Comedic Writing

“Well if I never yodel, yodel, yodel to my cumbersome load, then thank those hearty valves that pump my liver.”

from my 1978 short sci-fi story Space Commander

This bittersweet 4000-word fiction piece was published in Lava Magazine's January 1995 issue. There was a minor bidding war between two competing magazines for this story, brought about by my ill-advised dual submission, thinking neither editor would want the piece. (I was wrong. Both did.) Lava editor Michael McCullough was the most persuasive.
[Here's how "Seven Stories Below" starts out.] One: Frankie considered the pigeon and almost laughed. Thrusting its little gray head forward with each step, searching for tiny morsels, the pigeon seemed quite unaware of Frankie, just two feet away. Together, six-inch bird and six-foot bum stood atop a rooftop guardrail that crowned a building seven stories high. Below on the sidewalk, people scurried about during their lunch hour. It was “prime time” and Frankie would usually be down there, panhandling for quarters. But not today. Never again. A gust of wind pushed Frankie sideways and he had to wave his arms to regain balance. He would jump when he was good and ready.
Click here to read the rest of "Seven Stories Below."

tel. (562) 986-5163 Lee@LeeGodden.com