OT: "The Racks" a short story by Dale

[Thread]

I got into a pissing match with 21 about historical matters. He vowed to go into the search engine/the racks and retrieve postings that would prove I'd lied about certain assertions I've made in the last few days. Turns out mgmt has turned off the search engine much to at least one, if not both our chagrins. Okay, just 1. The Racks remain to this day.

This fictional short story is dedicated to 21. I hope everyone finds it enjoyable.


"The Racks" a short story by Dale

The lights were hit & miss. Most were dead to the world, others were missing. The neglect since the girl had sold out and moved North was never ending it seemed. Little things: width of band straining, advertisements vulgarly laid in among pseudo-sacred verbiage, members, some with bolded monikers, others remained pale and thus unseemly, cheap, forgotten. There's more.

---------.

"Gotta be close...2009, 10, 11......'13...I'll be damned. Gotch ya!" He pulled the folder from the worn and failing file box. Dust ran thru the garish lighting. Tom sneezed,,,hard.

"God-bless-you."

Tom's blood froze, his bladder started to seep just a drop, more.

He turned in the narrow space. It was in the shadows the broken bulbs had set.

"Who, what...who..."

"Couldn't leave it alone, could you? Had to push it, uh, 21?"

"Cubb, Dale?"

"Yeah, it's me. I was hoping to come and go before you arrived. Your bad luck, you're early."

Tom caught the flash of plating against the shards of light as Dale brought it up through the dust and shadows.

"Oh-my-God."

"Can't have it, 21. No way, Jose'."

"Dale, please, my name is Tom. I have a wife, a kid, please. Think! It's all a joke, just fun, man. C'mon."

"And I am a legend, in search of a legacy. I ain't got long. I'm with cancer now. I can't have you painting my epitaph in black. I needed to come back, find some contentment, but, you wouldn't permit it. I tried to get you to stop, but, you wouldn't back off."

"Dale, think of your wife, your boys."

"There is no wife-there is no boys. There never was."

"I'm sorry, Dale, I didn't mean any..."

"Turn around, Tom."

"Dale, it's just about having fun."

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"Whatever happened to 21?" - Reck

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"Cubby, it's great having you back these past 3 months. Don't ever leave." - Reck

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"You couldn't drag me away." - Thread

---The End---

[DMC]

Dale, you have cancer?