copyright Marie Gail Stratford
Code Red
When you build your civilization on the chin of a sleeping giant, certain precautions are essential. The citizens of Menton all remembered the Twitch of ’62 and the Slight Yawn of ’78. Now, there were rumblings far below that portended something greater, possibly even a belch.
“Upgrade to code red,” the security officer said. The soldiers carried the luminous signboard around Mouth Rift and propped it against the giant’s nose.
A moment later, gale force winds started rushing into the nostrils. Sneeze sirens blared.
“What did you do?” the officer yelled.
“Nothing! Just used a new paint called Cayenne Red.”
The Green-Walled Tower 
September 24th, 2014 at 10:53 am
The chin of a sleeping giant…That sounds a bit like a tall tale…
September 24th, 2014 at 11:36 am
Haha, indeed, my friend. 🙂
September 24th, 2014 at 11:15 am
You think so laterally at times. I stand in awe. 🙂
September 24th, 2014 at 11:38 am
🙂 Thank you so much.
September 24th, 2014 at 11:28 am
First story I’ve laughed out loud at in a long time… disaster comes in many ways but this was chilying 🙂
September 24th, 2014 at 11:38 am
🙂 Thanks, Bjorn. Honestly, I find it harder to write a good funny story than a good serious one, so I’m glad it worked.
September 24th, 2014 at 12:29 pm
That was outside of the box David. Very funny, you made me LOL.
September 24th, 2014 at 10:44 pm
🙂 Good. That makes me happy.
September 24th, 2014 at 12:56 pm
Seems like a terrible place to build a civilization. Whoever scouted the location should be fired.
September 24th, 2014 at 10:42 pm
Exactly, although it probably has a good view (of something). They must like to live on the edge, in more than one way. 🙂
September 24th, 2014 at 12:58 pm
Nice one! A pierced nose would have put you over the 100 word limit.
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September 24th, 2014 at 10:43 pm
True, although a pierced nose might have let them attach a safety harness. 🙂
September 24th, 2014 at 1:18 pm
Haha! What fun this one is, David. Amused me no end!
September 24th, 2014 at 10:43 pm
Thanks. 🙂
September 24th, 2014 at 1:33 pm
So imaginative, David. A masterpiece! If I could have just a teeny little bit of your creativity.
September 24th, 2014 at 10:44 pm
Haha, you’re too kind, Amy. Glad you liked it.
September 24th, 2014 at 3:25 pm
A tale to amuse both young and old. 🙂
janet
September 24th, 2014 at 8:01 pm
Love it, very creative original story!
September 24th, 2014 at 10:40 pm
Thanks. I hadn’t written something humorous in a while, if natural disasters in the form of sneezes can be considered humorous. 🙂
September 25th, 2014 at 1:53 am
uh oh! what will they do when he wakes up and starts walking?
September 25th, 2014 at 2:14 pm
That would be very bad. Hopefully at the time of the Great Awakening, they can escape first. Maybe he has a pocket they can hide in.
September 30th, 2014 at 8:52 am
when are you waking up in cyberworld again?
October 1st, 2014 at 11:40 pm
slowly…:) I go from sometimes having lots of time to being busy again. But don’t worry, I’ll be around pretty regularly.
September 25th, 2014 at 3:46 am
Loved this, very funny.
Claire
September 25th, 2014 at 2:11 pm
Thanks, Claire. 🙂
September 25th, 2014 at 4:20 am
Dear David,
Your head must be an amazing and amusing place to dwell. What happens if the giant decides to roll over onto his side? Clever story, particularly if one’s a visual…like me. 😀
Shalom,
Rochelle
September 25th, 2014 at 2:10 pm
Well, I like living here, at least. 🙂 I’m guessing if he ever turns over or gets up, it will the end of the world for them. Unless they can parachute to the ground and start a new life somewhere else safer, like a dragon’s navel.
September 25th, 2014 at 5:19 am
Dear David,
For some reason (probably because of where I live) I thought your story was going to be about a civilization that lived on the edge of a volcano. You really took me for a ride with this one. Well done.
Aloha,
Doug
September 25th, 2014 at 2:04 pm
I guess it would be akin to being on the edge of a volcano, what with the ever present chance of total disaster.
September 25th, 2014 at 1:14 pm
That’s very clever and told with care.
September 25th, 2014 at 1:29 pm
Very much fun! Love the name of the paint.
September 25th, 2014 at 2:03 pm
🙂 Thanks.
September 25th, 2014 at 4:33 pm
Oh my, so imaginative. Very funny story, well executed.
September 26th, 2014 at 8:06 am
You’re so talented…it’s very visual…it made me think of the Mad Max movies with Mel Gibson. Evocations…you inspire alright 🙂
September 26th, 2014 at 12:04 pm
Thanks. 🙂 Now why couldn’t Mad Max have been set on the chin of a sleeping giant? That would have made things a little different…
September 26th, 2014 at 12:13 pm
True…but there is something there…I’m tellin ya 🙂
September 26th, 2014 at 10:15 am
humorous and very imaginative 🙂 enjoyed this very much!
September 26th, 2014 at 9:34 pm
Very funny and so complete. Love the little bits of ‘history’ – past near-disasters they’ve survived. All they need to do now is pour some government funding into new fields of preventive chemistry – maybe they could develop an effective sleeping potion. That’s if they survive the current crisis.
Marg
September 26th, 2014 at 9:40 pm
Good point. 🙂 Glad you liked it.
September 27th, 2014 at 1:47 am
David, Hilarious. 😀 Poor tiny little people. That sneeze is likely to wake him up, and you never want to wake a sleeping giant. They certainly like to live dangerously. You have both a great imagination and great sense of humor. Well written. 🙂 —Susan
September 28th, 2014 at 8:26 pm
This was so funny, I couldn’t stop laughing. So inventive and original. Thanks. 😀
September 29th, 2014 at 9:16 am
HAHAHAHA! Douglas Adams couldn’t have done better, Dave! Hilarious!
September 29th, 2014 at 12:45 pm
Now there is some high praise. 🙂 I’m happy it worked.
October 3rd, 2014 at 6:54 pm
Hah, this one cracked me up! I meant to tell you that when you published it but my computer failed me. Re-read it and scared my cats laughing :)) Thank you!
October 3rd, 2014 at 8:22 pm
Thank you. 🙂 It’s good to know you enjoyed it.