Sunday January 17th, 2016

The exercise:

Write about: the investment.

We were basically all done by 10:30 this morning, so those of us who were finished our assigned areas did some audits and then got to go home while the others finished up. I wouldn't have minded another hour of work, but I was also about ready to get out of there.

Max is struggling through another cold at the moment. I'm feeling like spring could come take over for winter any time now.

Mine:

"As your trusted financial advisor, I would like to remind you that this would be an excellent use of your inheritance money."

"What, like, all of it?"

"No, no, of course not! We'll have to set some aside for your day to day needs, obviously. But once this investment starts paying off - which should be within a few weeks at most - you won't even need that small amount on hand."

"So, like, all of it except for maybe, what? Like five hundred dollars?"

"I'm sure you could get away with less. After all, the more you put in, the more you'll get out. But I suppose five hundred is a nice, round number."

"And there's no chance I'm gonna lose all this?"

"Come now. I wouldn't be very good at my job if that were the case."

"Right. Right. I dunno, man. I th-"

"With all due respect, it's not your job to think, sir. It's mine. Trust me: you are about to invest in the future of technology. This is the best possible use of your money. VHS is the road ahead, my friend. Jump behind the wheel of this sports car and hit the gas before you're left behind, sucking in fumes and dust."

4 comments:

morganna said...

Mr. Bryson owns Shady Rest Nursing Home, and this is background to a story I am working on set there.
=======================

Mr. Bryson looked up as his secretary showed the salesman in. "Mr. Keith, I appreciate your taking time out of your day to discuss your product with me, but I have to say, my answer is still no. I fail to see why I would want to spend money on pampering my residents -- most of them have no idea what's going on around them anyway."

The salesman spoke jerkily. "Mr. Bryson, we do understand that. But our product is not to 'pamper' your residents. Our product is to soothe and calm, thereby cutting your costs."

Bryson tried not to stare at the salesman. He was sure there was something wrong with the man's eyes, but he couldn't quite put his finger on it. "Cutting costs, you say. How can a little soft thing do that? It doesn't even talk."

"Our robot pets are guaranteed to calm your residents and reduce nurse visits to the room by over 50%. Then you can lay off some of your certified nurses."

"Over 50%, you say? I'll do it. But I need the guarantee in writing."

"Of course, of course. I've got it right here. We can have your rooms fully outfitted by the end of next week, pending your payment." Oddly, the salesman did not sound very excited, but Bryson had forgotten all his worries in his excitement over the amount of money he would be saving.

Greg said...

@Morganna: well, that almost sounds like a reasonable investment except... I get the feeling that these robot pets aren't quite what they're being sold as here. There's something a little ominous in your story. And this is just the background? I hope we get to see some of the main story too then!

@Marc: Spring in January... I think the seasons are actually moving the other way so that Winter is becoming January-March, but I guess if things keep up January will be the end of autumn instead. Would that work?
Hmm, I guess I need to know when your story is set to appreciate if the Financial Advisor is just a scammer or a visionary. Certainly if he were recommending Betamax I'd be worried :) Five hundred pounds feels like thirty years ago though, so I'm going to assume that this was a great business opportunity and more than the Financial Advisor was made happy.

The investment
Trendy clothing? They'd be in-vestments.

[It's been a long day, sorry. Just a bad joke with no development this time!]

Anonymous said...

I've had a few prompts saved in an email from some of my class days that I'm just now getting around to posting. Sorry.

The Investment:

My heart is made of bronze:
A hardy sort of build meant
To withstand much. Strength
To those whom have it.

My heart is made of silver:
A prized token of wealth
And protection. To have
It is to control the world.

My heart is made of gold:
A sparkling, beautiful thing
Envied by many. To have
It is to rise above all else.

My heart is made of iron:
A tool for creation and
Progression. Ingenuity
To those whom have it.

My heart is a special thing:
One that can create, protect,
Strengthen and enlighten.
It is worth your investment.

Marc said...

Morganna - agreed with Greg. I definitely want to read more about Mr. Bryson and his nursing home!

Greg - no, I think we can just do away with winter altogether. Or maybe just shorten it to the week before and the week after Christmas?

Hah, perhaps one line was all you needed this time :)

Ivy - no apologies required! I think that's really cool that you've been finding a way to write, actually. Very impressive dedication!

I really like the format you've gone with here, and each stanza is an excellent summation of each aspect of the heart. Nice work!