Bob knew every turn and corner in The City. He could get from The Heights to The Bay inside of ten minutes, in any weather, at any time of day. He’d been a driver for Midas Corp. for five years, and he’d been Augustus Sizemore’s chauffeur for two. Before that, he’d been a Daytripping Gearhead. Once he was the king of the underground street racing circuit. But everybody has to grow up and get a real job sometime. The doors opened and two men got in. One was his boss, the other, he did not know. Bob started the engine.
The City: 004: Bob
October 2, 2014
The City, Writing 140 Characters, Bob, Drabble, Fiction, The City, Writting Leave a comment
The City: 003: Gina
October 1, 2014
The City, Writing 140 Characters, Drabble, Fiction, Gina, The City, Writing Leave a comment
Gina watched the jumper on the exterior cameras. Her chute was a cheap model, without any stabilizers. You could get one of those for the credits you’d find lying in the street. The kid was a Daytripper, not a Citizen like her. And she didn’t know how strong the crosswinds blew up here. They buzzed for her in the conference room. They must have finally finished. She wished the kid happy landings, and went in. The signed contract lay on the table. The mysterious gentleman looked happy, but her boss just looked tired. She took it, and left the room.
The City: 002: Augustus
September 30, 2014
The City, Writing 140 Characters, Augustus, Drabble, Fiction, Midas Corp, The City, The Smiling Man 1 Comment
Augustus watched the sunrise from the floor-to-ceiling window of the 97th floor boardroom. They had worked through the night, but the contract was finished. Everyone but he and the client had gone home. He was the fifth-richest men in the world, and this sale would multiply his fortune. But could he really give up his control of Midas Corp? Could he leave The City behind? A rainbow parachute descended past him. A punky girl in black leather dangled from it. She met his eye and gave him the finger. He crossed back to the table and signed.
The City: 001: Dawn
September 29, 2014
The City, Writing 140 Characters, Dawn, Drabble, Fiction, Midas Corp, The City, Writing 21 Comments
Dawn loomed over The City. She stood and watched the rising sun filter through block after block from her vantage on the roof of Midas Corp. Tower. She had climbed up without light, making the perilous trip by memory and relying on a FAQ when the going got tough. There wasn’t anything up here, but it was the best view short of buying your own plane. And who had the credits to waste on something like that? This was her city, and she was its vagabond master. It was a new day, and below her adventure was waiting. She Jumped.
Drabble: Buried Alive
June 24, 2014
Uncategorized Buried Alive, Drabble, Fiction, Olympics, Sports, VSS Leave a comment
The hero opened his eyes to the sound of dirt hitting the lid of the coffin. He was in total darkness, buried alive. He’d have to act quickly.
Above ground, a group of men watched the unmarked grave.
“It’s been four minutes. Maybe this time?” said a man with a shovel.
“Not today, you fiend!” the hero shouted and burst through the loose soil. Someone shouted, “Time!” An assistant fired a tranquilizer gun into the man’s chest. He flopped over. “Okay, let’s get him set up for the next run.”
“Man,” a trainer said. “The Olympics sure have gotten weird.”
Author’s Note: This drabble was originally published to the Drabblecast forums. It appeared in audio on The Dribblecast, read by Rish Outfield. You can listen to his version HERE.
Drabble-Beers in the Night
June 13, 2014
Writing Balticon, Drabble, Writing Leave a comment
Here’s the second drabble I wrote for this year’s “Dueling Drabbles” panel at Balticon 48. The prompts for this one were: San Francisco, A Private Eye, and a bottle opener. Enjoy!
The detective huddled into his coat and stepped out into the chilly July night. San Francisco winter. He was searching for a needle in a city of haystacks. He passed darkened storefronts and seedy alleys. Dive bars and the kind of places where a man found salvation, and lost his soul. He kept searching. That wasn’t what he was looking for tonight. He thought about his client, a dame with the kind of looks that made a fireman play with matches. She was waiting for him.
Finally, he came back and gave her the bottle opener. “Next time, buy cans.”
Drabble: The Goodbye Party
May 31, 2014
Uncategorized Balticon, Drabble, Dueling Drabbles, Writing 1 Comment
Here’s one of the two drabbles I wrote at this year’s Dueling Drabbles panel at Balticon. This story’s prompts were: Antarctica, A Colonel, and A Palm Tree. Enjoy!
The Colonel stared at the banner and frowned. ‘Bon Voyage’ was scrawled across it in cheerful rainbow letters. He wasn’t sure, but he suspected the font was comic sans.
“You don’t like it,” his sister said. She had promised she wasn’t throwing him a surprise party.
“it’s not that,” he said, even though it was. “But you do remember where they are sending me, right?”
“Oh,” she said. “I had thought you said Antigua.” She had decided to make it a beach party. Plastic palm trees, beach balls, the works. He tried to relax. Tomorrow, he was flying to Antarctica.
Fiction: The Peter Jackson Version of this Drabble is 100 pages long.
January 19, 2014
Uncategorized Drabble, Fiction Leave a comment
Yesterday morning, this wizard came up and carved a rune on my front door, square in the center. I thought we were just having a pleasant conversation and BAM! My door is advertising or something now. Of course, I have no idea what it says. I’ve tried everything to get rid of it. I tried cleaning it, painting over it, I even pulled the door down and hung a new one. The stupid thing just reappeared. I was at my wits end. That is, until a party of dwarves showed up this morning, offering ‘discount rune removal services.’ Goddam wizards.
Hugh J. O'Donnell 