A story. And an unrelated picture.

The other night we were hanging out with some friends visiting from Belgrade, and Pete made up a new game. He told different people around the room to come up with an object, an action, a location, and a couple other things and then made me write a story about it while everyone else discussed every use they could think of (and I do mean *every* use) for a turkey baster. The things I had to incorporate were: a heater, to throw, Puff the Magic Dragon, the American flag on the moon, and Neverland. You should play this with your friends some time.
Here is the result:

Bill Rutherford sat on the heater smoking a cigar. They were waiting out in the hallway, dozens of them. Some young and hopeful, others distracted and disillusioned. Their futures were in his hands, kind of. He could only take nine, of course. Five for weekdays, four for weekends.

“Jehosephat!” he exclaimed. The heat was threatening to melt the saffron-colored polyester pants he was wearing to his skin, but this had escaped his notice until just now. 'How can I decide,' he wondered. 'What should the criteria be?' He had to start soon, he only had from ten until noon. Throwing darts had always helped Bill focus in the past, and he took this up now. He threw absentmindedly, almost blindly. Most landed on the board, but one strayed and hit the tattered poster on the back of the door with a thwack!, further securing the American flag on the moon in the photograph.

Bill sighed heavily and brushed sweaty strands from his auburn toupee out of his eyes. Would he favor personality? Desperation? Looks? Talent? (Though for what he did not know.) Maybe even sheer oddness, for that type of thing would probably make the most difference in longevity in the position. Not many lasted long at Neverland Ranch.

It was time to begin, and he called the first applicant in: “Nancy Gorman?”
“Yes, sir! Direct from Niagara Falls.”
“Beautiful. Come on in… So, Nancy, why do you think you would make a good ‘Puff the Magic Dragon’? You know, it is very important for every cast member of our ensemble here at the park to be reliable and enthusiastic.”


Anyone else want to finish this?