The Bold Lie

Six Word Stories

WOW and DOUBLE WOW! Thank you! All 600 of you who downloaded my book, The Killer Show over Labor Day Week-end!

Okay, now for today's post.

There is an interesting cultural meme that limits stories to six words.
And the example is attributed to Earnest Hemingway: “For sale, baby shoes, never worn.”

Six words may elicit a story in my mind, or open a story, but truthfully, it does not tell the whole story.

However, it is a challenge to carve out excess wood in our stoies, in our thinking, maybe, to get to the core of an idea.

 So, here are some off the top of my head:

A Moment in Time

“Cardboard sign reads, ‘work for food’.”

“Mama opens door, soldier comes home.”

 “Family reunites, set old hurts aside.”

“Finger marks found on pumpkin pie”

“Puppy frightens small Halloween monster.”

“Running scared, leaps, never looks back.”

Mystery Stories

“Forty foot waves silence bloodcurdling screams.”

“A chilly moon oversees still body.”

“On the dashboard, a severed arm.”

From a reader: “I like different time periods, in particular, the 1800s early  And 1900s. However,  I do enjoy a modern-day setting. In this particular picture, I think it would be fun to have a modern day that somehow got mixed up in yesteryears and therefore you have your mystery. Thanks for letting us use our imaginations.” - Colleen

Thanks Colleen, it's an interesting take, and very imaginative.

Make it a great week.

Judy

author The Killer Show

Three Camels

PYREX: Did you remember to bring extra sandals?

FRED: Real Camels wear Herman Survivors.

CRYSTAL: I just had a pedicure! Sand is so abrasive, hope I don't break a nail.

FRED: Did you remember to bring your compass?

PYREX: We don't need a compass, we're following that star.

CRYSTAL: I don't want to get lost. There isn't a shopping mall for miles.

PYREX: Did you pack your gifts? I'm bringing Frankincense, a gift from Fire.

CRYSTAL: I'm bringing Gold, a gift from Earth.

PYREX: What are you bringing, Fred?

FRED: Fruitcake. A gift from Aunt Ethel.

CRYSTAL: Everyone knows the Wise Men's gifts were Gold, Frankincense and Myrrh.

FRED: I couldn't find any Myrrh.

PYREX: Do you realize how that's going to sound when clergy all over the world read from the Holy Scriptures, Gold, Frankincense, and Fruitcake?

FRED: Our Masters are always searching for God. How much longer before we get there?

CRYSTAL: Why did your Master name you Pyrex?

PYREX: Because I can stand the desert heat. It's tough being a Magi's Camel.

CRYSTAL: But it is a status symbol.

PYREX: If you want status you go on a pilgrimage.

FRED: What's a pilgrimage?

CRYSTAL: ...a long journey to look for God. And sometimes you can find the cutest little boutiques along the way.

PYREX: You began to have a deeper understanding of spiritual things.

FRED: Sounds like a headache.

CRYSTAL: People seek God, because they want their lives to matter, to know there is a Supreme plan, and a Nordstroms nearby.

PYREX: People are like a puzzle with a missing piece.

CRYSTAL: It's so sad, like a beautiful brooch missing a diamond chip.

PYREX: Speaking of diamonds, look at that star.

CRYSTAL: I love sparkles.

PYREX: We have an important task, to carry our three Kings to find the Christ Child.

FRED: I could use a change of scenery.

CRYSTAL: The scenery reminds me of Vanilla, Butterscotch, Caramel, Milk Chocolate, Mocha...

PYREX: Stop. You're making me hungry.

PYREX: Look to your left, there's a big wind storm.

CRYSTAL: I hate getting sand in my mouth.

PYREX: That's why camels spit.

CRYSTAL: I prefer to rinse, thank you.

PYREX: The star seems to be lowering over that small town ahead.

CRYSTAL: "Bethleham City Limits, Population 300 and 1." And the paint is still wet! Oooh, I just love babies!

PYREX: Kneel down. We are experiencing a miracle in history. "And you shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger."

CRYSTAL: How disgusting! It doesn't even have a bed-skirt!

FRED: Look! Our Masters are presenting their gifts.

PYREX: The parents are smiling. They call the baby, “Jesus.”

CRYSTAL: I wonder if that halo is 24 carot?

FRED: Hey... Do you see that? Where did my Master get the Myrrh? I couldn't find it.

CRYSTAL: What a trip, I'm starving.

FRED: Want some fruitcake?

PYREX: It's a miracle.

FRED: What, the fruitcake?

PYREX: No. God in flesh. The Savior of the World.

...

Peace and Joy!

Judy

An Excerpt from "The Killer Show"

This three-character scene includes the narrator, Simone, her sister, Violet, and their father, Grit.This scene depicts Grit's nature and his relationship with his daughters.

The scene's backstory: Grit has had a pulmonary embolism and a week long hospital stay. Now he's eager to go home.

Thanks for reading.

The sky, a cobalt blue, looked like a touched-up post card, with a bright sun bouncing off signs and windows. We parked in the car park, on the top floor, and headed through the connector hallway into the building on the fourth floor.

When we pushed open Grit's door, he was dressed, sitting in a chair, facing the door.

“There you are!” His face lit up.

Not ten minutes later, the nurse walked in and said Grit was cleared to leave. An attendant wheeled him out to the front door while I pulled his old Buick around. The attendant buckled him into the passenger seat, and I eased ahead.

“Watch that vehicle. He's pulling out.” Grit jabbed a finger at the windshield.

I nodded and slowed.

“Breathe. Just be patient,” I told myself.

“Turn left here. You want to avoid that intersection straight a head.”

“Hey. Relax.” I gripped the steering wheel, and turned left.

For the rest of the drive, I bit my tongue.

But getting him out of the car was another matter.

I have to admit, Violet and I fussed over him like a couple of kids with a fragile kitten. One of us on either side of him, holding his arms. In this manner, we stumbled with him into the house, bumped doorways, knocked into the kitchen table, and in a clumsy effort, navigated through the family room, colliding with a side table. Finally, we reached his threshold of anger.

He flailed his arms loose and chaffed us with a loud burst of invective objections. At that moment, we both fell back in silence, back into the role of small children under his parental authority.

Make it a great week,

Judy