Penny For Your Thoughts

By Keith J. Clark

[This story is a runner up in the Fall 2017 flash fiction contest, “200 in 2 Weeks”]

“How much for a drink?”
“One piece.”
The man smiled. Low price tags were always nice, especially for a writer. He took out his wallet, the pen from behind his ear, and scribbled down a few words. Stopped. Thought. Nodded faintly and handed it over.
The bartender read it over.
“This is good. You a writer?” He said, pouring a beer.
“You could say that.”
“Must be nice…” He topped off the drink and slid it across the counter. “Spend all your time printing money. I wouldn’t be here if I could do it. I don’t have that kind of creativity.”
“It’s not like I can just get rich off it in an afternoon.” The man took a sip. Cool. Crisp. It went down like honey. “The well runs dry after a while. Enough for a drink or two is nothing, sure, but after a few hours, I’m out.”
“Huh.”
“You?”
“Oh, I don’t write. I collect. I keep getting pieces I like too much to spend. Puts me in a real rut sometimes.”
“Yeah. This whole idea’s weird. Money like this means more than what it can buy…”
“I’ll take it over green presidents any day.”

About Author:

Keith J. Clark is a recent graduate of UMF. He has written a number of 10 Minute Scenes during his schooling there, such as “Mizzity Magic and All That” and “The Case of the Missing Set”, as well as a live radio play entitled “2 Late: A Radio Show”. He is currently pursuing a theatrical career in northern Maine, and he hopes you enjoy this piece.