deflation

"Hello, my name is Jane Hathaway, PhD in biochemistry, and this is an audio log of my current project. Ever since my father was laughed out of the scientific community for his theories on protein bonds, I have dreamed of vindicating his memory. It's taken me years, but finally I've proven his hypothesis correct. But I'm not just going to write a paper that'll be read and forgotten in a few months. No, I have something more impressive in mind. There's a conference next month, and I've been invited to give a presentation.

A man sat in a booth at the dark end of the bar, a clutch of balloons drifting back and forth above his head as air currents from the heating toyed with the pretty rubber globes. His posture and alert response every time the door opened denoted he was waiting for someone with great eagerness. The perfect victim.

Working for Skunny Cola was his dream job. All the free soda he wanted and, being a partner with the founders, he got to sample new flavors of SC. New flavors sometimes tasted good (i.e. Raspberry Cola), others not so good (Pea Cola). He always jumped at the chance to taste new flavors, especially when he got Ultra Cola. The label said: Ultra Cola! The cola with more carbonation than Pepsi, Coke, RC, or Jolt.

My girlfriend Jacqueline and I were cleaning up at home together and Jackie was fooling around as usual while dusting in the bathroom. “Watch your eyes, look at all that dust coming down from up there!” I pointed to the top of the medicine cabinet, where she was dusting. “Oh, I’m so scared… that dust might really get me… argh!” We both laughed as she pretended to be attacked by the dust, but of course with her next movement, she brought a big load of dust down that enveloped her shortly in a cloud of dirt.