The Daily Spur

The Frozen Tundra

Fandango2 Comments

8E704C5F-43A1-4551-922F-935A902DB6EE The large sign read “Entering the Gelid Zone — Authorized Personnel Only.”

Harry looked at the guy sitting next to him on the bus. He seemed to be napping. Harry nudged him and said, “Welcome to your new home, Buttercup. We’re almost there.”

“Stop calling me that, asshole,” the guy said. “My name is Jack.”

“Then you need to change your behavior and stop acting like such a pussy if you don’t want me calling you Buttercup” Harry said.

“Listen,” Jack said, “like it or not we’re going to be stuck here together for a long, long time. So how about if show some respect to one another and try to make the best of a bad situation?”

The guy sitting behind them on the bus started laughing. “You two jokers think this place is one of them all-inclusive resorts or something?” he said. “Well, you’d better get over that real quick because there ain’t no respite from the the shit you’re gonna be dealing with at this hell hole. I knew a guy who was here and he said that you can’t even begin to imagine….”

Just then the bus came to a stop and a uniformed office who was sitting in the front of the bus stood stood up and addressed the dozen men in the bus. “Welcome to the Gelid Zone, gentlemen,” he said, “where you’ll be spending the rest of your miserable lives. Welcome to the frozen tundra in the middle of nowhere and from which there is no escape. Welcome to the most remote penal colony on the globe.”

Written for these daily prompts: Ragtag Daily Prompt (gelid), Fandango’s One-Word Challenge (zone), The Daily Spur (buttercup), Word of the Day Challenge (behavior), Your Daily Word Prompt (respite), and Jibber Jabber (imagine).

Enough Politics Already

Fandango52 Comments

9539D001-DE79-44BE-A4F7-9DCA1DD446FFI’ve made a decision. I’m going to throw caution to the wind. I’m going to stop posting about Trump and about politics. I know what you’re thinking: finally! Let me explain.

We have a leader who doesn’t understand what it means to demonstrate leadership. And the empirical evidence shows that Trump has turned what he called the swamp into a zoo filled with corrupt, incompetent sycophants.

But you all know that. Deep down inside, even you Republicans know that he’s destroying the Republic. But people are gonna believe what they’re gonna believe and do what they’re gonna do, no matter what the reality is.

So I’m tired of pissing in the wind. Nobody gives a shit what Fandango thinks, anyway. Enough is enough. I’m calling it quits. No more posts about politics or about Trump. I promise.

For now, anyway.

Written for these daily prompts: Your Daily Word Prompt (caution), Jibber Jabber (finally), Ragtag Daily Prompts (explain), The Daily Spur (leadership), Fandango’s One-Word Challenge (empirical), and Word of the Day Challenge (zoo).

Like Candy From a Baby

Fandango4 Comments

BC22ED24-A993-46D2-B263-09AC1E8BF6B9“It’s like taking candy from a baby. I can do it with ease,” Mitch said.

“You’re an irredeemable windbag, you know,” his assistant said.

“Maybe so, but I inspire people,” Mitch said. “I get them to do things they don’t really want to or like to do.”

“And you honestly think they don’t begrudge you for that?” his assistant asked.

“Who cares? Resistance is futile. I own them,” Mitch said.

“Until the next election,” his assistant said under his breath as he left the room.

Written for these daily prompts: Jibber Jabber (candy), Fandango’s One-Word Challenge (baby, begrudge), The Daily Spur (ease), Ragtag Daily Prompt (windbag), Your Daily Word Prompt (inspire), and Word of the Day Challenge (futile).

Napoleon Complex

Fandango2 Comments

“Welcome one and all,” the speaker said, “to this celebration to recognize a paragon of our business community. I’m excited to introduce the man you’ve all been waiting for.”

The speaker gestured to the side of the stage while the audience enthusiastically applauded. But the guest of honor did not take the stage. Finally, a man ran out and spoke to the speaker, who nervously cleared his throat and returned to the microphone.

“Ladies and gentlemen,” the speaker said, “I’m afraid that our main attraction won’t be able to be here in person today.” An audible gasp ran through the crowd. “But the good news is that we’re going to be able to leverage cloud technology to bring our guest of honor to you.”

With that, a giant screen descended from the back of the stage and suddenly the main attraction of the meeting appeared on it, a smug look all over his face.

The woman sitting to my left looked at me and said, “I’m surprised,” she said. “Even up there on that large screen he looks so diminutive.FFA19BB5-0374-49EA-8DD6-507624B9E51C“Well,” I responded, “in real life he’s a little bastard, a very small man, yet with a huge Napoleon complex. Behind his back, everyone despises him.”

Written for these daily prompts from yesterday: Word of the Day Challenge (celebration), Ragtag Daily Prompt (paragon), Jibber Jabber (business), Your Daily Word Prompt (afraid), The Daily Spur (cloud), and Fandango’s One-Word Challenge (diminutive).

Photo Challenge — A Dead Giveaway

Fandango11 Comments

704D0930-FD87-4140-AE0F-5C328230C7E2”What if I’d made a different decision, chosen a different path?” Ken wondered aloud as he looked at the three leaves on the path before him.

“Don’t ruin things,” a man near him said.

Ken turned around and said to the stranger who spoke to him, “What did you just say?”

“I said that everyone’s life is just a variation on a theme,” the man said. “Your kind of thinking puts you in a no win situation. You need to stop focusing and what’s beneath and behind you and, instead, look at what is above and ahead of you.

“Who the hell are you and why don’t you mind your own damn business?” Ken said.

“I am someone who is trying to help you move forward,” the man said.

“Move forward apropos to what?” Ken asked.

“From your mistakes you made in the past, from your deep regrets,” the man said.

“But how can I do that?” Ken asked. “I can’t change the past.”

“For starters,” the man said, “one way you can compensate for the errors of your ways is no not vote for Donald Trump again this November.”

Astonished, Ken looked at the man and asked, “How did you know I voted for Trump in 2016?”

The man looked at Ken, shook his head, and said, “The red MAGA cap you’re wearing is a dead giveaway.”

Written for the Photo Challenge prompt from Mindlovemisery’s Menagerie. Photo credit: mh cheraghi on Pexels.com. Also for these daily prompts: Ragtag Daily Prompt (what if), The Daily Spur (ruin), Word of the Day Challenge (theme), Jibber Jabber (win), Fandango’s One-Word Challenge Apropos), and Your Daily Word Prompt (compensate).