End of Term – Six Sentence Story

People faulted Blake as someone who liked to run around, a term that usually meant he couldn’t stop starting and stopping stuff, popping in here and then suddenly there, or jabbering about this and then that longer than most listeners, they in particular, could tolerate. He wouldn’t dream of denying their charges since he viewed his defects as features except when others exhibited them.

All this running around focused his waking hours on optimizing the quantity of funds he could turn over to questionable, but good enough, causes with little time left over to deal with his own problems. As his future turned into his past and the measurable score of his good deeds exploded, he anticipated that there would be an endless supply of more of the same in spite of knowing that entropy makes a mess of most things.

Reality intervened one day like a waiter bringing a tab he didn’t know he started. Trying to find something of value with which to pay the bill he was surprised to learn that the busyness of his effective altruism provided little, if any, positive value in his present situation to keep the demonic darkness from coming in and taking him out.

Denise offers the word “term” to be used in this week’s Six Sentence Stories.

Whispers and Echoes recently published a 100-word story of mine called Spotting the Heretic. I am grateful to the editor, Sammi Cox, for selecting it. Submissions to this online journal are currently open.

Boat, Bathers, Birds

Author: Frank Hubeny

I enjoy walking, poetry and short prose as well as taking pictures with my phone.

26 thoughts on “End of Term – Six Sentence Story”

  5. At the top of your form, Frank. ‘he viewed his defects as features except when others exhibited them.’ ‘Reality intervened one day like a waiter bringing a tab he didn’t know he started.’ Both gems.

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  6. “As his future turned into his past…”
    What an excellent turn of a phrase.
    Time, as we all accept, sooner or later, waits for no one.
    Good Six
    Poor Blake

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    1. We are. I can well identify with Blake, but hope I no longer do.

      I loved your story of Nanan and the transition from “one-butt” to “one-and-a-half butts” kitchen.

      Like

  9. His defects were “features| unless someone else had them. Hmm…there’s a lot of that thinking around. Like “I prefer to err on the side of caution. You’re pig-headed.” And “…optimizing the quantity of funds he could turn over to questionable, but good enough…” sounds like e bought a lot of lottery tickets –“always for a good cause.” 🙂

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  10. “like a waiter bringing a tab he didn’t know he started.” That’s a terrific simile.
    Yep, your really need to tithe with the right kind of coin.

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  11. Congratulations, Frank on being chosen for publication!

    There is much to highlight in your Six. My favorites are “As his future turned into his past” and “Reality intervened one day like a waiter bringing a tab he didn’t know he started.”
    It is unwise to underestimate the powers of entropy.

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