642

by uselessness

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Somewhere in Laredo is a building. One huge importers warehouse that has long sat vacant, at least in the legal sense. For in the shadows behind the wall of shipping crates is a makeshift home for two furtive vagabonds.

They’ve been there three weeks, amassing newspapers and trinkets rescued from dumpsters. The collection is beginning to attract the attention of passers-by. It’s very difficult to sneak large objects into a building that isn’t yours, of course. The locals’ suspicion was first aroused when the men were seen smuggling four industrial-size washing machines through the gate in the middle of the night.

Most assume the men are compulsive hoarders. The armchair psychiatrists across the street have diagnosed the pair with no less than five mental disorders between them. And they’re wrong.

Tonight six officers are raiding the building but they will find it empty, save for the smoldering remains of the vagabonds’ toiletries and cardboard mattresses.

And a note for them:
At last, we have built it.

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Comments

Average Reader Rating: 5.0 stars out of 5

  1. 642

    Eckhouse's Buddy Icon Eckhouse

    Posted 4 months ago

    5.0 out of 5 stars

    Awesome ficlet. You have a keen ability to mix the bizarre with the dramatic. Though me, being slow, I’m still trying to figure out the title…

  2. 642

    ALRO613 ♪ LoA ♫'s Buddy Icon ALRO613 ♪ LoA ♫

    Posted 4 months ago

    5.0 out of 5 stars

    Building 642?
    Loved the ficlet Uselessness-nessness!

  3. 642

    uselessness' Buddy Icon uselessness

    Posted 4 months ago

    Keep guessing… ;-)
    LoA

  4. 642

    THX 0477's Buddy Icon THX 0477

    Posted 4 months ago

    5.0 out of 5 stars

    Great ficlet, and like a few other entries, a solid stand-alone ficlet with or without the challenge. Took me a sec to catch the sequential use of numbers, very tricky! And I’m lost on the title too, unless it’s some obscure reference to what they’ve made. A literary allusion perhaps?

  5. 642

    John Perkins' Buddy Icon John Perkins

    Posted 4 months ago

    5.0 out of 5 stars

    Interesting little story with the possibility of alternate universes or some other nefarious plan involving washing machines. You did a very nice job of hiding the count. It was very subtle and fit into the story nicely.

  6. 642

    thebetweenspace's Buddy Icon thebetweenspace

    Posted 4 months ago

    5.0 out of 5 stars

    Another great entry into the challenge that completely stands on its own. I still haven’t figured out the title, though. And it vexes me. ;)

  7. 642

    uselessness' Buddy Icon uselessness

    Posted 4 months ago

    Haha, the title is a mystery, but the solution is really cheesy. I won’t spoil it for you. :-) And thanks for the kind words!
    LoA

  8. 642

    Russell Ruffino's Buddy Icon Russell Ruffino

    Posted 4 months ago

    5.0 out of 5 stars

    Really liked it, the numbers fit so well into it that I didn’t notice them until I re read. No idea about the title either.

  9. 642

    Eckhouse's Buddy Icon Eckhouse

    Posted 4 months ago

    5.0 out of 5 stars

    I got it! You have to think like Prince – 6 men came 4 2 vagrants. Huh? Huh?

  10. 642

    uselessness' Buddy Icon uselessness

    Posted 4 months ago

    Eckhouse got it. I told you it was cheesy! ;-)
    LoA

  11. 642

    Eckhouse's Buddy Icon Eckhouse

    Posted 4 months ago

    5.0 out of 5 stars

    It takes cheese to recognize cheese, my friend.

  12. 642

    g2 (la pianista irlandesa)'s Buddy Icon g2 (la pianista irlandesa)

    Posted 4 months ago

    4.0 out of 5 stars

    Either I’m wicked low on the age scale, or I just crawled out from under my rock, b/c I do NOT understand the title reference… no matter; still awesome bit. I sense add-on potential with this one! :-D But something involving washing machines?! This is going to keep me occupied for some time… someone could have a ton of fun leaping from that springboard.
    Anywho, great job again!

  13. 642

    g2 (la pianista irlandesa)'s Buddy Icon g2 (la pianista irlandesa)

    Posted 4 months ago

    4.0 out of 5 stars

    OH! Now I get it! Took me a minute there… heh… hmm embarassed

  14. 642

    thebetweenspace's Buddy Icon thebetweenspace

    Posted 4 months ago

    5.0 out of 5 stars

    @Eckhouse, I’m impressed with your cheese recognition skills. @uselessness, Cheesy or not I love the title.

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