Here, Have A (Very) Short Story

[poliphilo]

HOT-DIGGETY-DOG

 

It was a test for me and it was a test for him.

 

It went across to his hotdog stand and put it to him straight. He was an average specimen of humanity, with big blackheads on the end of his bulbous nose.

 

“Listen,” I said. “I haven’t eaten for forty days and forty nights and I am in sore need of a hotdog. Unfortunately I don’t have any money. If you let me have one for free the angels will sing for joy.”

 

Perhaps I should also have told him how the angels would feel if he didn’t give me one. But if I had, he would have been acting under duress and the test would have been invalidated.

 

I won’t soil this page by telling you what he said.

That was his part in the test over and he had failed it; now my part began. I could feel the power welling up inside me. If I had chosen I could have had those hotdogs levitate off the counter into my fist.  But I resisted. I knew it would be a betrayal of the power to use it for any selfish end.

 I had striven and I had gained the victory. I turned from the stand in self-negation and perfect humility. The Voice praised me.

 

Then I spun on my heel and proclaimed “To him who shows no mercy, no mercy will be shown.” And I pointed my most powerful finger at the hot dog stand and blew it into itsy-bitsy pieces. 

Comments

[dakegra.livejournal.com]

I liked that.

I'm intrigued by the phrase 'my most powerful finger', which implies there are other, less powerful fingers. It got me to wondering if different fingers had different powers...

:-)

[poliphilo.livejournal.com]

This story has been sitting in a file for years. I'd forgotten it even existed. And when I read it just now it was as if I were reading something by someone else. I liked that phrase too. Well done, me!

[alice-g.livejournal.com]

Hey Dad and Ailz, hope you are good. Sorry not been in touch for ages things have been a bit mental in my life. Hope you are both well - I can never remember what your email address is? I am off on hols today to the Dominican Republic with J and another couple. Should be good fun! Everything else is good, cats good, work ok etc. Everything has been building up to this holiday for ages so am just very excited.

Oh yeah... If you ever want a hot dog from me I promise I would never deny you!!!

Lots of Love Al xxxx

[poliphilo.livejournal.com]

Is this the couple you were telling me about before?

Have a great time in the Caribbean!

Lots of love,

Dad

[besideserato.livejournal.com]

NICE! You show that axis of evvvveeeeel capitalist hot dog hoarding what it's all about!

When you say powerful finger, I picture a thumb stuck out and not any one actual finger. Funny, isn't it?

I wonder what dakegra pictures as the most powerful finger?

[jenny_evergreen]

For me, it's the ol' pointer that comes to mind.

This felt like a (good!) joke to me, and I laughed at the end.

[poliphilo.livejournal.com]

I wrote it a few years back. A friend was setting me little exercises and this was one of them. I forget what the exercise was exactly; probably "write something about a hot dog stand".

[besideserato.livejournal.com]

Tony packs a mighty punch in his writing!

[poliphilo.livejournal.com]

I see it as the index finger- but who knows?

[besideserato.livejournal.com]

I can also see it as the middle finger, though!

The whole thing makes me think of the Gnostic writings of child Jesus running around being bratty and abusive with his Son of God powers.

[poliphilo.livejournal.com]

Ah yes, those are fun.

[besideserato.livejournal.com]

Aren't they?! I love those stories.

[karenetaylor.livejournal.com]

Lovely. A very short, but very complete story. That's so incredibly hard to do.

Love it!

[poliphilo.livejournal.com]

Thanks.

[oakmouse]

Rather fun --- and very evocative. Thank you!

[poliphilo.livejournal.com]

My pleasure :)

[clindau.livejournal.com]

Fun story--I like it!

Cindy

[poliphilo.livejournal.com]

Thanks.

[kaysho.livejournal.com]

Knowing many hot dog vendors, mercy may very well have been not offering one. :)

[poliphilo.livejournal.com]

Ha, you could be right.

But I wouldn't really know, I'm a vegetarian.