Bruce looked at the pile of paper. The equivalent of six reams of paper lay in a heap, each sheet with a story. Three thousand stories! Goodness me! What a waste of paper!
Many of the characters in the stories had been callously murdered. Some had survived. There was little reason for any to survive. Bruce fed Story Number 1 into the shredder. Then Story Number 2. One by one the stories were shredded. There goes Dorothy! No one knows how she survived in the first place.
There goes Story Number 1743! And Freddie! Goodness! Shred! Shred! And Lizzie!
Finally there was only one story left: Story Number 3000. It was about a fellow called Bruce.
With a smile the final story was fed into the shredder.
THE END
A ticker tape parade for Bruce? You waving from a car and being covered by your stories and characters that were shred. A nice way to go out!
LikeLiked by 4 people
Thanks. If the ticker tape is in NY I hope I (don’t get shot) get a free pizza.
LikeLiked by 1 person
We may can arrange that…well yea the pizza not the shooting…although we could do that also!
Bruce…if you had a greatest hits…this one would be #1 to me so far with the ones I have read. Such a lovely caring piece. It had Pulitzer Prize all over it.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Actually the story was modelled on one of my brothers who had a leg amputated and after quite some time he learned to walk with an artifical leg. The same week they cut off the other leg so he had to start again. Then he went blind and then he died.
https://www.nzherald.co.nz/kapiti-news/news/celebrating-the-life-of-goodman-contractors-founder-rick-goodman/MDUTIOYNMTHKABLLETIEDVCD7Y/
LikeLiked by 3 people
That was a wonderful article Bruce. I liked how he kept his belief in God.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Wow! Any resemblance in description? I would like to be warned, if I ever get to NZ and try to shake your hand!
LikeLiked by 1 person
My handshake is less firm!
LikeLiked by 1 person
A suitably mischievous way to end Bruce, it’s a good thing those shredded stories are here for posterity.
LikeLiked by 2 people
Thanks Andrea. Fortunately too I don’t possess a shredder! And for matter they’re not printed off!!
LikeLiked by 1 person
We had better check to make sure he didn’t manage to delete every single one of his gems on his blog, Andrea.
LikeLiked by 3 people
yes that would be just the kind of wickedness we would expect 🙂
LikeLiked by 2 people
On the contrary! I guard them with my life! I have backup copies all over the place!!
LikeLiked by 2 people
I agree with that
LikeLiked by 2 people
Merci, Sylvie.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Another ripping good yarn.
LikeLiked by 3 people
I’m torn between the ripper and the shredder.
LikeLiked by 2 people
LOL.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Stories through the shredder, just like my heart! 😰💖
LikeLiked by 3 people
Ha! You have a way with words!
LikeLiked by 1 person
So long and thanks for all the fish.
LikeLiked by 3 people
Things went swimmingly.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Your stories will be missed, my friend.
LikeLiked by 2 people
Thank you Herb.
LikeLiked by 1 person
A suitable conclusion to all of your writing Bruce. I shall miss your dry wit and mischievous tale telling.
But wait, here’s an idea – why not rummage through the shredded paper, take random pieces and place them together to make new stories!
Just a thought!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thanks Chris. I good thought! But I shall not be tricked by your cunning.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Damn. But you can’t blame me for trying!
LikeLiked by 1 person
You deserve a parade with confetti from the shredder! I am already missing your stories….
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thank you for the idea Noelle – but I’m sure they use gas guzzling cars in those parades and we must think of the planet!
LikeLiked by 1 person
How about a horse parade with the Budweiser horses?
LikeLiked by 1 person
I would imagine a draught horse would emit more methane than a cow.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Actually no, but if the greenies keep on their path to the destruction of modern civilization with all their rules, regs and demands, this may be the way we are all traveling pretty soon!
LikeLiked by 1 person
That’s probably enough paper for a giant paper mache dolphin!
LikeLiked by 1 person
What would be the porpoise?
LikeLiked by 1 person
The Dauphin, just like in Henry V.
LikeLiked by 1 person
I’m Orca with that.
LikeLiked by 1 person
I am shredding a tear.
LikeLiked by 1 person
LOL – it wouldn’t pay to lash out.
LikeLiked by 1 person
I’ve attempted to feed my computer through the shredder many times. I’ve never quite gotten it to work. I am sad that this is the end, but happy for you. What a wonderful body of work you have put into this space. I will revisit often.
LikeLiked by 2 people
Thank you Sarah. Much appreciated. I was particular drawn to your comment when you said “What a wonderful body”.
LikeLiked by 1 person
All those wonderfully wicked tales. Perhaps they could now recycle to become …nesting material, garden mulch or something tasty for goats to munch on.😉Encore, encore!👏
LikeLiked by 1 person
Garden mulch seems a good idea! My mother made fire bricks out of every trace of junk mail. She had enough for a winter!
LikeLike
What a woman, I’m impressed.
LikeLike
Aw, Bruce. I remember when your goal was around 500….
LikeLiked by 2 people
The earliest goal I think was 50!!
LikeLike
I’m not cool enough to have known you then.
What’s your plan, then, going forward?
LikeLiked by 1 person
At the moment I’m writing some piano music but generally mowing the lawn and weeding the garden is a constant battle at this time of year!
LikeLiked by 1 person
You said it! If only you lived closer, you could trim ours, too!
We need some goats.
LikeLiked by 1 person
I thought Utah was all derelict desert that even the cacti shunned!
LikeLike
That’s like assuming that all of NZ is sheep.
LikeLiked by 2 people
A bittersweet ending to a tremendous feat. It isn’t easy writing 3000 stories. I’m just sad that way too many know-it-alls were killed off in the process. The world needs more of them. Just kidding 😋 Wonderful Bruce.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thanks so much. You’ve certainly been a great friend over the years – and a great fiend! I still think “That would be a great story” but I’m forcing myself to not come back and it’s quite liberating. You have my email address if ever the need or desire arose or if you won the lottery and wanted to know where to send the money!
LikeLiked by 1 person
I was just recommending your page to my friend ‘Nancy’ and find you have stopped writing. I didn’t see that coming. Man, I want to cry.
LikeLiked by 1 person
It’s been a couple of months and I haven’t yet found a replacement time filler. BUT I AM DETERMINED! I am however halfway through the first movement of a symphony for orchestra – which I’m half pleased with! Hope you are well Matt.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Personally, I give you 4 more months – maximum, before you rekindle your passion for short story telling. Oops I may have jumped the gun…You caught me at ‘Symphony’. I imagine composing a Symphony would be more than an adequate ‘Time Filler’! Or is it that you miss the ‘Toing and froing’ with your readership? When will we be able to hear your symphony? What plans do you have for it, once it’s completed? That could take the term of one’s natural life, no?
I was telling another friend Sharon who also has a ‘don’ for short story telling about your blog. She recently published a beautiful story called ‘Starfish’ which I’ll send a link to here if you are interested to read it:
Cheers friend.
LikeLiked by 1 person
All possibilies are possible as to the future! Writing music is not quite as mystical as some might make out! I’m not exactly trying to create Stravinsky’s Rite of Spring! I’m inclined to gravitate towards a simpler kind of senario! Thanks for th link. I shall get onto it.
LikeLiked by 1 person
I always had this romantic perspective of how these composers constructed their great works. Now that has been obliterated hehe. I’ve got ‘Stravinsky’s Rite of Spring’ on as I write this. There’s one part that must have influenced John Williams in his composition of the Jaws soundtrack. Surely!
Anyway Bruce I wish you well with your ‘post Short story’ endeavours. Cheers.
LikeLiked by 1 person
I was obcessed with “The Rite” when I was about 12. I think Stravinsky influenced a great number of composers since he wrote it.
LikeLiked by 1 person
I was just telling our illustrious painter Gloria this morning that you had pulled up stumps on story writing. She was saddened to read that as I was. I’m glad you feel more liberated for the change. I will be in touch down the track via email. Cheers friend.
LikeLike