I stood outside the apartment door listening to Lynyrd Skynyrd bouncing through the woodwork, a glance at my watch told me it was 3:14 A.M.
I kicked the door open and walked inside, the volume ramped up a couple of notches.
“SWE-ET HO-OME AAALABAMA” …............ “WHERE THE SKIES ARE SO BLUE....”
BLAM..... BLAM BLAM
“SWE-ET” BLAM “AAALABAMA” …............. “LORD” BLAM “COMIN HO-OME TO YOU....”
“HERE I” BLAM “AAALA Scrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrtt...
I walked from the apartment and quietly closed the door behind me.
I had asked them time and time and time again, to please not play their music so loud.
I pushed the .45 into my belt as I walked downstairs to my own apartment.
I really needed to get some sleep.
©2010 Stephen. J. Green.
I wonder if that song is as popular in Alabama as it is in nation-wide commercials.
ReplyDeleteI can't say I disapprove of shooting the record player, though vinyl tables are a dying breed. Shooting the owner? I hope you only winged his LP-handling hand.
I can't help but hear the ring of truth in this.
ReplyDeleteBut there are worse songs your neighbours could be playing, Steve!
Thanks for reading guys,
ReplyDeleteJohn, I can guarantee that no electical equipment was harmed in the making of this story, though the LP may have sustained a deep scratch.
Rol, I actually love that song, but there was various aspects of it that fit the storyline, I nearly timed the gunshots to Sweet home AlaBLAMa.
Sleep deprivation, like many other things, can make people react in extraordinary ways. I just love how he shot up the place and then "quietly" shut the door. That one shows you how just how far off the edge he's gone. Good stuff.
ReplyDeleteBeing from the same home town as Lynyrd Skynyrd I've always wondered, why an anthem to Alabama? It should have been AlaBLAMa all along! Nice shootin' Steve!
ReplyDeleteThanks for reading,
ReplyDeleteStephen, I think he might view the situation in a whole new light when he's had a good night's sleep. :-D
Harry, thanks. (Nonchalantly blows the smoke from the barrel) :-D
Now, those were some well placed *Blam*s! Nice one. I like how originally I read the *blam* as part of the song but it turned out to be something more suprising and gratifying. Nice one!
ReplyDeleteThanks Catherine, them .45's do make a nice BLAM though don't they?
ReplyDeleteThis sounds like the opening scene of a NY gangster movie (if you'd not mentioned why the shots rang out). I'd love to see this extended :)
ReplyDeleteThen again, sometimes the shorter versions are better !!
Hiya Nickie, how's things?
ReplyDeleteThese shorter stories are mostly what I am writing now, it's a style that I kind of drifted into. and I enjoy seeing if I can make them work at this length.
I've had noisy neighbors. I'm sure the MC's actions were completely justified.
ReplyDeleteTim, noisy neighbours are a pain, and a person can only take so much, the MC did what he had to do. :-D
ReplyDeleteburn... burn it all! X-D
ReplyDeletegreat story i can just imagine a bit of skull and iddy biddy bits of brains on a record player that is slowly stoping after the switch had been turened off just slowly turning... covered in blood
will smiths boom shake shake shake the room would have worked good too!
Hi Jason, I like your imagination, and yes I agree, BOOM BOOM shake the room would have worked a treat. :-D
ReplyDeleteGreat tale of a guy who has been pushed to the limit. Feels weird to feel sympathy for someone who has just shot another person, it has to be said!
ReplyDeleteHi Rebecca, sad to say, but they had it coming. :-D
ReplyDelete