Metronome of the Damned!

Incessant barking drives a man crazy!

                                                        

     Swifty Basker smiled to himself, and took another sip of coffee. It was a relaxing Sunday morning, and he had been looking forward peace and quiet all week. It had been a week from Hell , he worked all day on an assembly line, for a company that made place mats. They had been forced to work overtime, and that's why the peace and quiet was so enjoyable. He would read the paper and not think about the upcoming week. He was mid-sip on a mouthful of coffee when suddenly, it was nails on the chalkboard time, as the shrill barking of the damn neighbor dog broke the silence. Not again, not now! He knew once he started barking, he wouldn't shut up for hours. The neighbors threw the dog out in the yard, and proceeded to ignore the poor b*****d for hours, leaving him to rattle your filings with his annoying bark. Maybe the filling rattling was his teeth grinding together, but whatever the reason, it grated on the nerves.

 

******

 

     Several hours had passed, and the peaceful quiet of this Sunday morning had turned into Hell Hound of the Baskervilles. The barking never stopped, until Swifty swore the damn dog was tied up in his brain. He tried his best to ignore the loud brayings of one bored pooch, but it was impossible. He turned up the volume on his T.V., and that helped block out the sound a little, but at every quiet spot of the show, the annoying sound of barking flooded the room, and his ears.

 

******

     For two months, he'd put up with the non-stop barking--he wished he could be more assertive and voice his displeasure with the neighbors, but didn't want to come off as rude. He hoped against hope that they would magically realize the level of pain-in-the-assessness their dog's barking was, and put an end to it, but that was just wishful thinking, so he grabbed up the phone and dialed their number.

 

     "Hello?" Mrs. Deacons answered.

 

     "Yes, hello, Mrs. Deacons, I hate to bother you, but I just can't take it anymore."

 

     "What are you referring to?"

 

     "That incessant barking--I frankly don't see how you can ignore it. The poor dog just wants some companionship, yet you just ignore it. On and on for two months!"

 

     There was an awkward silence, until Swifty figured she'd hung up on him. Didn't that just figure, she'd gotten pissed off at him and hung up. That was what always happened with her, she got angry anytime anyone dared to criticize anything that had to do with the damn dog, and hung up--real mature! He was in the process of hanging up the phone, when he heard her voice coming from the receiver. She hadn't hung up, but he figured it would only be a matter of time. He snatched the receiver back up to his ear, and heard,

 

     "...months ago."

 

     "I'm sorry, Mrs. Deacons, please repeat that?"

 

     "I said Serenity passed away a couple of months ago."

 

     Swifty heard the words, but it seemed his reality was collapsing in on itself. He couldn't believe what he was hearing.

 

     Now it was Mrs. Deacons who thought he had hung up on her. "Hello, hello, are you still ther--"

 

     This time he'd actually hung up the phone. He sat there in stunned silence. He couldn't believe it--died two months ago? Outside, he heard the deceased Serenity still barking--oh my god, it would never end, apparently not even in death--he was so screwed. Apparently, Hell was real, and this was his punishment!

 

The End

 

 

   

 

 

 

Reviews

[Marie]

I like this concept. A ghost barking. Perhaps the dog is haunting Swifty for some reason.

[Michael Stevens]

Thank you Marie, I thought is seemed like something worthwhile!

[Palakin Stu]

Hello Michael, I don't dislike this story. I am new here and this is my first review. I hope this is a place where writers sharpen their knives on each other? The idea of your story has its merit IMO. I think you could execute the story better though. "Swifty Barker" is an awesome name! Likewise "Serenity"! I think if you made Swifty a little more quirkier it would go along way to improving your prose. Give him some strange idiosyncrasy or something. If you turned him into more of a demented individual than he already is, I think your story would improve? Just my opinion. Look forward to hearing form you.

[Michael Stevens]

Thank you, and welcome--I've always been light on the details, I'm more of a 'think up idea, write it up' kind of writer who's more interested in the idea, than fleshing it out. You've listed some great ideas, though!