I entered the NYC Midnight Short Story Challenge in January, and I will find when I'm moving on to the second round on March 10.
The challenge for my group was to write a 2500 words or less story with the following criteria:
Genre: Polical satire
Subject: Child custody
Character: A speech writer
The Vote
“The sub-committee will now vote on
whether or not the ship is sinking.”
“Wait! We can’t have a vote without
hearing both sides.”
“Do you think there’s time to hear
arguments?”
“Should we form a committee to see
if there’s enough time to hear arguments?”
“Don’t be a fool, we’ve already
formed a sub-committee apart from the committee to prove that we’re on a ship.”
“Well, I think we’re sinking.”
“Well, I think we’re actually
starting to float, and we should drop the anchor.”
“I have to admit the floor seems to
be rising on my side.”
“Wait, we haven’t even decided that
we’re on a ship and you want to convince me to vote that we’re sinking?”
“I promise to vote that we’re
sinking if you promise to vote that we’re on an airplane.”
“That’s absurd I get airsick on
airplanes, and I’m seasick right now so we must be on a ship.”
“Hold on, we haven’t voted on that
yet.”
“I thought we were going to hear
arguments for and against the possibility of all of us being on a ship.”
“Is there someone keeping notes, I
don’t think I’m hearing every side of the issue. I must be informed before I
cast my vote. I have my constituents to think of.”
“Yeah they still haven’t forgiven
you for your vote on the banana or butter scandal.”
“Who knew that toppings for toast
would be such a touchy subject?”
“Absurd.”
“Did someone say mustard? Are we finally
getting lunch?”
“My feet are starting to get wet,
can we adjourn for an hour and vote after lunch?”
“Move to strike that last comment,
it will unduly persuade the committee that we are indeed on a ship and
sinking.”
“The comment has been stricken from
the record. There is nothing more fair and balanced than a committee committed
to concrete evidence.”
“Who had the idea to bring concrete
on to a sinking ship?”
“Move to strike there’s been no
vote on what kind of vessel we’re in.”
“So stricken.”
“Who votes first, the committee or
the sub-committee?”
“Let’s have a vote. I say the
sub-committee should go first. If we can determine if we are rising or sinking,
then we should be able to determine what our vessel is without a vote from the
committee.”
“Absurd, airplanes go up and down
on air currents just like a ship on water currents. The committee must vote on
the vessel that we’re in. If we are in an airplane and sinking we may be coming
in for a landing, if we are rising, then we might be taking off.”
“Wait, if we’re in a ship and
sinking we might die, unless we’re in a submarine.”
“I’m sorry it’s too late to add
another vessel to the ballot. We are either on a ship or an airplane.”
“Motion sustained. Next order of
business, should the committee vote first or the sub-committee?”
“I move that we transfer the
committee to a drier place.”
“We agreed to meet on neutral
ground.”
“I didn’t know that neutral ground
shifted around so much.”
“If you held on to your principles
you would find the ground wouldn’t shift so much.”
“I can’t seem to hold on to
anything. Everything has become very buoyant.”
“Move to strike buoyant, its
prejudicial, slander, and an unfair characterization of our current situation.”
“What would you call our
situation?”
“Hopelessly grid locked."
“I thought we were on neutral
ground.”
“I don’t think we’re on any kind of
ground.”
“That isn’t a very good argument
both ships and airplanes go where there isn’t any ground.”
“You have a point there. I've seen
airplanes that go on the water.”
“Would you consider yourself an
aviation expert?”
“Well, no.”
“Then kindly keep to the facts and
leave expert testimony to the experts.”
“I beg the pardon of the
committee.”
“So granted.”
“I move for a recount.”
“We haven’t taken a vote yet.”
“I just wanted to make sure
everyone knows that I object to the outcome. If an outcome happens and then you
object to it, you look like you’re following the crowd.”
“I second the motion for a recount.”
“Then I recant my objection.”
“So do I, I recant.”
“Please reinstate my objection, I
don’t want to seem like fish flip-flopping on the issue.”
“Fish can only flip-flop on the
ground, and we clearly are no longer on any ground.”
“I can feel the ceiling.”
“Is it the glass ceiling?”
“I don’t think so, I can’t see
through it.”
“That argument is invalid ships and
airplanes both have ceilings.”
“I keep moving up and the ceiling
keeps moving down.”
“Everyone’s career tops out sooner
or later.”
“I move we take a poll.”
“How’s that different from a vote?”
“Fool, a poll is an opinion, and a
vote is a decision.”
“In my opinion, this is the best
committee and sub-committee I’ve ever been a part of.”
“I second the motion.”
“It wasn’t a motion it was an
opinion.”
“What opinions aren’t filled with
emotions?”
“That’s why we form committees to
make decisions.”
“Uh, Daddy that doesn’t sound like
any speech I’ve ever heard. You’re supposed to be helping me write a speech for
class president.”
“That’s what speeches sound like to
me, especially from lawyers. Maybe you should have your mother help you.”
“Mom told me if you said that to
remind you that we have a limited amount of time, so you should try to be
helpful.”
“Just like your mother to remind me
that she has full custody.”
“It shouldn’t be so hard dad, you
write speeches for a living. What would you do for one of your clients?”
“Honey, writing speeches is all
about putting the right words in the wrong mouth.”
“So you’re telling me all I need to
do is lie, and I will get elected?”
“There’s a little more to it than
that. It has to be the right lie. You have to finesse the crowd. It's like
painting a picture, you have to use the right colors in the right places for
the picture to come out right. You begin by scaring the audience with a litany
of problems.”
“Like how awful school lunches are,
now that they are supposed to be healthy?”
“That might work for someone who
wants to throw the race.”
“Ouch.”
“Honey, you have to think a little
bigger. What do teenagers want?”
“I want to be taken seriously, and
I want more freedom.”
“Okay, then all you need to do is
paint the picture.”
“How do I do that?”
“This is what I would do, I would
start by saying that adults think that they have all the answers and by making
more rules and taking away our freedom, school is a better place.”
“I think rules are helpful though.”
“That’s okay you don’t have to
believe what you say, just convince the students you believe it.”
“I thought that people get elected
by having good ideas and solid principles.”
“Sorry sweetie, the people who get
elected have the best propaganda.”
“That seems a bit jaded.”
“Talk to me in twenty years after
your first divorce.”
“Okay, so after I scare everyone,
what do I do?”
“Well you have a couple of options,
you can tell them how your opponents are contributing to the problems, or you
can show how you are the only solution to the problems. In other words, you
give them hope.”
“Let me get this straight, I scare
everyone with lies, and then I tell them if they vote for me all their problems
will disappear?”
“That’s it in a nutshell.”
“And that really works?”
“I wouldn’t be able to afford your
mother’s alimony check if I wasn’t good at my job.”
“Mom says that’s the reason she
left you, because you lie.”
“Yes I am a liar, but so is
everyone. A liar is just someone who believes something that you don’t
believe.”
“That is very confusing.”
“It’s meant to be. We think we live
in a world of absolutes when we really live in a world of variables.”
“Uh, variables you sound like my
math teacher.”
“That’s another way to sway the
crowd in your favor, by telling them it’s too hard to figure out problems on
their own, they will trust you to do the thinking, and solve the problem for
them.”
“So, my agenda shouldn’t be to make
the school a better place for students, but to make it a better place for me
through manipulation?”
“As I see it, you either manipulate
or get manipulated.”
“You are so jaded dad. I can’t help
thinking that if I do it my way with enough passion, I can still win.”
“I know, it took me a long time to
start seeing the world as it really is.”
“So what should I do?”
“Decide if you want to win or
lose.”
“I wouldn’t be running if I wanted
to lose.”
“Okay tell me why you’re running
for class president.”
“I want to make my school a better
place.”
“That sounds plausible, and really
nice. Now tell me the real reason.”
“That is the real reason.”
“That reason sounds good, but I
know human nature too well to believe that reason.”
“Fine dad you don’t have to help
me, let’s just go get ice cream or something.”
“Hit a nerve didn’t I?”
“You can be a complete jerk
sometimes.”
“True enough, but be honest with me
now, why are you running for class president?”
“Fine you win, because it will look
good on my college applications, are you satisfied?”
“That’s my girl, now we can make a
real plan of attack.”
“You actually mean to make it
easier for me to lie, right?”
“You’ve been lying all along, now
we can use it to our advantage.”
“It doesn’t feel right.”
“Then think about how it will feel like
when you win the election, and you get into a good college.”
“Mr. Dudley I’m afraid that your
time is up.”
“Can’t I stay a little longer, we
haven’t written my speech yet.”
“I’m sorry Simone, the rules for
supervised visits are very strict. Rules are there for a reason.”
“It’s fine honey, I think you have
all the tools you need to write a wonderful speech.”
“Okay dad, I’ll call you if I win.”
“When you win.”
Wish me luck along with the rest of the contestants!
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