Friday, July 10, 2009

Entry #24

A Matter of Taste
by Paul Liadis


“Drink,” said Graymatter, pointing at the goblet.

“I will do nothing of the sort,” spat the man in the sombrero. “I drank first at ourlast encounter.”

“Your memory is faulty,” replied Graymatter. “Much like your spine.”

“Have you met the last man who questioned my valor?” said the man in the sombrero. “He’s six feet under the ground. Perhaps you would like to join him?”

“Save the braggadocio and drink, coward,” said Graymatter, leaning back in his chair, just out of reach.

The man in the sombrero looked at the glass and then at his rival. With a cackle, he folded his arms and grinned. He would not be fooled so easily.

Graymatter blinked. Had he underestimated his opponent? Had the large man somehow found composure?

The enemies sat silent, each waiting for the other to flinch. The taunts of Graymatter gradually wormed their way under the skin of the man in the sombrero. Unable to ignore their itch, he clutched the glass and consumed its contents.

“Well?” asked Graymatter, smirking at the shrewdness of his maneuver.

“Red... banana?” replied the man in the sombrero, coughing as his body rejected the wretched drink.

Graymatter gasped. “Impossible,” he said. “That flavor exists in legend alone.”

The door swung open. A young man wearing a golf shirt emblazoned with the Kool Aid logo emerged. “Next,” he said, placing a new glass on the table. “And this time with a little less drama, please. We have twenty more flavors to test today.”

33 comments:

laughingwolf said...

lol... nicely done :)

wrath999 said...

A humourous tale done just right!

alex

Anonymous said...

Great pitch! Dramatic throughout until the end, which was hilarious!

Ello - Ellen Oh said...

Ah HA HA HA HA HA!!!!

Paul - that was too funny! Great twist! I love that it was kool aid flavors! Who thinks of that?

JRVogt said...

Love this one. Great melodrama and funny end.

Catherine Vibert said...

Very funny! Loved the zaniness of it.

Anonymous said...

Wow, the not-quite-sleep-deprivation agrees with you! I kept waiting for a baby to make an appearance, but the kool-aid was even better. Awesome!

Kunjal said...

must say the ending rocks:P

Therese said...

Ha! I loved this! I love how you take yourself so seriously, but then... nah, you don't take yourself seriously after all.

Really, this left a smile on my face. I really love it. Great piece.

Aniket Thakkar said...

Gave me good laughs.

Its a much tougher task to accomplish, to be funny in just the right kind of way. Or so I beleive. :)

Aimee Laine said...

Loved that I laughed out loud! Kool aid is the best! Especially red banana! ;)

Anonymous said...

Thanks every body. I'm glad you all liked it.

Ello - I have a twisted mind..

Aerin - does this kill my built-in I'm too tired excuse?

Therese - :)

Aimee - watch it, artificial banana flavor is one of the worst substances created by man :)

Unknown said...

Brilliant job, Paul - really like this one - love the neat twist in the tail! :-)

Laurel said...

Fantastic! And am I way off base in considering the sombrero to be a clue that this is some sort of Mexican standoff?

Loved it.

JR's Thumbprints said...

At first I thought I'd read "red bandana," but once I got to the end of the story I realized my error. With a 250 word maximum, it would've been hard to do, but wouldn't it have been interesting to have their dialogue stray a bit from the script? Still, very original.

Laurel said...

This is the only piece I have made that boy I married read. He is classic middle america white bread demographic...non-fiction only. He loved it!

Anonymous said...

Wow Laurel! Thanks :)

Chris Eldin said...

AHAHAHAHAHA! This really made me laugh out loud!!! Wasn't expecting the ending at all---definitely one of my favorites!!
:-)

Liz said...

I loved the Princess Bride dialog that led up to the best ending ever! I want some Kool-Aid now. You really should publish your fun short stories!

Precie said...

LOL! That was so much fun! Great twist!!

Tessa said...

HA! Superbly done. You whipped us along with the dialogue and then a truly brilliant ending...I was totally taken by surprise.

BernardL said...

Very good Kool-Aid taster story. :)

Cloves said...

Love this. Nicely done.

PJD said...

Echo Ello!

chong y l said...

high noon encounter, wit' grunts, no guns!:) Enjoyed it tremendousEly:) YL

Hoodie said...

A home run, Paul. Very funny, indeed.

Amanda F. said...

HAH! Well done, Paul.

Dottie Camptown said...

Great and funny. I love it.

Anonymous said...

Nicely done. Loved it!

Tara

JR's Thumbprints said...

After a second reading, I'd just like to say, "This has commercial appeal."

JaneyV said...

Very funny. I like the way you led us down one path and then changed the scenery. Nicely done.

Jade L Blackwater said...

This is awesome - great humor, and the writing carries the reader along quickly while reading. Nicely done.

Anonymous said...

Boy, these guys are not going to win awards for their acting! A flavor in legend, indeed.

Welcome to The Forties Club!!