Burn the F*cking House Down: Episode 2

Submitted into Contest #63 in response to: Set your story in a coffee shop that’s just introduced a new line of autumnal drinks.... view prompt

23 comments

Funny

“And what time is it again, Wizz?”

“Coffee time?”

“No, dipshit. Not yet. Way to ruin the surprise, as usual.”

“Oh, is this where I’m supposed to say the title of our show? You never specify, Paul.”

"We talked about this, Wizz––"

"You know I'm not good with this type of crap––"

“Jesus. Ladies and gentlemen, it’s time for––“

Burn the F*cking House Down!”

“You have got to be kidding me.”

“What? Just doing my job, Paul.”

“Folks, this is what I have to deal with. Every day. Every second. What a life.”

“Alright, folks, a quick announcement before we dive into our topic today. If you recall from our last episode, we explained that our studio was unfortunately burned to a crisp––”

“––and we also begged you for money––”

“––but we’re happy to report that the studio’s finally in construction! Thank you all for your contributions over the last couple of weeks. Besides the people that didn't contribute. Screw those people."

"Easy, Wizz."

"No ETA on when we’ll be able to use the new studio, though. Hopefully soon. Until then, we’ve taken to inhabiting our favorite coffee shops. Why is that, Paul?”

“For the caffeine and for the free internet, of course!”

“Said so eloquently. So, in honor of our makeshift studio, we’re gonna review some new coffee drinks today. Prepare for a whole lot of energy and spice, folks. Things are about to get… hot.”

“That doesn’t even make sense. Some of the drinks are iced. Idiot.”

“Huh. I didn’t think of that.”

“No surprise there. Alright, folks. The first one is titled… huh. Color me surprised.”

“What, Paul?”

“It’s the same nickname I gave my girlfriend in college.”

“It’s called Amy-ityville Whore?”

“No, dipshit, the other girlfriend. Also, Amy, sorry about that nickname, if you’re listening. I was dumb and immature back then––

"––not much has changed, I think––"

"––although you did cheat on me twelve times, so, I guess we’re even––”

“Focus, Paul. You’re gonna have to clarify for me on that there drink name.”

“Right. It’s called 'Apple Of My Eye'.”

“Aw. That’s a side I’ve never seen to you before, Paul. I’m touched.”

“Shut up. Let’s get to drinking.”

“Huh. I don't think we've ever applied that phrase to coffee before. Alright. Taking the first sip."

"And?"

"It's... good."

"Wow. You suck at this."

"Alright. Fine. It's as if I'm standing in an apple orchard, sipping from the trees, the crisp freshness reawakening me, garnished with a touch of heaven––"

"I take it back. Please stop."

"Hey. You asked, man. What're your thoughts on it?"

"Huh. It is pretty good. It kinda just takes like extra spicy apple cider with a little espresso flavor. Nothing like a good kick."

"Rating?"

"Seven out of ten?"

"I'll take it. Next one: 'Harvest Hay'."

"Uh, hold up. Hay? As in horses?"

"Hay as in horses, Paul. No joke."

"So we're actually drinking hay?"

"Diffused hay leaves in coffee."

"Correction: it's poison, it sounds like."

"Come on, Paul. Give it a taste."

"Ugh. Okay. For the listeners."

"For the listeners. Cheers."

"Wow. That's..."

"Yeah, that's..."

"Huh."

"Hm."

"I think I..."

"Yeah, Paul?"

"I think I'm going to marry this drink one day, Wizz."

"Oh. Okay. This got weird."

"I'm gonna take this drink out for a nice date. Fancy. A steak-dinner-with-red-wine type of date."

"Focus, Paul."

"And then I'm going to talk dirty to it."

"There might be children listening, Paul. Even thought they probably shouldn't be to begin with, like we said last time––"

"Yes. Children. This coffee and I are going to have lots of kids one day. That's how much I love this drink, Wizz. It's a forever-love kind of drink."

"It's just coffee, man."

"No. It's the drink of life."

"Something tells me you're going to give this a high rating."

"This drink cannot be rated, Wizz. It's invaluable."

"Well. I give it an eight. Moving on."

"Sorry, folks. I guess I got a little carried away there."

"Paul, take a deep breath, please. Alright, folks, drink number three: 'Chilly Chestnuts'."

"Ooh, an iced coffee! Finally!"

"Did you just... giggle?"

"What? You got a problem with that?"

"Seemed to move on from Harvest Hay pretty quick, yeah?"

"We're taking a break. Nothing gets me going like iced coffee."

"See, this is why I want to hear Amy-ityvilla Whore's side of the story."

"Again, so sorry Amy––"

"We're getting sidetracked again, Paul."

"Getting sidetracked is pretty much the entire essence of our show, Wizz."

"Fair enough. Okay––'Chilly Chestnuts' time."

"I'll say one thing. The ratio of ice cubes to actual coffee is just ridiculous. Seriously? This cup is three-fourths frozen water and a quarter of actual coffee."

"I'm detecting a bit of anger in your voice, Paul. Shall we do some more breathing exercises?"

"Wizz, I just think that if I'm paying five or six bucks for a drink, then at least four or five of those bucks should be going directly to the actual coffee. Not the damn ice cubes."

"Point taken. What about––"

"And what'll happen when that ice melts? A watery, disgusting pile of bullshit––that's what happens. Take this drink away from me, Wizz; I can't look at it any longer."

"Okay, Paul, let's move on––"

"You know what? No. I'm not done. This drink is an abomination––"

"––Paul, please sit down––"

"––this drink betrays people's trust in ratios––"

"––I think the mathematical concept is going to last for a very long time, Paul––"

"––all those ice cubes should go to hell––"

"Breathe with me, friend. Breathe. Breathe. Inhale. Exhale. There we go. Alright. Calm?"

"Sorry, folks. I guess I'm more passionate about coffee that I previously thought."

"Rating?"

"Three out of ten. No. Two. Two out of ten."

"Damn. That's harsh."

"It's the truth. People deserve to know the truth, Wizz."

"Folks, I give that one a six. And there you have it––three drinks, three ratings, and three absolutely useless reviews. You're welcome."

"Do you think listeners lose IQ points after they listen to us, Wizz?

"Oh, without a doubt. We lose IQ points just making these episodes."

"Hey. Speak for yourself."

"I am."

October 17, 2020 03:50

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23 comments

Hello again Lina! I just decided to read this one too, and I am so glad I read it!! Such a great story and reading it made me crave for some hot drinks! 😆

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Lina Oz
04:06 Oct 18, 2020

Thank you for reading my stories and leaving such lovely comments! I will definitely read and comment on yours––just a super busy week. Sorry about the delay :)

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Totally fine! I understand! :)

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Molly Leasure
18:51 Oct 22, 2020

I didn't read the first one yet, but maybe I should go back and look for it. This was a hoot! I love how very distinct the two voices are, even though they're literally just voices. Also, I love the little bits of sidetracked conversation, they add a great deal of realism and humor. Loved it!

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Lina Oz
22:46 Oct 22, 2020

Ah, I'm just reading all your comments now––thank you very much for reading my stories! It really means a lot. And thank you for your lovely comment. I've always found writing dialogue a bit of a challenge so I've been focusing more on that aspect in my later pieces; I'm glad that you enjoyed it! Still need to keep working on some things... but getting there. I think. Meh. Thanks for your thoughtful comment!

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Molly Leasure
00:09 Oct 23, 2020

Writing dialogue is certainly a task, but I think you did a wonderful job here! They sound like real people—their pauses aren't strained or odd, they have realistically emphatic personalities, and I can hear their flamboyant (I don't know if flamboyant is the word but I can't think of the one I want right now haha) radio show host tones ~ I'm down to read more of the dialogue stories.

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Lina Oz
03:04 Oct 23, 2020

Aww thank you so much!! I really appreciate it :) Flamboyant is a perfect word! I'll channel that term when I write my next episode lol!

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Molly Leasure
07:21 Oct 23, 2020

Hahaha!!! Yesssssss. I'm here for it.

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Kylie Rudolf
22:30 Oct 21, 2020

I love the dialogue! This story was hysterical!

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Lina Oz
23:39 Oct 21, 2020

Thank you so much, Kylie! I really appreciate you giving my story a read and for your comment! :)

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Ray Dyer
20:33 Oct 20, 2020

I love your creativity! It's so much fun to have a story that is entirely dialogue, and it's also something that's a challenge to pull off well. You certainly do, here. These two characters come alive. Their banter took me back to college, when I could sit and ramble on about things like this and just laugh at the silliness of it all. Of course, back then, we weren't streaming to an audience; we were more...streaming to whoever heard us and decided to linger near enough to keep listening. Some of these lines just leapt out from the sc...

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Lina Oz
01:37 Oct 21, 2020

Thank you so much for your kind comment and for reading my story, Ray! I really appreciate it. Love your comment about college ramblings––that's the perspective I was going for. Also, I'll read your new story as soon as I can :)

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B. W.
00:27 Oct 20, 2020

i'll give this a 10/10 :)

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Lina Oz
19:27 Oct 21, 2020

Thank you! Appreciate it! :)

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B. W.
19:45 Oct 21, 2020

no problem :)

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Lina Oz
16:27 Oct 18, 2020

This story is a sequel to my first "Burn the F*cking House Down" episode. Let me now what you think!

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Lani Lane
15:46 Oct 18, 2020

I'm sooooo happy you did another Paul and Wizz story! I think you should leave a comment saying that it's kind of a sequel, even though it's kind of still implied in the story. :) I LOVE this series! The dialogue is incredible. Please keep writing Paul and Wizz stories now and then! :)

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Lina Oz
16:26 Oct 18, 2020

Thank you so much! I'll try and write a few episodes here and there; and I'll leave a comment about that––great point :)

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Lani Lane
16:43 Oct 18, 2020

Yay, looking forward to them! :)

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Yolanda Wu
07:02 Oct 18, 2020

This was such an entertaining story! The dialogue between the characters was so funny and interesting to read about, the exchanges were just pure genius. And I absolutely love that title - it just screams intriguing, and you didn't disappoint!. Amazing work, Lina!

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Lina Oz
16:27 Oct 18, 2020

Thank you so much, Yolanda! I really appreciate your feedback and giving my story a read! :)

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Len Mooring
07:00 Oct 18, 2020

I loved the staccato style it carried me through the story and did typify what I have heard at times when flicking through radio stations. Great work. I think you may have given me a lesson here, Lina.

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Lina Oz
16:28 Oct 18, 2020

Thank you so much, Len! I really appreciate you reading my stories. And, I'm glad the "radio feel" came across––thanks again! :)

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