Project Z

[cranefly]

Prolog 1:

I limp into the bedroom and grab up my towel, then make my way into the living room, headed for the kitchen. Then I see Lady Cranefly at the sink, starting dishwater to do the dishes. She spots me and says, "Oh! I didn't know-- " even as I scowl and turn painfully on my heel to head back into the bedroom.

She comes in a moment later to let me know she's moved the dishes out of the sink. So I get up again and go into the kitchen. I hang the towel over the door window so the neighbors can't see, then strip down and wash up as best I can in the kitchen sink. I dry off with the towel, then limp back in the bedroom and climb into bed, pulling the sheet and covers over me. I don't know why I bother, but I put on my glasses and pick up The Deer and the Cauldron II and open it to the bookmark. I read part of a sentence, but nothing is familiar. So flip back a couple pages and start there. Yes, this is vaguely familiar. I've been doing this a lot lately, backtracking ever further into the book, losing ground. Anyway, I read two sentences and realize I'm falling asleep. So I insert the bookmark and put the book and my eyeglasses aside and then I'm asleep.

[cranefly]

Prolog 2:

I need to take a piss. I mean, I can't put it off any longer. The problem is, there's three people in our bathroom. There's always three people in our bathroom anymore. I suppose I could ask them to step out for a moment. Then again, what's the point? The toilet's sitting in the tub. My aim isn't good enough for a four-inch cast-iron pipe in concrete.

So I head outside. It's raining. I squeeze back along the shed next to the fence until I reach the tall fence between our place and the crazy old lady's place next to us. Rain is falling on my head. I unzip and finally work up a stream. A very slow stream these days. Don't be waiting behind me at a urinal, okay? Just a suggestion. As I relax into it, I gaze into the distance -- which amounts to the neighbor's gutter. There's a piece missing at the corner of their shed. The water should follow it around and to the far end of their shed to the downspout. Instead, it gushes onto the fence between our properties. Guaranteed to rot the piss out of the fence in no time -- far more damaging than my piddly stream. I sigh. I don't like dealing with the crazy old lady. I hold a grudge against her for reaching across onto our property to rip down a kentucky wonder bean vine I had growing up a wire support to a telephone pole. She told me that when the vine reached the top, it would mess up the electricity. Anyway, yep, that gutter needs to be fixed. Just one more thing needing to be fixed around here. I glance down and realize my pantleg is wet. It's not rain.

[Drunk Monk]

will there be zombies in this tale? just wonderin...