I always wanted to be popular. But with my family - super genius nerdy parents and a weird little sister who played with stray dogs all day - I didn't stand a chance.
So when my parents asked if I would be willing to babysit Junie while they attended a New Year's Eve party, I happily accepted. This was my big chance! A parentless house on New Year's Eve, all the cool kids would come! All I had to do was figure out a way to keep my kid sister quiet during the party.
That turned put to be easier than I expected. Junie agreed to hang out in the family room in the basement if she could invite some friends over, too. I okayed the plan, but stipulated that she and her little friends were to stay downstairs during my party and that - above all - that she say nothing about our plans to Mom and Dad.
On the big night, Junie cheerfully headed down to the basement, and my friends began to arrive! We blasted music and danced and we were having a lot of fun until Billy Oxtree turned up at the door with some of his buddies. Billy was the most popular guy in school and so good looking - I was on Cloud 9!
******
June:
Sarah's party was really loud, but we didn't mind. When she said I could have my friends over, she never said they had to be HUMAN, so I'd smuggled fifteen stray dogs into the basement. They all knew me well, because I spent a lot of time playing with them and teaching them tricks after school. They were so smart! Anyway, I'd brought lots of dog biscuits into the basement with me, and had a few big bowls of water in the corner. We'd had a lot of fun chasing each other around and playing fetch and practicing tricks until we were tired out. We all fell asleep in a big pile on the carpeted floor.
Suddenly, I heard Sarah screaming! I didn't know what was wrong, but knew we had to do something. I snuck upstairs, my doggy friends close behind me, and creaking open the basement door, peeked through the crack. The house was a mess, and smelled really bad. That big jerk, Billy Oxtree, was grabbing at Sarah, while she kept trying to push him away. Suddenly Billy yelled, "Shut up, bitch," and slapped my sister across the face!
I knew that Billy was a bully, but he was also a coward... and I knew how to scare him. Tipping back my head, I began to howl like a wolf. All the dogs copied me - it was a trick we'd practiced a lot. When all the howling began, Billy freaked out. When a few of the bigger, hairier dogs burst out into the dimly lit room, all of Sarah's guests panicked and began to run, but Billy and his friends were the first to rush out the front door.
******
Dad:
I couldn't believe my eyes when we came home to a house surrounded by police cars. We rushed indoors and found Sarah hugging June, and fifteen dogs frolicking around them. Sarah was too mortified with shame to explain, and June kept giggling, but one of the police officers explained that Sarah had apparently hosted a party that had gone terribly wrong when a group of local thugs crashed their way in. He said that an awful boy named Billy Oxtree was about to attack Sarah when June and a mysterious pack of stray dogs frightened him off, along with the rest of the partyers. However, the dogs were all baying fit to wake the dead, so the neighbors had called the police. But our daughters were safe, and apparently we now had fifteen new pets...
******
Epilogue:
Sarah's parents grounded her for her irresponsiblity, but she didn't mind. She was no longer interested in popularity and spent a lot more time with her parents and sister. June was allowed to keep all fifteen of her canine friends, whom she continued to train - eventually, they became skilled enough to put on performances, which always ended with the Primal Howl. After their cowardice in the face of a little girl and a bunch of dogs, Billy Oxtree and his friends were big shots no more. And the Werewolves' New Year's Eve Party became the stuff of legend.
The "guy who thinks he's Napoleon" trope was everywhere, especially in old sitcoms and cartoons, with characters putting on a hat, striking the pose, and demanding a horse in shows like The Honeymooners, Gilligan’s Island, and The Twilight Zone.
I read the comments for the first one now. It was Leanne - and coolly enough, she recommended the original rather than the remake. I haven't seen the remake myself, and I'm a bit of a stickler when it comes to stuff like that. Mind you I will stick my neck out and say how much I adored the remake of Solaris. Partly because of the music, it has to be noted...
I clicked to read the first episode before this one (you were quite right to recommend we read that one first) and I think I skipped the comments to go straight into this one.
Yeah - you'll probably like the show, although you might think it gets a little samey and tedious after a while. In which case, just skip to the final episode, which is absolutely beautiful, especially the ending, and really resolves the whole thing. It was Larry's mention of how much he misses his wife which made me think of it...
That has me curious I'll look into it. Yeah I want to give Larry a beautiful arc in a couple of these flashes that really revolves in his longing for home. :)
Larry sure gets around! It's too bad he can't control his travels, though. Fun story!
500 to 1000 words about a New Year's Eve party, huh? A *legendary* party? I'll give it a try, but I'm not exactly a party animal. 😂 Hmmmm.... that gives me an idea, though. 😉
A Legendary New Year's Eve Party
Sarah:
I always wanted to be popular. But with my family - super genius nerdy parents and a weird little sister who played with stray dogs all day - I didn't stand a chance.
So when my parents asked if I would be willing to babysit Junie while they attended a New Year's Eve party, I happily accepted. This was my big chance! A parentless house on New Year's Eve, all the cool kids would come! All I had to do was figure out a way to keep my kid sister quiet during the party.
That turned put to be easier than I expected. Junie agreed to hang out in the family room in the basement if she could invite some friends over, too. I okayed the plan, but stipulated that she and her little friends were to stay downstairs during my party and that - above all - that she say nothing about our plans to Mom and Dad.
On the big night, Junie cheerfully headed down to the basement, and my friends began to arrive! We blasted music and danced and we were having a lot of fun until Billy Oxtree turned up at the door with some of his buddies. Billy was the most popular guy in school and so good looking - I was on Cloud 9!
******
June:
Sarah's party was really loud, but we didn't mind. When she said I could have my friends over, she never said they had to be HUMAN, so I'd smuggled fifteen stray dogs into the basement. They all knew me well, because I spent a lot of time playing with them and teaching them tricks after school. They were so smart! Anyway, I'd brought lots of dog biscuits into the basement with me, and had a few big bowls of water in the corner. We'd had a lot of fun chasing each other around and playing fetch and practicing tricks until we were tired out. We all fell asleep in a big pile on the carpeted floor.
Suddenly, I heard Sarah screaming! I didn't know what was wrong, but knew we had to do something. I snuck upstairs, my doggy friends close behind me, and creaking open the basement door, peeked through the crack. The house was a mess, and smelled really bad. That big jerk, Billy Oxtree, was grabbing at Sarah, while she kept trying to push him away. Suddenly Billy yelled, "Shut up, bitch," and slapped my sister across the face!
I knew that Billy was a bully, but he was also a coward... and I knew how to scare him. Tipping back my head, I began to howl like a wolf. All the dogs copied me - it was a trick we'd practiced a lot. When all the howling began, Billy freaked out. When a few of the bigger, hairier dogs burst out into the dimly lit room, all of Sarah's guests panicked and began to run, but Billy and his friends were the first to rush out the front door.
******
Dad:
I couldn't believe my eyes when we came home to a house surrounded by police cars. We rushed indoors and found Sarah hugging June, and fifteen dogs frolicking around them. Sarah was too mortified with shame to explain, and June kept giggling, but one of the police officers explained that Sarah had apparently hosted a party that had gone terribly wrong when a group of local thugs crashed their way in. He said that an awful boy named Billy Oxtree was about to attack Sarah when June and a mysterious pack of stray dogs frightened him off, along with the rest of the partyers. However, the dogs were all baying fit to wake the dead, so the neighbors had called the police. But our daughters were safe, and apparently we now had fifteen new pets...
******
Epilogue:
Sarah's parents grounded her for her irresponsiblity, but she didn't mind. She was no longer interested in popularity and spent a lot more time with her parents and sister. June was allowed to keep all fifteen of her canine friends, whom she continued to train - eventually, they became skilled enough to put on performances, which always ended with the Primal Howl. After their cowardice in the face of a little girl and a bunch of dogs, Billy Oxtree and his friends were big shots no more. And the Werewolves' New Year's Eve Party became the stuff of legend.
Remember when every other TV show had that one crazy character who thought he was Napoleon? Those were the days
That might've missed me, but it sounds intriguing. Where was a character who thought he was Napoleon?
The "guy who thinks he's Napoleon" trope was everywhere, especially in old sitcoms and cartoons, with characters putting on a hat, striking the pose, and demanding a horse in shows like The Honeymooners, Gilligan’s Island, and The Twilight Zone.
Have you been watching Quantum Leap by any chance?
I always loved that show, just for the record.
I haven’t but I have a feeling someone asked me under the last Larry post too, so I should probably watch that haha.
I read the comments for the first one now. It was Leanne - and coolly enough, she recommended the original rather than the remake. I haven't seen the remake myself, and I'm a bit of a stickler when it comes to stuff like that. Mind you I will stick my neck out and say how much I adored the remake of Solaris. Partly because of the music, it has to be noted...
I clicked to read the first episode before this one (you were quite right to recommend we read that one first) and I think I skipped the comments to go straight into this one.
Yeah - you'll probably like the show, although you might think it gets a little samey and tedious after a while. In which case, just skip to the final episode, which is absolutely beautiful, especially the ending, and really resolves the whole thing. It was Larry's mention of how much he misses his wife which made me think of it...
That has me curious I'll look into it. Yeah I want to give Larry a beautiful arc in a couple of these flashes that really revolves in his longing for home. :)
This is such a great story. I'm loving it. When's the next edition? 2026?
Not sure haha. I think I'll get back to Larry a couple of times through this year :)
Sweet!
Welcome back, Miguel! Happy New Year to you. That was a fun story to kick off 2025... 😎👍
Thank you Chris! Glad to be back .)
Larry sure gets around! It's too bad he can't control his travels, though. Fun story!
500 to 1000 words about a New Year's Eve party, huh? A *legendary* party? I'll give it a try, but I'm not exactly a party animal. 😂 Hmmmm.... that gives me an idea, though. 😉