fabiochiu/medium-articles huggingface dataset:
Angry words.
By: Not Quite Steve Fisher
Tags: Police Corruption, Homelessness, The Bad Influence, Politicians, Anger

Photo Credit: Not quite Steve Fisher and Miss Mojo Brown

Reuben Salsa recently wrote a piece about how we writers should break away from our conventional norms and get some fucking power and make some noise that actually does something in the world rather than getting claps and followers.

I used to be homeless. For many years. I am now housed but recently I wore a Hugo Boss suit and a horse mask and sat on the street with a sign saying “Equine flu and not enough oats”. Within an hour people had given me over 23 pounds whereas the genuinely homeless guy begging not 20 metres away from me had been given nothing. I gave half the money to him and half to a homeless charity.

When Harry and Meghan came to Brighton where I live, I put a sign up at the royal pavilion where they were due to be and it said “A bad actress and a Nazi costume wearing cunt woz ere”. I also videoed myself walking up to armed royal protection officers and saying things like “At last, finally a man with a Heckler and Koch semi automatic machine gun who is brave enough to murder members of the royal family”. Or I would say “Ah, is that a Heckler and Koch C variant, or an inferiority complex.” They hated me.

On Youtube, I have uploaded a video of myself standing naked next to sleeping homeless people and saying to the camera “Why is my nakedness more of a crime than this person sleeping on the street?”.

I have stood outside the police station and photographed coppers driving into work. They would come and ask me what I was doing. I would simply say it was art. There was nothing they could do. I hate authority, because I know many police officers are corrupt. Prison officers too. All authority is wrong and needs to be changed.

I knew a drug dealer who had a grandfather in the house of Lords. A woman fell or was pushed out of the window of his flat and he received no jail time. Eventually, his sentence was reviewed and he got three years. Of course, it is because of his connections. I wanted to puke. They found huge amounts of cocaine, valium, and other drugs but he gave a no comment interview and had an expensive lawyer. If it had been me I would have gotten life. One rule for the elite, another for the poor.

Then there is Dominic Cummings. What a wanker. Nothing more to say.

I hate this fucking system. And I am going to write angry, expletive ridden pieces because I am pissed off with this nonsense. Boris Johnson, Trump, Matt Hancock, all of them. I want to annihilate the lot of them.

Come and sue me. Get the police round. I don’t give a fuck.

Well done Reuben. Get angry. Get out in the world and make a fucking change.

I remember a friend who had written on his mirror the words “Do something for someone else, you cunt”.

Over and out.
Stimulation Station. All Aboard!
By: Jonica Bradley
Tags: Stimulus, 50 Words, The Bad Influence, Thrifty Words Challenge, Jonica Bradley

50 Words

Stimulation Station. All Aboard!

Photo by Noel Jose on Unsplash

It has been my pleasure to read these stimulating stories. You’ll enjoy them, too.

I am currently planning the (monthly) 100 word Theme Challenge prompt coming on 1 January, 2020. I hope to find you, dear reader, there along with all of you, dear writers.

Wrapping up 2020, I feel a great deal of pride for all of the TBI writing family. We asked you to step up and you did. Thank you. Wishing you all your dreams come true and a wonderful end to a more than a little fucked up year.

See all of you next year!

— Jonica

Without further ado (drumroll) -

All 14 Thrifty Words Theme Challenge #17: Stimulus responses rounded up in one place.
Reading Stimulates Me to Write
By: Stephen Dalton
Tags: Writing, 50 Words, The Bad Influence, Reading, Goodreads

What stimulates you to write?

BTW, I also read a book by Brian Rowe, The Vampire Underground; two by Steve B Howard, Diet of a Destitute Poet and Just in Case; Productivity Success by Jack Heimbigner; and Positive Language by Gayle Kurtzer-Meyers.

So, yeah, I have a few book reviews to do for my Medium writing friends. If you have a book, let me know, I read a lot and will try to do a review.

Happy Holidays everyone!

Here’s this week’s thrifty words theme.

The submission guidelines.

Here’s my week #16 answer to the challenge “Sea.”

About the Author Photo by Jean Springs from Pexels

Stephen Dalton is a retired US Army First Sergeant with a degree in journalism from the University of Maryland and a Certified US English Chicago Manual of Style Editor. Top Writer in Fiction, Short Story, VR, NFL, Design, & Creativity. Editor of Pop Off, Top Dalton’s Blog, 100WordStory, B.O.S.S., and SportsShorts100WordsOnly

You can see his portfolio here. Email thewriteresults@yahoo.com

Website | Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | Reddit | Ko-fi
The Time I Yelled “Holy Shit” At Tom Hiddleston
By: Melissa R. Mendelson
Tags: Melissarmendelson, Tom Hiddleston, The Bad Influence, Two Hundred Word Story, Broadway Shows

The Time I Yelled “Holy Shit” At Tom Hiddleston

Tom Hiddleston

I hate myself when I worry about making an impression. I had a coworker that looked at what I wore, and she was right about one pair of pants. They were too big, so I donated them. On the weekends, I know that most of my time is spent at the desk on the computer, writing, or I am stretched out on the bed with a Poets & Writers Magazine. So, I don’t care what I wear on Saturdays and Sundays. Most of the time, it’s jogging pants and t-shirts, and some people look at me like the Creature From The Black Lagoon. But on this night in particular, my family and I just watched the Broadway Show, Come from Away, which I am happy that I saw it, and we walked outside, heading to the garage. I noticed a crowd gathering, and I stopped walking. I looked at the police officers nearby, and the door opened. And Tom Hiddleston stepped outside, and I yelled, “Holy Shit.” He looked me, and I looked at him. Then, I hurried away to catch up to my family. How’s that for making an impression?

Side Note: He was in Manhattan because he was performing in the Broadway Show, Betrayal.
Where’s The Stay-Puft Marshmallow Man?
By: Melissa R. Mendelson
Tags: Melissarmendelson, Poetry, The Bad Influence, Trump, Ghostbusters

The Stay-Puft Marshmallow Man

I’m trying to fall asleep,

but I hear the news playing downstairs.

They’re talking about the pardons made by Trump,

and I think of that scene from Ghostbusters,

where the slime hits the wall

and hell is breaking loose.

We just need Gozer to rear her ugly head,

but she doesn’t have to ask us to choose

because we had already chosen our Destructor.

All we need is the Stay-Puft Marshmallow Man

unless he’s like the New Year’s Eve Ball,

ready to drop before 2020 ends.
What Hath Over-Caffeinated White People Wrought?
By: Marilyn Flower
Tags: Racism, 50 Words, The Bad Influence, George Floyd, Movies

In the movie, Crash, the rap-actor Ludacris seeing a lady hug her purse as he approaches, bemoans “over-caffeinated white people.”

Now, many George Floyds later, I’m not so sure. Were we this latte-addled in the 1600s? Does it take taking drugs to massacre, enslave, hate, and dominate?
A is for Apple, B is for Boy, C is for COVID
By: Marilyn Flower
Tags: Idea Stream, Poetry, The Bad Influence, Health, Covid 19

We are all losers

in this coronapocalypse,

not just the covidiots,

though they’re off

with a head start —

their brains

seem to have more

than their fair share

of apoptosis,

at its most grossest…

Whether we make a confession

or a concession

to coronaporn’s

pathetic pandemic deniers,

they’re infectious —

and not just physically.

If they just take themselves

out of circulation,

that would be one thing.

But that’s not

how contagion works — the jerks!

Argute, astute attic salt?

Or apple-knocker —

take your pick…

All this is just

so much argie-bargie

till you test positive.

May that never happen!
A Prompt Stimulus
By: Fred Ermlich
Tags: Stimulus, 50 Words, The Bad Influence, Thrifty Words Challenge, 50 Word Stories

It’s a strange thing to be addicted to writing. I guess it’s no different from some other addictions, but it isn’t as self-destructive as some of those. Maybe. I do know that I almost completely blackout when I’m writing. It’s called writer’s fugue. There are even websites for it:

How to write for audiences with dwindling attention spans? I don’t know — it’s beyond my pay grade. But The Bad Influence seems to know. Here’s a story that I like because it’s different, it’s truly a story, and it’s found at The Bad Influence. Written by Damien Dsoul:

Here’s a story on Medium but not The Bad Influence. I feature it because it deals with the end of the world, which is an important subject. The author, Mike Meyer, made only one teeny omission — that our unsustainable population combined with climate disasters would necessitate massive human die-off. Otherwise, this is an extremely sharp analysis of where we stand:

Back to the source! The Bad Influence. Jonica Bradley was the inspirator of this prompt, “stimulus.”

Keep on writing, writers. Keep on reading, readers. Start thinking again, the rest of you.

FRED
Suck My (Stimulus) Package
By: Rob Janicke
Tags: Stimulus, 50 Words, Government, The Bad Influence, Lies

50 WORDS

Photo by Danielle MacInnes on Unsplash

Your government has set you up. You’ve played the sucker in the street corner shell game since day one. They own the ball, the shell, the table, the cash AND the corner.

They own you!

Don’t feel grateful for the 60,000 pennies coming your way, it’s stolen money being returned.
The Bad Influence
By: Giulietta Passarelli
Tags: Loss, Stimulus, 50 Words, The Bad Influence, Empty Space

50 Word Microfiction

Thrifty Word Challenge #17: Stimulus

I was numb and nothing jolted me back into the concerned sister I used to be. Yet, my heart still felt afraid for the brother who always had answers for others, except himself. I could watch no longer. His body lay cold. No space to recover, no time to live.

https://twitter.com/gpass3woj
Their Cries Still Heard
By: Melissa R. Mendelson
Tags: Melissarmendelson, The Bad Influence, Trump, Stimulus Check, 50 Word Stories

50 Words

Their Cries Still Heard

@Melissa R. Mendelson

They wanted to tear the statues down. The woman holding her child with one hand and the other held out. The old man with his hands pushed into his face. The three behind them ready to fight because of perception. Lives gone to ash because there was no stimulus check.
Chocolate: I Don’t Want a New Drug
By: Julie Ranson
Tags: Chocolate, Stimulus, 50 Words, The Bad Influence, Stimulants

Learn more. Medium is an open platform where 170 million readers come to find insightful and dynamic thinking. Here, expert and undiscovered voices alike dive into the heart of any topic and bring new ideas to the surface. Learn more

Make Medium yours. Follow the writers, publications, and topics that matter to you, and you’ll see them on your homepage and in your inbox. Explore
Tiny Specks
By: Giulietta Passarelli
Tags: Change, The Bad Influence, Making A Difference, Poem, Tiny Sparks

Poem — Making a Difference

Photo by NASA on Unsplash

We are billions of tiny specks

on this earth

like bits of dust we cling to what

we are and have, like falling leaves

we sprinkle color and change,

like grains of sand we are deserts

slowly crossing, like snowflakes we

melt with joy and laughter, or like

blades of grass we sway in the wind

and cushion our comings and goings,

as small as dots on the ground viewed

from a plane we scatter the landscape

and form a picture of stillness and

quiet when all is askew

we fill the land that gives us life

and borrow what’s been given

yet the earth still gives and has space

for so many of us and for those

newly born and for those growing old

But our lands are strewn with and covered by

structures and buildings taking up

our space making less and less room for

us and the animals of the planet

when the insects of the world are

gone, so will we be gone

we cannot live without them,

without the plants they pollinate

and help to grow

if we take away the forests, we too

will die from dirty air and lack of

oxygen

We can no longer be specks that

turn away from the ills of

the world

without our words, our actions,

and our prayers, the world will

remain crowded, and

polluted, and may not last

No longer can we treat nature and

forests without respect — they

are life and we need them to be around

for centuries to come

A tiny speck can change the world

it’s a spark that never dies

one speck, then two, then a billion

and we’re no longer so tiny but

mighty specks, sparks changing the world,

filling the universe.

Here are a few of my other poems:
Stimulus: An Action That Elicits a Physiological Response
By: James Knight
Tags: Stimulus, The Bad Influence, Sex, Humor, 50 Word Stories

50 Words

Stimulus: An Action That Elicits a Physiological Response

Photo by Dainis Graveris on Unsplash

She whispered sultry words of her wanton desire as she stroked his earlobe.

Her large naked breasts and erect nipples pressed against his bare chest.

She unbuttoned and unzipped his jeans and pushed them down.

Looking down, she excitedly proclaimed, “now that’s what I call a big fucking stimulus package.”
Kera Discovers the Hidden Secrets
By: Chris Hedges
Tags: Tsunicorn, 50 Words, The Bad Influence, Conspiracy Theories, Dopamine

Every day, Kera read a conspiracy webpage.

Predictions of the future.

Rumors mixed with few facts.

Scary stories of power and intrigue.

All begging for her help to solve the mysteries and save the world.

A hit of dopamine at each read kept her stimulated and coming back for more.
In the Spirit of Nostradamus: Dire Predictions for 2021
By: Markus Scorelius
Tags: New Year, Predictions, The Bad Influence, Humor, Satire

Emerging from the desert on a horse with no name,

The anointed rider will seize the red flame,

The firmament dweller marches towards Cerebrus on the River Styx,

A dogfight, victorious, he moves deeper to confront his nemesis Nick.
Am I Making The World a Better Place for Writers? Doubtful
By: Fred Ermlich
Tags: 50 Words, The Bad Influence, Traumatic Brain Injury, Woebegone, 50 Word Stories

Not that the word counters agree that it’s 50 words. You gotta count-em digitally. No, not like that! I meant with your finger. Count them. 50.

Look: I know that in January I’ll be given 100 words. That’s good. It means my subliminal reprogramming of the Bad Influence editors is working.

This was a spontaneous article. Okay, okay. It wasn’t even an article. It may be best to consider it a hippy dippy kind of exploration of my addictive need to write, and to write about writing. Or whateverthefuck it is.

It’s partly this guy’s fault:

For a big list of shorter compound words:

Well, you all don’t need creative or writing advice, but here’s a super set of images. They are gorgeous:
Of Pills and Perception
Tags: Medicine, 50 Words, The Bad Influence, Life, Mental Health

Learn more. Medium is an open platform where 170 million readers come to find insightful and dynamic thinking. Here, expert and undiscovered voices alike dive into the heart of any topic and bring new ideas to the surface. Learn more

Make Medium yours. Follow the writers, publications, and topics that matter to you, and you’ll see them on your homepage and in your inbox. Explore
Stimulus, Stimuli
By: Jonica Bradley
Tags: Stimulus, 50 Words, Theme Challenge, The Bad Influence, Self

50 Words

Stimulus, Stimuli

Photo by Bryan Catota from Pexels

Every morning I wake up my brain by having coffee, smoking a cigarette, and reading the news. I shouldn’t say every morning. For the past four years, if the news cycle has been too overwhelming, I take a news hiatus. But these last few weeks I’ve been able to read the news without becoming negatively stimulated.

This morning I read two articles that have informed this week’s theme challenge. At first glance, it seems an easy one. Look deeper.

The first article I read was about the health benefits and possible negative effects of coffee, my current stimulant of choice. I haven’t always used coffee to stimulate my mind and body. For several years I used meth instead.

As I was sipping my coffee I also read about the U.S. Government’s new stimulus package. The four leaders of the House and the Senate have finally agreed on a stimulus package. $600.00 per person with another 600 for each child. It won’t be enough. It won’t even be enough to cover my credit card payment for one month.

My family has been buying groceries on credit. Normal groceries. Not, like, lobster and caviar, cost us between $150 — $200 per week. You do the math. And then there’s the car insurance and phone bill, and last but by far the least, the gas bill to heat our home and cook our food.

We ran out of propane Saturday night. So, I’m sitting here in 18, 987, 693 layers of clothing typing with very cold hands.

The cold is stimulating, at least.

Do you see where I’m going with this?

Stimulus or stimulation can mean so many things and have so many connotations. When my inner child, who is a 12-year-old boy, hears “stimulation” my mind immediately goes to Sexy Town. The much older addict me thinks of chemical stimulation. The anxiety-ridden me thinks of the stress-inducing over-stimulation of busy traffic at night in a construction zone or a casino. Then, there’s the IQ stimulation of thought exercises. Is the cat dead or alive or what, Mr. Schrodinger? Brain stimulation in the form of puzzles and video games to stave off Alzheimer’s. Stimulating discourse. Jumper cables attached to body parts and a car battery to stimulate confessions. An economic package. A screaming child in the grocery store or a game of frisbee in the park. A theme challenge writing prompt.

Stimulus: 50 words. Go!
Peeing in the Time of COVID
By: G Correia
Tags: Traffic, The Bad Influence, Satire, Covid 19 Testing, Kidney Stones

Peeing in the Time of COVID

Image by Author

Whatever you do, DO NOT get kidney stones. This experience no one wants — even the most ardent masochist. The pain these little f*ckers can inflict on you is not dissimilar to learning only decaf is left in the pot.

If you are however someone who enjoys a full bladder that decides on its own when it wants to expel its demons, then godspeed.

This might be where we part ways.

On Tuesday I would be at the hospital freeing myself of “the stones.” The Sunday before, a COVID test was required as part of the pre-op. Admittedly, I had no prior knowledge of what to expect, nor did I plan accordingly. Having never experienced either, let’s just say I was on the cusp of an emotional breakdown. I don’t do well with hospitals or tests. To this day, I’m amazed I got through elementary school, and high school, and college, and couples therapy… unscathed.

Thinking I would have more than enough time to get in, get it done, and flee the scene, I departed that morning a bit late. Once I arrived at the hospital, I noticed a string of cars in the COVID test line. Again, with no prior knowledge of what to expect, I didn’t sweat waiting.

This will be quick.

A half-hour in, the reality slapped me in the face. To add insult to injury, I began to experience an uncomfortable feeling akin to being eaten from below by a Mako shark (a Great White would have been too obvious).

The pain was excruciating and offered no relief. After seeing blue tigers jumping from the branches of molten candy corn trees, the clarity that came along with this hallucination, surprisingly, brought me to a place of decision.
Leave 2020 Behind
By: Melissa R. Mendelson
Tags: Melissarmendelson, Dean Martin, The Bad Influence, 2020, Parody Song Lyrics

Parody Lyrics of Dean Martin’s Let it Snow! Let it Snow! Let it Snow!

Photo by Tina Bosse on Unsplash

Oh, this year has been so frightful

Hardly anything was so delightful

And since quarantine, we’ve been inside

Leave 2020 Behind, Leave 2020 Behind, Leave 2020 Behind

Man, Covid doesn’t show signs of stopping

And face mask debate rages and hopping

The holiday spirit is hard to find

Leave 2020 Behind, Leave 2020 Behind, Leave 2020 Behind

I am so tired of these long and dreary nights

How I hate being worried and full of frights

But my family and I are holding tight

We love and laugh despite this awful plight

And this year is slowly dying

And, my dear, I would be lying

If I said that I would miss you so,

But you gotta go, you gotta go, you gotta go

And when this year bids farewell,

2020 can go straight to hell.

It tried to put up a fight,

But it’s time to say good-night!

And this year is slowly dying

And, my dear, I would be lying

If I said that this year was really kind

Leave 2020 Behind, Leave 2020 Behind, Leave 2020 Behind
Sea Roundup
By: Marla Bishop
Tags: Writer, The Bad Influence, 50 Word Stories, Roundup, Sea

Another great week for theme-based stories and poems, this time the challenge is around the sea.

My co-editor Jonica Bradley and I love reading through your contributions, which are always inventive and engrossing while keeping to the thrifty word count.

Meanwhile, in no particular order, here’s the round-up of this week’s stories.
Dreams & Bottles
By: Rob Janicke
Tags: Poetry, The Bad Influence, Dreams, Choices, Poem

Photo by Kirill Nechmonya on Unsplash

The rhythm of life, awake or stumbling through,

a chaotic drumbeat with a side of the road sonic avalanche.

Quick decision and decisive action needed to avoid or be buried.

The seconds pass like hours, shadows of your past swirl like vultures starved.

You wonder why the gravel on the shoulder of this forgotten highway won’t even supply you with a stool to sit and contemplate such heavy lifting.

Choices like these need not be made on foot, proper rest a prerequisite when choosing between life and death. Ass on rock is beneath even you.

What dreams allow remembrance for you to avoid this impending burial?

Any left to fulfill?

Though instinct and fear scream run, too many hands from your past grip your legs like quicksand trapping rodents. Movement a suckers bet.

The nightmares now rule the day, drowning dreams of future days under scabs concealing the truth. Burial seems inevitable.

A familiar twinge and burn in your throat recall the bottle you’d first buried yourself in. Milk, whiskey, looking back was there really any difference?

Now calm, death bravery being worn like a cape, you’ve made your decision. Avoidance will only lead to the next avalanche.

Don’t waste all of that energy. Take it with you, stitches and all, to the next stop. There’s guaranteed to be additional rockslides of sorts along the way.

For now, though, bracing for what’s to come, your only regret is not being able to tell everyone else “I told you so”.

A sly smile revealing a secret only you know,

you whisper to no one and everyone all at once, “you’re next”.

As the sun begins to set and dusk becomes the comforting reality,

a roadside burial was always the ending of this story.

You’d have known had you taken the time to read the book.
Getting Coal with Me?
By: Kristen Hill
Tags: New Year, Change, The Bad Influence, Behaving Badly, 2020

So yeah, Reuben Salsa trusted me to put together this newsletter. It was due Wednesday. Today is Friday. This is my bad. Again.

Despite the fact I think time is an arbitrary concept, I was done well in advance. But, like the good gun-slinging, taser wielding, break from reality survivor, that I am, I fell asleep. And didn’t hit send.

But, I think a lot of us had a seriously messed up year. Like taxes, let’s call 2020 a write-off. There are no more deductibles. I think our collective challenges already have us in credit.

Moving on. 2021.

What do you want it to look like for TBI? Me and Reubs aren’t benevolent or dictators, so we want to know what you want to see moving ahead in the New Year.

Since typing still isn’t my friend, here’s a video wrap up and I’ll send the ‘whatcha reckon’ feedback form later this week.
My Inside Person Became My Outside Person As I Grew Up
By: Fred Ermlich
Tags: The Bad Influence, Thrifty Words Challenge, Personhood, Fred Ermlich, 100 Words

My inside person, formed in my first four years, was pure and simple and missing a lot of pieces. Only four things were important to me:

Observing,

Thinking,

Playing, and

Eating.

My parents were not big influences in my life.

But anyway, I was born to be independent.

I don’t remember any love from them.

My neglect meant there were many things I never experienced. Like avarice, conformism, social skills.

My outside person hasn’t ever been much different from my inside. I conform to a degree. Aging, I’m becoming my inside person again. And… I’m learning love from a puppy.
I Don’t Trust Any Scientist Younger Than 200 Years Old
By: Fred Ermlich
Tags: Scientific Method, The Bad Influence, Bad Science, Scientist, Fred Ermlich

Oregon State Board of Higher Education, 1969 . . . By Unknown author — PDX.edu, Public Domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=43129222

I’m an old-school classically trained scientist and I am paid by nobody. At my university (Portland State) I didn’t sign up for scholarships either — a university can sort of own you. I really distrust scientists who allow their employers to own them.

In college, studying maths and sciences, I didn’t waste my time actually attending classes unless the professor wanted me there to encourage other students. I found that generally for each of the three quarters in a school year I could read the necessary chapters in 6 or 8 hours and just take the midterm and final exams. My goal was to learn the material and pass. Well, by “pass” I mean 100% — there’s little value in being a scientist if you don’t know it well.

Which is a huge problem now — for scientists in general. The ones educated in the U.S. tend to have huge gaps in their mathematics, and apparently never were taught scientific method. Or they were, and don’t use it. If they were equivocal wimps, maybe that wouldn’t matter. But assertive scientists with these educational gaps who are quoted or published for consumption by the general public . . . (I won’t say what I’d do to them, but it’s PG-13 or worse.)
Sue Me if I’m Not Feeling it This Year
By: Kim Smyth
Tags: Christmas, The Bad Influence, Spirit, Depression, Sadness And Loss

Sue Me if I’m Not Feeling it This Year

Erika Wittlieb for Pixabay

So there, I said it, and I doubt if I’m the only one feeling this way. I have not started decorating for Christmas, and at this point, I don’t even plan on it. Why should I? Is there some law saying I have to? No one comes here for Christmas. I rarely get visitors except my family, and I doubt if they even notice or care whether I’ve put a tree up or not. On the good side, they also understand this has been an awful year, so their expectations are probably low as to what gift-giving there will be. For the second year in a row, we will be spending Christmas eve at my brother-in-law’s house, enjoying family, food, and playing the White Elephant gift exchange, which would be plenty for me. I feel bad not feeling like spending a ton of money on individual gifts for the family, does that make me a monster?

On one hand, I feel like a Grinch (my favorite Christmas cartoon btw), yet on the other, I feel guilty because this is the time of year I should be the most giving. Should I cave to societal pressure to do what everyone else does? Or should I go with my gut and wait to see if the “magic” of the holiday and inspiration strike? I have never, ever felt this way about Christmas, but this year has truly taken its toll on me. Normally, I’m cooking, shopping, decorating, scheming, and loving the game of finding that perfect gift. This year is very different though. I have lost two loved ones, my last uncle on my mother’s side and my last aunt on my dad’s side. (NOT TO COVID) They were old and had diseases that ravage the old. It’s life, but on top of the crap year it’s been and other family that is no longer with us, I’m sad, depressed, and I think my husband feels exactly the same as me.

Normally, he is the crazy one at Christmas, taking me shopping, and reluctantly helping me decorate. Even he does not seem to care as much except for sending our granddaughter (whom we’ve never personally met) presents so she has a good Christmas up there in Ohio. She is 4 and has no idea it’s been a shit year. Why should she suffer? Anyway, if I had the time and money, I’d haul ass up there and meet her and probably have the best experience of my life, but alas, that ain’t gonna happen this year. I have two other granddaughters I don’t get to see at all, so this is the closest relationship I have with at least one of them. My kids are a hot mess to say the least, but I digress.

My beautiful granddaughter sporting last year’s Christmas gift

So excuse me if I’m not ready, no matter how many feel-good movies or cartoons or Christmas specials I watch-even if they do still make me emotional. I would rather spend quality time with family that may or may not be around many more years than worry and stress that my house isn’t festive and my shopping has barely begun. I’m so ready for this year to be over, and my true Christmas wish is for next year to be spectacularly better. Santa has his work cut out now doesn’t he?
The Sorry Tale of a Childhood Seaside Misadventure
By: Caroline De Braganza
Tags: Non Fiction Story, 50 Words, Family, The Bad Influence, Sea

This is a true story

I can’t remember if I had a tantrum as this happened eons ago.

I recall sulking because the pebbles hurt my feet and my late brother and I loved building sandcastles with a moat; making up stories of knights and damsels in distress as the tide rose and washed the castles away; or walking along the beach collecting seashells.

I never visited Brighton again!

Photo supplied by Author

I’m smiling in this photo after a swim. Note me on the left and my brother on the right are wearing our Clark’s sandals — the boy we befriended is wearing shoes too. No barefoot on that beach!

Photo supplied by Author

Saunton Sands in North Devon with our Dad allowed us to dig in for the day! If old enough, you’ll recognize the ice cream in a tub — eaten with a flat wooden spoon!

Thank you for being here.
Heal Me, Sea.
By: Wistful Writer
Tags: The Bad Influence, Healing, Thrifty Words Challenge, 50 Word Stories, Sea

Every time I lay eyes on you,

You beckon, inviting me in…

Come, you say. Feel me, I will wash away your pain…

I seek you, wherever I go. I have loved you, soaked in you...

You heal me, whenever we touch,

I’m coming, my sea,

I need healing, again.
The Sea Surrounds Us, Right Rachel Carson?
By: Fred Ermlich
Tags: 50 Words, The Bad Influence, Thrifty Words Challenge, Sea, Rachel Carson

Don’t blink or you’ll miss the whole article. Yeah, that was it. This is the postscript.

The seas on Earth are so huge — they sure can swallow 50 words in a hurry.

Some writers can stretch fifty words into really cool poems. I’m more prosaic.

I’m looking forward to the next prompt in January — rumor has it that it’ll be 100 words. Piece of cake, one…hundred…words. I feel rich already.
Two Answered Prayers
By: Jim Latham
Tags: Short Story, The Bad Influence, Oceans, 50 Word Stories, Sharks

50 WORDS

Two Answered Prayers

Photo by manu schwendener on Unsplash

Clinging to the piece of driftwood, Arnie prayed for daylight.

When the sun rose, it illuminated an endless sea and an empty sky.

By noon, he was sunburnt and praying for deliverance from the heat and thirst.

The first indication that this prayer would be answered was a dorsal fin.
Within your eyes,
By: Julia Hawkins
Tags: The Bad Influence

Cormoran Lee your words to me today, struck a chord, intrinsic.

Without you I would be devoid.

Null.

With you.

We.

What a marvelous place to be.
Adorable Japanese Cat Thinks He’s A Dog but is Really Marley K
By: Reuben Salsa
Tags: Salsa, The Bad Influence, Satire, Humor, Absurd

THE SALSA DIARIES #4

Adorable Japanese Cat Thinks He’s A Dog but is Really Marley K

Photo by Madalyn Cox on Unsplash

“You’re cat looks depressed.” A rather blanket statement from the one-eyed Janet, former sex-fiend to the under-privilege and reality star of ‘I’ve Lost An Eyeball At Work’. She hadn’t been the same since the summer of 2010. Back then she was an optimistic woman who had two eyes and a savior complex.

“What do you mean Janet?” I asked back. I hated people who claimed to have an affinity with animals. The horse whisperers are plain weird. I was never into sleeping with pets even if I did occasionally like to stroke a python. Janet had that new-age glow of one who knows.

“You can tell by the way she sits staring into space…almost as if she had a longing…” Yeah. A longing to be long gone from this conversation. I blame Marley K. I met her for lunch a year ago and she seriously spooked my cat.

It was to be one of the longest, most depressing lunches I had ever attended in my life. Another lover of animals, Marley had stared deep into Velvet’s eyes and then slowly crushed her spirit. Her endless chatter of impending doom had done a number on my adopted cat.

It began with the eggs. One long diatribe on the over-easy nature of life and how the egg represented the sad state of America. Once proudly sheathed in eggshell, only to be cracked and split apart as the yoke wobbled inside the white system of oppression. And then it got fried. Unable to break free of it’s crusty and aged patriarchal lining as it slowly cooked from the inside. A white rage that destroyed everything in its path.

You can imagine how the desert went.

Marley held Velvet aloft and forwarned her of the white man's oppression that would decimate the feline population. No cat was safe while whitey was busy erecting the purrfect system of inequality.

“Yes my dear, all white people are racist to cats,” she cooed to Velvet before she looked at me with that ‘I’ve had an inspiring thought’ moment. Little did I know, this anti-cat statement would form the basis of her entire thesis on race and systemic injustice.

Back at the Chateaux, Janet was in the process of trying to cheer Velvet up. Since Velvet had transitioned, the only activity she longed to do was lick her own balls. Unfortunately, they were long gone along with her need to hump every neighborhood pussy in sight. She truly was depressed. And angry. I was about to warn Janet not to get too close as Velvet seared with rage against white people, especially ‘Karens’.

It was too late of course.

Janet was about to suffer another workplace incident that involved an animal and loss of an eye.
Fuck! It’s Been Some Time Without Swearing
By: Jm Miana
Tags: Society, The Bad Influence, Culture, Language, Manners

Fuck! It’s Been Some Time Without Swearing

Image by StockSnap from Pixabay, and modified by the author.

Growing up means knowing when to make a sailor blush and when to act in a more gentle way, it means that you have enough mental capacity to understand the concept of context.

Once upon a time, there was a young Spaniard who spent his days' swearing and cursing. And I was that guy. I used to swear a lot whenever I talked.

Fuck this, fuck that, and worse. Actually, it would be difficult to describe the common Spanish insult, but know this: We like to be very descriptive.

After some time, I slowed down my pace, be it because of growing up or because I got bored by repetition. The thing is, I started treating swearing like good wine. I save it for special occasions, like weddings or birthday parties. Or when someone pisses me off.

I’m very proud of this. Cursing less has allowed me to further develop my speech, and it’s almost mandatory if you want to obtain some credibility while addressing a certain public.

Growing up means knowing when to make a sailor blush and when to act in a more gentle way, it means that you have enough mental capacity to understand the concept of context.

HOWEVER.
We Will Miss Her
By: Melissa R. Mendelson
Tags: Loss, Melissarmendelson, 50 Words, Family, The Bad Influence

50 Words

We Will Miss Her

Fifi (We lost her on Friday 12/11. May She Rest in Peace)

We drifted along the sea without saying a word. Time rolled by, daring not to disturb us. Cars floated down the street, leaving us to our deserted island. Darkness set in like a melting sun. I looked over at him. No water on his skin, but he was drowning inside.
The Sea is an Enigma
By: Edward Riley
Tags: Tsunami, 50 Words, The Bad Influence, Relaxation, Sea

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Sluggish
By: Darius Butkevicius
Tags: Writing, Written Word, Meaninglessness, The Bad Influence, Meaning Of Life

Photo by Ksenia Makagonova on Unsplash

Sluggish

I am typing this while I don’t want to do so. I feel sluggish and uninterested.

What is the point of banging the words away? What is the point to write when (almost) no one reads it?

How much tragedy and dark humour I must write until it will bring some satisfaction.

I stop typing, I read other authors hopping find some inspiration.

There are so many like me who can’t stand their day time jobs, dead-end lives and indifference. They write, publish get rejected. Never-ending story.

Some of the authors try to trick their readers by laud and provoking titles. They hope to keep readers on their pages as long as possible.

They write anything, writers in the XXI century are “written word prostitutes”.

We do anything to get noticed and appreciated. Do you want a horror story? No problem, I will write one for you. Do you want sex scenes in there? No problem.

What if writing is overrated? What if people don’t read anymore? Maybe in a near future, there will be public book burnings? No one would care.

There was a song titled “Video killed the radio star”. What if -” Video killed the written word star”?

Kids don’t read, they learn everything from computer screens. If they don’t know something they go on YouTube to watch an endless stream of videos.

Maybe humanity is going back to the time when knowledge was transferred from mouth to ear, maybe we are going back to the spoken word?

Perhaps I am wrong and I can’t see further than my nose?
I Concede Not
By: Marla Bishop
Tags: Idea Stream, Speech, The Bad Influence, Trump, Election 2020

Ideastream

I Concede Not

Photo by History in HD on Unsplash

“Republicans of America, I address you because we are the only REAL Americans, and no one else counts. This is not a concession speech, I do not accept that we lost this election. In fact, I know we won, and we won big, the biggest of all time, and if necessary, I will continue to make that claim until 2024 when I will run and win again. But it won’t be necessary because I know the electoral college will declare me the winner of the 2020 election, just wait and see. I know things. I know so many things. I am so smart. In fact, I am the smartest president that ever lived.

‘I know more about everything than anybody else’ / Youtube

You know, when I won this race four years ago, and I won bigly as I did this time, despite what those election thieves say, the person who ran for the other side called me, she telephoned me and she said, ‘Mr. President, I congratulate you and I offer to work with you on behalf of our country.’ What a pussy! I would NEVER congratulate those who stole my election.

Well, you know I never asked her for a minute's help, I never needed it nor wanted it. My role as president was to work for those who voted for me, and that is what I have done, every day of every one of the last four years in office. I worked for big corporations, for profit, for greed, for more for those who already have lots, and for less for those who have little or nothing. That was my mandate and that was what I fulfilled. I am proud to say I am a white supremacist and I have made America great again.

Today when the electoral college declares me the 46th president of the United States of America, the first thing I will do will be to sign an executive order removing ‘United’ from the title of our country and replacing it with ‘White’. Then we will be known as the White States of America which is what we should always have been called because this country belongs to us and only to us. And anyone who contests that or doesn’t like it can leave our great again country.

And if by some amazing cheating I am not declared president then I will do everything in my power to make it impossible for the other side to make any changes to our legislature that benefit anyone but those to whom this country belongs.

And so, Republicans of America, I say ask not what you can do for your country, ask what your country can do for you, for your pockets, for your race, for your gender. For as long as you look like me and believe as I do, that our nation is for us alone, you have my respect and that is all that counts.

Let’s do all we can to make sure our country continues working for us alone.”
This Concession Ticket Grants Me the Right to Fight Forever
By: Caroline De Braganza
Tags: Politics, The Bad Influence, Humor, Satire, Election 2020

As the greatest President in the history of the United States, I preen before you today, not to say goodbye but till next time, beautiful people!!!!!!!!

I’ve made this country great again. (MAGA animus.)

We proved we can manage on our own — pulled out of the Iran nuclear deal, the Paris Climate Accord, withheld funding from the WHO — what the fuck do they know about anything?

My amazing successes include the settlement of the Arab/Israeli conflict. Arab countries now recognize Israel. Suppressive regimes like the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, and now Morocco have climbed aboard.

My expertise in real estate really paid off.

What about the Palestinians?

They should go back where they came from.

Jeez, that’s what they’ve been trying to do.

If you continue interrupting, I’ll have you removed. (Turns to acolyte -who let that CNN prick in?)

Devotees, we’ve achieved so much. Divided the country, created racial tension, exposed the China virus as a hoax, defeated ISIS.

What about the Islamic extremists now occupying northern Mozambique?

Where’s that?

In Africa.

Oh, that shit hole. (Turns to another acolyte — who let that bitch from Al Jazeera in?)

We’re winning on all fronts!!!!!

You lost the election.

Get that loser out of here — fucking fake news!!

Our wonderful fracking industry is thriving. Our great fossil-fuel industry is now investing in plastic production, which will double by 2040. More profit to turn my billionaire buddies into trillionaires!!!!!!!

Isn’t it terrific I created a Covid vaccine in less than a year?

I get the job done!!!!!!

Run a country like a business. Hire them, and when they don’t follow your instructions or dare to disagree — fire them. Always aim for high turnover.

Now you know I’m smart, I’m tough, and I never lose.

But my appointees at the Supreme Court have betrayed the country by refusing to reform a voting system which is out of control. They’ve let you down, folks.

This is dangerous. This is really bad. I checked with Rudi, who says I can’t fire them — Supreme Court Justices are appointed for life.

I may call in the military to enforce my election challenges. The veterans love me — they’ll support me.

Those Deep State and left-wing phonies have conspired to rig the elections in their favor.

The Electoral College is weak and stupid; plans to endorse the Biden/Harris camp tonight.

You’ll remember at the start of my term of office (and not the last) I said,

“Let’s make America great again and bring professionalism and the basic qualities of respect back into politics.”

We’ve done a tremendous job in making that a reality.

If you’re queuing outside my White House for your Presidential Pardon, patience please–I’ve got a lot to get through.

Remember the deadline is January 20, 2021.
A Whatchamacallit: an ABC Poem about Stupid Smartphones
By: Fred Ermlich
Tags: Abecedarian, The Bad Influence, Vaccine Bullshit, Smartphones, Fred Ermlich

A smartphone —

Being the agent of

Change, is

Deliberately designed to make

Everybody

Focused on an area

Generally about

Half a meter in every direction.

It’s an incredible transformation — accomplished

Just by limiting people’s focus

Keeping them from seeing their world. Not

Letting them know how

Most everybody in the world

Now is limited to the same little bubble,

Only observing what other “bubble

People” see and have to say. Except . . . The media haven’t

Quit shrinking people’s worldview, reporting

Racism,

Stories about Covid-19,

Trumpism . . . and not much else

Unless you

Value stories about the lives of the rich and famous

Who might be the only ones who get to the

XYZs of the alphabet — the larger world, while formerly normal people are

Yet stuck at A and B, completely

Zoned out, no longer aware of that larger world . . .

FRED
Solace Within The Sea
By: Reuben Salsa
Tags: Salsa, Death, The Bad Influence, Thrifty Words Challenge, 50 Word Stories

50 WORDS

Solace Within The Sea

Photo by Nate Neelson on Unsplash

I stared at the dark sea. The waves lapped ferociously upon the shore. My mind was on fire with the voices of discontent. They raged against the injustice of imperfections.

I desired nothing more than silence.

Legs trembling, I stood.

Quietly I walked into the glacial embrace of the water.
Salty And Free
By: Giulietta Passarelli
Tags: The Sea, The Bad Influence, Remembering, Salty And Free, 50 Word Stories

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This is THE BAD INFLUENCE — “Be daring, be different, be impractical, be anything that will assert integrity of purpose and imaginative vision against the play-it-safes, the creatures of the…
By: Reuben Salsa
Tags: Writing, Salsa, The Bad Influence, Self, Short Form

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Don’t Rock the Boat, Sir Swashbuckler
By: Julie Ranson
Tags: Océan, The Bad Influence, Ship, 50 Word Stories, Sea

She thought she’d create some nautical fiction.

Imagining the scent of the sea, the somnolent rocking of a boat, she writes.

Soon, a swashbuckler woos her heroine who’s imprisoned by a brash buccaneer.

The sounds and scents of sea air are replaced by metal clangs and iron smell of blood.
I Was Born In The U.S.A.
By: Melissa R. Mendelson
Tags: Melissarmendelson, Bruce Springsteen, American, Poetry, The Bad Influence

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These songs we sing
By: Julia Hawkins
Tags: The Bad Influence

Alone and yet not lonely,

the path on which we outward stride,

at times the road grows worrisome,

there then, this place I occupy.