Day 351: Literal

Literal
by
Matt Zurbo

 

“Hey, let’s play Literal!”
“What’s that?”
“That’s when the words mean EXACTLY what they say!”
(Two kids, boy and girl, no background. Girl announcing a game brashly, boy scratching his head.)

Okay, how about… Up and at them!
(Girl in her bed, rubbing eyes, waking. Boy leaping out of his bed, charging a big, overweight wrestler.)

Shut up!
(Boy with normal head, but has a shutting door for a face.)

Cool!
(Girl, frozen on skateboard, stressed face, giving frozen thumps-up. Boy behind her, hugging himself, frost from mouth, teeth chattering.)

You can’t have your cake and eat it, too.
(Boy with huge slice of cake like carrot on a stick, dangling in front of him.)

Crying over spilt milk.
(Girl, looking down on glass of spilled milk on floor. Cow beside her, sitting on rear, crying its eyes out.)

(No words. Boy and girl, flat expressions, staring straight at reader, while cats and dogs fall from sky.)

I smell a rat!
(Dead rat. Boy on one side, holding nose, tongue out in disgust. Girl on other side, holding vomit in.)

Dead bored!
(Skeleton sitting at desk, with cobwebs, jaw resting in hand bones.)

Shout the roof down!
(Girl shouting, piece of roof on head, rest of roof, with circle missing, on floor around her.)

Chop, chop!
(Boy, legs forward of him, running, just avoiding a big cooking knife held by girl, dressed as a chef, coming down behind him.)

That’s sick!
(Boy watching girl hunched, throwing up.)

Lucky duck!
(Anvil falling, just missing diving girl saving startled duck.)

Saving time.
(Boy and girl shouting, pointing at thief who is running off with giant clock.)

Grub’s up!
(Boy looking up, as he flips food from a saucepan into air. Girl, hands over head, ducking.)

Hop to it!
(Girl hopping, stressed, towards giant “It.”)

Run like you stole it!
(Boy running, carrying letters “I” and “t”, looking back over shoulder.)

Clowning around.
(Boy and girl dressed as clowns, one peddling small toy car, the other on a small unicycle, chasing each other in circles.)

Wait a minute!
(Boy running freely. Girl being held back by a glove with mechanical arm with a one minute egg timer attached by spring and gears.)

Holly Moly!
(Boy and girl, confused, looking down on a mole dressed like the Pope.)

Airhead.
(Boy with hot air balloon for head, no neck, held to body by ropes. Hand scratching side of balloon as if confused.)

Cheeky monkey.
(Monkey on girl’s shoulders, pinching her cheeks.)

Crazy cat!
(Cat, with party hat, blowing whistle, holding a balloon.)

Upsy daisy!
(Girl looking up at pot plant of daisies she has thrown into air.)

Playing with fire.
(Boy standing on dragon’s head, shaking some pepper onto dragon’s nose. Dragon, eyes close, sneezing fire.)

Far out!
(Girl in space suit, drifting off of page.)

Knighty night!
(Girl knight, in full armour and helmet, sitting in bed, with blanket over her legs. Boy knight, in armour, with pajamas over top, sitting on floor leaning on side of bed. His knight’s helmet has a nightcap on it.)

Sleep tight.
Don’t let the bedbugs bite.
(Boy in bed, scared. Huge bugs eating bed and pillows. Girl, scared, hiding under the bed.)