Tag: SSC&B

Six Sentence Story: From Death To Life

When Aurelia returned to the Six Sentence Cafe & Bistro she joined the red-headed writer at a booth and then they wandered to wherever with the Bartender. With the men and women at separate locations the men could have a serious conversation (and perhaps even the women as well, but I can’t imagine what they might be talking about even though I could hear them doing a lot of it).

On the male side of the room Lou and I, thanks to prodding by the tall, thin man, were fast becoming good friends with Lou even inviting us to go with him to his Bottom of the Sea Strip Club and Lounge, but I told Lou that I’d rather read a paper on what amino acids and nucleobases were found on the asteroid Bennu than go to a strip club. To elaborate – although I don’t think it helped – I said, Long ago when I was young and stupid I found myself lying on the floor while a woman having only words at her disposal frantically commanded life back into my motionless body and a voice advised me not to try to regain control, but merely trust that I would according to her words even though I witlessly ingested the drugs she wishes now she never brought.

How long has that voice been watching over you? Lou asked.

Now that that incident slipped back into my memory it must have been – forever.

______

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

With thanks to Greg Doles for linking this song in one of his playlists on Chasing Light.
With thanks to my friend, Samuel Manga, for turning his prayer into this song. “Tu me restaures jour après jour.”

Six Sentence Story: The Voice Talks To Lou, But – Well – You’ll Find Out

After the voice rescued me from Lou’s cloud of demonic darkness, the tall, thin man figured I might as well get to know Lou in person and so we all sat at a table with the red-headed writer (though Aurelia had to leave when her phone told her to stop lollygagging and get back to work). The chitchat took some time to unravel its yakkity yarns making a way to my invisible friend, but when it did I had to concede to every skeptic at the table – which was all of us – that I never actually saw the voice nor did I even know his name.

The Bartender brought coffee and desserts and the chitchat resumed until it ended abruptly when Lou, wanting to get to the bottom of the mystery without wasting any more time, insisted that I, Tell that silent voice of yours to say something. I then heard the voice speak one word, Something, the minimum that Lou asked him to say.

From the expressions on the faces of those sitting with me at the table, I realized that none of them heard the voice and so I told them what the voice said. Looking at Lou look back at me I could tell he thought I was too far gone, too mental, too whatever and therefore harmless no matter how hard his terrified cloud of demonic darkness tried to convince him otherwise.

______

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

Six Sentence Story: Cake and Coffee

When we were back in Room 215 of the Six Sentence Cafe & Bistro and I heard Moxie tell the red-headed writer that she couldn’t go into the cafe, I asked the voice if he had to stay here as well. Having gotten more acquainted with him I was glad to hear that he could go with me wherever I wanted to go and for as long as I wanted him to accompany me. So, we went to the cafe where we saw the tall, thin man entertaining Lou and Aurelia eating cake with coffee.

Since Aurelia said that the cake was very tasty we ordered some and went to sit at an inconspicuous table in the back. However, from Lou’s direction I sensed a cloud of demonic darkness zero in on my face to tell me, We’re going to send flowers of condolence to your next of kin after we’re done with you.

Realizing that I had only one sentence left with which to defend myself and I still hadn’t used the prompt word “pinch” I was surprised that the cloud suddenly backed away shaking in terror when it heard the voice by my side say, YOU again?

______

Denise offers the prompt word “pinch” for this week’s Six Sentence Stories.

Six Sentence Story: Rain, Rain Go Away

Just after we got to the roof of the Six Sentence Cafe & Bistro, delayed because the voice had to catch his breath, I saw the tall, thin man high tail it down the stairs because of some talk about thunder. The voice told me I had three options: 1) get wet, 2) run for cover or 3) tell the storm to skip this particular roof while every thing else gets soaking wet. I chose option 3.

While enjoying the storm I asked the voice if he had any other words of wisdom he figured I ought to know. He said, If you’d abide, you’d rejoice, your load would lighten and you’d finally get something worthwhile done.

After the storm popped the heat wave like a balloon and we were walking down the stairs, I observed that we didn’t get wet at all out there on the roof and the voice said, You did choose option 3, remember?

______

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

For those trying to figure out what’s going on here pay attention to this verse in the song: “My love is stronger than the universe.” It may not help, but it is a nice verse.

Six Sentence Story: To The Roof

Just after the invisible voice closed the door to Room 215 of the Six Sentence Cafe & Bistro and asked me why I was leaving so soon, the tall, thin man opened that door and told me to follow him to the roof where we would meet the red-headed writer, Aurelia, Ms Pie and maybe even Brigid and Felreil, Mimi, Cai and – who knows? – many others.

I asked the voice if he knew the way to the roof in case the tall, thin man went too fast for me to keep up and he said, Of course.

As I left Room 215 I could tell that the voice was nearby by such comments as Nice weather we’re having or Hope the sun comes out real soon or Do you think we will have a thunder storm tomorrow? At the end of the hallway past the steel door propped open with milk cases I climbed the sketchy stairs until the voice complained of exhaustion and told me to stop and rest for a moment or two. When I stopped so he could catch his breath, I asked him if there was something he wanted to tell me back in Room 215.

While he spoke I listened and then we continued our climb to the roof with no further need for words to be said.

______

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

Six Sentence Story: A Look Around Room 215

When I opened the door to Room 215 of the Six Sentence Cafe & Bistro I was surprised to see the tall, thin man who said he got here before I did because he took a mathematically complicated short cut inspired by his proof of the Collatz conjecture he didn’t think I’d be able to follow (which was probably correct). In the back the red-headed writer with her new friend, Moxie, got into the dumbwaiter to take a ride to the roof to see the ocean.

In the room I noticed a black and white TV console on the side of which was a bookshelf with children’s books and a complete World Book Encyclopedia, but as I walked about I almost stumbled over a four-foot tall bellhop trying to hand me a Bible who quickly displayed a sign saying, Watch where you’re going! Having no plan specifying what to do with all this old stuff I sat down wondering where the story was that I was hoping to receive.

After a while, since nothing much was happening and I had already acknowledged the existence of everything my mind would let me see, I decided to leave. As I stood up, the door to Room 215 quietly shut – all by itself – and a soft voice coming out of nowhere in front of me asked, Leaving so soon?

______

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

Six Sentence Story: Room 215 Found!

When I failed to find Room 215 I went back to the Six Sentence Cafe & Bistro to ask for directions again. I was told to take the first hall to the left and then the second hall to the right and then I could charge right in to capture the mysterious story I was looking for.

When I returned unsuccessful again, the tall, thin man asked me to raise my left hand and when I raised my hand, he said, “I thought so.” He tied a waiter’s towel around the wrist of my other hand and told me to not overthink it but this time take the first hall in the direction of the hand with the towel tied to it and then take the hall in the direction of the hand without the towel tied to it.

I went back, overthinking it all the way, and I found Room 215! I took a deep breath and opened the door.

______

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