Stayin’ Alive
Occasionally I participate on the /r/WritingPrompts subreddit. When I do, I’ll post my work here, because why not.
This is the original prompt. My response follows.
“His heart’s not beating, somebody get help!” A young woman kneeled over an elderly man. He had suddenly collapsed in the middle of the diner; tragic, as he seemed perfectly fine when he first got here.
“Christ, not again. Hold on, I got this.” He fumbled around his person for something. Which pocket was it in? His coat? His jacket? Pants? Man, if it weren’t so could out today he wouldn’t have had to layer up and this wouldn’t be an issue.
Ah, there we go. His iPod and earbuds. Not much juice in it left, but he wouldn’t need it for long anyway. He double-checked the L and R on the little bits of plastic, then shoved them into his ears.
Now, where’s that song…oh, yes, here we go.
Well, you can tell by the way I use my walk I’m a woman’s man, no time to talk
Music loud and women warm, I’ve been kicked around since I was born
Now it’s all right, it’s okay, I’ll live to see another day
We can try to understand the New York Times’ effect on man…
“Gah! Get these assholes out of my ear.” Life suddenly returned to the old man, and he wasn’t happy with the voices of three high-pitched British men doing it in his ear. He ripped the cords out of his ears and climbed up back into his booth. Good riddance.
The entire diner broke out in applause and cheer, and the young man received his meal on the house. To this day, hospitals play Bee Gees albums to help patients recover.