Story exercise: action/reaction/gap

"Beat after beat, even in the quietest, most internalized of scenes, a dynamic series of action/reaction/gap, renewed action/surprising reaction/gap builds the scene to and around its Turning Point as reactions amaze and facinate" - Robet Mckee

Bob opened the door to his cupboard (expecting to find his clothes) Opposite: He finds a dead cow. (wtf is a cow doing in my cupboard) recoils and steps back (expecting floorboard) is grabbed from behind by a masked figure (expect: militant, actually ex-wife) with knife: "You think you can just walk away from what you've done?" (Figure does not expect resistance) He pulls out tazer (expecting to shock the figure with it) he accidentally shocked himself in the leg. He falls down in convulsions (Figure: what the fuck? sees his hand in his pocket with bulge) pulls his hand out to show tazer. Figure picks it up, smashes the mirrors and writes "cunt" on his forehead. Goes to climb out window. Windows sill breaks. Masked figure falls. Crunch noise.

Been playing with random stories recently trying to divine their inner workings. I wrote this for a friend yesterday :]

Rufus the Dragon

There was once an old an ancient dragon named Rufus. He lived in the darkest caverns of the nimbin mountains and survived by swooping over sunnybank and eating solitary Asians. One day he was flying home after a particularly tasty vietnamese hooker, when he spied a hairy looking tourist man walking all alone down a woodland path. Not one to waste food, Rufus straightened his wings and swept down upon the hapless man.

But then something happened! The man turned around to face the dragon head on, and said "whoaa mannn it's a dragon! How you doin mr. dragon dude?" Rufus was bewildered. For years any living creature he came close to would run, screaming "OMG IT'S A FUCKING DRAGON!!"

Rufus looked at the man, quizzically. The smile beaming beneath the hazy character's drooping eyelids stayed honest, and Rufus said "well, actually, I don't think anyone has ever asked me that. I guess I'm...ok...how are you?"

"Well I'm good Mr. Dragon! My name's Dave by the way, pleasure to meetcha. I'm just haulin this big ass bag o' marijuana back to Taringa way. Wanna give me a hand?"

"Umm...sure" said Rufus

He lowered his left wing onto the ground, and dave clambered nimbly up it. "To Taringa!!" He declared, as Rufus beat his wings with a loud booming of the wind. They soared through the sky and talked of life and love and their shared appreciation for vietnamese prostitutes. They talked about the future and the past and everything in between it, and for a moment, as Rufus glided through the silver clouds, he thought "I am happy." Rufus had never had anyone to love or appreciate him, and although he quickly threw the thought away, for a moment he thought he might have a friend.

Dave pointed out his house and they spiralled down to a perfect landing "thump" in front of the front door. Dave said

"well any friend o' mine is a friend of the family's. Why dontcha come in and meet the kids? They'll get a hoot outta you!!"
Rufus began walking towards the door when Dave stopped and said
"Actually, the wife don't like it, but I'm pretty keen for a hit o' the ol' green baseball bat if you know what I mean?"
Dave pulled a large joint out of his pocket. He laughed and said
"got a light?"
Rufus, eager to please, and slow to think, let out what he thought would be a small lick of flame...only it wasn't a small lick of flame. No, what roared out of Rufus' nostrils was a whirling inferno of instant melty death. It engulfed Dave, and then everything he ever loved in molten wave of liquid flame. Instantly Rufus, seeing what he had done, screamed "NOOOOOO," and beat his mighty wings towards the fire, Dave screaming in the blacks of his eyes. Suddenly, a mammoth gust of wind lifted Dave's body up and into the sky. With another heave of his wings, Rufus leaped into the air, catching Dave gently on his back before gliding to the ground.
"I'm sorry," said Rufus, trying to hold back his big dragon tears. Dave, charred black and motionless coughed and said "It's alright...mate." Then, his head fell from his neck, like a charred watermelon. Rufus covered himself with his wings as he cried a monsoon of dragon tears, gushing over Dave's stump of a corpse.

Suddenly, Rufus felt a sharp pain in his back. And then another. Pain tore through his chest. He opened his wings and saw what no living creature should ever have to see. A mob of vengeful Asian pimps. A sea of white fur, gold teeth, and green tea, they descended on him with nasal screams of Vietanamese fury. Rufus roared, covering Dave's corpse with his wings...

They cooked him like a stray dog in Beijing.

The End.