Wednesday, February 9, 2011

The War of Endless Night

"I don't know... I just don't know..." the Captain muttered.

"Captain's dithering again," said Private Nightlight to Sergeant LED.

"That's the problem with these compact fluorescents," LED said, nodding. "Always back and forth, back and forth. They've got all kinds of toxic issues right under that cold facade they put up, too. It's how they're raised, I think."

"ENOUGH TALK!" came a shriek from behind. "ONWARD TO GLORIOUS DEATH!" Someone hurtled past them. There was a whistle and a pop.

"Incandescent went over the wall, Sarge."

"Can't say I'm surprised. He's been on the edge of burning out for weeks."

4 comments:

Gerald said...

Now that's worth a big LOL!!

Jim Murdoch said...

Truly groanworthy. This truly is less of a fiction and more of a joke.

I love those jokes that end on a line like, "A hod's as good as a sink to a blind Norse."

If you've never heard the joke before see if you can rattle up something that ends with that line.

Scattercat said...

Jokes are okay at 100 words, I think. It's when authors sucker me in for longer stories and end on a punchline that I get annoyed.

@Jim
If I knew what a "hod" was, I'd be halfway there...

Jim Murdoch said...

A hod is a tray or trough that has a pole handle and that is borne on the shoulder for carrying loads (as of mortar or brick); it can also be a term for a coal scuttle. Don't they have dictionaries in your corner of the Internet?

Probably best to try and make up one of your own, like A Rolling Stone fathers Kate Moss - you get the idea. Here's a good list to maybe spark an idea.

The more preposterous you can make it the harder it will be for people to see the punch line coming: Bath and the world baths with you, beep and you beep alone.