Mad, Mad Words: The Ritual Part I

     Here's another story we wrote using a Mad Libs word list.  For more details about how we came up with our story, see our original Mad, Mad Words post.  I've included our list below.  Feel free to try writing a story of your own using them and let us know what you come up with, either by posting in the comments below or by emailing me at hathaway.amber@gmail.com.

Word list:
*Turnips
*Slap
*Hydrogen peroxide
*Bubbly
*Spilling
*Roque mallet
*Hotels
*Topiary
*Larynx
*Shields
*Suffocating
*Thermometers
*Ice Cube
*Chalk
*Staircase

     He finally arrived at his location, the enormous turnips towering over him like skyscrapers.  He slapped one of the turnips with his briefcase.  The briefcase began to hiss like hydrogen peroxide applied to a fresh wound.  A purple, bubbly liquid oozed out of it.  The liquid spilled over the ground, slowly consuming the earth it touched.

     The man reached into the bushes and pulled out a roque mallet.  The many hotels that he visited on his journey provided him ample supplies for the ritual which he was about to perform.  He glanced back at the topiary which had concealed his mallet.  He began to hum, what seemed like an impossibly loud tone resonating from his larynx.  He stepped back behind the shaped hedges, using them as shields.  A wave of panic washed over the strange man, cutting off his voice, suffocating him.  He had forgotten the thermometers.

     Large ice cubes began to form on the turnips.  He pulled the piece of chalk from the interior pocket of his suit and drew a ring on the pavement, enclosing himself inside it.  A loud rumbling sound penetrated his ears and the pavement shook as a staircase formed underneath his feet . . .

Mad, Mad Words: The Woman in the Orange Stilettos Part II

     For part I of this story, see here.  We wrote this tale using a Mad Libs word list.  For more details about how we came up with our story, see our original Mad, Mad Words post.  I've included our list below.  Feel free to try writing a story of your own using them and let us know what you come up with, either by posting in the comments below or by emailing me at hathaway.amber@gmail.com.

Word list:

*Sequined

*Sweater

*Dresser

*Slimy

*Eye

*Stepstool

*Table

*Hot

*Glaciers

*Messily

*Balloon

     She tossed aside her orange sequined heels and then stood, trying to act casual.  The sweater she picked out earlier felt far too heavy now and intensified her perspiration.  She could not wait to get back to her dresser so she could change, but first she had business to attend to.

     The man drew nearer to her with each moment that passed, a slimy smile plastered to his face.  Out of the corner of her eye she saw the building, its front face trimmed with ivy, sticking out like a sore thumb against the row of skyscrapers and other modern buildings.  She was hoping the figure atop the stepstool in front of said building would take note of her.  He looked her way and hopped down, moving around the table toward her, but with his eyes low to the ground and his trajectory at a slight diagonal with respect to hers.

     She felt her face grow hot as she watched him.  He had come to her rescue during the glacier incident as well and she was sick of looking weak and helpless around him.  She had performed the mission messily, and as a result the glacier had gone off course.  A sound like a balloon popping pulled her out of her recollection . . .

Invasion of the Zombie Circus Performers Part V

     For the previous parts of the story, see here, here, here, and here.

     Alison decided to try her neighbors across the street.  She darted past the remaining zombies to the Johnsons' house.  She approached the door and knocked, waiting for a reply, since Mr. Johnson hated rude people.  No answer.  She tried the door.  It was unlocked.  She let herself inside.  Perhaps Mr. Johnson would understand, given the circumstances.  She ran inside and locked the door behind her.  As she turned around she was faced with a very angry looking Mr. Johnson.

     "What are you doing here, you damn nosy kid?  What are you doing in my house!" Mr. Johnson exclaimed.

     "I'm sorry Mr. Johnson.  I tried knocking, but no one answered," Alison explained.  "I figured that since there were zombie circus performers outside who want to eat me you might understand."

     "You goddamned kids got no respect these days.  When I was your age, we had manners or we'd get our butts spanked until they were redder than old Saint Nick's cheeks."

     "I'm really sorry, Mr. Johnson, but I would have been eaten alive if I'd stayed out there.  Can I please stay here, just long enough for me to figure out what to do about the zombies?"

     "Zombies or no zombies, we knew respect as kids, or otherwise they would teach us respect.  I remember back in the zombie invasion of '66, now that was a zombie invasion.  You couldn't go five feet without being bit by a zombie and we had respect and still waited for the door to be answered instead of barging in unannounced."

     "Okay Mr. Johnson, I understand, and next time there's a zombie invasion I'll wait for you to answer the door.  But for now, I'm already inside, so you might as well just let me stay."

     Mr. Johnson, mumbling under his breath, walked into the kitchen.  "While you're here I may as well offer you something to drink.  I would hate to be rude."

     Alison glanced out the window and gasped.  Dozens of zombies filled the Johnsons' front yard.

Invasion of the Zombie Circus Performers Part IV

     For the first three parts of this story, see here, here, and here.

     They first came by ones, then by twos and before she knew it they filled the room.  Alison knew that her stuffed animals would not be able to take on all of the zombie acrobats.  She needed something more powerful.  She remembered that there was a fire escape outside her window.  If she could make it outside, she could go for help.  While her stuffed animals fought bravely in her defense, she made her way out the window.  Fortunately these zombie acrobats were not as limber as living acrobats, and thus had some trouble making it out the window. 

     Alison made her way to the roof.  As she looked down below she saw masses of zombie circus performers in the streets.  She weighed her options.  There were far fewer zombie circus performers in her backyard.  If she climbed down the tree beside her house and ran for it, maybe she could make it to Jennifer Thompson's house, which was right next door.

     She quickly located the emergency weapon stash in the secret roof vault and prepared to make her journey.  She grabbed a semiautomatic and several other guns and then proceeded to climb down the tree.  As she climbed down the tree one of the branches broke from her weight.  She sat up quickly, but already the zombie circus performers had spotted her and were heading toward her.

     She threw a grenade into the mass of zombies which had formed and was making its way toward her.  Body parts went flying in all directions as the grenade went off.  Blood and flesh splattered everywhere, including all over Alison, all over the house, all over the Thompsons' house.  Mr. Thompson would not be pleased.  Just then zombie Mr. Thompson appeared at his door flailing his arms wildly.  Maybe the Thompsons' wasn't the best place to go.  The remaining zombies started lumbering toward her.  She needed to a new plan and she needed it now.

Invasion of the Zombie Circus Performers Part III

     For part I of this story see here and for part II see here,

     Carrying its Bible in one hand and a cross in the other, the Jehovah's Witness stared wildly, looking straight into Alison's soul. She quickly looked away. The clown on stilts hurriedly backed away from Alison's window, and the other invading circus creatures followed suit. Except for the dead mime, which mysteriously began to float upwards. Teddy shot some fireballs at it, but it continued to rise. Rise like a piece of dough in a slightly warmed place.

     Alison hurried over to her CD player and hit the play button. CDs began to shoot at the Jehovah's Witness at incredible speeds. However, the Jehovah's Witness managed to dodge every one and then returned fire with his cross gun, destroying Alison's CD player in one hit.

     Alison knew what she had to do. She began singing Lady Gaga's "Lovegame" at the top of her lungs. The Jehovah's Witness dropped his bible and cross gun and covered his ears. Teddy made his move. He shot fireballs at the Jehovah's Witness, setting him on fire. But it was too late; the mime had become fully reanimated.

     Alison grabbed her eye shadow off her dresser and lunged at the mime, smearing purple across his face. The mime laughed at her. "Only sparkly purple eye shadow can stop me!"

     Fortunately Alison happened to have some sparkly purple eye shadow on hand. She attacked the mime, yet it had been a clever ruse; the mime grew even more powerful. She fumbled across her dresser and threw the first item she grabbed at the mime, her blush. The mime shrieked in agony and then burst into flames. But even though they had gotten rid of the mime, the Jehovah's Witness, and two clowns, Alison and her stuffed animals were not yet out of harm's way because the zombie acrobats had arrived.

Invasion of the Zombie Circus Performers Part II

     For part I of this story, click here.

     Alison hurried upstairs and locked herself in her bedroom. As she turned around, she realized her mistake. She had forgotten to grab the hydrochloric acid. Oh well, she would have to make do with what she had. That being her good looks and charm, of course.

     She heard footsteps on the staircase. Looking under the door, she managed to catch a glimpse of a mime making its way up the stairs. She dashed over to her dresser and started looking for what she hoped would be there. Just as she hoped, she found her stuffed teddy bear. As soon as she had grabbed Teddy, she heard something tapping on the window. It was a clown on stilts.

     Alison rounded up her stuffed animals and then recited the words. Suddenly the stuffed animals sprang to life. Her stuffed Teddy (Tactical Electronic Doomsday Device Yikes) hovered above the floor glowing blue above the floor.

     At that instant, the clown on stilts broke through Alison's window. The mime began pounding on her door. Alison looked over at Teddy. He was now 7 feet tall and had long, sharp claws and teeth, and could shoot fireballs from his eyes. Teddy glared at the clown and shot fireballs at him. The clown deflected the fireball, causing it to blow up Alison's formerly locked door. The clown howled in pain, since one of Alison's other stuffed animals had burned him with its lasers. The now flaming mime ran into the room, catching several of Alison's stuffed animals on fire. The mime fell to the ground and died, but Alison noticed something far more frightening making its way up the stairs toward her bedroom.

Invasion of the Zombie Circus Performers Part I

     This is the first story Brian and I worked on together, which we started about 4 1/2 years ago, when we first began dating.  Unlike the Mad Libs stories, we did not have a specific word list we used.  Rather, we simply took turns writing sentences.  Hope you enjoy!

‎     It was a dark and stormy afternoon and Alison was home alone watching TV when suddenly there was a noise: the sound of a creaking stair coming from the basement. At first she tried to ignore it, but then she heard it again; something was coming up the basement stairs.

     Bravely Alison went to investigate the noise. She stopped in the kitchen to grab a carver's knife, then proceeded to the basement door. Feeling thirsty, she decided to get a drink of water first. She turned on the faucet. Unfortunately the sound of the faucet drowned out the soft squeak of the basement door as it opened.

     Her glass slowly filled with what looked like rusty water as she skylarked about the room, hardly taking notice of her surroundings. She heard a thud and spun around. A clown stood smiling menacingly at her. The clown advanced toward her. She backed up against the counter, feeling for the carver's knife. Instead her fingers met with the glass of water.

     She picked up the glass of water and splashed the contents on the clown. The rust colored water began to spit and sputter as it ate away the clown's face. The clown lunged at her, grabbing her arm. But by now Alison had found the knife. She plunged the knife into the clown's chest. That was when she noticed it: a circus performer standing outside her window, watching her kill the clown. She closed the curtains, but knew it was too late. The invasion of the zombie circus had begun.