DAY 15 OF FLASH AUGUST FICTION. Morning writing is as already better than evening. That was a fun experiment but this is more fun, it’s better, it’s way better. So here’s what happened today. I had this idea first thing this morning for some food that would sell well on a food truck. Then one thing led to another and this was an end result for a story. It’s pretty obvious. I’ll get more into that after the end of the story.
Obvious Solutions
Plans Happen Then Other Things Happen
672 WORDS WRITTEN IN ABOUT 45 MINUTES
Mike had worked hard all week. He prepared a lot of the food so that it could be assembled on the truck and moved quickly. He was pretty psyched. He had an idea that he knew was meteoric. He had put in lots of work and was ready to show it off to the world. He was going to get loaded from this new food product that would be perfect for a food truck and maybe even a restaurant franchise.
The location was fairly rural, and the drive was along a winding pass along a range of hills. It didn't rain a lot on these parts, but when it did, it was a lot. This was monsoon country, and it had rained in the morning. There were some low parts of the road that had water flows going across them, and there were muddy shoulders. Mike left early to make sure he'd get to the art fair on time. There would be massive tourist crowds, and with the profit margin on his items, he could make over $5,000 just today.
Mike was also very much enjoying the scenery along this drive to the fair. He was glad that he gave himself a lot of time to get there, not only because of the driving conditions but also because of the beauty of nature all around him. The high country had ranges of hills on one side and expansive desert on the other, and since the location was high enough above sea level, in spite of the heat of the time of year, the high hills were green. It was a truly unique and lovely place. He could drive cautiously, avoid the pitfalls of the weather, enjoy the scenes, and also get to the fair in plenty of time to set up, prep, and preheat his oven. Awesome.
As he was making a turn around a blind bend with a dip, he really took his time. He had made it through the shallow flow of water, and he saw in front of him a long, straight stretch of road. That was a relief. He could finally relax a little and take in some more sights. The vista was spacious and expansive, there were no hills; it was all desert everywhere he looked, except for in the distance, where he could see the green mountains. How cool.
He picked up a little more speed when, all of a sudden, he had to swerve. It was an armadillo. Mike missed the armadillo and came to a stop on the shoulder of the road. That was a close call, and Mike was nervous. He had to take a minute. He took a walk outside to take a couple of deep breaths and was so glad he and his truck were OK. There was a half-ton of food in the truck. He had averted disaster.
Mike got back in and started the truck. As he put it in gear, he felt a slight slide and couldn't go forward. When he got out to look, he realized his back tire was stuck in the mud. After several cautious attempts, he couldn't move the truck out. As he called the fair to let them know of his predicament, he saw a small caravan of cars, obviously on their way to the fair.
He knew he had to lighten the load on the truck. There was only one thing to do. He had a captive, drive-by audience. He opened up shop right there. There was plenty of pull-over space for patrons. He made a makeshift sign.
STUCK TRUCK
HELP ME EMPTY SOME INVENTORY
15% DISCOUNT
Inside of a couple of hours he had eliminated enough weight to get out of the mud. He made it to the fair late, where he was a smashing success. The new food item he made blew everyone away, and he was already entertaining offers to do some sort of mass-scale deal to expand the product as a new hot food truck item.
The End.
Of course! What else would one do is such a situation? That is an obvious solution. So here is the thing. I thought of using the title “Stuck Food Truck.” I decided against it because that is a title that almost tells the story before you need to finish it. I made that mistake in yesterday’s story called “Accidental Treasures”. I gave the mystery away in the title. If I had that to do over again, I would have titled it “Night Sounds.” That way the ending would have been more of a surprise. I get into the formulas I’ve figured out in this post, this issue on titling fits with that information.
I hope you might get a paid subscription, or buy me a coffee, or donate some bitcoin. I wish you the best. I’m Herschel Sterling, and I’m here to help.
Obvious Solutions