by Maria Protopapadaki-Smith
The combination of 4 inch stiletto heels, cobblestone pavement and an attempt to fish out a cigarette packet from an overflowing handbag proved too much for her inner ear; she toppled over and felt the sharp pain of a twisted ankle. When she looked up and saw Death standing over her with his hand outstretched, she nearly had a heart attack.
"But - it's only a sprain!" she exclaimed.
"Oh, I'm not here for you. Just because I take lives doesn't mean I can't be a gentleman" said Death, with a smile. She blushed and accepted his help in getting up.
She heard a loud crash and turned to see that a bus had collided with a lorry. The bus was in flames and the lorry's cab was crunched up. People were screaming.
"Ah, that'll be my twelve o'clock, I must dash. See you soo - er, eventually", said Death, with a twinkle in his eye socket. She watched him saunter over to the vehicles and suddenly didn't feel like lighting that cigarette.
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I wasn't feeling very inspired this week. I was, however, craving cigarettes quite badly
The Other Hand
5 years ago
Excellent! And nice twist with Death just trying to be nice. He gets such a bad rep. Love the line: twinkle in his eye socket.
ReplyDeleteWild. Very imaginative abd ddare I say it..fun!
ReplyDeleteFantastic! Very funny with fabulous imagery.
ReplyDeleteWonderful! Death does get a hard time. Who says he isn't just a nice guy doing a job? The last line is perfect.
ReplyDeleteOh, I sooo enjoyed that! ;)
ReplyDeleteWhich raises the question: so what did she die of in the end? :)
ReplyDeleteVery nice!
I love Death as a character. Terry Pratchett does Death to a tee. So did you today missy.
ReplyDeleteDeath with a twinkle in his eye socket. HA!
Karen :0)
Loved this one!
ReplyDeleteDeath as a gentleman? Love it!
ReplyDeleteGreat line about seeing her...eventually, haha!
So, cigarettes can save lives, eh?
Loved it! You say you weren't inspired?? Death as a gentleman - great. :)
ReplyDeleteWell done! I'm sure it'll come as no surprise to hear that I approve of silly :)
ReplyDeleteLove it Mazzz! Who knew Death could be so kind? :)
ReplyDeleteDeath as a likable character is always nice. We’re all going to die, so Death might as well at least be nice from a customer service angle. This does have a Terry Pratchett kind of feel (though if I recall, his Death always spoke in all caps). Nicely done!
ReplyDeleteVery good! Soon being cut off made the piece. Stories about Death, as morbid as the subject is, can be quite fun.
ReplyDeleteLove the combination of stiletto heels, cobblestone pavement, an overstuffed handbag, and a disoriented inner ear. (Ahh...the wise choices we make...) Death may be a gentleman, but he still seems just enough creepy to me! Enjoyed!
ReplyDeleteme likey, me likey! Very different from the other pieces you've posted. You give Death a good name. Peace, Linda
ReplyDelete*bwahaahaa!* too funny!
ReplyDeleteThis is great. I quit a few years back, and goodness knows it can feel like the devil is giving you a cigarette just to get you faster.
ReplyDeleteGreat read, thanks.
For what it's worth, I thought this was cute. A nice and concise job of keeping everything right there in front. A good piece, I thought.
ReplyDelete:)
Resist the urge! The end was a nice punch-line.
ReplyDeleteCute! And I like the line about the twinkle in his eye socket too.
ReplyDeleteYou know, my first take on this was that she was a streetwalker and Death was there to be anything BUT a gentleman. Great story.
ReplyDeleteI liked how the first paragraph set you up, and then the second set you straight. The comment about the "inner ear" threw me, I think it would be clearer without that phrase,but otherwise excellent! I really, really enjoyed this. Thank you.
ReplyDeleteLovely bit of fun. I wouldn't be upset if Gentleman Death was a recurring character (hint,hint)
ReplyDeleteI happened to like it. Then again, me and Death as a character have been getting acquainted. Thank you for this really cute FF.
ReplyDeleteDeath wnt return empty handed... she must have remembered... nice one :)
ReplyDeleteDeath as a gentleman—seeming rather chipper. And why not? With a bus and lorrie full of dead and damaged souls. Not bad — coming from the uninspired.
ReplyDeleteAs one who has spent a lot of time falling down, this had a very familiar ring. I loved Death. Perhaps he would like to visit my upcoming novel. Congratulations.
ReplyDeleteBarb Relyea
Very funny, Maria. I really enjoyed it. Stay away from those smokes!
ReplyDelete~jon