Nothing Can Stop Jen
Give Me A Break • Love, Life, And A Rock Quarry (part 3)
One Minute Wit
Give Me A Break
Budding playwright needs works
Dear Theater Production Person In Charge;
I am currently working on a play that I am sure you will be interested in.
I call it “Incident At The Wall.” It is a re-telling of the classic nursery rhyme, Humpty Dumpty.
We all know original ideas are too risky for plays, and that re-making movies and old plays are all the rage. What could be more ripe for a re-make than a nursery rhyme? Everyone knows them. People will flock to the theaters.
Here is a sample of the dialog:
Fred Dumpty (Humpty’s Cousin): If you are going to try to put an egg back together, the last thing you should do is let the King’s horses have a shot at it. Hooves and eggshells do not mix.
The Egg Queen: You crack me up, Fred. And that’s the problem.
It is sure to be a smash hit. Call me.
Mark
P.S. I have plenty of other ideas.
50-Word Story
Nothing Can Stop Jen
There was only one spot on this whole desolate, forsaken planet where she could pick the Intergalactic Top 40 show.
And Jen wasn’t going to let some stupid Face-Spitting Leaping Booger Fish keep her from finding out what song was number one in the Galaxy this week.
Radio on.
Serial Story
Love, Life, And A Rock Quarry
An uncommon tale
Part 3
In the previous part, Swimvest got caught laying firehose. Bill Blaster offered to run his business as a full partner. Swimvest agreed. Oldman Cardigan opposed their quarry venture. They decided to talk to Oldman.
Swimvest and Bill pulled up to Cardigan’s house and knocked on the door. He opened it, made a grumbly noise, and invited them in.
“Oldman, I’ve known you for forty-plus years. You know I wouldn’t do anything to hurt the town,” Bill said.
“Ain’t the town I’m worried about. It’s traffic and noise. And them confounded kids playing music too loud. It’s gonna ruin my retirement.”
“You know as well as I do that they blasted regularly when the quarry was operating. The whole town shook. It’s never been that quiet,” Bill replied.
“Yeah, but I got used to that. I won’t get used to the kids.”
Swimvest decided to try a new tactic.
“What if we build a new road on the other side of the quarry going out to Highway 14? We’ll close off the existing road. Then none of the traffic going to Lake Cardigan will pass by here.”
“What was that you said?” Oldman asked.
“I said we would build a new road…”
“No, no. About the lake. What did you call it?”
“Lake Cardigan. I figured you, being the town historian and the senior member of the community, it was only fitting to name the new lake after you.”
Cardigan turned his head for a moment in thought.
“Well, I suppose if you build a road on the other side, I might be agreeable to the project.”
“Excellent. We sure appreciate your cooperation,” Bill said.
They left and got back in Bill’s truck.
“You know, building a new road out to Highway 14 would cost a small fortune,” Bill said.
“I figured. But we will have to worry about that later. Maybe we can get the town to help. The mayor wants this as bad as we do.”
“Maybe. Excellent idea playing to his vanity.”
“It just came to me.”
“Well, it worked. Good job.”
It turns out it was all a lot of trouble for nothing. Oldman Cardigan died two days later. Swimvest and Bill no longer needed to build a new road, and their original plan was back on track.
Two weeks later, the whole town turned out to watch the blasting. Bill had hired some experts from the quarry company to come out and blow a hole in the quarry wall. The mayor gave a speech that roused everyone’s civic pride.
Boom! The first explosion shook the ground. No water. They set up and blasted again. Boom! No water. It took four tries to get far enough through the wall to hit water. When they finally did, there was no mistaking it. They hit an underground spring. The water gushed out and started running down the quarry wall. Everyone cheered. It was a great day for Rock Quarry.
Several days later, the water had reached the level of the spring and equalized. It was perfect. The water was deep enough and far enough up the wall to make jumping a thrill but not too dangerous.
Swimvest prepared himself. He would be the first jumper. He took a deep breath and ran toward the edge. He flew into the air and kicked his feet wildly as he fell. Swimvest splashed into the water and went deep into its depths, which he quickly discovered was icy cold. When he came up, he gasped for breath and swam as fast as he could for the quarry wall. The old road leading down into the quarry was the only way out. Bill was standing by with his pickup truck and a towel. Shivering, Swimvest grabbed the towel and wrapped it around himself.
“It’s freezing!”
Bill laughed.
“It will warm up eventually. Gonna take some time and sun, though.”
“We need to start on those stairs. We can’t haul people up in trucks all day.
“I’m way ahead of you. I hired some of the old crew to cut a stairway into the wall.”
“Awesome. How are we gonna pay them?”
“I took out a business loan. A small one to cover start-up expenses.”
“Smart thinking. That’s why I made you a partner.”
Bill laughed. “Right.”
When they reached the top of the road, they saw a young woman standing near the quarry’s edge. As they got closer, Swimvest recognized her. She was a local girl who went away to culinary school and ended up in New York City at a fancy restaurant. Swimvest used to have a crush on her but never dared tell her.
“It’s Becky Cook,” Swimvest said.
“So it is.”
They got out of the truck.
“Hello, Becky. What brings you out here today?” Bill asked.
“I’m here to run your restaurant,” Becky replied.
“How did you know about the restaurant?” Swimvest asked.
“Small town. We will start with some grills, a tent, and picnic tables. Until you can build a building.”
“I thought you were in New York,” Swimvest said.
“I was. I learned a lot and loved my job. But I missed home. New York is sensory overload. It never stops. I need a little slower pace.”
“Well, I wasn’t planning anything fancy. Just summer food. Burgers, fries, stuff like that.”
“Perfect. That’s what this place will need. You do realize you will only get three, maybe four months of operation per year. Just the summer months.”
“Yeah.”
“Well, I plan to open a cafe in town for the other nine months. People always need to eat.”
“I don’t know what to say.”
Becky stuck out her hand and said, “Say, Becky, you’re hired.”
Swimvest took her hand and said, “All right. Becky, you’re hired.”
“Good,” Becky said.
“Good,” Bill said.
“Awesome,” Swimvest said.
Concludes next week.
Happy Monday. Thanks for reading and responding. You make it fun.
Mark
"It turns out it was all a lot of trouble for nothing. Oldman Cardigan died two days later." Badda Boom... problem solved! The best thing about writing your own stories, Mark? They can work out any way you want. Not like real life, where the old codger would have lived to 105. ha ha ha. Good story.
1) Always eggciting tales, Mark!
2) I too have trouble with Intergalactic Top 40 reception.
3) Face Spitting Leaping Booger Fish--the WORST!!
4) Don't stop!😅