Crunch: The Lost Time
Writing Exercise #25
Sorry I am late! Recently I asked for everyone’s gnarliest short story ideas I this one from
was a great suggestion!If you have ideas for Prompts, Crunches, Sprints, Relays, or other writing exercises in the future, please leave them in the comments! If you would like to write your own take for this exercise, please comment with a link so that I can see what you wrote and support your work, maybe even share your version with my subscribers. Please let me know if you have any thoughts, comments, or constructive criticisms as well!
Enjoy!
Crunch: A newly-released elderly convict at the self-checkout with no alternatives
I blinked in the sunlight. It was good to be out. After all those years—I was going to show them how much had changed. How different I was. I was a new man; I had a fresh start.
They had given me my wallet and the clothes I came in with. I put on the jacket mostly because it would cover the jumpsuit, I was sure the pants wouldn’t fit anymore, not after twenty-five years. There was a Panama hat too. I put that on. The hat was fun.
As I step outside, I asked the guard— “Hey, can you call a taxi? I don’t have anyone to pick me up.”
“Oh, we’ll call an Uber for you. Where are you going?”
“A what-now?”
“You’ll figure it out don’t worry.” She smiled.
I gave her the address of a store—I needed to get some real food. Luckily, I had $55 in my wallet, that should be enough.
The car pulled up and the guard walked out with me. There was no one in the driver’s seat.
“What is this some kind of joke?”
“No joke! They have self-driving cars now.” The guard smirked, pressed some buttons on a flatscreen and closed the door. “Don’t come back now!” she said.
“I won’t!” I said and waved.
The car took me to the grocery store. I didn’t know what to say. I guess I didn’t have to pay.
I went into the grocery store and got some of my favorites. Pizza. Beer. Some candy. A bag of chips. Perfect.
I brought the cart over to the checkout line. The light was off and nobody was there. I flagged down someone in a green vest. “Excuse me, sir—I’m trying to buy these groceries. Is there a line open?”
He pointed to the self-checkout lane. “Yes sir, you’ll find the self-checkout over here. Are you paying with Card or apple-pay?”
“Cash! I only have cash. What is apple-pay?”
“Oh, you’ll have to wait for one of the lanes that accepts cash.” A lady with two children in tow pushed a cart overflowing with groceries away. “Ah here you go sir.”
I pushed my cart over to the strange device. It had a y-shaped prong sticking out. I waved the candy bar over the panel and nothing happened. “How do I swipe it?”
“Oh just put your groceries on this platform, it will scan automatically.”
“I don’t suppose you’ll tell me you’ve landed a man on mars, next?”
“Oh, that was yesterday, actually. Didn’t you hear?” The employee pulled a magazine off the stand with the headline “Man lands on Mars!”
At least the Magazine stands are still here.
(447 words I do what I want)
The Promptee Has Become The Promptor
Your feedback helps to improve my writing. I would really appreciate a comment on your thoughts on this writing exercise. Consider telling me your thoughts about:
Have you ever felt surprised by the rate of technological change?
If you could have a wish granted but you had to disappear for 20 years, what wish would make it worth it?
What would be the first thing you eat after you’ve been in prison for 25 years?
Thank you for reading! I hope you enjoy! Come back next week for another writing exercise!
Hey, before you go—have you read my recently published Serial, SANDBOX EARTH yet? You can buy a hardcopy too! Check it out at the link!
God bless!
Things like these make you wonder the morality of the prison system (you go for what is basically a lifetime and then they kick you out). I'm not saying "bring back the death penalty". But I wonder if the Russian system of "exile to Siberia" might be a little more humane (for lack of a better word).
Also, I'm honestly not all that impressed by the rate of technological change once I remember that we're supposed to have a moon base by the year 2000.
Oooo.. feeling like he's on a different planet only to find out that some people actually are... Noice!!!