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Deus Ex Machina
Posted by Rabbit Stu, Sep 28, 2007. 284 views. ID = 58
This post was written in 18 minutes.
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 | I know, the writing prompt said a short story, but I wanted to write a poem instead. I hope no one will punish me for this breach by sticking me in a burning elevator! |  | This post has been awarded 11 stars by 3 readers. |
Suspended far above the ground they sat, in a tiny little room
While far below a fire raged, and the air was filled with doom.
"Why'd we take this elevator?" was the weeping travelers' cry
"Better to have jumped, than to be stuck in here and die!"
Closer, ever closer, their fiery doom approached
They felt like helpless eggs, getting ready to be poached.
And then, to everyone's delight and joy the aliens, they came,
And from their silver spacecraft they extinguished every flame.
Tragically this poet received a literary subpoena -
To appear in court for outrageous use of Deus Ex Machina!
Copyright 2007 Rabbit Stu. All rights reserved. FifteenMinutesOfFiction.com has been granted non-exclusive rights to display this work. For permission to reprint this item, please contact the author.
Comments
Douglas
Sep 28, 2007 | very nice, rabbit. For anyone who doesn't know, "Deus Ex Machina" means "God out of a Machine" - and refers to an ancient practice of finishing off a play with an actor playing the part of a god and "flying" on stage (strapped to a crane - hence 'out of a machine') and resolving all the loose ends.
Today it refers to plot twists that are absurdly unlikely, and have no rational reason or explanation.
Stu's aliens rescuing everyone are a great example of deus ex machina. :)
~Posted by Douglas, Sep 28, 2007 | 
Jeorge
Sep 28, 2007 | How do you pronounce it?
~Posted by Jeorge, Sep 28, 2007 |
Rabbit Stu
Sep 28, 2007 | I've heard it pronounced a few ways. I think the correct pronunciation is DAYoose EX MAKeena.
However, for the sake of the flow of the poem I would go with DAYoose EX makEEna. :)
~Posted by Rabbit Stu, Sep 28, 2007 | 
Josiah T.
Oct 2, 2007 | "I hope no one will punish me for this breach by sticking me in a burning elevator!"
Well, considering that burning elevators are pretty hard to find, I'd say that we're out of luck....
~Posted by Josiah T., Oct 2, 2007 |
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