The soft whirr of beans meeting blades is followed by the olfactory stimulation that only coffee can produce before hitting the cup in a consumable form. The steady flow of the intoxicating liquid is finished with a cap of crema that only a machine with instrument DNA can produce. There it is. My route to survival. A sip confirms the road ahead will be paved with good intentions, a big ole smile, and a few sinkholes.
As the chimes awake the heretofore sleeping dogs, my eye goes to the small sign on the counter that reads, PLEASE DO NOT RING THE DOORBELL. Another day of a forgotten install above the doorbell sank the quiet and is rewarded with the sound of a pack of wolves chasing a panicked elk through a forest of aluminum trees. As the Westminster chime drones through its complete cycle, the din of the mayhem reaches the acme of volume somewhere in a decibel range of eardrum bleed.
A handful of treats tossed into the next room brings the sound of silence to the entryway. Moving through the security system bypass allows the front door to be thrown open. Standing there is a mob character in a pin-striped suit right out of central casting. The only detail missing is the violin case hiding the Thomson submachine gun. My hopes have sunk to a new low when he mentions the boss would like a conversation. “Who’s the boss?” comes out of my mouth before a reasonable edit.
“Yeah, I liked dat show. Now quit fooling around and come wit me.”
Not wanting to go with the gentleman, an excuse about the dogs being left alone is made. He seems to understand and hands me an envelope. Inside are two messages. The first is from Linda Hill. It says, Your Friday prompt for Stream of Consciousness Saturday is “sink/sank/sunk.” Use one, use two, or use ’em all and get bonus points. Enjoy! The second is from the boss. It reads, Go with Louie, or he will break both your legs. This would appear to be an offer that cannot be refused. Before leaving with Louie, let me say if you would like to see what other bloggers have done with the prompt, visit Linda’s blog. Here is the link, https://lindaghill.com/2023/05/26/the-friday-reminder-and-prompt-for-socs-may-27-2023/
Sink/Sank/Sunk by John W. Howell © 2023
“I would say this is taking a nasty turn.”
“Well, if you consider the mob, I would agree.”
“What are you going to do?”
“Go with Louie. What else is there to do?”
“What do you suppose the Boss wants?”
“I’m guessing it is connected with the statue.”
“Man. Everything is in this story but the kitchen sink.”
“Stay around a while. It may get added.”
“I think your desire to forget the statue just sank.”
“My desire is sunk, alright. But this is how fiction goes.”
“I keep forgetting this isn’t real.”
“Who says?”
“You just said the word fiction.”
“If that is the case, the VooDoo Ranger is a figment.”
“Okay, hold on there. You said fiction, not me.”
“So you believe?”
“Just texted Uber now.”
“Good man.”
