Story Starters (dime a dozen)

Okay, true story... I was listening to the same song two different nights and driving by the same place and twice it sounded like someone else (not someone on the album) had joined in on the song. Only one verse both times the same verse. I figure it's just something in the album that's a bit odd, but I've never noticed it before, or anywhere else. That's all there is to it in real life, but it seems like that might be a good way to start a ghost story of some kind. There's a built-in mystery could also be tied in with the "Mary Danced with Soldiers" story. That's how the ghost "tunes in" to the real world and, of course, there's some kind of mission.Okay another. I've somehow become the "guy who takes the packages to the post office" so I get to stand in line a lot. While standing there, I've heard the "new postal regulations speech" recited by the same employee enough times that I can just about repeat it by rote. He never gives the short version it's always the same spiel. "Until the rate increase, First Class went up to 16 ounces, now it only goes to 3.3 ounces after that you have to take the shape and size into consideration when calculating your postage amount.." At any rate, that's not the story/scene idea.

One time, while waiting in line, a bent old man, leaning against a cane, pulled out his coin purse, unsnapped it, and pulled out 4 pennies to buy two, 2 cent stamps. I had to wonder what he needed with these stamps and, for reason, I figured he probably needed them to stick on the last two preprinted, prestamped information packets, looking for his missed granddaughter. And I imagined that he was being watched by a "good" vampire, who only drinks blood from the recently deceased (blame Jesse Valdez's scene challenges for the vampires).

Of course, the vampire (our hero) senses that this poor old man is about to die, and he follows him home. The plot is further complicated by the fact that the vampire is about to starve so waiting may not be an option. So a deal is made he takes on finding the old man's granddaughter... if he can eat now. That's all that I've got. Just another "starter" going nowhere.

Then there's the kid story "Lump on the Log" about a... Lump on the Log. About all I've got on that is that he's big, gross, (Shrek-like, I guess) who blends in with the trees moss grows on him and, he spreads sticky stuff on a flat bread, so ants will get stuck there and he snacks on them. I don't know where the ant thing came from I had a little bit more, but I've forgotten it now. Probably as dumb as the above.

(Now that I've got them written down, I don't have to think about them anymore.)

RonB
"There's a story there...somewhere"