Karen walked over to her favorite park bench and sat down. It was funny to her, just a few months ago she was feeling depressed. 53, divorced, and lonely. She had started her Instagram page to keep in touch with family that lived on the other coast, but started getting throngs of followers who likes random things about her. Some liked the pictures where she was holding a cigarette, some liked the ones that she was wearing heels in, others just seem to appreciate an middle aged woman with a newfound confidence.
She opened her purse and removed her pack of Marlboros, placed one between her lips and lit it. Most of the areas in the park were smoke free, but a few random benches away from the jogging path and the playground still allowed smoking, and even had ashtrays beside of the bench.
She took a drag off of her cigarette and and lifted her phone, exhaling slowly and snapping a picture. She posted it, and within seconds the likes started flowing in. She smiled, happy to be visible to random people across the world, and went to flick her ash into the ashtray.
“That’s new,” she said to herself, admiring the new ashtray the city must’ve installed. There were a few random piles of ash in it, and one spent cigarette butt. On the opposite end, a small box that appeared to have a door.
“Weird,” she said.
As she glanced back down at her phone, she saw movement from the corner of her eye. She turned to the ashtray and saw the tiny door open, and two men, maybe an inch tall, emerged. She watched as they walked over to the cigarette butt, and pushed it to a small indented section of the ashtray. One of the men went back through the small door, and a moment later she watched the small portion of the ashtray the butt was setting on turn and dispose of the butt.
“That got it Frank,” the man still standing in the ashtray yelled. Frank then emerged from the door again with two brooms, and the men started sweeping the ashes to the same indented portion of the ashtray.
“My followers will get a kick out of this,” she giggled.
She started to record a video, and took a drag off of her cigarette and exhaled slowly onto the camera.
“Hey guys and gals, just checking in on my smoke break. Wanted to show you what happens when I ash my cigarette,” she said, displaying the long burning ash on the end of the Marlboro.
She turned her camera to the ashtray where the tiny men were still sweeping, and flicked some ash behind them. They turned to look at her, seemingly upset, as though she knew she could’ve just flicked the ash on the indentation, but chose not too. They started sweeping her ashes and she giggled.
“Looks like they’re not to happy with me,” she laughed, turning the camera back to her face. She took another drag from the cigarette.
“Have a great day, loves!” She said, making a kissing gesture at the camera before exhaling her smoke and ending the video.
She enjoyed watching the little men work, and took a final drag off of her cigarette. They’d already swept up the ash, and were simply standing there, leaning on their brooms, watching her.
“I guess you’re waiting on this,” she said, crushing the butt out in the middle of the ashtray.
“Thanks for putting that out nowhere near where you know we need it,” one or the tiny men yelled.
“Billy, calm down,” Frank said.
“Nah man, this is bullshit. I end up in jail on some trumped up reckless driving charge only to get shrunk and live in a fucking ashtray, and this bitch thinks I’m a spectacle? Fuck that Frank.”
“BILLY. Calm down.”
Karen was taken aback by the little man’s rant.
“I’m… I’m not a bitch. It’s an ashtray. I… I used it for what it’s supposed to be used for.”
“Look lady, I’m sorry. I’m still adjusting to this, and I’m sorry,” Billy yelled up to Karen.
“It’s okay,” Karen said, smiling. She reached down and moved the cigarette to the indentation, but was shocked to see both men start to run.
“Relax!” She said, “I was just helping!”
The two men stopped and turned, and saw she’d moved the cigarette.
“Thank you, ma’am,” Frank called out.
“Have a good day, boys,” Karen said as she stood up. She watched the two men disappear back into the small room, and the cigarette fall into the ashtray.
View Portfolio
Visit Notebook
Send Gift Points
Awards
Badges
Send Email
Community Newsfeed
General Discussion
Sponsored Items
Book of Trinkets
Static Items
Books
Groups
Interactive Stories
Audio
Campfire Creatives
Community Notes
Crossword Puzzles
Documents
Folders
Images
In & Outs
Madlibs
Photo Albums
Polls
Product Reviews
Quizzes
Survey Forms
Web Pages
Word Searches
More by this author