His day started like any other day, in fact a little worse because it was a Monday. Observant as ever he noted the new graffiti that someone had sprayed on his door. He felt a little bit uneasy that someone had painted a hot-pink heart. John made a mental note to call his landlord to have it removed.
As he walked through the concrete and asphalt on his way to the commuter train, the colour of his walk limited to oily films on he puddles reflecting a sky of noxious fumes. He decided that a hot-pink brand on his door was better than being overloaded with grey.
All of the sudden fresh colours entered his vision. Her pink dress reminded him of the mark on his door and the way her hips danced in perfect rhythm to the bounce of her blonde hair stirred him. Her red patent-leather stiletto shoes a sharp contrast to the usual dress-code of Dr. Marten’s. She turned around and smiled.
Her sultry gaze left a brand in his heart, and his every thought was filled with how he could possess this angel of a woman. His life changed mid-stride, and on impulse he called his boss:
“Hi, Vance, it’s John”
“Uhhh huh”
“Don’t count on me today, I will not come in today… in fact never count on me again”
“Ahhehe”
John followed the mysterious lady, feeling she was well aware of his presence. They both took a train leaving the city, and as it became emptier and emptier she moved over and sat directly opposite to him. Smiling again. With a husky voice laced with temptations she said:
“We are soon there, John”
“I know, Elizabeth” he answered to his surprise.
In amazement he saw that he had grown, and developed a body, tuned to perfection like he had spent hours at the gym.
As the train transformed into a silvery spaceship, he understood that there is always an upside in being abducted by aliens.
Picture from Wikimedia commons
I like to keep a little of the nice mood from the weekend, and offer you a little cute story in Trifecta where the word is brand:
with definition:
3a (1) : a mark made by burning with a hot iron to attest manufacture or quality or to designate ownership
(2) : a printed mark made for similar purposes : trademark
b (1) : a mark put on criminals with a hot iron
(2) : a mark of disgrace : stigma
—
August 19, 2013
Björn Rudbergs writings 
Excellent! Love this, wished we all could be abducted by beautiful aliens
Bjorn, there are some superb touches here that make such an ambitious piece work so well! To me his phone call to his boss and “I know Elizabeth” were just brilliant, and pivotal. Started off like a Graham Greene novel and then was carefully deconstructed and reconstructed!
Great, just great! Transformation, romance and imagination, on a Monday, no less! 🙂
Ah I like the alien twist at the end! Also love the color imagery.
Aliens huh ,…,must be nice to have such wonderful company ,interesting piece .
Oh, this was a clever ending. Mainly I loved how he hated the pink heart… then thought about it as he passed the crassness of everyday life… quit his job… found Elizabeth, his dream girl in a pink dress… wonder if she grafittied his door? And then it’s Fly Me To The Moon time… brill write, Bjorn! Amy
This is a great novel in the making. 🙂
Pretty bland life to be happy about being abducted. 😉
This was such an interesting story. I wasn’t expecting an alien abduction, but I guess abduction is easier if the person is willing, eh?
🙂 indeed… sometimes the victim is willing (remember Billy Pilgrim in Slaughterhouse 5 )
Never saw that ending coming. Pesky aliens!
Nice and sweet I think
A splash of color in a world of gray, the familiar and the alien, the dullness of routine and the breeze of surprise, all in 333 words. I especially loved that he was marked for the taking with a spray painted heart.
Lovely. I wonder how he’ll feel about things if Elizabeth changes colour or sprouts an extra leg. Enjoyed the way you gradually introduced the colour, compared to John’s usual grey existence, and that ending was wonderful.
Nice job with the creepy, otherworldly turn at the end there Bjorn. And the way his boss responded was a nice little hint that something was amiss in John’s world. Good one!
Just noticing the colour changes his world. That is beautiful. Thank you.
Haha! Cute story, indeed. We are all attracted to the lure of color, and maybe the aliens are getting wise!
I was expecting one of your usual twists and this did not disappoint. If you’re going to be abducted by aliens you might as well be happy about it. If people knew they’d be given a well-toned body, and a hot alien to accompany them applications would soar. Nice one!
If that was how all abductions were reported, there would be a lot of men looking for little green men, or pretty in pink, red-stilletto heeled women.
Yeah but what about the downside…
The hooked probes you mean… well those came later
So that took an interesting turn! Great as usual. Thank you for linking up!
Loved the twist at the end. I never know what to expect when I read your works…and that’s what make your writing so enjoyable!
Pingback: Suggestion Saturday: August 24, 2013 | On The Other Hand·