Puddles of Drool for Nothing

There he sat in front of the empty computer screen. His fingers hovered over the keyboard and his mind hovered some place else. The hum of the modem laughed at his inedibility to be creative, witty and most of all interesting.
“Come on think! Maybe Mr. Fred will give me an extension if I ask him nicely.” The chair at which he sat was stiff and uncomfortable. It is amazing how comfortable an uncomfortable chair can be when you are exhausted. Slowly the blank screen lulled him into a light sleep.
“He’s dead! Can’t you see that he’s dead? We killed him!” she cried out in the middle of the night on a dark road. Her friends stood their silent and numb.
“It wasn’t our fault. He came out of no where. Come on Ann. Come on guys. Let’s get outta here.”
“What’s you problem Gene? We have to call the cops!” As they stood over the body of what looked like a hitch hiker the air grew cold and the wind started to howl.
Ann looked deeply into Genes eyes without emotion and said, “Meow.”
Opening his eyes he noticed a puddle of drool sitting on the desk right where his mouth had been. The cat purred and meowed rubbing her soft and furry face against his ankle. Once again he sat and starred at the blank word document. Seconds turned into minutes and minutes turned into hours.
“Maybe if I just rest my eyes for a minute a story will come to me.”
Her body was tantalizing and voluptuous. She walked with an air of sophistication and her very presence demanded attention. This beautify women walked towards the desk. A lump formed in Gene’s throat and he searched his mind for something charming to say.
“Uhh..err. uhhh,”
Putting one finger to his lips she softly said, “Shhh..there is no need for introductions. I have had my eye on you from some time now and now you are mine.”
“I’m yours? What do you mean I’m yours?”
“The jig is up!” She quickly pulled a small hand gun from her braw. “You know why I’m here! Now hand over those security codes and I might let you live.”
“What security codes? Who do you think I am?” Without thinking or even knowing Gene through up his hand and out popped a gun from his sleeve. “What the..”
He said in astonishment.
“So I see. They trained you well.”
“Listen lady I don’t know what is going on but...” before he could finish she dropped her weapon and started to kiss him all over. Her lips pressed firmly against his felt oddly wooden.
“Ring, Ring, Ring” the phone on the desk beside Gene gave out its sound.
“You’d better get that,” she said. “It might be important.”
Vibrating and ringing next to his face was his cell phone. For the second time he had fallen asleep, drooled on the desk and had a dream.
“I guess that explains why her lips felt wooden. I wonder who called me?” Looking at his caller ID Gene quickly came to his senses. “Crap, I forgot I told Anna I’d call her tonight. Man she’s gunna be pissed.” With a push of a button he prepared for the worst.
“Hello?” the voice of an angry female came through the ear piece of the phone.
“I’m sorry babe. I was just trying to write a story for my English class and it’s due tomorrow and I don’t have the faintest idea what to write about.”
“Maybe you could write about a little boy who always makes promises and never keeps them. Maybe you could write a story about a loving woman who is so thoughtful and kind that she sacrifices her needs day in and day out for some oaf who can’t even remember her birthday. Maybe...”
“Okay, Okay I get the point. I said I was sorry. You can’t say that I don’t make sacrifices for you. Any time you ever wanted to go out and I had already made plans with the guys I would cancel because I know you should be put first.”
“Well, all I know is that you better get your act together or you’ll be…”
“Zzzzzzz.zzzzzzzz.”
“Hello? Gene! I know you did not just fall asleep while I was talking to you. Wake up!”
A single tumble weed rolled across a dirt road. The sun blazed high above and the only thing more uncomfortable than the heat was the eerie silence. No man, women, child or animal was in site. Only one man walked along the saloons and stores that seemed to be made of ancient pueblo.
“Either this is a ghost town or I’m in for a big surprise,” the desperado said to himself as he stood poised and ready.
“Hey mister,” A child ran out to him in the street from one of the buildings, “You shouldn’t be out here right now. Don’t you know that it is high noon? Are you crazy? You better get inside before…”
“Before what kid?”
“Before Red Eye and his gang gets here.”
“I’ll be alright kid.”
“Soot yourself but I’m outta here.”
In the distance a pack of hooves could be heard approaching the town. He knew what he must do. There was no getting around it. This is what he had been waiting for all his life, a final show down.
“WAKE UP!”
”Wuh?”
“Wake your butt up! I’m not done talking to you. How dare you fall asleep on the phone with me.”
“I’m sorry babe but I gotta go.”
“Fine!” click.
The clock joined the computer modem in laughing at him now as it struck 5 am. The room was getting brighter and brighter as more light seeped in from the cracks in the window shades.
“If I don’t think of something fast I’m going to flunk this class! Snap out of it and write something,” he thought to himself. “Think Gene think. Ah ha! I got it.”
Later that day at school Gene walked into class half asleep and half dead. The only thing that looked worse than him was the wrinkle up papers he gave to his teacher, Mr. Fred. As Mr. Fred examined the papers Gene waited anxiously beside him and listened for some sound and looked for some facial expression that would relieve him.
“Emm…hmmm,” Mr. Fred muttered.
“Emm…hmmmm?” he thought. “What does that mean?”
“I must say Gene this is a very interesting. May I ask you a question?”
“Shoot.”
“How long did it take you to come up with five pages of brilliant blank space?” Mr. Fred asked as he handed back the blank papers.
“Mr. Fred, you have no idea.”