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Feb 21, 2023 19:35
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| # ¿ Sep 7, 2024 21:04 |
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Mermaid Word Count: 1066 For the first time, I believed that mermaids existed. They just disguised themselves with two legs to appear humanlike. But she couldn’t fool me. No human could ever swim through the water like she did. When she swam, her tanned legs resembled fins. She looked to be about 25 at the latest. Her bobbed dark hair and large brown eyes would have made her the It Girl back in Hollywood.I couldn’t get close to her. She was a rich girl, hanging with crowds that smoked cigars and drank wines aged from a time when my daddy’s daddy wouldn’t even have been alive. Ol’ Uncle Sam may have banned drinking, but nobody cared in Florida, least of all the rich. Down here sun and sin were just one letter removed from each other. And I was little more than a pawn in a suit at 21, delivering food to peoples' rooms at the Biltmore. I also worked as a towel boy at the Venetian Pool. It allowed me to live close to the action at least. Every time I worked at the pool I would see if I could catch her eye. Her slim figure and small breasts made her black bathing suit cling to her body. One time I could swear she looked right at me but she was probably staring at the people lining up for the high dive. But as luck would have it, I delivered to her room one day. She had ordered something simple for a rich girl. An assortment of cheese and a bottle of wine dating back to 1888. “Room service!” I called out, knocking on the door. She answered it wearing a gray pajama ensemble that came down to her knees. “Thanks so much! May I tip you?” Her smile was surprisingly bubbly like a schoolgirl’s own. “May I have the pleasure of knowing your name?” My fingers ran through my dark hair nervously. “Jack, ma’am.” “Please, I’m not a ma’am, I’m a maiden.” A chorus of high-pitched giggles burst forth from the room. “See, the girls agree with me!” She slid a few dollar bills onto my tray along with a note. “I’m no piker. Buy yourself something nice.” She closed the door and my heart thudded in my chest. I read the note in my trembling hands. I saw you looking at me in the pool ~ Olive. A few days later, I saw her at the pool again. She lay there sunning herself when she called me over. “What did you buy?” She chirped. “Just some items.” I murmured. I didn’t have the heart to tell her that the tip she gave me went straight to my sick little sister back home. “A man ought to look his best. ‘Course that’s what my Daddy tells me. He’s off having his bull session. Probably gambling away his dimes right now.” She turned over on her side, a flash of irritation briefly crossing her face. “All I have to do is sit and look like Clara Bow. He likes ‘em like that. All doe-eyed with wonder. At least I get to wear fancy clothes and see the sights.” “A-Anyway do you need anything?” “I might go swimming later. I’ll find you if you are around.” She beckoned me closer and whispered. “ I need someone to keep an eye on Daddy. He sometimes treats me mean. We’ll be at a show in the hotel.” The evening was a rather warm one by Florida standards. I worked away at the hotel cleaning and nodding at the guests as they walked by. Suddenly, there in a green flapper dress was my mermaid. She gave me a smile and nod while holding on to the arm of a much older gentleman dressed in a suit and monocle that probably cost more than two years rent put together. I took a deep breath and silently followed them, keeping a low profile. The crowd would swallow up any ordinary person but not me. I knew every nook and cranny of this place. Couldn’t do my job without it. The two of them disappeared into the Granada ballroom and I resumed my cleaning. They seemed fine at first glance, but what did this man do to her behind closed doors? My mind swirled with thoughts as I worked. When the show ended I followed them again. I knew their room number thanks to Olive’s room service order. They laughed and talked as I carefully trailed behind them. How could such a beast treat a girl like that so roughly? The days passed on with me following Olive and Daddy around like a shadow. It wasn’t long before I began to dream about her. I could see her smile as she smiled only for me, showing off the dimples on her face. Love truly bloomed in my heart making me as giddy as a schoolboy. Olive. My love. Those words were Cupid firing his arrow into my psyche. “We’re leaving tomorrow.” Olive said to me one day as she toweled off. “Daddy has to go back to New York for business.” She put on a slightly exaggerated pout. “I hate the cold.” Just then, a flirtatious smirk appeared on her face. “I might order some room service tonight. Can you come?” “I-I’ll see what I can do.” I showed up at their room later that night with a bottle of champagne that she ordered. She answered the door right away, this time dressed in a flirty dark red nightgown. “Come in!” Her voice had that cheery tone as she gave me a flirty wink. “Would you like to drink with me?” “I-I’m supposed to be on the job.” I began. Then I saw the bathroom light on. “Besides, isn’t your Daddy with you?” “Why don’t you go into the bathroom and freshen up?” She purred. “I know how much you’ve been looking at me.” She pushed me into the bathroom. Daddy’s body lay there in the bathtub with a knife in his chest. “You’ve been stalking me ever since I talked to you!” Olive pulled the straps of her nightgown off her slim shoulders. “Y-You told me to-” Olive put a finger to my lips. “If you really loved me you would keep quiet and nod your head.” She then burst out of the room screaming. Mermaids like her didn’t just attract men. They killed them.
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Feb 27, 2023 03:32
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Mar 4, 2023 03:54
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A conversation with my sleep paralysis demon 600 words In the blackness of the night, I’m woken up by my sleep paralysis demon. He always comforts me with soothing sounds. “Ssh, it’s alright, don’t open your eyes. It’ll pass.” Gentle hands stroke my hair much like a parent would with a child. “You’ll wake up for real soon.” The sensation slowly fades and I wake in my own bed able to move again. I’m used to it. It’s nothing new. I’ve always been haunted by supernatural creatures ever since I was a little kid. This sleep paralysis demon has been around with me for a few months now. I call him Zeke cause I thought it would be ironic to call him something biblical. Zeke’s a great demon. He listens to all my woes and calms me down. The ability to see ghosts unsurprisingly doesn’t leave me with a lot of luck on the relationship side of life. Turns out people don’t like it when a ghost with a long tongue licks up their neck suddenly in the middle of dinner. However Zeke can drive all the ghosts away for a night. It's been only recently that I can get a peaceful night’s rest. I don’t want to tell anybody about Zeke for fear that my restfulness will go away. One night, I get into bed and see a shadowy hand. “Hello, Zeke.” I reach out and hold his hand. “What’s new in Hell?” Zeke chuckles. “Oh, the usual. Plenty of souls got tormented today. Probably lots more tonight as well. What about you, Taylor?” I sigh. “Work has been rather stressful when you keep trying to analyze artifacts for a museum and ghosts won’t shut up about them. I had one spirit tell me that one of the informational placards was inaccurate and that he was the one that discovered America! Then another spirit said that they discovered America and that caused the two of them to go whizzing around my head like hummingbirds! I had such a headache.” “I get what you mean,” says Zeke. “Hell always wants you to keep up with bureaucracy. There’s all these papers to fill out. I guess they want to make sure you’re tormenting souls properly but man, it's such a drag. I want to be nice to people, not mean to them. Too bad Hell doesn’t agree.” “Do demons ever get bored of being demonized?” I say. “Oh all the time.” Zeke says with a laugh. “And unfortunately it seems people like you are our favourite targets. “My momma told me I was born under a bad sign.” I laugh too. “You’re the first person that really gets me.” “You’re the only person that understands my need to talk to mortals in a way that Hell doesn’t.” Zeke’s shadow looms over me in a strangely protective way. A wave of calm washes over me as I yawn. “I suppose if you were human you could be a psychologist.” I joke. “I could talk to you and get a peaceful sleep and you could have all the humans to talk to.” “I do enjoy seeing the spectrum that is human emotion.” A small smile creeps across Zeke’s shadowy face. “Humans are such complex creatures, don’t you agree?” I nod and yawn once more, my eyes starting to close. “Mmm, I’m getting sleepy now. Shall we do our jobs now and save this conversation for tomorrow?” I give his hand one final squeeze as I drift off to sleep, knowing that I’ll have an episode tonight but Zeke will be there to comfort me. It’s part of our funny relationship after all.
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Mar 5, 2023 23:02
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Mar 13, 2023 23:30
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The Virtual Partner Experience Words: 840 Prompt: Ships Passing in the Night (week 315) Every morning I log on to the Internet and shed my useless physical form for a while. Here on the internet we can be our true selves. For some that meant they could be their preferred gender. Others prefer to be anthropomorphic animals. As for me, I prefer to be able-bodied. On the Internet no one has to see my disgusting body practically rotting away from disuse. In the real world, I’m a leech, a sponge, a bloated whale carcass. Online, however, I’m still a nobody but at least I have a chance at love and romance. My avatar, or more accurately, my true self, walks into the main shopping plaza. Passing by an ad for various dildos shaped like animal dicks, I enter a store called The Partner Experience. In this store, you pay with virtual currency to have a date (or more) with a virtual partner. It’s the only way people like me ever get laid. I pay the 150 virtuabucks, choose my scenario, and enter. The world briefly dissolves and goes black. I find myself inside of a horse drawn carriage. The red plush seats match the red interior. A handsome man sits by the window, his dark hair styled in a way that reminds me of Prince Eric from The Little Mermaid. His gentle green eyes gaze warmly at me. “Did you have a good nap, babe? You looked so cute while sleeping.” He takes my hand and gently brings it to his lips, a beautiful smile crossing his face afterwards. “I slept well.” I say softly. I woke up much better than I usually do anyway, not surrounded by the cold mechanical bars of my hospital bed as a caretaker comes in to clean me up and dress me in my day clothes. Here at least, they pretend to care about me as a person. “We’re almost to the lake. Soon we’ll have our picnic.” He gazes out the window wistfully. “The day’s almost as perfect as you.” I’m only perfect because this avatar is designed to hide my numerous flaws. The real me is weak and inferior. The virtual me is not. “Aww, thank you,” I reply, “You always know just what to say!” Because you’re just a program designed to whisk users like me away to a better reality. One where they can forget about all their problems and live in their ultimate daydreams. The carriage rolls along through the bright sunny forest as birds chirp their little songs seemingly in time to the hooves clip clopping across the dirt paths. It feels calm and peaceful. I know that back in the real world my room must be hot and sticky. Here the temperature seems perfect. Why would you need to sweat or be too cold in a dream world after all? If only I could live in this world forever and abandon my fleshsuit for good. At least in the virtual world, I’m treated with love and affection rather than just a warm hole to fill or a job creator. Soon the carriage stops and we stop at a beautiful sparkling lake next to a gorgeous log cabin. The coachman nods as we gather our things. My prince holds the door open for me as I step out, taking advantage of the fact that I have working legs. He smiles a winning smile at me and for a moment I feel at peace. I’m no longer inadequate damaged goods. I’m a human being. The prince and I walk around for a bit, with him pointing out the various flora and fauna of the kingdom. Flowers in various colors wave around in the wind while birds sing their songs of joy and mating. All I can do is take your arm and smile. How are you so perfect? Why are people in real life so inferior compared to you? Finally we get to a spot surrounded by wildflowers. My prince lays out a blanket and helps me to sit down, kissing my hand as he does so. He opens the lid and brings out an impressive spread of sandwiches, meats, and cheeses. He pours us some wine as well. I know these foods won’t ever physically nourish me. But it's nice to pretend. It’s certainly better than the mushy barely edible food that gets served to me back in the real world. “Your beauty is beyond compare.” My prince says, a smile always on his perfect face. Why can’t this dream just continue on forever? I’d love to rule the kingdom with him by my side. We could take vacations to this little cottage by the lake. He could save me from my nightmares. However, all dreams must come to an end. We finish ‘eating’ the food and lie back on the blanket looking up at the blue sky. The scene fades away and I head out of the store, looking to do virtual work in this virtual world so I can experience my dreams once again.
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Mar 19, 2023 23:19
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Apr 25, 2023 02:09
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| # ¿ Sep 7, 2024 21:04 |
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Pegasus 753 words I guess being dead isn’t so bad. You’ve got all the toys to play with and all the junk food you could eat. There’s no homework or school, well, not unless you really like school which I don’t. Nobody ever gets hurt or sad. We all just play all day under the watchful eye of a pegasus. Well, I say he’s a pegasus but he’s got wings and a horn on his head. Some girls say he’s a unicorn but unicorns are too girly. Come to think of it, I don’t know if the pegasus is even a guy or girl. I guess it doesn’t really matter. All I know is he watches over me and all the other kids. I got sent to this pegasus land when I was eight years old. I don’t remember much but I was in the hospital and was real sick for what felt like a long time. Lots of kids came to visit me. I wish I could remember their names. I wish I could remember my name. The night I died I saw the pegasus outside my window. Someone started playing a flute but I couldn’t see where they were. I closed my eyes like I was going to sleep and when I woke up I was in here. The pegasus told me I was in a safe place now and I would be eight forever. I believed him when I ate candy from a tree without feeling sick. Candy grows on trees here just like in the Candyland board game or Willy Wonka’s factory. There are rivers full of chocolate and sparkling soda. I eat a bunch of junk food everyday and don’t get cavities or nothing. Some of the other kids here say its cause time doesn’t pass but I don’t think so. The sun rises and sets each day. Then again there’s no calendars here either. I asked the pegasus about calendars and he told me there was no need for one. After all, we weren’t on Earth anymore anyway. A bigger kid once told me that one year on Earth is 365 days long. I don't know how long a year on this place lasts, but I know the sun rises and sets at certain times each day. It's always sunny too yet the grass is always green and the flowers are always blooming. The weather is always warm and the temperature is always perfect. It's like we live in a cartoon or something. There are no birthdays here either cause like I said, everyone’s the same age forever. I remember one of my birthdays well. I had just turned six and my mom had gotten this strawberry shortcake fresh from the bakery. There were lots of candles and everyone sang Happy Birthday. I figured it would be nice to have a moment like that again but everyone can just eat cake forever now. There will never be another special day because every day is the same. We wake up, we play, and when the sun sets we follow the pegasus through the stars as we deliver wishes. Some of the wishes people make are pretty dumb. Some people are like ‘I wish to kiss this girl’. Why would you even want to kiss girls anyway? They are gross and icky. But sometimes people make other wishes too. Those wishes are more like what I wished for. Some kids would love to have another birthday again, one where their moms buy them a cake and they get lots of presents and love. But they saw the pegasus flying by. When you see the pegasus in the real world that means you’re going to die. That’s what the pegasus told me. So we fly across the world collecting wishes from kids that can see the pegasus. Humans can’t see us of course. I figure most grown-ups are too boring to believe anyway. We see the kid and a day or two later they show up in our world. What’s weird was that we were usually healthy before we saw the pegasus. Then we all got sick, or in a car crash and died. Why would he want us to die? Some of the older kids mentioned that they saw the pegasus say that adults must pay the price before they died. Apparently some grown-ups forgot to pay him a long time ago. I remember a similar story about that once. But that was just a fairy tale. It couldn’t be true, right?
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May 1, 2023 04:04
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