The second Campaign Challenge called for "a quick, angry cafe rant" in which we were asked to do the following:
Write
a blog post in 200 words or less, excluding the title. It can be in any
format, whether flash fiction, non-fiction, humorous blog musings,
poem, etc. The blog post should:
- include the word "imago" in the title
- include the following 4 random words: "miasma," "lacuna," "oscitate," "synchronicity,"
If
you want to give yourself an added challenge (optional and included in
the word count), make reference to a mirror in your post.
For those who want an even greater challenge (optional), make your post 200 words EXACTLY!
I wasn't able to squeeze in a mirror reference, but I did manage to bring it in at exactly two hundred words (harder than it sounds). And so, for your reading pleasure I give you:
***
Imago and the
Rain of Steel
Imago was there
when I walked in. He was always there.
After the nearby
“luxury lofts” opened up, he’d invaded our cafĂ© with his laptop and his
smartphone and his loudness, turning it from a writer’s Shangri-La into a
miasma of literary despair.
Looking around,
I saw the place was filled with regulars, all struggling authors. We’d earned
our chairs by ordering a cup, then shutting up and writing. Imago, named after the
word printed on his “personal” mug, was killing the vibe. He’d shattered our creative
mojo with his nonstop blathering.
I ordered then
sat down next to Benny.
“Imago’s wearing
a
Lacuna Coil t-shirt. Bet he’s never even
heard their music,” he whispered. “And the douche used ‘oscitate’ in a sentence before
you came in. I looked it up. It means, ‘to yawn’. I hate him.”
“Good. That’ll help.”
Barista Meg brought my coffee and waited. They were all waiting.
“Yeah, let’s do this.”
With clumsy synchronicity, we rose from our
seats while Meg locked the door. Imago found himself surrounded by authors—with
hammers.
“What?”
I snorted, clueless as always.
“I’ll tell you what,” I said, fingering the handle
of a shortened sledge. “SHUT THE F**K UP!”
***
Personally, I like the visual of a bunch of angry authors with hammers, but maybe that's just me. ;c)
UPDATE: Here's a
link to the list. My story's #72 (just in case you're looking for something to "like").
SORT OF EMBARRASSING UPDATE:
see comments