The Three Little Companies

A short story that may or may not be true.

Hand to God, on my divinity.

There were three little companies with lots of big money. The first little company had a gift for turning plain old manuscripts into beautiful works of art.

The second little company had the equipment. They could take that beautiful work of art and multiply it so that everyone in the world could have their very own copy.

The third little company had the front, a gathering place for people to come and purchase these beautiful works of art.

All three little companies were dependent upon one another as each possessed a small portion of the bigger picture, and things were going great. The three little companies were making an honest living helping people turn their dreams into profitable realities.

The first little company especially. When they showed the people of the world that finished product and what they could do, everyone wanted it. More and more people sought the services of the first little company, and the second little company was busy multiplying, and the third little company was busy selling.

Then, Big Bad Wolf came along, and he too wanted to turn his dreams into a profitable reality. The first little company took his plain old manuscript, turned it into a beautiful work of art, and people were buying it.

Uh oh, then the Big Bad Wolf, as smart as he was, realized something. People were buying his art, but he wasn’t getting paid. This was discouraging, and unfortunately, no one seemed to have an answer for why this was happening.

Well, as the story goes, the Big Bad Wolf huffed and he puffed and he blew the three little companies down, only this time, a secret underground passageway connecting the second little company to the front of the third little company was exposed.

So, the Big Bad Wolf listened in and he heard:

A small man representing the third little company came up with a plan to make lots of big money. So, he went to a man who had the equipment and worked for the second little company, and told him about the idea.

The conversation went this way:

3: “You’re able to multiple, and you can multiply a plain old manuscript a million times if that many people wanted it, correct?

2: “Yes, that’s our job.

3: “Good, I want you to keep doing your job, and people will continue buying beautiful works of art from my front.

2: “Yes, sir! Not a problem!” Things are going really well. 1,000 people decided to have their plain old manuscripts turned into beautiful works of art.

3: “That’s good, but I want you to do me a favor. You like me right?

2: “Yeah, of course.

3: “You and I can make a lot of money if we don’t involve the first little company. When people come to my front, you multiply the art, and I’ll sell it.

2: “But how’s the first little company going to get paid? And what about the people? How will the people get paid?

3. “They will get paid. They’ll get paid for every sale except 10.

2: “10? I don’t get it.”

3: “Don’t report the sale of ten beautiful works of art from each person. Before that and after that they’ll get paid. Think about it. If people are buying this art for $20 each, we can make $200,000 before anyone realizes what’s going on. Then, we can open our own first little company. All you have to do is not report 10 sales for each new work of art.”

2: “Okay.”

And there it was, the deal was made, unfortunately, they didn’t expect the Big Bad Wolf to show up. They didn’t think the Big Bad Wolf even had dreams, but he did, and he was big business without the big money.

Soon things went back to normal, and all the people got paid again.

The small men got away with their crimes of theft, conspiracy, fraud, and whatever else you can think of, and they ended up opening their own first little company.

The Big Bad Wolf sold millions of copies of his beautiful works of art, and lived happily ever after.

THE END

A Beginning Ending in Darkness

December 22, 2022

Intro Story

Luger sat contemplating his future. Days and nights were passing by at warp speed as he applied for one job after another. Amazed, he could do nothing but laugh as the bills were piling up on his desk. “Why do the bills seem to come in faster when you don’t have money to pay for them,” he thought to himself.

He took a deep breath in, held it, and exhaled. The pressure was mounting, and this is how he coped with that feeling in his chest. Every night, as he lay in bed starring at the ceiling, he thought about how he could change his life. He needed a fresh start- a new beginning. Or maybe, he needed to just keep trying and pushing. He didn’t know anymore. Then, something pulled him out of bed at three o’clock in the morning, and he found himself looking out of his bedroom window starring at the sky. The thin slice of light in the heavens marked the end of the current moon cycle, for tomorrow, it would be dark.

Moon Analysis

Tomorrow night (December 23) as the sun sets in the evening on the second degree of Capricorn, and the sky darkens, the stars shine extra bright in the absence of moonlight. The new moon in Capricorn will be last new moon of the year leaving us feeling like it’s the beginning of the end. Literally, it is. We get a new moon-a new beginning that will carry us into a new year as 2022 closes out and comes to an end.

There’s definitely pressure mounting, but we block it out for the sake of the holiday season. We’re feeling grounded, and our approach at this time can be purely sensual. We want to laugh as we gather with friends and family. We want to enjoy the moment and take in the beauty that surrounds us. Christmas music, good food, colorful lights, kissing under the mistletoe; we bask in the spirit.

Something deeply important is masked by it all though, and we’re feeling that as well. The cardinal quality of Capricorn bestows us with leadership energy and an enterprising attitude, which will come in handy as we address issues pertaining to our reputation, career paths, and public image. Those are all 10th House issues, the home of Capricorn and her ruler, Saturn.

This is the perfect time, if you can, to meditate and pray. Go within, go deep within and ask for guidance. You see, most of us will head into 2023 with a list of things we want to change and goals we’d like reach. Every year, we have new year’s resolutions, and like an annual tradition, most of us will come in like a lion but go out like a lamb; meaning, half way through the year we’ll have forgotten about what we set out to do or change.

It’s different now though, and that’s because of the new moon. Instead of generating a list of things, pick a few that are really important to you. Concentrate, and plant those seeds. The point is to create your new beginning now, so when January 1st arrives, you’ll already be in flow! That’s quite an opportunity.

Capricorn’s influence on the lunar energy is persistent but patient, steady, consistent, and dependable. We take advantage of every opportunity on our way up. There will be obstacles, and there will be limitations, but discipline will help us overcome. For tips on how to deal with Saturn’s limitations at this time, we can look to his position in Aquarius. It’s really interesting how Saturn at one time, ruled both Capricorn and Aquarius. He rules Capricorn now, but in a sense, he returned to his old sign for this year’s end.

As 2022 comes to an end, and darkness descends upon us, we can’t help but think about a new beginning, but this year, we’re focusing more on the beginning gifted by the new moon, not the one marked by the calendar. And it only makes sense to do so because every new calendar year comes to an end-it’s a never-ending repeating cycle of beginnings and endings.

The moon isn’t going anywhere and the opportunity it’s giving us now involves the creation of a beginning that will last forever.

Story Ending

I guess we’ll find out what happens to Luger in 2023. 😉

And now, I will wish everyone a Merry Christmas, a happy holiday season, and blessed new year. It’s a tradition here at Nooz Buffet for us to take off the last week of the old year and first week of the new year. It’s well deserved and this year will be no different. So, you won’t see anything new up on here until the second week of January.

Friends, Followers, and Fans, I love you, and I appreciate each and every one of you. Thank you for another amazing year, and I’ll see you in 2023.

What are They Doing?

[fictional work]

The day was just beginning as the sun’s firey rays peered through the blinds. A young couple lay nestled together in bed under a warm heavy comforter. There was so much to think about, and so much on their minds, but at this moment, their thoughts about each other consumed them, for each other was all that mattered.

Their apartment was high above the city streets where traffic was slowly mounting and pedestrians scrambled to get to work on time, but from the sounds of the day, it was not out of reach. Through the small opening in the window where the sun’s rays peered, the sounds of the city penetrated their lair. Some would say only beasts reside in lairs, but in a sense, the couple was beasty; two animals, heated with passion.

As her head lay in the comforts of his hairy chest, he ran his fingers through her hair.

“You’re a good girl,” he whispered.

She just looked at him and remained quiet, but it was the touch of his lips to her forehead and his breadth that washed over her face that ignited her primal lust. Like two animals, they rolled around entangling themselves in the bedding. Nothing else mattered.

Funny Story

I think you’ll laugh at this, I don’t know, I thought it was funny.

When I was at my last book signing for my first book, a customer purchased the book and wanted it signed. I thought she said her name was Mary, so I began to sign it, To Mary..

Then, she stopped me and said, “No! My name is Jenny.”

So, I grabbed a new book and signed it, but for the longest time I was stuck with the book that said, To Mary.

I thought, maybe I’ll meet a Mary and I could give her the book. A year went by and I never met a Mary, but I did meet a Marilyn.

I was so excited. All I had to do was squeeze i and l before the y, but for some strange reason, I wrote “land” after Mary.

Now I was stuck with a book that said, To Maryland!

I decided to send the book to the state of Maryland, and that’s what I did.

4311 The House on Furnace Street

A Work of Fiction In Progress

By Francis J. LaManna

It was pouring rain and old man Ottenbury was moving frantically around his house trying to get the windows closed. It’s a good thing, however, not all the windows were open because a house that big could’ve been soaked by the time a man as old as old man Ottenbury got around to closing them. There was no Mrs. Ottenbury, she passed naturally more than a decade ago, and his three kids were grown with lives of their own.

That last window, the one in the living room area was putting up a fight again as it always had. It was near impossible to close; for old man Ottenbury at least. As he pressured down on the small handle, he steadied himself with his left hand pressed against the glass. And then it happened, the glass shattered underneath the pressure of his hand. The sharp glass cut deep into his arm from his wrist all the way up to his elbow.

Ottenbury pulled his arm free and sat on the floor beneath the window. It was still pouring rain, but the sound of rain was soothing. The carpet around the old man was soaked. He closed his eyes and let his thoughts flow, occasionally grabbing onto the memories of his wife. He loved and missed her.

The body of old man Ottenbury was found several days later when the rain stopped. A woman walking past the house noticed the shattered window. Upon closer examination she saw a head and called the police.

Mr. Simmsmore

“The trees are bare. Look! Large tall trees with nothing on them; they look as if they could touch the sky. Fruitless, death ridden, and bare-that’s what they are. Earth has gone into its usual slumber, Winter arrives, and darkness creeps in. Under the cloak of this cold season highway men and thieves ravage villages and torment townspeople,” Mr. Simmsmore paused for a moment as the group of children he was speaking to sat quietly around a fire.

“Just last year Ms. Whitlock was nearly beaten to death for a bag of coins,” he continued. I remember that evening-oh yes, it was bitter cold outside. She hadn’t made it halfway to the village center before being robbed. Thieves nearly ripped her arm off pulling that sack from her hands.”

The children sat with their mouths open. They really didn’t know what to make of Mr. Simmsmore. He was an adult so they had a natural respect for him, but to his peers, Mr. Simmsmore was the village idiot. He was a show in himself-a legend in his own mind they’d say.

Today, however, he had the attention of the children in his clutches.

“So you see children, you must be aware during the cold months. Stay close to your parents and never wander off alone. You will never be heard from again, perhaps, if you do. Don’t ever say old Mr. Simmsmore never warned you. But let me tell you something children, things change. People change, and the seasons change. It will not be cold and dark forever. Soon, very soon, the coldness will give way to the warm Spring breeze. The trees will bare fruit once again, and Earth will come to life. For the lives we live are attuned to the world in which we live. Death, life, rebirth and living again-we go around and around. Now, go home to your parents. Run!”

The children listened. The group jumped up and sprinted off, and Mr. Simmsmore laughed to himself as he took a quick sip of Brandy from his flask.

“Damn kids-always playing in my drinking spot,” he muttered to himself.

Tormenting Beverly, The Conclusion

How much worse could things get for Beverly. The matrix-this electronic prison broke her. It broke her mentally and physically. She was ashamed, embarrassed, and even though she was the victim, she now felt guilty.

That voice-that evil speaker who spoke to her through some type of intercom system gave her a choice, and she chose life. The voice was right, Beverly didn’t walk out of the matrix, she crawled out on her hands and knees. After servicing several strange men at the hole in the wall, the automatic connection to her leash was replaced by a human woman. This woman, who wore business attire, walked Beverly outside of the prison and down a soft dirt path to a bathhouse.

Beverly showered and cleaned herself up. She was given new clothes; a professional business suite and attache case. She tried to fix her hair, but there wasn’t much to work with.

There was an envelope on the ground outside of the bathhouse.

The note inside read:

Beverly, you were wonderful. I would like to thank you for applying to the Executive position at E-Mazing here in Chicago. If you’re still interested in working for our company, we would like to make you an offer and negotiate your contract. The work we do is private, and our clients are wealthy. They prefer to remain out of the public eye. What you experienced is standard for all new hires. Your cooperation and loyalty to our company and the clients we serve is top priority. Behind the bathhouse you’ll see a brick path. Walk that until you come to the gatehouse. There’s a package inside containing all your new employee paperwork and a video copy of your entire experience at E-Maze. Thank you.

“That’s what this was a about,” Beverly muttered to herself.

“A fucking job,” she screamed.

Beverly took her package and exited the compound.

THE END

Tormenting Beverly 4

Beverly reached into the second bucket and pulled out a pair of thigh high stockings. Naked and leashed, she sat down on the hard cold floor and pulled her stockings up as high as they could go.

“Very good,” it said.

“There’s nothing else in the bucket,” Beverly yelled.

The static from the intercom system went silent once again, and Beverly knew she was on her own for the time being. She stood up, the room turned from bright yellow back to blue and purple, and a short path revealed itself to her. As she walked forward, the rooms behind her turned dark.

There was no going back.

Beverly reached the end of the path, and darkness filled the space around her. There was a mirror in the room she currently occupied, and as much she didn’t want to, she decided to take a look at herself. Beverly was exhausted. The stress, the worry, the anxiety, the fear; she was completely worn out. The skin under her eyes was a little swollen an puffy-from a lack of sleep she figured. She looked down at her stomach; it was slightly sunken in. Without knowing the time or day, Beverly didn’t know when her last meal was. She was hungry though. Her flat belly was growling. Her lips were dry from dehydration. She was cold, and naked, and she smelled like urine.

Beverly was beautiful, and even through all the ugliness brought on by the kidnapping and this matrix, she was able to find a little joy in her reflection. She was lost in thought and a little delirious-swaying, as she stood looking at herself.

“Do you like what you see Beverly,” it asked.

She did, but this question put Beverly on the spot. She was now at a crossroad, and she knew it was decision time; keep fighting or submit, but how much longer could she go without food or sleep?

Too tired to even talk, Beverly nodded her head in agreement.

“Yes, I do too,” it said laughing. “Good. Good girl. Now, I’m giving you a choice. You can go left, or you can go right, but you will not walk out of here.”

Beverly decided to go left, and the room lit up red. The space around it was dark so she had to cautiously move to the perimeter, and feel her way outside the borders like she had done so many times before. She was like a blind person reaching out and feeling her way to freedom. As Beverly made her way around the red room she felt nothing but walls on the other side.

“There’s nothing left,” she shouted. “That’s not a fucking choice!”

She took a deep breath and walked through the purple and blue room to get to the room on the right side of where she started. The room lit up green. In front of Beverly, hanging down around her knees was clamp, and the clamp was attached to a thick metal chain that went all the way up to the ceiling. There was a piece of paper on the floor.

The Note Read:

I told you you wouldn’t walk out of here, however, I still gave you a choice, and it looks like you’re making the right one. After all, you’re so young. You have your whole life ahead of you. Why would you want to die in place like this? Now, I want you to get on your knees and attach the leash to the clamp.

Beverly dropped to her knees and reached behind herself to attach the leash. When the leash was secure a new path opened. Beverly remained still-still on her knees. She thought about what was written in the letter, she thought about what the voice said, and she considered her new surroundings. It was hard to see what was up ahead from her knees, but she could see herself clearly on the television hanging on the wall in the room. Beverly took another deep breath before leaning forward and letting her palms touch the floor.

The voice came back.

“Awesome,” it said. “I didn’t even have to tell you what to do! Good doggy.”

Beverly ignored the taunting voice and crawled forward on her hands and knees. Humiliation and shame washed over her as she crawled fully exposed through the purple and blue rooms. One after another, television after television; and every once in a while she would look up at the television to see if she was still on the screen. She was.

“You wanted to be a star didn’t you Beverly,” it asked. “Didn’t you want to be on television? Oh, you’re so talented.”

Beverly ignored it and kept crawling. Her knees were sore and her neck was cramping, but she kept crawling, and eventually, she came to a room where she could eat and drink. There were two bowls on the floor; dry cereal in one and water in the other. She drank and ate like a dog, and when she drank too fast the the chain would retract and yank her back. Sometimes the chain would retract for no reason at all and so hard it would pull her hands off the floor.

Not long after eating, Beverly crawled to a room with a small mattress. Her eyes lit up-she was craving sleep. It wasn’t much, but at least she was able to curl up on her side and rest for a while; and she was off the cold hard floor.

When she woke up she had no idea how long she’d been sleeping for. Still curled up on the small dirty mattress, Beverly wiped the tears from her face. She thought maybe she was dreaming-like all this had been a terrible nightmare that she’d awaken from, but it wasn’t. She laid there naked, dehydrated, and smelling like urine. The only thing different was the position of her chain. Instead of it going up to the ceiling, it was now behind her-attached way off in the darkness somewhere. Remembering not to stand, Beverly repositioned herself on all-fours. Forward was the only way to go; she looked at herself on the television screen and began crawling.

She crawled until a wall impeded her progress. The room she just left went dark-there was no going back. It was pitch black all around her. The purple and blue lights faded out until she could barely see the room she was in, but she could hear static coming from the intercom.

“Once again, you have a choice,” it said.

She heard the intercom switch off, and the room went silent. From above, a bright white spotlight accented the wall blocking her way forward. At the height of where her head was, there was a round hole. One round hole. The wall moved forward slowly-closing in on her. When it was several feet from her face it stopped, and in a panic, Beverly jumped to her feet.

“I don’t like this,” she yelled. “Stop this! This is going too far!”

Beverly let out a scream, but it was overpowered by the sound of the chain. The chain was changing positions again-going from behind her to overhead. When it stopped moving it began to retract pulling Beverly up onto her tippy toes. Then it went further until her feet were off the floor. Beverly reached up out of desperation-trying to somehow free herself as her feet swung freely. She was gasping.

The voice was back.

“Bad doggy,” it said while she hung there for a short time.

Beverly was eased back down to the floor, and the chain’s connection slid back behind her. She understood now. Life or death was the choice it was giving her, and choosing life meant she didn’t have much of a choice. She fell to her knees again and placed her hands on the floor. Obediently and seductively, she crawled like a dog-on all fours until the wall was inches from her face.

To Be Continued….

Tormenting Beverly 3

Pissed off and sad all at once is pretty much how Beverly was feeling. She grabbed the scissor off of the table and began cutting her beautiful black hair.

“Why waste time,” she yelled. “I know what you want me to do!” Clump after clump hit the floor, and when Beverly was finished cutting, she took the scissor and threw it as hard as she could at the floor. She was loosing it, and she didn’t give a shit, unfortunately, a bad haircut was just the beginning.

The green room turned back to that purple and bluish color, and a new path opened before her. Beverly stood looking down the long corridor. There was something off in the distance that caught her attention. Hoping the worst was now behind her, Beverly got a huge burst of energy and sprinted down the hallway. She thought she was sprinting to freedom, but eventually, the path ended. Darkness filled the space around her.

There was a static or something coming from the ceiling. Someone was trying to speak to her, but it wasn’t clear. Remember those old radios where you could turn the knob to your favorite stations, but if the dial was in between two stations, there was that static? Well, that’s what it sounded like at first, but the speaker tuned in.

“Beverly. Well done,” it said.

“What do you want from me,” Beverly yelled out. “Why am I in here?”

“You weren’t given permission to speak,” the speaker replied. “Now, do yourself a favor and close your mouth. I’d keep it closed if I were you.”

Beverly could hear the man laughing before the room went quiet again. The square to her right lit up bright yellow. It was a strange looking room; it couldn’t have been any bigger than a 6×6, but the ceiling was really high-maybe twenty-five feet or so. Beverly stepped into the room, and the space behind her went dark. There’s was no backing out now-no going back. The room was tight, she felt cramped in it.

When she looked up again she saw holes. There were round holes in the walls above her head. Strategically placed, theses holes began ten feet high, and there was one every few feet all the way up to the ceiling.

Beverly didn’t know what to do, there was just enough room for her to stand and so she stood there with her mouth closed. After several minutes a liquid came forth from every hole in the room. She thought it was water.

When she realized it was urine, she put her head down and closed her eyes. She was ashamed, embarrassed, and after several minutes, she was soaked. Finally, the peeing stopped, the room lit up purple and blue, and a new path opened before her.

When she stepped into the new square the voice came back.

“Very good,” it said. “See, I told you to keep your mouth closed. I wouldn’t steer you wrong; you listen well. Now, if you look to your left you’ll see two buckets. One is empty, and the other has something for you to wear. Put everything you have on in the empty bucket. Change for me.”

Beverly did as she was told; her eyes were filled with tears, her makeup was smeared all over her face, and she still had dry blood in her nostrils.

“Accessories first,” the voice said.

Beverly reached into the second bucket and pulled out a doggy collar. She fastened it around her neck and the attached leash dangled down around her feet.

To be continued….

Tormenting Beverly 2

The room Beverly stood in was bright, glowing with purple and blue lights. A florescent strip of white outlined the perimeter. Beverly was a young pretty girl in her early twenties. She was athletic and bubbly with a good sense of humor, but she wasn’t laughing now. An hour passed, and the blood flowing from her nose finally slowed down. After hitting the wall Beverly walked forward. She covered at least a mile by now, maybe a little more. Room after room lit up with purple and blue, while the previous space went dark.

She stood still for a moment and then slowly turned to her left moving with caution to the edge of the room. Beverly extended her arms into the darkness, and it appeared to be open. She didn’t want to commit just yet though; once she exited a room, there was no going back. She walked to right side of the room she currently occupied once again reaching out with her arms to explore the darkness ahead. Just beyond the border she could feel a wall. There was only two ways to go now, forward or left.

She knew had to try something different and so she made up her mind to go left. When both feet were planted in the new room the square space lit up green. The color change was a breath of fresh air. There was a table in the center of the room and on the table was a scissor. It wasn’t a scissor for cutting clothing or an art scissor; it was a scissor for cutting hair. Beverly recognized the difference as everything suddenly seemed to take on meaning; very specific meaning. The matrix she woke up in was obviously some sort of puzzle. Everything mattered, and perhaps the green lighting was a hint at the way to go.

Someone was tormenting Beverly, but how far would they go? Who were they? What did they want?

To be continued……..