Short Story

The Proofreader

Nancy's Notes 🖊️♬

Written for The Unicorn Challenge where we are
encouraged to get creative in 250 words or less
using the photo below as inspiration. This is my story

Dear God in heaven! How the hell I’m supposed to get through this book is beyond me!

I’ve been at it now for hours and I’m bored stiff. I don’t know who this guy thinks he is but I’ll tell you what he’s not …. a good writer! I’ve read menus more interesting than this rot!

Jeez Louise! I’ve come across some real clunkers in my day but this one is totally b-o-r-i-n-g. Haul out the woodchipper!

The owner of the small publishing business behind me, Miss Willow Everwood, is my boss; I work there as a proofreader and I really like my job but reading this book is torture. Miss Everwood spotted me dozing off on the chair and demanded I sit on the hard pavement to keep from getting too comfortable and falling asleep. She even said she didn’t want me rooting around inside until I was done with my job.

Well, now my limbs are as stiff as an old hickory stick, my noggin feels like it’s full of sawdust and my butt’s as hard as a slab of redwood. I swear if I have to keep reading this, I’m going to nod off right here in the middle of the sidewalk and start sawing wood.

If I had a rope I’d hang myself from the nearest tree! But I’m not about to get all sappy.

Well, good luck to this Tolkien guy if he thinks he’s going to make it with these creepy Ent people!

NAR©2024
250 Words

The Unicorn Challenge-24/05/24

This is Rob Inglis with “Ents and Entwives”

All text, graphics and videos are copyright for The Sicilian Storyteller, The Elephant’s Trunk and The Rhythm Section and are not for use by anyone without permission. NAR©2017-present.

41 thoughts on “The Proofreader”

  4. Very good, Nancy. I love all your wood images. I can remember feeling like a lump of wood myself, as a student, trying to get through James Joyce’s ‘Ulysses’. Is it sacrilege to admit that??? It was agony. Unlike your story here, which is riveting from start to finish.

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    1. Thanks so much, Michele!

      There are some very funny storytellers here on WP; I am in awe of them and enjoy the writing they do so well. I just like to have fun and love to laugh so it’s a real thrill knowing I can leave people laughing once in a while, too.

      Delighted to hear you enjoyed my little tree man story! 😄

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  10. Well, that was unexpected!
    And really funny.
    (I’ve not yet taken to ‘that Tolkien guy’ myself yet, but then I’ve only recently started to enjoy fantasy – or I believe we say ‘speculative’ fiction these days.)
    Great descriptions of being forced to read boring books – I felt her pain!
    And Miss Willow Everwood – brilliant.
    I love this, Nancy, it flows so naturally.

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    2. Truth be told, this was not my first choice of story which you will see tomorrow, but when I came back in after writing my first one and glanced at the picture, this little story popped into my head. Taking it as a sign, I chose to go with this one for starters. I’m so pleased to know you enjoyed this little piece. Thank you, Jenne!

      Re Tolkien, I tried to read his books years ago, with little luck. When my kids gave me the DVD boxed set of movies, there went the reading! It was meant to be.

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