Random Shorts (469 hits)
Category: Quotes & StoriesRating: 1 on 9 reviews (Rate this item) (V)
Submitted by frankthebear (View user info) at 2008-05-15 04:33:41 EDT
She was the most beautiful thing he had ever seen, and she was his for the taking. But not yet. He was waiting for her to be ready, to grow up a little more. When she started developing her buds, he knew she would be ready. But he wouldn't be greedy, he would take her a little at a time.
The Toke Bug, or so he was known, slowly and lovingly watered the six-foot plant growing in his walk-in closet under the super bright LCD light. He had been growing Lucy from a seed he had been saving for nearly twelve years, and in another week or two, she would be ready for the first pruning. Toke could hardly wait.
It wasn't that he was short of pot to smoke, far from it, it was the anticipation that was getting to him. Anticipation that was all the more potent since he hadn't been sure if the seed would even grow or if it was too old. He gently rubbed the stem between his thumb ad forefinger and smelled the heady aroma that was like a mix of raw mint and tomato plants. His mouth started watering at the pungent aroma: Lucy was going to produce an extremely delicious harvest.
Retreating before he did something he would regret later, the Toke Bug went back out to his room where he pulled on his overcoat and grabbed his sticker festooned briefcase. He had fifteen sales to make today and he hated to be late. He took a roach from the ash tray by the door and smoked it down to a cinder in one hit before heading on his way. Fuck it, he thought, when he got home tonight, Lucy was coming down.
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The man with the horse fled across the desert, and Alecia followed. Since leaving Folly and her stupid brother Alan three years ago, Alecia had made her way steadily south and west, until she came to what used to be Arizona and New Mexico. Her only companion was Inky, an extremely intelligent crow that had belonged to Alan but had followed her instead.
In the time since her departure, she had taught herself to be a weapons expert, and she was weighed down under two Desert Eagle .44's strapped to her sides, a 30.06 hunting rifle, half a dozen knives strapped all over her body, and a whip that she was still getting the hang of.
The man with the horse had been eluding her for weeks, but she meant to catch up with him soon. She had been looking for her past ever since leaving Folly, and she had heard a rumor that this man came from New Hampshire like she and Alan had, and he had been in charge of a massive evacuation project to get the survivors from The Fall out of New England and someplace down south before the winter months arrived.
There was a chance that the man with the horse knew if her parents had survived The Fall, or at least where the other survivors had gone. Damn Alan, she thought, if he hadn't dragged me out of New Hampshire with him, I could have gone on living in peace with the rest of the Dregs!
But was that true? Was it even fair? Alecia shook her head and dismissed these thoughts, a task that had become harder and harder with each passing day. All the time alone gave her time to think, and in her thoughts, it was impossible to lie to herself. Did Alan really deserve to be blamed for everything that had happened to her? Absolutely. Even Alan himself would readily admit he was responsible for what had happened to her. But hadn't he risked everything to make amends?
"Fuck!" she shouted out loud and Inky fluttered his wings in surprise from his perch on her shoulder. In the past she had been able to ignore these questions, or at least pretend she wasn't really troubled by these questions, but today they wouldn't leave her alone. Had she been wrong to hate Alan after all he had done? After all he had done for her. And there it was. The final truth that had been with her all along. Alan had made mistakes like any other person could make, but in the end he had done it all for her.
But who asked him to come back into her life anyway? What life? Living like an animal? What kind of life was that? "FUCK!" She shouted again. Why now? Why did all these questions have to come now? She had been wrong after all. Alan was all she had left, and he had given her a fresh start. What had she given him in return? Nothing but guilt. Alecia fell to her knees under the baking sun, overcome by the enormity of her own folly. All this time! Wasted time that should have been spent rebuilding her life with her brother.
She raised her eyes to the speck on the horizon that was the man with the horse. That way was only one man who might prove a false lead, or worse. She turned her head to look back in the direction she had come. That way was the way home, the way to friends and what family she had left. At long last, she knew who she was and where she belonged: in Folly with her brother.
"Well Inky, do you think he'll let me come home?" she asked the bird on her shoulder.
"Fuckin' A!" he replied before returning his attention to the light reflecting off her earring.
"You're a good boy, Inky" she said as she got to her feet, turned, and started back east.
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The night was a fine thing after all, Angelica thought as she leapt from rooftop to rooftop. The moon was in the last quarter and it was cool yet pleasant under the stars as she stalked a stray dog that she intended to feed upon.
Angelica Crawford had called this small town home for the last hundred and eighty years, although she had been forced to sleep through most of it, would still be sleeping if not for that nice librarian boy who had freed her and then gone off in search of other interesting stories like hers. The thought brought a small smile that revealed he points of her elongated fangs.
Suddenly she stopped, feeling a disturbing tremor at the edge of her mind: someone old and powerful was watching her. She whipped her head to the left and just caught a glimpse of a shadowy figure ducking for cover behind a chimney.
"Who is that?" she called after the figure.
"Lower your voice, woman, lest you wake the whole damn town!" came a whispered reply that nevertheless came clearly to her sharp ears. From behind the chimney emerged a man who seemed too tall for his own good. Long spidery arms and legs barely concealed beneath a black cloak, and a long pale face with heavy sensuous red lips. A vampire.
"Who are you?" Angelica whispered back.
"I am called Argyle, and I have been sent to collect you."
"Collect me?"
"Yes. The war begins soon, and the time has come for the gathering of our forces."
Angelica felt a thrill run through her cold, undead flesh. Of course she knew about the war. Had not the one who made her trained her for it? But she had her own plans for when that time came. Guarding her thoughts as best as she could, she silently came and fell in behind Argyle. Together they raced through the night towards the docks. From his thoughts, Argyle showed Angelica the ship they would be boarding for Europe. The time had come.
User Reviews
Submitted by frankthebear (user info) at 2008-05-21 01:08:50 EDT (#)
Ranking: 0
ok, I confess, I know very little about the growing process, but I smoke almost daily, so that has to count for something...right?
Submitted by apollo88 (user info) at 2008-05-15 13:00:42 EDT (#)
Ranking: -2
No Comment
Submitted by X54 (user info) at 2008-05-15 11:27:24 EDT (#)
Ranking: 1
Toke bug: -2. Despite the amusing twist at the beginning. I think you're attempting to write about something of which you have almost no understanding and it shows.
Alecia: +1. Nicely written (all three were), but her arsenal struck me as excessive. Can you imagine lugging all that crap around in the desert? My eyes rolled before I really got into it. I thought the back story was well done, if a bit formulaic.
Angelica: +2. Even though I generally dislike stories about vampires, this was my favorite of the three.
Submitted by monkeyswithguns (user info) at 2008-05-15 08:57:59 EDT (#)
Ranking: 2
No Comment
Submitted by CarterPFly (user info) at 2008-05-15 07:08:27 EDT (#)
Ranking: 2
+2 for growers!!!!
Then again its obvious the author isnt a grower himself. I had about 400 or so seeds from a harvest and then didnt grow for 3 years and not one of the basts germiniated. I know they were good seeds cos I had given a load to another guy who got a fine crop out of them. Cuttings are the way forward though. I'm starting playing with aeroponics now and its proving to be even more kickass then I thaught it would be but havent produced a crop for a long while now due to teh wife thinking I should grow up and be responsible and shit like that.
Submitted by frankthebear (user info) at 2008-05-15 05:58:32 EDT (#)
Ranking: 0
yes indeed, I just felt like following up on a few loose ends here
Submitted by HurtByTheSun (user info) at 2008-05-15 05:48:58 EDT (#)
Ranking: 1
Didn't you do a 'Toke Bug' story way back in the day?
Submitted by DrogoRoch (user info) at 2008-05-15 05:31:27 EDT (#)
Ranking: 2
I picked up a Vampire book by accident once it was called Rulers of Darkness by Steven Spruill I thoroughly enjoyed it. Made it out to be a blood defect or something.
Submitted by Beano312003 (user info) at 2008-05-15 05:27:21 EDT (#)
Ranking: 0
dissapointed not to find a picture of you in your shorts Frank :o(