Proof
Originally Wirtten for musemuggers 10/06/2004
Prompt #40 - Your Main Character is a(n): male
Your MC's main character trait is their: outspokenness.
The Main Symbol in the story is a(n): Thief.
Theme point is: Sloth.
Your story will start at a(n): Abyss.
Proof
"I have the answer!"
"That's nice," Mendel avoided the crazed gaze of his latest fare and tried to concentrate on driving the mini-cab, "What was the question?"
"The greatest question of all time."
"Right, the answer…" Mendel couldn't help himself, "is it forty-two?"
"No! You don't understand. In here," the man slapped a hand flat against the leather briefcase on his lap, "is proof--definitive proof--that god truly does exist." The man leaned over and whispered into Mendel's ear, "it'll change the world."
Mendel frowned and kept his eye on the road. He hated fares like this. Sometimes he wished he had a nice office job and the only lunatics he had to deal with were on the telephone. A job where there was no risk of being stabbed in the neck with a screwdriver.
"I'm taking it to the BBC," said the man, his voice quivering like a teenage boy's, "Then all the world will know about it."
"Is that a good idea?" The car stopped at a set of traffic lights Mendel glanced over. A scrunched up look of confusion flickered over the man's face for a moment before the manic self-assurance returned.
"Of course. Why wouldn't it be?" The man jerked his chin in defiance.
"Well, it'll have far reaching consequences. And have you ascertained which God you're talking about?" Mendel shrugged, "seems like it'll cause a hell of a lot of trouble."
"Which God? There is only one God and the world must know. It should not be locked away," the man dug his fingernails deep into the leather of the case as he clutched it to his chest.
The traffic lights changed and Mendel made a right turn into a small street that not even those who had done The Knowledge knew about. He rolled the car along the street until the bumper hit the brick of the wall at the end with a soft clunk. He took a deep breath and twisted round in his seat. Reality flickered.
"We can't let you make this public," he said, touching his fingers to the man's forehead. The man screamed as blue light pierced his skull. Little by little the light engulfed the man's body, crackling in the flesh as it did so. Movies would have you believe this was a quick, painless and, above all, clean process. It was in fact slow, painful and the light took your perfect form. No one in the movies ever had to scoop excess fat, dental fillings and a pacemaker from the floor of a mini-cab.
Mendel sighed, at least there were no serious wounds this time. For him anyway. He picked briefcase up from the passenger seat and regarded it for a thoughtful moment. At a crackling touch from his finger the combination lock clicked open and Mendel, knowing that he really shouldn't, lifted the lid.
"Hmm," he said, a slight note of surprise in his voice, "that one, eh?"
Prompt #40 - Your Main Character is a(n): male
Your MC's main character trait is their: outspokenness.
The Main Symbol in the story is a(n): Thief.
Theme point is: Sloth.
Your story will start at a(n): Abyss.
Proof
"I have the answer!"
"That's nice," Mendel avoided the crazed gaze of his latest fare and tried to concentrate on driving the mini-cab, "What was the question?"
"The greatest question of all time."
"Right, the answer…" Mendel couldn't help himself, "is it forty-two?"
"No! You don't understand. In here," the man slapped a hand flat against the leather briefcase on his lap, "is proof--definitive proof--that god truly does exist." The man leaned over and whispered into Mendel's ear, "it'll change the world."
Mendel frowned and kept his eye on the road. He hated fares like this. Sometimes he wished he had a nice office job and the only lunatics he had to deal with were on the telephone. A job where there was no risk of being stabbed in the neck with a screwdriver.
"I'm taking it to the BBC," said the man, his voice quivering like a teenage boy's, "Then all the world will know about it."
"Is that a good idea?" The car stopped at a set of traffic lights Mendel glanced over. A scrunched up look of confusion flickered over the man's face for a moment before the manic self-assurance returned.
"Of course. Why wouldn't it be?" The man jerked his chin in defiance.
"Well, it'll have far reaching consequences. And have you ascertained which God you're talking about?" Mendel shrugged, "seems like it'll cause a hell of a lot of trouble."
"Which God? There is only one God and the world must know. It should not be locked away," the man dug his fingernails deep into the leather of the case as he clutched it to his chest.
The traffic lights changed and Mendel made a right turn into a small street that not even those who had done The Knowledge knew about. He rolled the car along the street until the bumper hit the brick of the wall at the end with a soft clunk. He took a deep breath and twisted round in his seat. Reality flickered.
"We can't let you make this public," he said, touching his fingers to the man's forehead. The man screamed as blue light pierced his skull. Little by little the light engulfed the man's body, crackling in the flesh as it did so. Movies would have you believe this was a quick, painless and, above all, clean process. It was in fact slow, painful and the light took your perfect form. No one in the movies ever had to scoop excess fat, dental fillings and a pacemaker from the floor of a mini-cab.
Mendel sighed, at least there were no serious wounds this time. For him anyway. He picked briefcase up from the passenger seat and regarded it for a thoughtful moment. At a crackling touch from his finger the combination lock clicked open and Mendel, knowing that he really shouldn't, lifted the lid.
"Hmm," he said, a slight note of surprise in his voice, "that one, eh?"