Monday, April 23, 2007

Entry #15

Never Eat the Worm
by J. Scott Ellis


Back aching, he woke on a cold linoleum floor. His brain seemed over inflated, throbbing in his skull, threatening to burst.

Sitting up too fast, the hot hand of nausea clenched his guts. A belch erupted from the pit of his stomach, spewing bile into his throat, raking as if he had coughed up a cactus.

No mistaking the day-after taste: Mezcal.

One eye felt like it was glued shut. Peering through the slit of the other, glaring sunlight scorched his vision like a point of light from a child’s magnifying glass.

He lifted the object in his hand before him. Something was caked onto his arm, cracking like eggshell as he moved it.

His good eye popped wide open.

He held a cook’s knife, covered in the same dried-on blood that spanned the length of his arm.

His shirt was ripped.

A garbage can was tipped.

A curtain was torn from the wall.

In a haze, he stumbled along a trail of blood and broken glass into the next room, where it led to the lifeless body of the girl he suddenly recognized.

Sobbing uncontrollably, he tossed the knife and collapsed to his knees beside the girl he had hooked up with the night before.

The room exploded with laughter.

He whirled to see a group of his frat brothers, braying like donkeys.

The corpse couldn’t hold it any longer. Sitting up and putting a hand to his shoulder, she chided, “The look on your face is just priceless!

17 comments:

kcterrilynn said...

Oh, the evils of Mexcal. This was great! I laughed right along with the frat brothers.

Bernita said...

Cruel buggers!
And they say never start a story with someone waking up...Ha!
Nice job.

Sam said...

Terrific story. Love the ending. LOL!!

Joni said...

A sweet turn in a short story.

Very nice work. Your use of simile was particularly great.

Jaye Wells said...

Scott, I already commented on this on your blog, but thought I'd give my kudos here, too. This was a great piece.

Anonymous said...

I think this actually happened to me about 16 years ago. Nice piece!

briliantdonkey said...

Wow, excellent(if cruel) joke to play. Very well written. Nice job Scott.

BD

Fence said...

LOL

excellent

Anonymous said...

It was his own fault, everyone knows the rules. If you pass out without taking your shoes off, you are fair game. Thanks for the laugh and the trip down memory lane... my pranks were famous!

Anonymous said...

Once I passed out at a party, and when I woke up some one had taken my sketchbook and drawn/written things in it... I was upset. I'm glad I am not in a frat.

Anyhow, it was a good story. I like how while most people are reminded of some sort of domestic unhappiness when they see a pile of dirty dishes and a torn curtain, you think of your frat days.

Betty Gordon said...

Enjoyed the story--good suspense. In fact, a little tear was forming before the Frat brothers appeared.
Betty

Esther Avila said...

oh my. you fooled the character and me. Cruel joke. :) LOL

The Wandering Author said...

You pulled that off well, switching from a horrible tragedy to a cruel but harmless joke in so few words you made my head spin for a minute. I almost felt like I'd been the one drinking...

mermaid said...

You really had me going. But I'm so gullible. I will remember to 'never eat the worm'. Kind of a mantra for only trust yourself:)

Anonymous said...

That was really well done. Excellent twist at the end. I didn't see it coming at all.

Beth said...

You know I really liked this because it was one of my picks. I thought I had written it here, but maybe it was on your blog.

Anonymous said...

Great idea! Also, a great twist. (What a cruel prank! Fun to read, though.)

High marks for entertainment value.