Drunkard's Walk Forums

The Shortest Leap

Quote:by Joesph Avins

Sam saw the world assembling itself around him while he experienced the feeling of falling into it. He was used to this, and knew that he was about to enter another unknown situation in an unknown time and place where he'd have to figure out what he was supposed to fix and face some aweful obsticle or two accomplishing it.
     He found that he was on line at a fast food restaraunt, waiting to order. It was unusually loud, even for an establishment of its nature. This should easy to fake my way throught, Sam thought. Should be, but it never is. If I order a burger then I'll find I've leaped into a vegetarian. If I just order fries and a drink, I'll be in someone furiously dieting. And I'll find some way to cover; I always do.
     A car pulled into a parking space outside as the customer two spaces ahead of Sam took her food and went to sit down. Then the customer ahead of Sam ordered while a family of four got out of the car. By the time this customer got his food the family was at the back of the line.
     It was  Sam's turn now. As he approached the counter he looked around for clues. If I'm lucky there'll be a newspaper someone left on the counter. It was then he noticed the state of chaos in the back. There seemed to be an inordinate number of trainees, and one assistant manager working a register while trying direct or assist all the other stations at once. She looked understandably frazzled and more than a little irritable while she, somehow, managed to keep the place running.
     Sam made eye contact with her for a moment. "Well," he smiled, "at least it can only get better." Just then, one of the trainees dropped an extra large drink right behind the overworked manager, splashing soda onto the backs of her legs.
    Sam's friendly smile turned a bit sheepish. "Oh, boy" he said with a sigh.
    The tired young woman, who now had wet and sticky legs, did not snap. It felt good that someone had noticed her plight and offered some sympathy. Thanks to that quick smile and those few kind words, she did not suddenly lose her grip on her strained temper. She did not turn and chew the happless trainee a new alimentary exit.
    At that very moment, the small autistic boy at the back of the line with his family, who was already overstimulated in the noisy resraraunt, did not freak out at the sound of the angry assistant manager yelling at the trainee. The boy did not run out the door and into the parking lot, where he was not struck and killed by the speeding black sports car.
     The world began to break apart around Sam. He was aware of the speeding car screeching to a stop in a parking space and heard someone say "D'ya believe that jerk?"
     As the falling sensation began again Sam just had time to think What'd I do?
 -- Joe
                 Hate is the only enemy

I'd love to read it, Joe, but the link is sending me to an empty document.
-- Bob
---------
Then the horns kicked in...
...and my shoes began to squeak.

Yeah, obviously it's not as simple to paste a link as it ought to be. I've edited the original post with the whole story.
 -- Joe
                 Hate is the only enemy

Nice. You'd think there might be a lot of leaps like that, where Sam simply has no idea what his mere presence did.

But I especially like the idea that his catchphrase alone, uttered at the right moment, is the critical thing.
-- Bob
---------
Then the horns kicked in...
...and my shoes began to squeak.

'Sverra Nice!

(b^_^d)

^ Two thumbs up.
''We don't just borrow words; on occasion, English has pursued other languages down alleyways to beat
them unconscious and rifle their pockets for new vocabulary.''

-- James Nicoll

Bob Schroeck Wrote: But I especially like the idea that his catchphrase alone, uttered at the right moment, is the critical thing.

Well, part of the critical thing. The eye contact, the smile, both of the things he said. I actually finished the whole thing before I realized that I hadn't put in the obligatory "Oh boy" and figured that was the perfect place to edit it in.
 -- Joe
                 Hate is the only enemy

Foxboy Wrote:^ Two thumbs up.

Thank you.
 -- Joe
                 Hate is the only enemy