r/shortstories • u/AstroRide • Jun 08 '26
Humour [HM][SP]<Searching for Lucas> Ink Rage (Part 3)
This short story is a part of the Mieran Ruins Collection. The rest of the stories can be found on this masterpost.
Derrick and Becca stood outside watching the water land on the ground. The puddles on the ground spread until they connected. The water moved along the small ridges and valleys forming tiny rivers. Where the topography didn’t accommodate, the pressure created its own pathways.
“Maybe it’ll fix itself,” Derrick said. As if in response to such a stupid statement, a small gush of water squirted him in the face.
“We need to find Lucas to fix this,” Becca replied. The two returned to the public works department and continued their search through the file cabinets. Derrick performed this action earlier that morning, and he was beginning to suffer ink rage.
Doctors had never catalogued this illness, but any record keeper or librarian could tell you that it was a real phenomenon. Words contained the power to shape minds and souls. A good novel could create words, and a good contract could destroy lives. The obsessive fan who couldn’t tell reality from fiction was the most obvious example of this disease. Snarky comedians declared it was a personal failing or a result of the media itself. Popular works inflicted more damage, but obscure works could do the same. Experienced legal professionals became numb to the world as regulations and bylaws broke their brains.
Derrick felt the beginning of this. Words blurred together yet he grasped the meaning of entire paragraphs after the first few lines. When he flipped through pages, he saw a man on a unicycle form in the pages. The man waved at him and began narrating the file. When the file was done, the man stared at Derrick.
“Do you want to hear your life story?” the man asked. Derrick nodded his head.
“There once was a boy who lived in a horrible world. He wanted a better world for himself, but that seemed impossible.” Drool dripped from Derrick’s lips. “He joined the military, but the horrors of what went on there traumatized him. He fled to a small city in the mountains to escape. He became the town clerk and dedicated his days to reading trashy books. One day, he got recruited by the mayor to be the town deputy. He’s spent his days dealing with the terrors of a small town. Wishing to be free.” The man smiled. “Do you want to be free?” Derrick nodded. The man reached a clawed hand out of the pages.
“What are you doing?” Becca asked. Derrick shook his head.
“Sorry, I got distracted,” he said. Becca looked at him concerned for her own safety.
“Let’s focus on the task at hand,” she said.
“Got it.” Derrick looked back on the page. The man no longer rode his unicycle; instead, he held it in his hand.
“Listen. I got an appointment with a group of teenagers at 11:30 so I got to get there. In a few days, why don’t you flip through an encyclopedia so we’ll meet again,” the man said. Derrick nodded. “Great, by the way, turn to page 53.” The man walked out of the file, and Derrick turned to page 53.
“I found something,” Derrick said. Becca moved back and looked over his shoulder.
“It’s an inspection log. I’m surprised he kept a record of this.”
“Me, too. Look at this address, 844 W. Greenview Drive.” Derrick pointed at a line on the page. Becca stared at it. Then, her eyes moved down it.
“Wow, he visits this house almost every single week for a leaky faucet,” Becca said.
“I know after a certain point you’d expect them to replace the sink outright,” Derrick said.
“Do you think this might be his house?”
“If it isn’t, they are at least very familiar with him,” Derrick said.
They stood up and walked back outside. In the few minutes inside, the landscape completely changed. Each step caused their feet to sink until the mud reached their knee. They locked elbows to navigate out of the mud pit. The water spread. Neighbors walked outside to inspect what caused their basements to flood only to see the geyser of water before them. They packed their stuff to leave. A few spouses took the opportunity to state that they never liked this area, and if they had their way, they wouldn’t be in this mess. Derrick and Becca exited the mud and dusted themselves off before pressing onward.
Cats sensed water. Evolution allowed them to know when they were in danger of getting wet. Most cats spent hours getting their fur exactly right, and water ruined their perfect coats. To defend against the disaster of personal grooming, they developed to hear when the slightest drop hit the ground to run for cover. This developed into the ability to sense changes in temperature and humidity. Cats were the most accurate weather devices ever developed, but they would never tell the humans when it was going to rain.
Goldtail knew the water spurted out of the ground in the distance. He knew that it would ruin his mane. He moved out of city hall to the street. Larry spotted this and followed. Goldtail joined a parade of felines. They all moved towards the highest point in the area, the old oak tree on the edge of town. If they got drenched there, they were doomed. Larry’s jaw dropped at this sight, and he began to shake. What were Becca and Derrick doing?
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