This story is six words long.
Inspiration comes in unexpected places (it comes from expected sources as well, but one should still be a welcoming host when the muses crash your home).
I’d gotten behind on my daily online blogs (see the previous day’s post about being sick and out of it) and was seeing what I’d missed. An entry in the comic
Scary Go Round, formerly Bobbins, instantly provided a writing spark.
I’ve long enjoyed this strip about quirky Brits. I believe reading it helps me keep on my wordsmanship; especially during periods where I can’t verbally spar with my sister (by my count, the long-term score has largely remained tied, though she may dispute those figures). The site included my favorite description of the internal logic of internal monologues and how soliloquizing falls apart when actually vocalized.
The June 10th entry featured a guest artist but retained the literary flair of the original.
The premise of the strip repeated a famous story about the writer Ernest Hemingway. Several different versions of the tale exist, but the unwavering barebones account was “Papa” being challenged to write a complete short story using only six words.
His finished masterwork: For sale: baby shoes, never used.
The Scary Go Round strip featured several short tales from the eclectic cast. Others have tried to craft stories following this strict premise. They include:
John Updike: "Forgive me!" "What for?" "Never mind."
Tobias Wolff: She gave. He took. He forgot.
Michael Cunningham: "My nemesis is dead. Now what?"
Norman Mailer: Satan - Jehovah - 15 rounds. A draw."
Such stimulation made me wonder what I could come up with.
Note: For those of you who want to play the home game, it doesn’t hurt to play Weird Al’s This Song’s Just Six Words Long, the spoof of the terse George Harrison ditty Got My Mind Set on You - of which nearly half the song is composed of variations of the title (i.e. “I got my mind set on you (Set on you).” And if that’s not inane enough, you should check out the music videos for the song. There were multiple versions, but I prefer the version set in an arcade where George and his band “plays” on a jerky coin-operated video machine while a jock tries to win a plastic ballerina for his intended. It beats the version with the talking taxidermy and a break dancing bridge. Don’t ask.
Had enough audio/visual inspiration?
Well it doesn’t really matter because here we’re about to enter into my own results of the six-word short story challenge (I repeat in case you’d forgotten where we were headed with all of this).
Father’s delight: tattoo-less son-in-law.
Determined North Pole flight. Santa’s here.
Shh! Raccoon’s back. Hide the baby.
String slipped. Balloon goes sailing away.
“Look!” “The dawn has arrived?” “Hallelujah.”
Help wanted: live-in aide. Grandma deserted.
Spiders and alligators everywhere! Spoiled vacation.
Howling wind, child. Only one calmed.
Good advice not heeded: shoelaces untied.
Idol stolen, natives chase, sunset escape.
“Where’s my beloved?” “Lost to war.”
“Trap’s sprung. No we go home.”
Dog ran away. No more Frisbee.
Hypothermia imminent. Must put on coat!
Hiring directives cursed: no experience required.
“She’s where?” “Gone; like your hair.”
Want Mommy! Never mind. She’s there.
POP! Brain exploded. No one notices.
Well, that’s all. Enough for now.
