#set 36

[gobs-o-dice]

Old Dice Staging Methods: Batch #8

[wellamarke]

Drabble #358

V: “It’s sad when someone you know becomes someone you knew.” - Henry Rollins

It’s possible, Douglas is discovering, to reverse the drift that turns friends in to strangers, to gradually regain what was lost. 

The fact is, he and Herc had been good friends, back when they were starting out - competitive, yes, but not out-and-out rivals. Life had put them on very different tracks for a while, but now it’s brought them back together in the most unlikely of places - a Lockheed McDonnell, for goodness’ sake - and it’s refreshing to settle so easily into old rhythms.  

He does wish Herc was a bit easier to beat in word games, though.

[gobs-o-dice]

Dice Set #36: Light Green Transparent

[wellamarke]

Drabble #365

IX: “You may delay, but time will not.” - Benjamin Franklin 

She can stand underneath the wing all day and all night, Carolyn realises, but that won’t change the fact that GERTI is registered for auction tomorrow - that soon, she will be Someone Else’s Jet.

This has been coming for a while, of course. Carolyn shouldn’t be surprised, and she isn’t. Surprise sits higher in the throat - this is a deeper, far more dismal sensation, reaching down through her lungs and all the way to the pit of her stomach. 

No use moping about it, she chides herself. She goes in search of voices to drown out the gloom.

[wellamarke]

Drabble #324

X: “One man with courage is a majority.” - Thomas Jefferson

On seeing his father heading for the hangar, Arthur radioed Douglas, just as he’d been instructed, then sat back. That was his bit done.  

There was nothing else to watch for now, so he let his eyes have a little rest. Arthur never seemed to know how to be around Dad, and ended up trying to be about seven different versions of himself, at varying levels of panic. It got quite tiring. 

Now, though, everything was safe in Douglas’s hands. It was so nice to know that. 

To know nobody had to be scared, because Douglas was sorting it out.

[wellamarke]

Drabble #361

VI: “Film spectators are quiet vampires.” - Jim Morrison

Arthur tries to sit quietly and just watch films - he does. But there’s usually so much brilliance going on that it’s impossible to keep quiet. After all, when something exciting or funny or sad or scary happens in real life, you talk about it, don’t you? What’s so different about doing that at the cinema?

Because, Martin points out, there are other people in the cinema too, and not all of them want to hear the special Arthur Shappey Commentary.

“I do, though,” he adds. “Why don’t we just watch a DVD at home, next time?”

So they do.

[wellamarke]

Drabble #307

VIII: "So long as you have food in your mouth, you have solved all questions for the time being." - Franz Kafka

Martin checked his watch again. "What if we don't get back in time? Your Mum'll have my guts for garters."

"What a funny phrase," Arthur mused, before taking another bite of his sandwich. "I wonder where it comes from."

Martin made a face. "Can we concentrate on making a plan, and save the etymology debate for later?"

"Martin, Martin, Martin," said Arthur, with the air of someone very wise. "I mean, Skip, Skip, Skip. Hmm, it's not as good with words of one sound. Anyway. It's only one o'clock, we've got plenty of time. Stop worrying, and eat your sandwich."

[wellamarke]

Drabble #285

I: “Love is an exploding cigar we willing[ly] smoke.” - Lynda Barry

The choice to be a chump is what makes a chump a chump, as far as Carolyn is concerned. She prides herself in guarding against all forms of chumpery, including the asinine habit of going around spouting confessions of love to anyone one felt remotely fondly towards. 

Can’t it just stay simple, like this? Just two people, on a beach. Granted, one of them is newly determined to leave for Liechtenstein within the hour, but before the phonecall she’d been quite content to stay there with him, listening to the waves. 

Why must he ruin it all by saying things?