A Tine Sestina

darius won my offer of an original story or poem in the care_faith_hope auction, and challenged me to write a sestina or story about the Tines, the pack-mind wolf-creatures from Vernor Vinge's A Fire Upon The Deep (Zones of Thought), who share one mind in packs of four to six (they can be bigger, but they lose a lot of intelligence), and can switch out members but alter their personalities and names accordingly.

Behold! A sestina! Damn, that is a tough form. No, I don't know what possessed me to make it even harder by adding on an additional rule.

( Better to be one-in-many, to be ever-shifting pack )

A Tine Sestina

darius won my offer of an original story or poem in the care_faith_hope auction, and challenged me to write a sestina or story about the Tines, the pack-mind wolf-creatures from Vernor Vinge's A Fire Upon The Deep (Zones of Thought), who share one mind in packs of four to six (they can be bigger, but they lose a lot of intelligence), and can switch out members but alter their personalities and names accordingly.

Behold! A sestina! Damn, that is a tough form. No, I don't know what possessed me to make it even harder by adding on an additional rule.

( Better to be one-in-many, to be ever-shifting pack )

Die, skeevy guy!

Me: Peacefully typing in cafe.

Skeevy Guy: Sits at the table next to mine. Does something which I don't really see, but which makes his presence feel obtrusive.

Me: Turns to look at him.

Skeevy Guy: "I was just checking you out."

Me: "EXCUSE ME?!"

Skeevy Guy: "Uh..."

Me: "Never mind."

Me: Turns back to laptop.

Skeevy Guy: "I said, 'I was just checking you out.' That's what guys do."

Skeevy Guy: Stares at my breasts.

Me: "Dude! You can't sit next to a woman and tell her you're checking her out! That's incredibly rude!"

Skeevy Guy: Turns his back to me. Eventually gets up and leaves.

What makes my jaw drop is that he had a chance to leave well enough alone after I said "Never mind," but decided that I really wanted to verbal confirmation of what he was doing.

Die, skeevy guy!

Me: Peacefully typing in cafe.

Skeevy Guy: Sits at the table next to mine. Does something which I don't really see, but which makes his presence feel obtrusive.

Me: Turns to look at him.

Skeevy Guy: "I was just checking you out."

Me: "EXCUSE ME?!"

Skeevy Guy: "Uh..."

Me: "Never mind."

Me: Turns back to laptop.

Skeevy Guy: "I said, 'I was just checking you out.' That's what guys do."

Skeevy Guy: Stares at my breasts.

Me: "Dude! You can't sit next to a woman and tell her you're checking her out! That's incredibly rude!"

Skeevy Guy: Turns his back to me. Eventually gets up and leaves.

What makes my jaw drop is that he had a chance to leave well enough alone after I said "Never mind," but decided that I really wanted to verbal confirmation of what he was doing.