Thanks to my patrons, the year starts with a challenge. Normally I would have kicked this genre to the end of the month, but thanks to my new workflow, I’ve gotten more comfortable working with comedies. Just because a story is built upon a formula doesn’t mean it’s incapable of being a wonderful tale. In fact, my favorite comedy duo created a lot of movies with the same formula. Despite distinct plot lines, the movies’ comedic energy, though formulaic, was consistently hilarious. In fact, it is the very aspect that’s allowed me to create a pair of comedies that are influenced by Bud Abbott & Lou Costello..
In fact, I’ll always remember the first movie of theirs I saw, Hold that Ghost. While I’m not looking to duplicate these Abbott & Costello, rather, it’s my hope that Sebastian and Jimmy can be similar. It also means that while the story will change with every installment, the comedy will have similar beats and measures. However, just like with my inspiration, it’s my hope that the comedy drives each new tale. Yet, in order to create the fresh narrative, I tossed my new story cubes. From the roll, I ended up taking the bird, the map, and the chalice.
Usually, this suffices for my storytelling, but not with comedies. I require a little more. So armed with my prompt, I headed over to ChatGPT and asked it to give me a comedy inspired by Abbott & Costello which featured a bird, a treasure map, and a chalice. Within a moment, the Ai tool provided me with a story which felt like a genuine skit from my favorite duo. But there’s no way I would use such a story for my patrons. Instead, after reading through multiple times, I jotted the rough idea for my version of the story. From there, the story flowed through my fingers.
So find a comfortable chair and join me as Sebastian & Jimmy are searching for treasure.
As Sebastian and Jimmy hunt a new treasure, eventually the map leads them to an old-fashioned fence made of piled up stones…
As a pair of friends marched along an old-fashioned stone fence, the leaner figure grabbed his friend’s arm. “Sebastian, I’m pretty sure we’re going the wrong way.”
“No, we’re not.” Sebastian freed his arm as he turned his head to flash a lopsided grin. “This is the right path.”
Jimmy’s head whipped back and forth as he stopped. “Either we’re lost, or this map was drawn to guide us someplace else.”
Groaning, the heavier man rubbed his face before hurrying back to stand beside his friend as he scanned the map. A second later, Sebastian clicked his tongue. “Well, I see the problem you’re having reading this.”
“So you agree we’re lost?”
“No, but let me see if I can highlight the issue you’re having.” Sebastian’s left arm cut across his friend’s chest as he grabbed both sides of the map.
.
.
.
To continue reading head over to my Patreon page and become a patron, $2 a month will give you access to this and other flash fiction stories.