personal friends or family members. Thank you, Tom!
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Haha! No worries! 🙂 My pleasure.
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Sometimes you can feel the environment of a room like that.
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When one gets angry a room feels like it is full of demons.
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Interesting, but how did this come about? Beside demons, how did he come to be so vociferous? What personality trait made him so susceptible to being corrupted?
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I imagine it was little acts of pride and selfishness that got worse with the help of those demons. I think he might have an antisocial personality disorder, but I am no psychiatrist and think demons are usually the better explanation. Thank you!
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