Five Minute Observations

Tag: Writing

  • A.I. Music, Storytelling, and Poetry? Um, no thanks!

    —

    by

    Joe Class III
    in

    Magic. It’s inside a story. Your story. Within you is the potential to create or destroy, heal or hurt. Your gift is your story. Your ability to share with others what you’ve learned, how you’ve been helped, or what’s hurt you so that they will pass that along to others. There is nothing magnificent about…

  • The Funeral of Nickolas Gather

    —

    by

    Joe Class III
    in

    “How would you describe Nick Gather?” Father John Jacobs, a Catholic priest stood in front of the pulpit in the viewing room, the guests, visitors, and family far exceeding the room’s maximum capacity. It was warm for the second day in May in Missouri. The central air conditioner unit barely kept the room cool enough…

  • Cham Shows Up

    —

    by

    Joe Class III
    in

    “Brrr!” Sandy exclaimed, voice quivering. Rubbing her arms vigorously, she did her best, chasing goosebumps erupting like tiny mountains on her pale white arms. Skin-to-skin friction didn’t seem to help much. “What, brrr, Sandy?” Trent asked, lowering his sunglasses just enough to peer at his girlfriend. His expression of concern and amusement flickered across his…

  • Can’t Do It.

    —

    by

    Joe Class III
    in

    “Just drop me off at the dispensary.” Take the job. Drive for fun and profit. You love to drive. Why the hell not? It won’t ever be crazy. You won’t be asked strange, weird things. It’ll be fine and normal. You live in a small town. You are far enough from Los Angeles unless you…

  • The 911 Call from Sunnyvale Gardens

    —

    by

    Joe Class III
    in

    “Who dat?” Greg held the phone away from his face, staring at the timer showing the call connecting with the other end for more than fifteen minutes. The number on the screen? 911. “I saaid, who der?” Greg stammered, “Um, hi.” “Honey, I ain’t got all daaay, you know? Whachu needin’?” “Did I call 911?…

  • Snoring at Sysoden Data

    —

    by

    Joe Class III
    in

    “He’s snoring,” Jared complained. “Like loud snoring.” “Wait,” Kent asked. “Don’t the two of you share an office?” “What of it? It’s not like he gives a crap about the job. It’s almost as if he’s hoping they fire him. Can’t figure it out to save my life.” “What do you guys do over there…

  • Seraphina and her companions – Meeting in Veritaville

    —

    by

    Joe Class III
    in ,

    “Seraphina, you can’t be serious!” Alexander’s voice boomed through the tavern, his fists clenched in frustration. Six men. Four women. That was the council and Seraphina? She was the natural choice to lead Veritaville. Alexander, a natural-born leader and herder of goats on the outskirts of their village, protested Seraphina’s announcement. “I thought we were…

  • Mrs. Henke’s English Class

    —

    by

    Joe Class III
    in

    A sunset sky. The reddish tint discolors a few bodies intertwined on the dance floor. One bright overhead light moves over each couple, some dancing while others lock lips. The soft music plays while everyone sways in time to Crazy for You, by Madonna. Late into the evening, these teens are getting tired from all…

  • Lila Leaves Flibberflop

    —

    by

    Joe Class III
    in

    “Did you ever wonder what it would be like?” Lila asked Glitters. “What it would be like? You mean?” her talking horse, resembling a unicorn, looked down below, disgusted by the mere mention of ‘earth.’ “Um, down there? Yeah. No way. Nothing doing. Look how much fun it is to just float. I mean, down…

  • Destination Elysium

    —

    by

    Joe Class III
    in

    In 2145, humanity embarks on its most daring mission yet: exploring the distant planet of Elysium. This planet holds the key to humanity’s future with its rich deposits of uranium, a mineral long depleted on Earth. Captain Elena Rodriguez, a seasoned astronaut of the newly formed United Earth Republic, is chosen for this mission due…

  • The Stranger of Veritaville

    —

    by

    Joe Class III
    in

    Between verdant undulating hills, where nature’s splendor met the skyline, frigid streams glistened as they flowed from the imposing Verita range. Their icy summits towered above, guardians over the expanse below. Nestled at the base of this mountain chain lay the hamlet of Veritaville. The settlement was a mosaic of picturesque homes, lush gardens, and…

  • Soap Bubbles with Strings

    —

    by

    Joe Class III
    in

    Kids love bubbles. Big or small. Doesn’t matter. All kiddos love delicate, intricately-shaped, thin soap bubbles. As simple as it is to create bubbles, some of us are much more adept at getting the soap-to-water ratio just right, creating the perfect formula for long-lasting bubbles. Picture this: kids of all ages playing with soap bubbles…

  • Her First International Flight

    —

    by

    Joe Class III
    in

    “Caleb.” Her whisper carried through their empty house. “Caleb? Can you hear me?” The house was dark, with creepy shadows dancing on the walls from the yellowish streetlight outside. Caleb and Kassie gathered the last of their things, doing their best to finish moving before it got dark. Kassie hated this house, hated it when…

  • No Rides – Ever

    —

    by

    Joe Class III
    in

    “I don’t give rides to hitchers,” said Tommy Granier, an over-the-road driver for Pepsi-Co. A big guy, Tommy wasn’t prone to giving anyone a ride, let alone friends and family, even though he’d been a pushover to his two nieces who asked him to let them ride up to Saint Louis Lambert International Airport. Tommy…

  • Commotion Outside Vrbinski, Neil, and Kurt

    —

    by

    Joe Class III
    in

    A commotion outside the door of Vrbinski, Neil, and Kurt brought all the work inside the law firm office to a complete stop. No typing. No talking. Even Ms. Amy Kurt, starting to make her usual vanilla latte, stopped dead in the tracks from tamping her espresso. Voices on the other side of the heavy…

  • Portuguese Divider

    —

    by

    Joe Class III
    in

    1987. President Reagan said, “Mr. Gorbachev, tear down this wall!” It was also the same year Mr. Martim Silva, an English teacher at California High School, started his first day of class poking fun at his culture and heritage.   True to teachers’ style of the time, he wore tan-colored slacks, ironed with tight creases,…

  • Jerry’s Used Car Lot

    —

    by

    Joe Class III
    in

    “All you need is a few more dollars, and I will put you in that car myself.” His smile showed off his dingy, yellowing teeth. Jerry Brooks chewed on the end of his cheap cigar, the ones he bought from Plaid Pantry a few doors down from the dealership. He looked like you would imagine…

  • Andrews New Club – ’87

    —

    by

    Joe Class III
    in ,

    (A segment of Bullets and Frozen Bananas) Yawning, Cami stretched and rolled over, kissing me, welcoming me into her world. I was working on drinking my second cup of coffee, so I offered to get her one. Rubbing the sleep out of her eyes, she smiled. “That would be amazing.” We met a few weeks…

  • Carter Calls Bianchi

    —

    by

    Joe Class III
    in ,

    (Continuation of Bullets and Frozen Bananas) Heather Bianchi looked down from the 18th floor of 610 Newport Center, expecting a call from Alex Carter. Alex took his orders from Heather and Heather only. Sighing, Heather looked out to the Newport Harbor and the massive yachts. She knew her boss, Marco Rossi, wasn’t a patient man.…

  • Senior Skip Day

    —

    by

    Joe Class III
    in

    High school is where teenagers get to learn what life is like. You’ve got all the makings of a John Hughes movie. Every cliché. All the stereotypes. Kids who enjoy smoking marijuana. Bookworms, nerds, and geeks who love playing Dungeons and Dragons, video games, and reading about fantasy worlds, the likes of which J.R.R. Tolkien…