

Today I opened The Last Drive at random to page 199. With my eyes closed, I pointed to the page. The word closest to my finger is “Verification.” This is our prompt.
Verification by John W. Howell © 2026
“May I see your ID?”
“Why’s that?”
“I need verification of who you are.”
“I told you.”
“I know, but verification is important; otherwise, I can’t let you in.”
“I just showed you my invitation.”
“All well and good, but verification is still needed.”
“I don’t have any ID.”
“Well then, sir, would you please step aside. You are holding up others.”
“Wait a minute. There has to be another way.”
“Don’t know what that might be.”
“Do you have a list of those invited?”
“Of course I do.”
“Then why not check the list with the invitation?”
“That won’t give me the verification that I need.”
“Seems silly. What’s one more at a feeding frenzy anyway?”
“If we let in every stray shark that comes by, there would not be enough prey to go around.”
“Okay. I guess I’ll miss this one then.”
“You know, on second thought, you have been nice about this. I agree the rules are a bit stringent. Go ahead in. Mackerel are the subject of the frenzy today.”
“Thank you.”
You fooled me, John! Didn’t guess it was a shark. Nicely done.
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Thank you, Esther. I always love fooling you. 😄
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😊
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😊
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A controlled and polite frenzy.
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Very. Unlike real life. 😄
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I knew this was going in a different direction than I had thought. I knew I was wrong but I thought it was a hoity toity party by the Vanderkloppers.
Fun read John.
Thanks
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The Vanderkloppers do throw good parties, but this was a little different. Glad you liked it, Tom
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You completely had me convinced it was an exclusive high-society party until the very end. I completely agreed with Esther Chilton and tokragly on being totally fooled by the setup. Thanks for starting the week with a great laugh!
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Always good to laugh. Thanks for letting me know you got one, Prakeep. 😄
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😀😀😀
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I could NOT figure out what animal this was! A shark!!! Good get!
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Yay. Gotcha.
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Yup!
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The sharks requiring verified identity for allowing entrance to hunting is fascinating, John!
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Thank you, Tim. Just my strange mind at work.
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😊
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😄
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And I thought shark week was a summer thing…
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Yeah, it’s already past. These are sharks on vacay
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Thank god it wasn’t sardines again.
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Ha ha ha, good one, Craig!
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Yes, indeed. Or penguins
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Good to know there’s room for one more.
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Always room for one more. 😄 Thanks, Dan
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Nice build-up to the reveal at the end!
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Thank you, Liz
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You’re welcome, John.
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😊
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It turns out, sharks are much more agreeable than many humans. What is up with that Boss?
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You tell me. I’ve noticed it for years.
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Hahaha!
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😊
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A good one. These always make me smile.
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Knowing that makes me smile, Laura
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Another twisted tale! Never would have guessed shark!
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That makes me happy, Jan. Glad you liked it.
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Good one, I didn’t expect a shark 🙂
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Thanks, Denise. 😊
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Imagine if sharks needed an ID before feeding. Just ask them for their ID before they bite you. It would save so many lives.
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Of course, if they had an ID the result would be the same. 🤣
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What a terrific surprise. Like everyone else here, did not predict a shark frenzy. Kinda makes you sorry for the mackerels. LOL
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They should have read the fine print on the back of the invitation. Thanks, Monika.
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Love it … sharks needing ID to attend a feeding frenzy 😄
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Thank you, Marie.
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I think they should have Social Security numbers too.
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That would be a good idea. Thanks, Neil.
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This was good, John!
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