Dead Air

The main thing to remember is there are rules in this joint!
one entry per person, and your entry must be a new item created specifically for this contest.
consist of dialogue and/or internal monologue only, and should be classified as a short story.
does not exceed 500 words or the 18+ rating used in this forum. Please include your word count!
And yes, it must be a bitem or citem link (please refer to "The illustrated guide to linking"  if you are not sure how to link your entry to the forum! No entries by email, snail mail, smoke signals, telegraph, or carrier pigeons will be accepted in this establishment. )

Other things to keep in mind:
I encourage branching out and interpreting the prompt as loosely as you like, but show evidence that your work is derived from the given prompt.
grammar, spelling, and punctuation are absolutely essential for top rated stories. This contest is about craftsmanship. As a side note, your judge is patently biased towards stories with some kind of conflict and some kind of resolution.
bribery will not improve your odds of winning but is definitely entertaining.
entries edited after the deadline but before results are tabulated will be disqualified from receiving prizes.
make sure your post title includes the word "ENTRY" for all contest entries. Non-entry chatter, banter, smack-talk and encouragement is definitely acceptable; chat posts should be marked as "chat" or "OT."

unless otherwise noted, the deadline for all D500 entries is on Sundays at 11:59 PM WDC time, and the contest runs every week!


Due Sunday the 14th February 2010 at 11:59 PM:

Write a dialogue-only story about a better way to do something.

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Dead Air

By Indelibleink

"You know, Harry, that we have to be at Melissa's house in twenty minutes, and it's about a half-hour drive from here - even if we make all the lights."

"Yes, Karen, I know how far it is. Jeez...I've made this drive a million times. I really don't think I need you to give me an ETA after all of these years. Besides, we're going to our daughter's house. You really think she'll disown us if we're a few minutes late?"

"Of course not, Harry. It's just that Melissa and Jim are going to see a movie, and I don't want them to be late for the movie on our account."

"On our account, huh? As I recall, it wasn't me in there trying to decide what blouse to wear tonight. You really think a four-year old and a new-born will be ecstatic that you chose the blue top over the burgundy?"

"As usual, you don't understand, Harry. Oh, great...it's starting to drizzle. You'd better slow down. I'll call Melissa and tell her we'll be a few minutes late."

"That reminds me, Karen. I thought we agreed that the smart way to drive was by having a 'hands-free' system installed in this car. The one in my car is great. It really is a better way to talk on a cell phone. Why haven't you taken care of it?"

"Thursday was the day it was supposed to be installed, but I rescheduled for next week because Melissa called me that morning. The baby was sick, so I went over there for an hour while she took the Mikey to the pediatrician. The car's rescheduled for Tuesday now, for the hands-free installation. Now hush-up - the phone's ringing. Yes, Melissa? It's Mom, Honey. No - everything's fine - just wanted to let you know that we'll be a few minutes late. Yes, and it's raining. Jim said what? Hang on. Harry, Jim has a clogged drain in the bathroom sink. Do you have any ideas? For Pete's sake, Harry, slow down. It's raining pretty hard."

"I can see just fine. Is Jim on the line, Karen?"

"Yes. What should I tell him?" 

"Ask him if he's tried snaking or... Oh, just give me the phone, Karen! Otherwise, this will take forever."

"But, Harry...Hey! Don't just yank it away from me. Oh God...Harry! LOOK OUT!"

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"Sergent, the rescue squad will be here in about 90 seconds. What's the status?"

"Tell 'em not to hurry. We'll have two DOA's. The truck driver said the couple apparently lost control of their vehicle and swerved right into his path. The male victim was holding a cell phone, which was still on when I got here. There was a frantic female screaming into the phone, pleading for either her Mom or Dad to answer. All she got was dead air. Now, I have to go over there and give her the bad news. It's tragic."

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word count: 497