3rd July 2012 My 100 Word Story No. 5 (99 words)

More Than Words

Zasha lives in the street, sleeps in any space she can find, eats leftovers found in bins, and washes her hair in the fountain of the square. (29 words)

Zasha came to this country to avoid starvation in her own, with no legal papers. She hadn't realized work was impossible to find. Today she is even too sick to eat the scrape given. (34 words)

I am Zasha. Found a torn page of newspaper inviting 100 word stories. I write mine on one corner . I have nobody to tell my story to. (29 words)

Do you know any Zasha? (7words)

Tags: 100wordstory, zasha'sstory

Prev: 3rd July 2011 Italy Without Spaghetti?

3rd July 2012 Italy Without Spaghetti?

So the Italians are staging a strike to protest the increased prices of spaghetti & bread!! The nation with the highest number of strikes than any other has at last thought of something new to strike about. It doesn't look like the activists have much support though, even by giving out spaghetti & bread free in their attempt to capture the public for their campaign.

The government department of statistics of food products & consumption argued that the prices from original source had been only 2 point something percent up, but before it got to the table of consumers, it had to go through an endless list of intermediaries, with the final price bordering on at least 20 times increase; certain items even up more than that!!. Such explanations is certainly no comfort for the shop or supermarket customers.

 

A pensioner interviewed by the press said that spaghetti & bread were his daily food, like every other Italian. Not only it's the most nutritious at the cheapest prices, it's also the only basic food he could afford. He can't afford the alternatives which would have cost far more. Being the national food, it's also the question of a life long habit as well as tradition.

I can well understand the rather cold response from the public to the banner that says " No spaghetti nor bread for one day ". 

 
If, say, I can't have rice for just one day, I would feel as though something is lacking however well I have eaten other food; for a whole week, I would most likely die! Not bodily of course, but no doubt dying of deprived & depraved emotion & starving spirits. I would be so very frustrated, miserable, & totally lacking interest or energy for anything, with my mind dwelling on rice day & night. However much it's price should go up, it'd still be the first item on my shopping list.

There seems to be a song in an old movie, which might carry the title, or in the lyric that goes: " Life gets tasteless, don't it? "

Tags: spaghetti, rice, strike, italy

Prev: 3rd July 2012 The Phone Calls

3rd July 2012 Very Different But True Friends

3rd July 2012 The Phone Calls

 
Hello-Copper Phone Call ~
One evening, the boss of a big company needed to call one of his employees about an urgent problem with one of the main computers, dialed the employee's home phone number and was greeted with a child's whisper.

'Hello.'

'Is your daddy home?' he asked.

'Yes', whispered the small voice.

'May I talk with him?'

The child whispered, 'No.' 

Surprised, and wanting to talk with an adult, the boss asked, 'Is your Mommy there?'

'Yes.'

'May I talk with her?'

Again the small voice whispered, 'No.' 

Hoping there was somebody with whom he could leave a message, the boss asked, 'Is anybody else there?'

'Yes', whispered the child, 'a policeman.' 

Wondering what a cop would be doing at his employee's home, the boss asked, 'May I speak with the policeman?'

'No, he's busy', whispered the child.

'Busy doing what?'

'Talking to Daddy and Mommy and the Fireman, 'came the whispered answer.

Growing concerned and even worried as he heard what sounded like a Helicopter through the earpiece on the phone the boss asked, 'What is that noise?'

'Hello-copper' answered the whispering voice. 

'What is going on there?' asked the boss, now truly alarmed.

In an awed whispering voice the child answered, 'The search team just landed the hello-copper.'

Alarmed, concerned, and even more then just a little frustrated the boss asked, 'What are they searching for?'

Still whispering, the young voice replied along with a muffled giggle: 'ME.'

Long Distance Phone Call ~

Solar-powered payphone in Lake Victoria, Uganda

Psychic Phone Call ~

The good psychic would pick up the phone before it rang. Of course, it is possible there was no-one on the other line.

Once she said 'God Bless you' I said, 'I didn't sneeze'

She looked deep into my eyes and said, 'You will, eventually.'

And damn it if she wasn't right. Two days later I sneezed. 

Tags: phonecalls

Prev: 2nd July 2012 A Down & Out Story