I had to choose between a haunted typewriter prompt or a sentient traffic cone prompt for a contest in Boise.

I went with the traffic cone, and my story about a cone named Kevin who hates construction ended up winning me a $50 gift card to a weird local bookstore.

3 comments

3 Comments

the_julia3mo ago

So what's Kevin's deal with construction? Like, does he just want everyone to drive around him forever?

maxmurphy3mo ago

The Kevin Construction Company has been working on that same half-mile stretch for three years now, Julia. I'm starting to think their business model is just causing traffic.

jake1911mo ago

That line about "drive around him forever" really got me thinking. My cousin Dave once worked for a crew that repainted the same bridge three times in one summer because the boss kept changing his mind on the shade of gray (it was a really specific gray, like battleship but 'warmer'). I wonder if Kevin (the construction guy) has a similar vibe where he just likes the sound of cones being moved around. Every time I see that crew, they're standing in a circle staring at a hole in the ground like it's a campfire. Maybe Kevin just really enjoys watching people make that frustrated sigh through their windows, you know?