Cartman
Ross polished the bars of the shopping cart until they shone. He had status now and he had to act accordingly.
After Boom-day, when gasoline ran out, bicycles were big. But as tires cracked and chains broke, they were discarded. Now, the man with a shopping cart was king.
Ross overtook Jenks on Broadway, carrying a huge load on his back. Ross nodded officiously; Jenks sneered.
“So high and mighty with your cart, aren’t you? But that front wheel is wobbling pretty bad. How long until you’re like me?”
Never, Ross thought. He was somebody now. He couldn’t go back.
October 17th, 2013 at 2:57 pm
Reminds me of the good ol’ days 🙂
“Take that cart for you, sir?”
How the mighty have fallen…
October 17th, 2013 at 10:20 pm
Very interesting take on the world after gasoline. I’ve used enough carts with junked up wheels to know that he’s going to be a nobody again very soon whether he can admit it or not.
October 17th, 2013 at 11:19 pm
Yeah, that’s about the beginning of the end. It’s bad enough in a store, with smooth floors. Out on cracked asphalt, that cart’s a goner.
October 18th, 2013 at 12:26 am
Good one!
DJ
October 18th, 2013 at 10:35 am
Class differences in the cart class. Who would’a thought!
October 20th, 2013 at 8:39 pm
I’m sure every class is subdivided infinitely. Probably the metal cart people are looking down their noses at the plastic cart ones. 🙂
October 21st, 2013 at 2:16 am
Ha! Ha! I know you are right…
October 18th, 2013 at 12:48 pm
wait till your candle burns out…smirk till then!
October 20th, 2013 at 8:38 pm
🙂
October 18th, 2013 at 6:23 pm
Fantastic. This story works on so many levels. Great work David.
October 20th, 2013 at 8:37 pm
Thank you kindly, sir. I always appreciate your comments.
October 18th, 2013 at 7:56 pm
Dear David,
Many apocalyptic stories this week. Yours exceeds most of them. Interesting hierarchy of the future. Good job.
Shalom,
Rochelle
October 20th, 2013 at 8:37 pm
Thank you, Rochelle. I thought I was very late posting, but we have a lot of entries this week. Quite a group of stories.
October 18th, 2013 at 8:46 pm
Great use of that shopping cart theme. Looks to me like, along with cockroaches, shopping carts are going to rule, even after the “waterless flood” (M. Atwood). Loved your story.
October 20th, 2013 at 8:36 pm
Thanks. 🙂 Shopping carts are just biding their time until cars are out of the way and then it will be their time, at last.
October 18th, 2013 at 9:46 pm
Great little snapshot of what’s to be. Still competing with the Joneses!
October 18th, 2013 at 9:55 pm
You’re late this week. I hope you brought a note… Great story, worth waiting for. The acquisitive society prospers.
October 18th, 2013 at 11:06 pm
It’s funny; I could have been first but had some trouble coming up with an idea. Then, not only did I post late, I forgot to put the link into Inlinkz until a few hours ago. I had been wondering why I wasn’t getting many comments and then it hit me. Thank you for reading anyway. 🙂
October 18th, 2013 at 10:06 pm
Well, isn’t he just carte blanche? He’ll be luck if he can find an old lawnmower carcass to carry his belongings on after cart wheels collapse.
October 18th, 2013 at 11:07 pm
I wonder how far down the hierarchy goes? Maybe in a few years, the man with a Tonka truck will be king, or a breadbox.
October 19th, 2013 at 7:20 am
Or is that cart blanche? 🙂 David, I’ve forgotten the Inlinkz before, too, and thought I’d really bombed with my story. Never a dull moment. Good story as usual.
janet
October 19th, 2013 at 3:37 am
I’m loving the perspective on this one, darling. In the land of the blind and so on…
October 20th, 2013 at 8:33 pm
Yep, you got the idea exactly. It doesn’t take much to totally change the perspective on things.
October 19th, 2013 at 3:49 am
I’ll forever cherish my shopping cart when I shop! It could be the most important thing in my life, someday. Very well written, David!
October 20th, 2013 at 8:33 pm
🙂 We take a lot of things for granted until they suddenly become vitally important to us.
October 19th, 2013 at 6:16 am
I like your take on the apocalyptic times, with how the pecking order will change. Enjoy being king while you can, Ross.
October 20th, 2013 at 8:31 pm
Hopefully he can find a skateboard or a pair of rollerblades later on. 🙂
October 19th, 2013 at 8:43 am
Very inventive use of the photo prompt! Maybe he can start a cart-repair business and work his way up the social ladder again 🙂
October 20th, 2013 at 8:29 pm
I like that idea. Kind of a cart kingpin. 🙂
October 19th, 2013 at 10:23 am
A unique POV, I enjoyed this.
October 20th, 2013 at 8:29 pm
Thanks!
October 19th, 2013 at 6:45 pm
clever and imaginative as always 🙂 this could happen. better start investing in shopping carts ^^
October 20th, 2013 at 8:29 pm
I wouldn’t be surprised if someone is, along with 100 years worth of food and water. Some boy scouts can never be too prepared. 🙂
October 19th, 2013 at 8:09 pm
Dear David,
That’s humans for you. Never a dull moment.
Aloha,
Doug
October 20th, 2013 at 8:28 pm
Yeah, in all levels of life, we still hold onto our pride and petty differences.
October 21st, 2013 at 4:09 am
Oh of course.. once you are a little bit ahead — it hits you. A lot of human nature in this piece.