Round 1: The Dolphins of Despair

[boundbooks]

It's time for the first round of Government Controlled Cats!

The Prompts:

Griefing: Gatherings of more than six unrelated people have been banned and the government controls houseplants.

Spin: Keychains have been banned and the government controls bowling.

Survive: Crock pots have been banned and the government controls words of more than two syllables.

Swell: Glitter has been banned and the government controls platform shoes.

Snow: Brainstorms have been banned and the government controls con badges.

The Format: An excerpt from selected prompt's novel.
The Format's Length: 1-500 words of original fiction. Please note that entries are not required to use the words from their prompt's title and summary.

A Quick Reminder of How to Enter and Entry Rules: Five comments, containing one prompt each, will be added to this prompt post. In order to submit an entry, REPLY with a comment to your selected prompt comment. Each entry must be in the specified format and be submitted as a REPLY comment to the prompt comment. Do not comment with your entry as a reply to other entries; only comment with your entry as a reply to the original prompt comment.

Participants can submit up to three entries per round to the prompt(s) of their choice. If participants are not signed into Dreamwidth, Livejournal or openID, please include a preferred name/handle at the top of the entry comment, otherwise the entry will be considered to be written by 'anonymous.'

Submissions are due by 11:59PM United States East Coast Time on June 8th, 2011. If you're not on United States East Coast Time, you may find the World Clock to be handy. Refer to 'New York' for current United States East Coast Time.

Have fun!

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Comments

Re: Prompt 1

[disadj.blogspot.com]

They were foolish to try it. I'm sure they would blame me for what happened. After all, I did it. I'm sure an red-blood NuAmexadian would blame me. But that would be naive. They have only themselves to blame.

As far as risk/reward dynamics go a 6 person book club is about as skewed as it gets. One less person and you're covered for an unexpected stranger asking for directions. Two less and if the in-laws show up you can invite them in and act like normal people.

Are those two extra club members adding that much scintillating literary insight? They were reading period literature from the mid aughts for chrissakes. This is the era that gave us Twilight and Tweeting.

Fuck.

I don't always relish my jobs but this one, well, like I said, they brought it on themselves. Someone had credits. That same someone had a grudge against not one but two of the members of this little social gathering.

The transaction was smooth and clandestine. We met one on one at my apartment. Not my HOME mind you, that's... elsewhere. I get edgy in groups of three. Four people and if I didn't plan it I'm gone.

I've read horror stories about two minivans full of laser-ball moms taking their mewling brood to practice having a fender bender and there's nothing left but smoke and some charred grip-shoes.

One tasteful Angel Ivy Ring Topiary poised artistically on a window sill with a great view and you're goners. All 7+ of you.

The gathering size thing, that's well known. People are so terrified of the rule they act on the far other extreme. They try to pretend their lives aren't completely dictated by this cruel (if brilliant) social control mechanism and try to go on about their daily lives.

Everyone knows the exceptions. Events with license status, such as certain recreational events, (see laser ball), the manufacturing, the corporate drone tanks, even a few religions cover you to, from and at the event.

Oh yeah, and of course the rally days. Any time some government big-op wants to hold a rally everyone swarms to it, enjoying the 4 hour suspension of the crowd rule. The real schmoozes only speak for about 15 minutes and for the next 3 hours and 45 minutes the flash-bars make a year's worth of profit, then go into stasis until the next rally.

Only a select few not in the government know about the damn plants though. How they got a camera in every house plant from my 89 year old mother's half dead ficus to the six-thousand credit Cactus Combo Bonsai arrangement in some rich toolbox's foyer is beyond me, but it's brilliant. Nobody ever looks for a camera in their houseplant.

I found out about them. And knowing that secret opens up a great career opportunity. 15K credits just for showing up uninvited.

The look on their faces is priceless as they look up from their reading and notice one unfamiliar face.

"Mind if I join?" I smile big for the Ponytail Palm in the living room.

The group leader opens his mouth.

He almost finishes his scream.

"Griefeeee-"

I'm already gone as the hellfire rounds from some patrolling gunship are turning the house into ashes.