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Morning Coffee 69: A Story Worth Telling ☕

The timing couldn't have been more perfect. Hehe.
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…I just can’t stop laughing. It was SO FUNNY!


Hey, you.

Yeah, you—the one holding that glorious cup of life-giving caffeine.

Settle in.

I’ve got a story for you today.

It’s one I’ve wanted to tell for a while, and trust me, it’s a good one.

The Setup

Once in a while, I go back through the archives of my storytelling life because I don’t want to be that guy who tells the same tale over and over.

But this one?

This one never gets old.

It’s about a prank — that made me laugh harder than any other prank I’ve ever pulled. And for those of you who know me, that’s saying something.

The Scene:

I was visiting my dearest friend, Ondi. My family and I were staying at his beautiful home, and he was kind enough to give us the guest room right next to his. So there we were, in this two-story house, nestled in for the night.

Now, it’s important to note:
✅ It wasn’t a full moon, but there was just enough soft glow coming in through the windows.
✅ The house had this gorgeous wooden staircase leading down to the main level, and it’s smack dab in the middle of the hallway.
✅ I have a history of getting up way too early for my own good.

The Perfect Moment

So, there I was—early in the morning, stretching in the hallway, soaking in the peace and quiet… when I noticed something.

Ondi, was backing out of his bedroom, being all sneaky-like.

You know the move—hand on the doorknob, trying to close it without making a sound, inching out like a shadow.

And my cartoonist brain immediately went, “oh, this is an opportunity.”

So I did what any reasonable person would do.

I crouched down, made the most terrifying face I could think of...

And I waited.

Patiently.

And the second he turned around… BAM!

Eye contact.

The Aftermath

Guys.
I thought the man was going to die on the spot.

✅ His eyes went WIDE.
✅ He looked like he let out this guttural, horror movie-level scream, but NEVER MADE A SOUND!
✅ He grabbed his chest like he was about to keel over.
✅ And he almost flipped over the railing.

I had to grab him before he tumbled down the stairs. I swear, I haven’t laughed that hard in my entire life.

To this day, he hates when I tell this story—which, naturally, makes it even better. And now, my friend, you’ve heard it too.


Takeaway of the Day?

If you ever get the chance to spook someone in the most epic way possible, do it. But, you know… maybe have a safety net in place so you don’t actually send them to the hospital.

Now, tell me in the comments:

What’s the best prank you’ve ever pulled?

Let’s swap stories.

I’m also playing with sounds…

1.5 Billion gnomes?

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What would it be like to walk into a giant stadium, and you’re standing in line for refreshments…then the S.L.A.G.S. started appearing? This is me, playing with sounds…whaddya think? [Hint: play it LOUD]

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Life of Fiction is a reader-supported publication. To receive stories, games, art, podcasts and more, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.

Remember:

You are MORE than you THINK you are!

Until Next Time,

Jaime *loves-to-scare-people-in-the-dark* Buckley

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Discussion about this video

User's avatar
Scoot's avatar

Here I am sneakily checkin' out your stuff thinkin' i'm being all slick and quiet like your friend and there you go at the end of your episode and give me a great shout out. AND I'm VERY excited to see what you can put together for Flash Fiction!! Can't wait for the 2x2!

I have a prank story I'll share too.

When I was a kid, SARS had a spot in the sun as the virus of choice. It was making headlines and all that, one spring many years ago. April Fools Day is coming up, and my family always enjoyed april fools day. So my siblings and I gather and make a conspiracy. We're going to make a fake letter saying that our neighborhood is quarantined.

Older sister: Language. She writes a letter as official sounding as it can be. "Dear Resident, your neighborhood has been designated as a quarantine zone by the department of health" yadda yadda. Scoot: Graphics. I find a state seal and I put it on the letter head, I print out an envelope with the "postage paid" you see on government letters sometimes. Younger sister: Scheming. She came up with the plan and how to execute it.

My mom was a teacher and we were all school age so she could pick us up and take us home together. My younger sister would always fight for the shotgun seat, and so we knew she would be in the prime location. We would always pull up to the mailbox, younger sister would get the mail, and then we'd sort it inside. We stashed the letter in the car, and then younger sister dropped the mail on the floor, and gathered our prank letter into the bundle of mail.

My mom finds the letter, worriedly opens it, starts reading.

The master stroke: We included a phone number for her to call. I wanted to do a 555 number, but older sister knew it would be revealed as a fake. So we put a completely fake number in there, and said "please call xyz for more information".

My mom reads the letter, gets upset, starts dialing immediately--that's when we let her off the hook "NO NO NO it was a prank, we did this! April fools!"

The best heist we ever pulled off by a long shot, we can laugh about it now but I think at the time my mom was more relieved than anything LOL!

Great episode, thanks again for the shout and for sharing a little laughter with us this morning! Have a great day!

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💎 Jaime Buckley's avatar

Ohhhhhh, I would have let that play out and listen to the phone call! HAHAHA..

I was just about to contact you, Scoot....because I have, officially, written my VERY FIRST flash fiction story.

I used all 4 of your prompts.

Tried to keep it under 1000 words....and it ended up under 800, so THAT was a miracle all by itself.

It's also in theme with the rest of the week, the TTRPG and all the gnomes on my mind.

...posts tomorrow...need some artwork first.

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Scoot's avatar

🔥🔥🔥🔥 AMAZING

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💎 Jaime Buckley's avatar

....I could suck at this.

But I'm feeling happy at my first try.

LOL.

I never asked if there were/are any rules to flash fiction?!??

Too late.

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Scoot's avatar

Only rule is that there are no rules. Prompts are designed to kickstart your creativity and not constrain it! looking forward to it!

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💎 Jaime Buckley's avatar

No boxes?

Write what I want??

Welp, now I'll have to participate more.

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Joseph Vickery's avatar

Yes we should do that

I’m free that day

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Okay.