absurd – Post Modern Existential Horror

Redundant

The breakup had been painful for Charlotte, as her life had been tangled up in Greg’s. She wasn’t on the lease and had no legal recourse but to get gone. He was very clear. “C’est la vie,” she said, and her accent was perfect. She was proud of her French accent, even in more complex… Continue reading Redundant

Boring

The show Richard was watching was a soap opera about fighter pilot doctors who save lives, but have trouble facing their own tragic pasts. The main character, a wise-cracking yet sensitive up-and-comer, had trouble forming meaningful relationships, and compensated by speeding into wartorn villages to rescue hostages. The show was well-produced, and Richard watched it… Continue reading Boring

Time Loop

Because he had invested everything he had and several hundred thousand dollars besides in what had been all but proven impossible, Lowell was getting desperate. He hadn’t even proven the theory, and in a month, he was supposed to have a working prototype of what was basically a science fiction premise. “I guess you’re pretty… Continue reading Time Loop

King

As the chief legislator signed his last death warrant for the day, a wet and towel-clad King Gorgon came stumbling into his quarters. “We have to protect our citizens!” he shouted. “I want you to post a decree banning all bathtubs, showers, anything with a faucet. From now on, our government is decidedly anti-faucet.” The… Continue reading King

Two friends of opposite genders are watching a sporting event on television. The woman is bored. The man is enthusiastic. His enthusiasm bores her more than the game itself. He looks over to her after what to him was an exciting play, and she nods to avoid corrupting his childlike wonder. Maintaining the implicit deceit… Continue reading Advertisement

Bills are stacked so high in the room that they take the place of furniture. From under a pile crawls a man. He picks up one of the few letters without dollar signs. “I’m leaving you,” it says. He throws it with the rest of the junk. His cat has died facedown in its food… Continue reading Advertisement

Vice

No one knew his secret, that he was the Vice President of the United States. Out fishing with the boys, sometimes the conversation would turn to foreign policy or federal interest rates. He had to bite his tongue. His wife suspected something. She came home one night and overheard part of a conversation about diplomatic… Continue reading Vice

Saint

The lady was nervous. She had not been to see him before, he was sure, because he knew all his parishioners down to the last detail. Though he could not see her face, he would have known her by her breath, or by her hesitation. Those he knew learned not to hesitate. When eventually she… Continue reading Saint

Tiny Dragons

His phone was ringing. Gerry didn’t mind calls, especially on a Friday night at home, but Fjorik’s nostrils flared, and it was best not to challenge Fjorik. Bjornhard and Thuumbrig were more agreeable, but Gerry doubted he would challenge them either. The phone rang again. Somehow it sounded more urgent this time. Gerry picked it… Continue reading Tiny Dragons