(no subject)
“Hmmmmmmmmm,” said Frederick, leaning back in his chair.
He worked in a cubical in an office in a gigantic building that resided on the planet Earth. He tapped a pen against his lips, and then leaned forward, staring intently at the screen of his computer. Frederick was very confused for when he tried to turn his computer on, nothing had happened.
This was quite unusual.
He flipped the switch a few more times, and repeatedly pressed another button, but nothing happened.
“Huh!” he exclaimed and stood up from his chair.
He went to speak to another employee about his calamity but started suddenly as he realized the entire office was empty.
It was dark too.
Frederick’s heart skipped a beat, and then made its home in his throat.
“Hello?” he called out. There was no answer.
Then, suddenly, without warning, something truly enormous smashed through the floor, sending cubicles, computers, and chairs a-flying.
Frederick did not see what it was, for he was being hurled through the air at a dangerous speed. Unfortunately, that speed was just the right level of speed which allowed for the velocity and mass of his person to smash through a window, and that is exactly what happened.
As the shards of glass twirled around him, it seemed that time itself slowed down.
He was surprised at how calm he felt, as his tie pressed against his face, and the office building beside him blurred past.
It was then at that moment that Frederick realized how quiet the world had become. There was no rushing of air, no honking of traffic, no screams of sirens. Even the shattering window had been completely silent.
As he accelerated towards the ground, his thoughts accelerated even faster
Where was everyone? What was that gigantic thing that smashed through the floor? And why didn’t his computer work? Was he destined to become a splat on a sidewalk in a soulless, soundless city?
He thought not! And as he thought this, he collided into the ground with a terrific force.
The equal and opposite reaction sent Frederick reeling back up into the air where he slowed to a stop, and once again fell down to earth and AGAIN he bounced, and again, and then he came to a stop, each time creating a smaller and smaller crater.
Frederick sat up, finding it difficult to move but managing to rubbing his forehead.
“Ouch,” he muttered.
He stood up, and gazed at the sky then at his office building, which was trembling, and sending rubble down around it.
Suddenly, a gigantic something, presumably the same giant something that crashed through the floor, erupted from the side of the building, sending out an explosion of concrete and glass.
Frederick ran, but it was as though his feet where blocks of cement, and he could hardly get up to a jog. Behind him, the sound of the huge mass could be heard traveling through the air, which both pleased Frederick, as he could sort of hear again, but also terrified him, for obvious reasons.
When the giant something hit the ground, huge ripples cracked through the pavement, sending parked cars flying and spliting businesses shops in two.
Frederick, who weighed much less than a car, was also sent flying, although he smacked into a streetlamp, and then slid to the bottom in a comical fashion.
He turned, and as his vision cleared, he saw just what that giant something was.
It was a gigantic
humongous
enormous
gargantuan
REAAAAALLLLLLLY BIIIIIG SLUG!
The giant creature, which must have been 20 stories tall, had shards of glass and chunks of cement stuck to its body, with an assortment of pipelines, cars, and other curious objects. Frederick was reminded briefly of the Playstation 2 videogame, Katamari Damacy.
The slug released a terrifying roar, despite the fact that slugs have no vocal chords of any sort. Frederick figured it was the releasing of air from its breathing holes, which reside on the side of the slug’s body, as though the slug was releasing a deep breath.
Its two stalked eyes wavered about and its pair of feelers poked and prodded about in the debris it had caused. It slowly began to advance towards Frederick, who could only remain cemented in place.
However, it stopped, and it seemed to spot the tiny man, who stood in the middle of the street. Their eyes met, and for a moment, the man saw not a monstrous beast, but a helpless slug, lost and confused. A freak in this world, but just a humble citizen in its own.
Suddenly, the rest of the office building that still stood next to the slug, barely higher than the slug itself, began to topple and did indeed topple, right onto the slug.
There was a thunderous rumble, and Frederick stood, with weak knees, as he watched the giant slug breath its last heavy breath, and its eyes drooped, and it moved no more.
A solitary tear crept down Frederick’s dusty cheek, and an empty wind howled through the city.
He worked in a cubical in an office in a gigantic building that resided on the planet Earth. He tapped a pen against his lips, and then leaned forward, staring intently at the screen of his computer. Frederick was very confused for when he tried to turn his computer on, nothing had happened.
This was quite unusual.
He flipped the switch a few more times, and repeatedly pressed another button, but nothing happened.
“Huh!” he exclaimed and stood up from his chair.
He went to speak to another employee about his calamity but started suddenly as he realized the entire office was empty.
It was dark too.
Frederick’s heart skipped a beat, and then made its home in his throat.
“Hello?” he called out. There was no answer.
Then, suddenly, without warning, something truly enormous smashed through the floor, sending cubicles, computers, and chairs a-flying.
Frederick did not see what it was, for he was being hurled through the air at a dangerous speed. Unfortunately, that speed was just the right level of speed which allowed for the velocity and mass of his person to smash through a window, and that is exactly what happened.
As the shards of glass twirled around him, it seemed that time itself slowed down.
He was surprised at how calm he felt, as his tie pressed against his face, and the office building beside him blurred past.
It was then at that moment that Frederick realized how quiet the world had become. There was no rushing of air, no honking of traffic, no screams of sirens. Even the shattering window had been completely silent.
As he accelerated towards the ground, his thoughts accelerated even faster
Where was everyone? What was that gigantic thing that smashed through the floor? And why didn’t his computer work? Was he destined to become a splat on a sidewalk in a soulless, soundless city?
He thought not! And as he thought this, he collided into the ground with a terrific force.
The equal and opposite reaction sent Frederick reeling back up into the air where he slowed to a stop, and once again fell down to earth and AGAIN he bounced, and again, and then he came to a stop, each time creating a smaller and smaller crater.
Frederick sat up, finding it difficult to move but managing to rubbing his forehead.
“Ouch,” he muttered.
He stood up, and gazed at the sky then at his office building, which was trembling, and sending rubble down around it.
Suddenly, a gigantic something, presumably the same giant something that crashed through the floor, erupted from the side of the building, sending out an explosion of concrete and glass.
Frederick ran, but it was as though his feet where blocks of cement, and he could hardly get up to a jog. Behind him, the sound of the huge mass could be heard traveling through the air, which both pleased Frederick, as he could sort of hear again, but also terrified him, for obvious reasons.
When the giant something hit the ground, huge ripples cracked through the pavement, sending parked cars flying and spliting businesses shops in two.
Frederick, who weighed much less than a car, was also sent flying, although he smacked into a streetlamp, and then slid to the bottom in a comical fashion.
He turned, and as his vision cleared, he saw just what that giant something was.
It was a gigantic
humongous
enormous
gargantuan
REAAAAALLLLLLLY BIIIIIG SLUG!
The giant creature, which must have been 20 stories tall, had shards of glass and chunks of cement stuck to its body, with an assortment of pipelines, cars, and other curious objects. Frederick was reminded briefly of the Playstation 2 videogame, Katamari Damacy.
The slug released a terrifying roar, despite the fact that slugs have no vocal chords of any sort. Frederick figured it was the releasing of air from its breathing holes, which reside on the side of the slug’s body, as though the slug was releasing a deep breath.
Its two stalked eyes wavered about and its pair of feelers poked and prodded about in the debris it had caused. It slowly began to advance towards Frederick, who could only remain cemented in place.
However, it stopped, and it seemed to spot the tiny man, who stood in the middle of the street. Their eyes met, and for a moment, the man saw not a monstrous beast, but a helpless slug, lost and confused. A freak in this world, but just a humble citizen in its own.
Suddenly, the rest of the office building that still stood next to the slug, barely higher than the slug itself, began to topple and did indeed topple, right onto the slug.
There was a thunderous rumble, and Frederick stood, with weak knees, as he watched the giant slug breath its last heavy breath, and its eyes drooped, and it moved no more.
A solitary tear crept down Frederick’s dusty cheek, and an empty wind howled through the city.