Click on page to destroy writing

A swindler passes by a bird

By 

Shiggles Mcwhigley

T

he swindler was headed upstairs to visit his friend, the forger. The bird he passed along the way was the forger's homing vulture, which was en route to the forger's publisher to make a delivery. Unfortunately, the poor bird had to fly down the stairwell to ground level and out the open terrace since the forger's apartment had no windows. She was carrying some rolled up paper on which her owner had written the perfect end to his prized short story, who's delivery was a mission of utmost importance.

You see, the forger was very proud of this story's ending as it unabashedly mocked the last two novellas in a complete collection written by his far more successful literary rival, Condolyssa Blackburn, who had worked to expose the forger's dishonesty by high-hatting his private dealings in said novellas, of which the forger grew thirsty for revenge. This same short story would later assist the forger in framing her for a homicide.

So, the swindler in the stairwell knew of the forger's vulture, but he hated birds and went about swatting and cursing at her for flying around in the building. Though, little did the swindler realize that there was a third crook who had been hiding in the shadows of the stairwell above him. As the swindler rounded the corner and came into view, the young thief named Khan had already lept from the banister one floor up behind the swindler as he planned to knock the swindler down and take his money.

As was indicative of his inexperience, young Khan did not notice the vulture until after he lept from the banister as he was too busy marking the swindler to notice the large bird flying past him on it's way down. The sight of the dutiful bird had caused the swindler to stop and swat and curse, which completely negated Khan's calculated leap, so as he fell toward where the swindler would have been had it not been for the vulture, he joined the swindler in cursing wildly at the bird because she had single-wingedly ruined his plan.

Khan's midair cursing fit caught the attention of the swindler who sighted him, and since Khan was quite green and merely half his age, the swindler immediately began talking down to him, attempting to illustrate how feeble and worthless his attempt to swindle a swindler. Yet, as the swindler turned to continue his ascent upstairs, his pride had hindered him from noticing that Khan had successfully picked the wallet from his back pocket.

Thus, Khan's incredibly embarrassing, albeit successful, incident is now humorously referred to among his fellow con men as the "greatest con ever botched," which is far less mentally demanding than what it was formerly referred to as, which was the

"condescending conned ascending con dissenting

condor-sending condescending con's

descending condor sending

condor-sending condescending con's

dissenting conte's ending condescending

con-dissenting Condi's

ending condescending contes ending

condescending Khan's descending on

dissenting conned ascending con dissenting

condor-sending condescending con's descending condor sending condor-sending condescending con's dissenting conte's ending condescending con-dissenting Condi's ending condescending contes

sending condescending Khan descending condescending

condor-sending condescending con's descending condor sending condor-sending condescending con's dissenting conte's ending condescending con-dissenting Condi's ending condescending contes ending

condescending conned ascending con's dissenting on

dissenting condor-sending con's descending condor sending condor-sending condescending con's dissenting conte's ending condescending con-dissenting Condi's ending condescending contes sending

condescending conned ascending con's dissenting

condor-sending condescending con's descending condor sending condor-sending condescending con's dissenting conte's ending condescending con-dissenting Condi's ending condescending contes

on descending condescending Khan's descending" con.

Quiz question:

Who is Khan?

A vulture

A vulture

A thief

A thief

The forger

The forger

The forger's rival

The forger's rival

Congratulations!
correct answers enable commenting.

 continue with 

Issue 2

published 

September 22, 2017

A swindler passes by a bird in the stairwell of an apartment building was calculated by Shiggles Mcwhigley. He is a moderator of r/wordavalanches.

Thank you! Your submission has been received!
Oops! Something went wrong while submitting the form

 continue with 

Issue 2

This writing was originally published in Opium Magazine, and is not listed in the Lit.cat archives.
The copy link button above may be your last chance to bookmark it.