A Short Story For You All To Enjoy

[Mickey Jay]

Short Story For You All To Enjoy

Chloe sat in the waiting area, her head in her hands, looking sullen and miserable. Of course, most everyone here looked the same, she noted. As the wait grew longer, so did her face, until, finally, a man in a white lab coat came out and approached her. “Chloe?”

“Yes, I’m Chloe.”

“Hi. I’m Peter.” He sat down next to her and brushed a section of hair out of his eyes, only for it to fall right back in the same place. “Well, would you like to tell me what happened?”

“I already told the girl at the desk.”

“I know,” and he smiled, trying to be comforting, “but humor me?”

Chloe sighed, “Fine. Do you want the whole story or an abridged version?”

“The whole story, if you wouldn’t mind.”

She was thinking, Actually, I do quite mind, thank you. Out loud, however, she said, “Well, I just knew it was going to be a bad day from the moment I woke up. I missed my alarm, burned breakfast and missed the train. And then rehearsal was just a disaster.”

Peter lifted his head from the clipboard where he was taking notes, “Rehearsal?”

“Yes, for the magic act.”

“Oh, right,” he nodded, “Hence the flashy outfit.”

Chloe adjusted a strap on her sequined bodysuit and continued, “Anyway…first the dove got free and it took a half hour to get him back in the cage. Then, the sound system shorted out, and the tech was nowhere to be found for about an hour. And when that was finally fixed, the power went out.”

Peter shook his head sympathetically, “I’m sorry to hear that. It does sound like you were having a rather rough day.”

“Well, it only got worse from there,” she said, with more than a bit of annoyance in her voice now. Not only did she have to go through this whole story a second time, but also this guy keeps interrupting her. “When we finally got power back, we had about fifteen minutes to get ready for the show. So, after rushing to get ready, I find out our show has been delayed because of some issues with tickets or something. Then, finally, the show started.”

“I hope that went a little better, at least, excepting the obvious, of course.” Peter interjected, again, trying to be comforting.

“Yeah, right. The rabbit trick flopped when the rabbit bit Tom, the magician. Then, he grabbed the wrong cards for the card tricks. But, the last trick was, obviously, the worst failure of the night.”

“Ah, yes, well…. that’s usually the way it happens,” Peter said, “Straw that breaks the camel’s back and all that.”

Chloe signed again, “I just don’t understand what happened. I mean, the machine worked fine during rehearsal and then, BAM! It just…fails.”

Peter cleared his throat, “Well, unfortunately, those sometimes are the hazards that go with your profession.”

“But the blade wasn’t supposed to be sharpened!” she cried. “I mean, it’s a trick! It should never have cut through! It’s supposed to be a failsafe of the guillotine trick so this doesn’t happen!”

“Well,” Peter continued, in his same calm voice, “if it makes you feel better, I have it on good authority that the matter is being looked into by the police.” He finished his notes, tucked his pen in his pocket and stood up. “At any rate, we’re ready for you now, so if you’ll just follow me…”

Chloe rose from her chair, looking a little nervous now. “Are you taking me to see him?”

“In a manner of speaking, yes. It’s not as scary as you may think, honestly.”

“Well,” she stammered, “it’s just that, you know, you hear stories.”

Peter chuckled, “Don’t worry, it’ll be fine. Let’s go.”

Chloe rose from her chair, tucking her head between her hip and her elbow, “I still can’t believe this happened. I mean, just, wow, ya know?”

“I know. For most people, it doesn’t sink in right away. They protest and scream, but, in the end, they accept it.”

“You know, it’s funny, I always thought this place would be more…. shiny.”

Peter chuckled, “Well, even Heaven has to move with the times, sometimes. But then, a lot of this is your own perception, too. You see what would make you feel comfortable. Thus,” he waved his hand around, “the hospital look.”

Chloe shifted her head from one side to the other, carrying it like you would a basketball. She tilted her head up to look at Peter, and then at the golden doors they were about to pass through. “Will I stay like this? I mean, can it be reattached?”

“Well, that depends on your placement, which depends on the interview. So, best foot forward.”

Chloe nodded, straightened herself up and strode through the double doors and into the white light beyond with as much confidence as she could muster.

- - - o 0 o - - -

http://cuddlynecrobabes.com/mh/WELCOME.htm

- - - o 0 o - - -

[The_Return]

Your best one yet man, I really expected a different kind of ending given your track record. I was impressed

Though I must say, you might want to see someone about this obsession with guillotines and decapitation...it really cant be healthy.

[monalisa]

So there was this Technical Engineer that was over in a third world country and broke one of their laws. He was sentanced to death by guillotine. The crowd gathered to watch the event. The techy walked solomly up to the guillotine, thinking about his impending death. They placed him in the guillotine structure and clamped the top wood piece in place. The crowd was silent in anticipation. The lever was pulled, but the blade didn't move. Everyone gasped and whispered, what could have gone wrong? The techy engineer peered up at the blade mechinism and said, wait, I know how to fix that!