The exercise:
Let's go with: the jinx.
So after winning the first three games of their best of seven series, the Canucks have lost the last two. Quite badly in both instances. If they manage to blow this I might have to stop following hockey altogether.
Mine:
"Are you going to invite Gary to poker night again?" My wife was looking at me like I had already done something wrong.
"Of course," I replied. "It's tradition. I'm not about to break our streak at fifteen years and -"
"Twelve weeks," she finished for me. "No, of course not. Heaven forbid the precious streak come to an end. Then Gary might actually keep his entire paycheck for once."
"It's not my fault the man never wins a hand!"
"Obviously not." She paused to sip her gin and tonic, both of us knowing what was coming next. "But you know damn well that his ex-wife took all his luck with him when she walked out the door."
"That's superstitious nonsense. The man's not jinxed. He's just terrible at cards."
"Then how do you explain that spastic twitching that comes over him every time he has a high pair off the draw? Do you still want to pretend he did that before she left?"
I had to admit, she had a point. But the streak was important to all the guys.
And besides, I'd had my eye on a new TV for weeks, and Gary wouldn't mind helping me out with that, right?
jinx: when two people say the same thing at the same time. The first person to yell 'Jinx!' gets to punch the other person in the upper arm.
ReplyDeleteThis is a ritual of the southwest United States. Regional variations abound.
Morganna - ah, I am familiar with that game. If it can be called a game.
ReplyDeleteDid you ever play punch buggy? :D
Just popping in briefly while I have an internet connection here in sunny South Africa. Despite it being the start of winter I seem to have brought the sun with me and it's been warm and really rather pleasant! I've also seen far too many things to make sense of just yet, I need a week back to assimilate it all!
ReplyDelete@Morganna: The version of jinx I know involves a pinky-shake, but your version sounds like it could be fun!
@Marc: poor Gary. I loved the paragraph about the spastic twitching, and the dialogue's damn good.
Oh, and I've only heard of punch buggy through a Simpsons episode.
the Jinx
Dr. Septopus pushed the branches of an aggressive ground plant aside, wondering what possessed it to grow nearly six feet tall. He paused, peering through green fronds, checking for cats. There seemed to be a lot of them around.
Behind him, a Jinx yawned. It looked very much like a lynx, so much so that many amateur naturalists only realised it wasn't by the time it was half-way through eating them. It was half-lynx, half-jaguar and half-mad.
Dr. Septopus smelled temptingly fishy, if slightly off.
Dr. Septopus decided that the territory ahead looked safe and waddled through the plants into an open meadow. The Jinx yawned again and padded after him, curious as to where dinner thought it was going.
Greg - glad to hear you're having a good time! And it's good to know I can still count on the Simpsons to educate the world.
ReplyDeleteHaha, great final line. Poor Doc.