Thricefold Slices of Life

For your entertainment purposes, I have selected three teensy-weensy microfiction pieces, requesting your careful deliberation. Each piece possesses three possible endings. You may select your favorite and hold it close to your heart forever.

The Grease

The grease dripped and dribbled in thick, bubbling globules off the slick slice of pizza, oozing in a sizzling soup on Sal’s disrespectful plate. He snorted and hacked, spitting up another loose loogie as he scratched his upper thigh and wolfed down another slice of the sopping pie. With his mouth full and his heart empty, Sal sputtered, “New York thin crust pizza pies are where it’s at! I love this city!” Reaching for his sodie pop, Sal felt a small trickle of drool pooling under his lower lip. He sucked it back up with a swift slurp of his Sprite.

1. This was day three. He has yet to be stopped.

2. The other patrons of the Milwaukee Pizza Hut paid Sal no notice.

3. Someone walked by and said, “Wow, that’s an eyesore.”

The Legacy Project

Ever since he was a small child, Luke wanted to be a part of something bigger than himself. He knew that his time in this world was finite, but there was so much he wanted to accomplish. He wanted to make an impact. He wanted to support his friends, his family, his neighbors, and his community. He wanted to create something lasting, something that would prove that he was here, that he had done something with his life, that he had, in fact, existed in this world, and to ensure that he would not be forgotten.

1. Tears welled in Luke's eyes, these thoughts rushing to his mind as he struck a pose in the back left quadrant of the "Thriller" flash mob.

2. Luke leaned back, the smell of paint still in the air, as the community mural dried on the wall. "I'll do something impactful tomorrow," he thought.

3. Sitting in traffic after work, Luke changed his mind.

Tonight, Tonight

Leo grinned as he made eye contact with the woman making her way directly towards him. He smoothed his hair, leaning back casually as the woman approached. It was about time someone paid him some notice --- he had planned out the evening meticulously. He purchased a five-star Amazon cologne. He wore his smartest suit, the one with the wide lapels. He withdrew three hundred dollars from the ATM before arriving. And, of course, he ordered and downed four gin and tonics when he got to the bar. Leo was ready for anything.

1. The woman handed him his bill without a word, turning and greeting another patron.

2. As Leo smoldered at the woman, the woman waved --- so Leo waved. The woman passed by Leo without a glance, greeting her friend across the bar.

3. Leo spontaneously melted, dissolving suddenly into a pool of acid on the floorboards. He dripped off the barstool until he settled into a puddle on the ground, uprooting everything the entirety of the human race has ever understood about science and reality, all while changing the trajectory of the woman's life forever (and everyone else's in the sorry bar). Maybe in another lifetime, Leo and the woman were meant to meet, to interact, to find a connection, to fall in love with one another, to change the world, to find light where there may be little. But not in this lifetime. In this one, Leo was a pool of acid on the floor of a dive bar. It's truly inexplicable.