2013 30 Day Image Prompt Contest Book

"Funny as a ..." (Flash Fiction/Day 4 Entry)

Funny As A ...

I'm reminded of the film "Alien" – the classic tale of space and horror – and its famous tagline: In space, no one can hear you scream. Scott blinked, trying to clear his tearing eyes.

Assigned as one of the crew to deliver and install the final module on the Skylab space station, Scott was part of a special brotherhood. As such, he was familiar with the idiosyncrasies of this unique group – not the least of which was their love of practical jokes.

He chuckled, recalling the last mission where someone had placed plastic wrap over the newly upgraded toilet. Jillian had been chosen for the honor of being the first to use it. I can still hear her yells of surprise.

He glanced at the chronometer. 4 hours, 36 minutes remaining to complete the installation. Focusing, he moved to the next attaching point and began bolting the module to the main structure.

"How's it going, Scott?" Alan's voice crackled over the headset but there was an underlying lightness to his words.

"On schedule. Just starting section 4 delta."

"You OK? Your voice sounds funny."

Scott could hear faint laughter in the background. "I'm fine," he shot back, a little more sharply than he meant. Don't give in to their childishness, he challenged himself.

Someone must have read my medical file, he thought. He wasn't sure how they'd done it but Scott was mildly allergic to cauliflower. It gave him terrible flatulence. He now found himself on a 6 hour spacewalk – and he was reacting – badly.

Another release of gas puffed into his suit.

"Scott, this is Houston. We're getting some strange readings on the monitors. Is there anything we can do?"

Scott could hear the grin in the voice. "Yes Houston, I'd appreciate it if you would stop laughing at me!"


Day 4 – "Invalid Item" 
Prompt: Image 1