In this post, I have two 250-word microfiction pieces. In the first one, I used a line from Gloria Anzaldua's piece How to Tame a Wild Tongue, to inspire my story. The line is: “Wild tongues can’t be tamed, they can only be cut out.” The second microfiction story is based off of one of my tweets: “Alaska is so different from California…we don’t have freeways and we don’t have people.”
Tell Me
“Tell me what you know!”
I don’t know anything, he says. I’m innocent, he says. I have no idea what you’re talking about!
Well, I’m not stupid. I know when I’m being lied to. I’ve done this before and I know how to get the information I need. This little prick isn’t going to stand in my way. I will get what I want. I need to know what he knows. What did he see? What did he hear? Did he tell anyone? Because if he did, then I’m in deep shit.
Another dunk should do it, I think. He’s always been afraid of drowning since he—fell—into the pool last summer. And maybe this will speed up the potty training process. I’m sick of him crawling into my bed and pissing on my sheets. It is not cute!
I pull his head out of the toilet when his body starts convulsing. He gasps and spits and cries and begs for me to stop.
“Tell me what you know!”
I look into his dripping face, with those perfect clear blue eyes, and adorable little button nose splashed with freckles and his rosy mouth filled with straight baby teeth.
I’m starting to think maybe he didn’t tell Mom anything. In fact, I’m almost sure of it now, thank God. But I need to make sure he continues to be quiet. There’s only one way to do that. Butter or butcher, I haven’t decided yet. Either way, it’s going to be wonderful. Oh, that pretty little face.
I’ll find a way to stay out of trouble. I always do. No one ever suspects me.
They
They’re out there, roaming the streets. Shuffling, staring, mumbling. Brainless things out to infect everyone They can find. They’ve learned our ways quickly, like They’re trying to fit in, be inconspicuous. But I know They’ve infiltrated our governments and our daily lives. And now They’ve come for our safe places, our homes. They get you when you least expect Them to come, when you feel comfortable, when you’re vulnerable, at your weakest. Nobody thinks it will happen to them and then bang, you’re dead. On the inside, at least. You can still walk around, but your soul is gone. You don’t know anything, you don’t really do anything. You just are.
They’ve been doing this since the year 2000. Everyone laughed when the computers didn’t malfunction like they were supposed to, but I didn’t laugh. I knew that was just a distraction from what was really going on. They won’t be satisfied until we’re all like Them, til we’re all members of Their diseased army. There’s no way I can stop them. It’s too late, there’s too many of Them. But I have been able to take some of Them out, to at least try to lower Their numbers with my rifle. You have to get Them in the head, it’s the quickest way. They won’t have the chance to see where the shot came from. That’s how I’ve survived for so long, but I got sloppy. I ventured too far from my house and someone saw me. They know I exist. They’ve surrounded my house.
Here They come.
Tell Me
“Tell me what you know!”
I don’t know anything, he says. I’m innocent, he says. I have no idea what you’re talking about!
Well, I’m not stupid. I know when I’m being lied to. I’ve done this before and I know how to get the information I need. This little prick isn’t going to stand in my way. I will get what I want. I need to know what he knows. What did he see? What did he hear? Did he tell anyone? Because if he did, then I’m in deep shit.
Another dunk should do it, I think. He’s always been afraid of drowning since he—fell—into the pool last summer. And maybe this will speed up the potty training process. I’m sick of him crawling into my bed and pissing on my sheets. It is not cute!
I pull his head out of the toilet when his body starts convulsing. He gasps and spits and cries and begs for me to stop.
“Tell me what you know!”
I look into his dripping face, with those perfect clear blue eyes, and adorable little button nose splashed with freckles and his rosy mouth filled with straight baby teeth.
I’m starting to think maybe he didn’t tell Mom anything. In fact, I’m almost sure of it now, thank God. But I need to make sure he continues to be quiet. There’s only one way to do that. Butter or butcher, I haven’t decided yet. Either way, it’s going to be wonderful. Oh, that pretty little face.
I’ll find a way to stay out of trouble. I always do. No one ever suspects me.
They
They’re out there, roaming the streets. Shuffling, staring, mumbling. Brainless things out to infect everyone They can find. They’ve learned our ways quickly, like They’re trying to fit in, be inconspicuous. But I know They’ve infiltrated our governments and our daily lives. And now They’ve come for our safe places, our homes. They get you when you least expect Them to come, when you feel comfortable, when you’re vulnerable, at your weakest. Nobody thinks it will happen to them and then bang, you’re dead. On the inside, at least. You can still walk around, but your soul is gone. You don’t know anything, you don’t really do anything. You just are.
They’ve been doing this since the year 2000. Everyone laughed when the computers didn’t malfunction like they were supposed to, but I didn’t laugh. I knew that was just a distraction from what was really going on. They won’t be satisfied until we’re all like Them, til we’re all members of Their diseased army. There’s no way I can stop them. It’s too late, there’s too many of Them. But I have been able to take some of Them out, to at least try to lower Their numbers with my rifle. You have to get Them in the head, it’s the quickest way. They won’t have the chance to see where the shot came from. That’s how I’ve survived for so long, but I got sloppy. I ventured too far from my house and someone saw me. They know I exist. They’ve surrounded my house.
Here They come.
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