Novelist Blues
The old typewriter had a mind of its own. It wrote some pretty terrifying stuff. Things that would make your toes curl up. Still, as demonically possessed items go, it could’ve chosen worse than my grandfather’s manual Underwood.
If Anhaeluvix had possessed my computer, it might’ve been scary. It could have turned itself on and wrote its horrors all night long. It could’ve posted bizarre selfies to my Facebook account. But no, Ani possessed a manual typewriter. Anytime I got tired of his foul mouth, I just forgot to reload a sheet of paper. Problem solved. Stupid demon.
Occasionally, when I became bored, I’d stick in some paper just to see what curses he came up with. I don’t think Ani ever repeated a one twice. I started typing things back to him, and we had conversations. Of course, for this to work, I had to establish boundaries. One conversation went like this:
Anhaeluvix: May the tentacles of Great Naharpythilus gouge your eyes, and his thorns of Inestimable Doom infest your rectum!
Jones: Knock off the rectum shit, Ani. Do it again and you’ll get the cheap bond paper for a week!
Anhaeluvix: Hey, hey, lighten up! We’re all friends here, right?
Eventually, I discovered that Ani wrote much more than curses. He wrote novels. A pretty fair writer I’ll admit, if you like zombies and demons portrayed as the good guys. Ani could write a full-length book in days. A pretty impressive feat, but unfortunately it meant I had to sit beside the typewriter and load a new page every time he finished one. Ani didn’t need sleep or food or potty breaks, so his novel-writing could be a grueling ordeal for me. Sometimes I’d wake up with my face in my own drool with something like this:
*Sniiiiiick…ding!*
*Sniiiiiick…ding!*
With the typewriter carriage shifting angrily back and forth, I read the last line on the page.
Anhaeluvix: Wake UP! You twice-damned spawn of the eighty-teated goat! Change the paper!
Jones: I gotta pee.
Just for kicks, I sent one of Ani’s books to a publisher. I was shocked when they bought it immediately. It went to print and immediately shot up to #3 on the Bestseller list. I published more books. Ani didn’t seem to care that my name graced the covers. He just kept writing. I started receiving fan mail from the weirdos that actually read this kind of crap. Some folks considered the sex scene between a rock demon and a wood chipper to be the pinnacle of American literature.
Whatever.
Checks from the publisher started rolling in. I quit my job and spent 12 hours a day rolling new pages into the Underwood. The eight books Ani wrote in a month all sold like hotcakes. He could’ve written more but my wrist was sore all the time from repetitive stress. I bought a lot of ice packs. I started attending Goth conventions. I learned how to compliment a teenager on successfully matching the colors of her black lipstick, black eyeshadow, and black fingernail polish with her black dress…and still keep a straight face.
With 42 books backlogged and waiting for a believable time frame to send to the publisher, I started noticing something odd in Anhaeluvix’s writing. It was getting mushy. I mean, mushy for Ani. The explosions and building collapses and hideous deaths by chainsaw dwindled. A softer, though still gruesome side appeared. The romance between a Balrog demon and a demonic parking meter seemed obviously starstruck from the beginning. What would they do when he ran out of quarters? Love is great, but you still need money, right? Eventually, they killed themselves in a lover’s suicide pact.
Ani’s romantic bent continued until he didn’t feel like writing for a day. Later the delay lasted a week, and then a month. I should’ve known the gravy train wouldn’t last forever. With 23 books published and another 37 in the wings, I honestly couldn’t complain. I was rich and that meant the medical bills for my carpal tunnel were covered. Still, I wondered what changed.
And then one night, I couldn’t sleep. I slogged into Ani’s room with a plate of nachos. That’s when I saw them. It explained everything. I’m happy for Anhaeluvix, I really am. Everybody needs someone to love, even demons.
Trouble is, I can never look at a slinky toy the same way again.
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Every Monday it’s time to finish the story. Thanks for letting me go beyond the 150 word limit, Barb! With a photo prompt and an opening sentence, it’s up to us to finish writing the story. The splash photo above is this week’s media prompt and the sentence prompt is, “The old typewriter had a mind of its own.” Look here for more stories based upon the prompts: https://mondaysfinishthestory.wordpress.com/2015/02/23/mondays-finish-the-story-february-23rd-2015/
Ha, ha….ha… gotta wipe the tears of laughter from my eyes.
Oh my. Hum… I think I shall never possess another slinky as long as I live.
Just found this prompt last week…Fun stuff.
Last week I actually tied my piece to the story you helped start… the Dixie Queen one.
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Ah, laughter. It’s all that I hope for. I think won’t own another slinky either. 😉 Glad you got a laugh. 🙂
Good to hear you found this prompt. I hope you’ll be posting stories here soon. I’ll look for your story. Sounds intriguing!
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I didn’t post last weeks until yesterday… and actually today’s was just a few hours ago…
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Awww, sort of… I’m glad you were allowed to write beyond the 150-word limit. Love the conversation 🙂
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Yeah, it’s a bizarre kind of, “awww.” Even demons need love…I guess. [shrug] Glad to hear you enjoyed the dialog. Thanks much, Sonya!
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A novel encounter. Yes everyone needs someone to love. Very enjoyable as always.
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Hehe. Yep, however they do it. Glad you enjoyed it, and thanks! 🙂
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Brilliant! Once again, a great take on the prompt.
This made me smile, and I guess even demons need something to love. Haha! That slinky though…
Your stories are always very imaginative and intriguing to read.
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Cool. I love it when the reader smiles. I’ve done my work. Yep. Demons need love too. We just can’t expect it in the same way we’re accustomed, or we’ll be horribly disappointed. I’m really happy to hear you’re enjoying my stories. I appreciate that a lot. Thanks kindly! 🙂
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Nice job sir.
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Thank you kindly, sir! 🙂
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OK, it took me about 5 minutes to calm down from the laughter, yes, with tears streaming down my face, to be able to tell you that I loved this story Eric! I had to remove the slinky from the shelf in my house that just happens to be near my Dad’s old Underwood! Thank you, thank you, thank you for writing for the MFtS challenge! See you next week? 🙂 Be well…. ^..^
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Haha! See? You gotta watch out for those Underwoods. They’ve got a thing for slinkys. That’s positively hilarious that there’s a slink nearby yours. What coinkydink! 😀 It’s so good to know you got a good laugh from this. I was hoping you would enjoy it. I enjoyed writing it a lot. It’s my pleasure to write for MFtS, and I will definitely be here next week. See you then! 🙂
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I am looking forward to reading what you come up with next week! Maybe you will write something that jumps off the page! 🙂
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Hahaha! That stinky slinky! Too funny, and I loved it. I’ll never think the same about demons, Underwoods, and slinky’s again. At least he got through all those books before the liasion.
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Hehe. I do like to change the way people think, mostly by making them laugh. 😉 Yeah, with all those books, he was set. The demon had earned its keep, and deserved a break, such as it is. To each his own, I guess. Glad you got a laugh. Thanks much for the kind words! 🙂
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I will as long as you keep writing. 🙂
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liaison
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I wonder what Ani would do if the slinky fell off the desk, rolled out the door and slinkied down the stairs? Your imagination is working overtime again, Eric. So enjoyable, just so darn funny 😀
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Hehe. He’s probably sob in an eloquently literary way. No Problem. Jones could just pick it up and put it back, although he’d probably wear gloves… 😉 Glad you had fun with it, Lyn. So happy to hear that. Thanks kindly. 🙂
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Inspired! Truly inspired 😀
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Thank you so much! I appreciate it. 🙂
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Now I have answer for some books I wondered, who wrote them and how they become best sellers. Very creative and imaginative mind you have got. Enjoyed.
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Thank you, Indira! It’s a crazy place inside my mind, but I still like it there. 😉
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I love this one! Great humor. I hope I don’t have to look at a slinky any time soon…haha
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Hehe. Me too! Glad you had fun with it. Thanks very much! 🙂
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Superb style and a laugh a letter ~ I enjoyed reading this ~ The tickles got more ticklish whenever there was a new sentence ~ 🙂
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Cool. Great to hear that. I wanted this to make some laughs. Thanks so much, John!
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