By Brian Huba
The initial blast came at ten a.m. It blew the bowling alley right off its base. The sign that said Ja_k De l’s B_wl-O-Ram_—est. 1939 toppled. Nearby tenants, some dressed in cartoon-print pajama pants, seeped onto the scene. When the firemen recoiled their long hoses and drove off, only a charred and sodden shell remained where the bowling alley once stood. Two months after the bowling alley burned down, Jack Dell III packed up and moved to Clearwater, Florida. People might say Jack torched his own family’s business in a blatant, self-serving insurance scam. And those people would be exactly right.
Love this!
Wonderfully witty ending
Love the ending! The description of the onlookers was excellent as well.
Wonderful expression, each word is meticulously chosen.
I enjoyed your story, Brian. In particular, this sentence, “Nearby tenants, some dressed in cartoon-print pajama pants, seeped onto the scene” makes a great visual in my mind.