Alligators by Twitter John Wiswell

5:00 PM (one day ago)
I can Twitter on my phone! No idea why I would, but it’s cool. Gives me something to do in the new house.
1:00 AM
Found mysterious hole in new house today. In floor. No basement. Calling my realtor after my sister and her kids leave.
7:00 AM
Building plans show no basement. What’s the hole lead to? Totally checking it out after they leave. Put carpet over hole for now.
9:00 AM
Nephew fell through carpet. Trying to play it like I didn’t know there was a hole.
9:20 AM
Holy crap! Nephew eaten by alligators! What are alligators doing under my house?
9:30 AM
They’re coming out of the hole. I’m stuck upstairs. Sister bailed with the rest of her spawn. Bitch!
9:45 AM
911 operator thought I was joking. Hung up on me. Bitch! At least alligators can’t climb stairs.
9:50 AM
They can climb stairs. Locking door.
10:00 AM
Alligators can’t open locks, can they? That’s just raptors, right?
10:10 AM
Never liked the wallpaper in here. Ugly tulip print. Changing it if I don’t get eaten.
10:15 AM
Got to pee.
10:25 AM
Making a break for the bathroom. Alligators are slow, right?
10:35 AM
Alligators are fast. Very fast. It ate my favorite right shoe. At least I can pee now. Love bathrooms. Safe bathrooms.
10:45 AM
Need to get out of here. Think I can climb out the window. Just two stories. Not bad, right? Just don’t look down.
11:00 AM
Looked down. More alligators. Stuck in bathroom again. They’re coming through the ground down there. So many holes.
11:11 AM
Police! Cop car at my house right now! God bless those flashing red and blue lights.
11:26 AM
Tunneling lizards got him. Can hear him under my house now. Stupid holegators. Got back to bedroom, threw my TV at one of them.
11:40 AM
I miss my TV. CNN say anything about holegator invasion?
11:50 AM
Alligators dragged my TV into their holes. Could swear I hear them watching it. They have electricity?
12:00 PM, Noon
They shut off my power. Holegators can chew through power lines! Hope they fried.
12:12 PM
Wonder how next door neighbor is handling this. Probably got eaten. Won’t miss his disco crap playing at 1:00 AM anymore.
12:24 PM
Holegator tried to pick my lock. Opened door and whacked him in face, then shut it. Haha. Showed that bastard.
12:30 PM
House just sagged. Think they’re eating the foundation?
12:42 PM
House now diagonal. Living in a scalene triangle. They’re trying to climb up to the window. Got to escape.
1:00 PM
Climbed up side. Got to roof. Holegator followed me, hit him with an antenna.
1:10 PM
They got my antenna. Have to run for the cop car.
1:20 PM
Made it. Thing won’t start! How do you start a cop car?
1:30 PM
Holegators burrowed under and ate the transmission! Car can’t move! When did alligators start eating metal?
1:40 PM
They’re under me. Can hear my TV. Holegators watch PBS?
1:50 PM
They’re eating the tires. Where to go? Wish there was a spare gun.
1:55 PM
Jabbing an alligator in eye with nightstick is more fun than you think.
2:05 PM
They ate my nightstick.
2:15 PM
Can’t get back to house. Surrounded.
2:25 PM
Going to do something stupid.
2:35 PM
Jumped down their hole. They have disco lighting? So many disco balls.
2:50 PM
Disco stopped. They’re back. Going to eat me. Tell my sister I hate her.
3:00 PM
Going to do something stupid.
3:10 PM
It worked! Singing disco songs makes them stop. Saturday Night Fever, I love you!
3:20 PM
YYY M C A
3:30 PM
They get good TV reception.
3:40 PM
Brought me Chinese for singing Kung Fu Fighting. Good dumplings. Considering staying for a while.
3:50 PM
Next-door neighbor is behind this! Saw him. Was monologuing. People really do that?
4:00 PM
Brainwashing alligators through music waves? Got to be kidding me.
4:10 PM
He made the holegators build him an underground palace. Bastard stole my pool table!
4:15 PM
Going to do something stupid.
4:20 PM
Sucker punched him. Calmed holegators by singing Bee Gees.
4:30 PM
Think I’m controlling holegators. Have pool table back. Have many pool tables now!
4:45 PM
Sending them out for KFC. Want anything?
Support Flash Fiction Online
Flash Fiction Online is a free online magazine that pays professional rates. So how do we make that happen? It’s due to the generosity of readers like you.
Here are some ways you can help:
Become a Patron.
Sign up to become a monthly donor and gain access to exclusive Patron rewards like manuscript critiques, insider submission statistics, the Editors’ Wishlist, free downloads of our current issue, and Ask Me Anything chats with the FFO staff. Read more…
Subscribe to FFO.
Never miss an issue! E-reader formats delivered to your inbox. Available from WeightlessBooks.com
Buy our issues & anthologies.
Each of our issues and anthologies are available in convenient e-reader formats (epub/pdf). Available from the Flash Fiction Online Store and WeightlessBooks.
Donate.
Consider a one-time gift that fits your budget.
Spread the word.
Love one of our stories or articles? Share it with a friend!