Monday, November 14, 2011

The Vacuum

He was comparing star photos, looking for supernovas, when his new neighbour’s vacuum started again. He calmed himself, counting his eggcups. It didn’t work. He went downstairs and knocked. The vacuum and a backbeat whammed through the door. He knocked harder, once for every eggcup.
     A woman answered, laughing, with a little curly-haired white dog that bounced up. “Down!” she told it, wiping her forehead, laughing again.
     “The vacuum, um,” he said, smiling shyly. She was pretty.
     “Vacuum?” (Now she was puzzled and pretty both.) “Oh! My treadmill! Down, Astra!”
     “Astra,” he thought, and wondered if she liked the stars.

Image: Sloan Digital Sky Survey

7 comments:

  1. Oh my goodness!!! You left me wanting MORE! :)

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  2. smiles...i hope this is the beginning of something...but she better watch out if he needs to count egg cups and knocks...lol...nicely penned...

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  3. This is wonderful, and what a brilliant idea this blog is! A 100 words put to exquisite use :o)

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  4. Posted to Magpie Tales at http://www.magpietales.blogspot.com/2011/12/mag-97.html. A story for the girl-next-door side of Marilyn...

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  5. Love it! The egg cup counting is inspired!

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  6. that last line is great

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  7. Love the pacing, and egg cups! And stars. All fits together somehow. K.

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