Written for Only Murders In My Mind
Weekly Writing Prompt #56. This week’s
inspiration is the photo shown below.
In the dimly lit cubicle of Scribble Inc., Eddie P. Writerman grappled with the existential dread of his day job: crafting misadventures for Glorp, a green cartoon alien with a penchant for intergalactic slapstick. Each day, he punched the clock, a grim reaper of creativity, while his dreams of writing noir thrillers faded like a cheap neon sign.
“Glorp’s latest escapade: lost in a black hole!” he typed, stifling a groan. The absurdity gnawed at him as he imagined his own descent into a metaphorical abyss – trapped in a parody of existence, writing for an audience of pudgy, pasty pre-teens.
Eddie’s colleagues, a parade of corporate zombies, chuckled at Glorp’s antics. “That’s gold!” they’d say, oblivious to the artistic executioner at the keyboard. Meanwhile, Eddie plotted his escape, feeding his dark humor with thoughts of Glorp’s demise. A cosmic accident, perhaps? Or a tragic misunderstanding leading to a cataclysmic end?
But the humor was hollow, trapped in the ink of his pen. As he stared at the blinking cursor, he realized that the only thing worse than writing about a green alien was the creeping suspicion that he was becoming one himself – lost, absurd, and utterly ridiculous.
NAR©2025
This is “Mr. Spaceman” by The Byrds with Gram Parsons
All text and graphics are copyright for Nancy’s Notes 🖊️🎶, The Sicilian Storyteller, The Elephant’s Trunk, The Rhythm Section, et al., and are not to be used without permission. NAR©2017-present.
The Elephant's Trunk 
Oh life is bigger
It’s bigger than you
And you are not me
The lengths that I will go to
The distance in your eyes
Oh no I’ve said too much
I set it up….
Jobs/ life get like that don’t they Sis 😉😉
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They sure do, Sis! Thanks so much!
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you see it coming if your lucky 💜💜
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There’s a little bit of Glorp in all of us, sadly what we need to get by. And thus, we put onto paper…😉🐧
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Right on, Liz. There’s definitely more than a little bit of me in that story. Thank you!
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Great story, Nancy very enjoyable.
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Thank you! I wasn’t relating to the alien so I tried a different angle and ended up projecting a bit of myself in this piece. I really appreciate your comments, Jim.
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Nice one, you did that odd prompt proud – enjoyable track too!
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Odd prompt! Perfect description! It was more problematic than I expected.
Nice to hear The Byrds and Gram Parsons again; it’s been a while. Thanks, dear Keith.
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Oh N., I love your ending!
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Thank you so much, D! I think we can all relate to that feeling.
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A nice little story, and it is always good to see the late, great, Gram 😊
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Thanks, Clive. I thought of the song immediately upon seeing that odd little prompt image; it’s definitely been a while since I’ve heard that tune!
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A true weaver of words leaves stories like this to tickle our eyes. I barely remember this song but it is catchy.
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Oh, now that’s a beauty of a comment if ever there was one! Thank you, dear Dawg, for your very special words! 😘
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👏. Ah, curses, ..caught in the Aliens green hold, ….that blinking Cursor, …💫😉💫
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Hehehe! Great comment, dear Penn. Thanks for the smiles! 😄
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Good take, Nancy. I had trouble with this one and almost skipped this prompt, but I need up writing something stupid about Elon Musk landing on the wrong planet. It was so bad that I might just move the whole post to trash.
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This was not the photo prompt I expected to see for Only Murders and I have to agree it was difficult. I like a challenge but this was strange and I wasn’t enjoying it. After a few attempts at writing something quirky (and not liking any of them), I came up with this angle. It worked for me; I’m sure I was projecting my disinterest and disillusionment in the cartoon. For reasons I won’t get into here, I’m not sure if I’m going to stick with this prompt. Suffice to say I’m just not feeling it.
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Very well written my friend.
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Thanks very much, cara amica.
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You’re most welcome
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As always Nance, you know how to tell a great story! Well done! Loved it ❤
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CA, I read your comment first thing this morning but had a busy day and I’m just now finding the time to respond. I want you to know how much your comment meant to me; it gave me such a great feeling which stuck with me all day. Smiling now after reading it again. Thank you, CA; I really appreciate you!
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Aww! That is wonderful that my comment made you smile and made you feel so good Nance! I’m really pleased! 😘😘🌟🌟
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Thanks again, CA! 💛
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