14 Comments
User's avatar
Richard Ritenbaugh's avatar

Lather. Rinse. Repeat. But he can never come clean . . .

E.B. Howard's avatar

Exactly...thanks for commenting!

Shane Bzdok's avatar

This was excellent, E.B. Seems like a version of hell—doomed to repeat his mistakes on an infinite loop. Well, not repeat, technically—more like endless variations on the same theme. It all made for a great read.

E.B. Howard's avatar

Thank you! That’s exactly what I intended, I’m glad it worked.

Hanna Delaney's avatar

I love stories like this. You managed to pull it off in such a short run, too.

E.B. Howard's avatar

Thank you! I’ve found I like the challenge sometimes of a shorter story.

Leanne Shawler's avatar

A recursive loop. Nice!

E.B. Howard's avatar

Indeed! Thanks.

EJ Trask's avatar

fantastic

E.B. Howard's avatar

thank you, EJ!

Bryan Pirolli's avatar

What a Groundhog Day loop to be stuck in at the end. Great characters, great tension, frustrating outcomes. Perfection. Yellow-haired Mary, oh Mary. Thanks for contributing to TMV.

E.B. Howard's avatar

Thank you! I'm so glad you liked it.

David Perlmutter's avatar

"Not today, ‘pal’..."

The way you wrote this it seems like he's saying "pal" with air quotes. I assume you intended that?

E.B. Howard's avatar

Hm. I intended more of a pointedly sarcastic tone, without the gestures.