「ザキさん、こんなクソ寒い夜中になんの用ですか」 空気も凍るような寒さの夜、理由も告げずに俺を稽古場へ呼び出した小劇団の先輩、崎山に不満を隠さず声を掛けた。そこは、稽古場というより廃倉庫といったほうがしっくりくるボロ屋で、風が吹かないだけ外よりマシという状況だった。貧乏劇団ゆえ暖房器具など置いてすらない。 「おう、すまねぇな、森田。ちょっと見せたいもんがあってな」 「金貸してくれってのは無しですよ」 「そんなんじゃねぇよ。芝居の話だ、芝居の」 崎山はもう四十も半ば、芽の出ない役者だ。売れない理由は、今時となっては珍しい「飲む」「打つ」「買う」と三拍子を見事に揃えた素行の悪さが、業界中に知れ渡っているせいだった。どこぞの脚本家の奥さんに横恋慕して旦那に殺されかけただの、賭場で負けて裸で電車に乗って留置所に入れられ...
As I stepped to board the plane I realized I could not remember anything that happened since passing through security at the airport. Not long before planning this business trip we had found each other, likeminded people, longing for acceptance and a sense of wholeness. She had read my thoughts clearly as if through clairvoyance she had been able to feel m...
I returned to school a few days before Jeff. He was finishing his work for the summer. I wanted the chance to show him I could be a domestic asset. I quickly realized that as far as cleaning our apartment I had little interest in domestic competence, let alone excellence. I hired a cleaning service to get the place in shape. Food shopping took me almost a...
It had taken a few hours for the trip to your new home to end, and you had soon fallen asleep during the coach journey. After a sudden jolt, you woke up with a groan. The other people inside the vehicle were gone, and you were the only person left. Sighing, you stand and walk to the front of the coach, which seemed to have stopped for a while. As you step ou...
2 Ravi loped along, humming a happy little tune and smiled to himself, still buzzing with feel-good hormones from Sani's little treat this morning. Each long, bounding stride carried him almost five meters before the weak gravity of the asteroid pulled him back to the crumbling surface. This part of the asteroid was a mix of dusty regolith with a leavening...
You looked around the room. You looked at all the people, the lights, and listened to the loud music playing. You were dressed in a blood red sari, covered in gold ornaments, and done up in so much makeup you hardly recognized yourself. It was your wedding day, but you had no idea who you were marrying. Your name was Shivani. You had been born in India and i...
Pain Your muscles ache and your mind throbs. Its difficult to collect your thoughts in the agony that rends your brain. You feel weightless and with a form only defined by what hurts. Accompaning this is that of something covering your mouth and nose. You gather the strength to open your eyes. Everything is blurred and difficult to make out. Your eyes begin...
Anteros thought too much about Lorissa during his lessons. When he caught himself daydreaming about her, he quickly scolded himself and returned to his studies. He hadn't forgotten what Tiana had said about lives depending on what he learned from her. He also knew that if he daydreamed in Diana's class he could be injured, humiliated, or worst of all, notice...
This is a short foray into a new genre. Please let me know what you think. I hope you enjoy. Thanks to Warrior_Wolf for the edits. ---------------------------- DOGSTAR DAYS The crescent haze grew steadily brighter, and Dalyar squinted as the edge of the orb cleared the planet's edge and flooded the flight deck with an orange ochre wash. Even with the so...
So this just happened. I've been up since 3am. It was a long drive to the airport but it was easy at that hour. Dropped off the rental car. Priority check-in since this is one of the rare occasions when I treat myself to business class. I've been away from home for a month and I can't wait to get there. Through security. My flight doesn't board for an hou...