It was a several centuries old graveyard in Philadelphia that I had always meant to explore. Tonight I hesitated, though, because it was nearing darkness and there existed a rumor that it was haunted by Revolutionary War spirits.
But I
entered, and as I walked among the headstones of many distant figures of heroic
proportion, I saw a light and two small girls sitting on the grass. Trembling a
bit, I approached them.
"Children,"
I said, "you are not of these times, are you?"
"No,
kind sir," replied one. "We are the children of the heroes
you see interred beneath."
"But
why are you here?" I asked.
"We have
brought a message for you."
"A
message for me?”
"That
is right, kind sir."
"What
in heaven's name is it?!!"
"If
you are going to visit this hallowed place, please
make sure your fly is zipped up first!"
Well, folks, I am very well pleased to present this wise counsel for you to remember any time you visit a historic, religious, or Disney-owned site anywhere in the world. Please keep this principle foremost in your mind while also keeping backmost in your mind that I went over the word limit today by, oh, a time and a half.
Can I help it that the spirits of those two little girls were verbose?
Verbose or otherwise, you can read some of the other Friday Fictioneers takes on the prompt above by clicking here. But first, time to check you-know-what!
A light take on a serious setting. A little comic relief.
ReplyDeleteI was hoping it was a lot of comic relief. Oh well!
DeleteThat's what I like about you, Perry. You're not afraid to expose yourself to something new, even if they are ghostly apparitions. Hopefully, they didn't point in the general direction of your zipper and laugh.
ReplyDeleteNo, they did not. Just about every other female, however, did.
DeleteWould these little ghosties know what a zipper even is? Didn't they use buttons back then to keep the privates' privates private? ;)
ReplyDeleteNice catch, Lorna Earl. Looks like it's time for a little suspension of disbelief about zippers.
DeleteNow I don't know what to be afraid of!
ReplyDeleteNobody in this story any way!
DeleteI can see the children playing a prank with the fly-challenged old man, talking like that :)
ReplyDeleteEnjoyed this story - it was like taking a break from crying. With this prompt coinciding with Veteran's day many Friday Fictioneers have left me crying , many times rightfully so :)
Fly-challenged OLD MAN??!!!!!
DeleteYeah, I guess he is. But it is no prank.
Oh! So funny and so poignant right now. On Friday we're expecting a bachelor friend who has evidently forgotten how to zip his pants. Each time he visits, I must remind him to "zip it!" Thanks for the laugh.
ReplyDeleteJust make sure he doesn't zip it too fast or he'll always be a bachelor!
DeleteThe way things are round here, your character would have been in the slammer by now, Perry. And he might not even have had an unzipped fly, either.
ReplyDeleteI'm in the slammer already. I didn't go that far over the word count!
DeleteI should have known there was nothing to fear, even with ghosts, in one of your stories, Perry. I'm willing to suspend belief about those ghosts knowing about zippers. At least you're honest about being forgetful. If it's any compensation, I've read that we elders forget more because we have more in our memories. It's crowded in there. :D --- Suzanne J
ReplyDeleteI'm sure that's true but I'm not an elder!!!! And all my ghosts are friendly for that matter.
DeleteDear Perry,
ReplyDeleteLeave it to you to cheapen the moment. And you do it so well in only a hundred words or more.
Shalom,
Rochelle
Cheapening R Us.
DeleteHahaha! Good twist ending ;-p
ReplyDeleteYeah, I just need to twist it a bit and I can zip it up.
DeleteThank you, Mick. A lesson for all of us.
ReplyDeleteoh, what a twist. i didn't have a clue it would end like that. :)
ReplyDeleteYes, I like to zip up all the loose ends at the end! There may be two jokes in there, I'm not sure.
DeleteHow embarrassing - exposed in front of children. Phantom paedo?
ReplyDeleteYou're reading way too much into it! This is a clean story.
DeleteHilarious.
ReplyDeleteAlthough, you're lucky that they are old souls - as today they would have video'd your unzippered stance and called police, HRS, posted on YouTube, and sexted (well, maybe not).
Randy
I dunno, I think they would have just called me out for the idiot I am.
DeleteI do believe people of that era used more words, in general. They'd be no good at texting! So, I think you're excused from the word limit with this one. You're just trying to stay true to the times after all. And you have to include that last bit of advice. So important, Perry! Nicely done.
ReplyDeleteThank you for having my back, Amy, as always. That's exactly what I was trying to do --- be faithful to the era in dispensing this critical advice. Also I hate to edit. Thanks for writing.
DeleteProper etiquette must be observed at all times!
ReplyDeleteYes, indeed. All times throughout two or more centuries.
DeleteI wondered if you'd do it, with the theme and all. And you did it--gotta wipe my screen, again. I shouldn't drink coffee when I read your stories. Hilarious. I really needed that laugh.
ReplyDeleteI guess you weren't scared then. Thanks!
Delete