Do Not Disturb

He was drifting in and out of sleep and he heard the door open.
He snapped fully awake.
"I hung the do not disturb sign on the door," he shouted.
He closed his eyes, expecting housekeeping to mutter an apology and leave the room.
He wasn't expecting the shot to the temple.

No More Bets

The wheel span and the ball clattered around.
The wheel slowed and it looked like the gambler had chosen the correct number. The ball had definitely stopped moving and was stuck at 31.
The dealer tapped a pedal beneath the table and the ball shot out and ended up at 5.
"What happened there?" asked the gambler who stood to win.
"This is what happens in roulette, sir," said the dealer.
"What? Cheating?"
The dealer nodded at a burly man who came over and dragged the gambler into a back room to help him fall down some stairs.

Asphyxia

He tightened the belt around his neck and put the wedge of lemon between his teeth.
He pressed play on his DVD remote.
What filled his screen wasn't exactly what he had hoped for. It was a documentary about whales.
He sat and watched, forgetting all about his plans.

Rain

It had been what seemed like a thousand days of endless heat.
The sky darkened.
People cheered.
One solitary raindrop fell, then another, then another.
It rained the heaviest rain anyone had ever seen for forty five seconds and then stopped abruptly.
The clouds cleared and the searing heat returned.
Forever.

I Write the Songs

He sat at his piano, totally lacking inspiration.
The song for the advert was due tomorrow and he had nothing.
The stupid slogan they'd told him to work into the lyrics was ridiculous. It was 29 words long and ended in a word that didn't rhyme with anything.
And then it hit him.
He played the most famous song he'd ever written backwards and shouted the slogan over the top of it.
That'll do, he thought.
They'd never notice. It actually sounded better than the last thing he'd given them.
He stood and walked away from the piano, humming a melody which would have actually made a good song if he hadn't just thought it was someone else's.

The Painting

"Do you see it?"
"No. I don't understand what you mean."
"Look, there. In the corner."
He moved closer to the painting and squinted.
"Oh yeah. I see it now."
"That's what makes him one of the greats."

Call to the Arms

"Are you coming to the pub?"
"I'll be there in a few minutes."
He hung up and slid the phone into his back pocket.
Once he was done with the task on the rooftop he would feel like having a drink or two.
Across the street the ambassador was leaving the hotel.
He did the job and disassembled his work equipment, putting it into an oversized briefcase.
He pulled the phone from his pocket.
"Get me a lager, I'll be there in five."