8/14/2019 Freddy's Bad Day

http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/freddys-bad-day 1/2

FREDDY'S BAD DAY

By Harry Kyriakodis

Fred Silvers strolled through the campus late that night before returning to his

room. He had been at a friend's rapidly dying party and, since it was past twelve, hesneaked out and made his way back to the dorms, where he should have been studyingthat evening anyway.

An urge to satisfy his sweet tooth came over him as he approached the desertedsnack shack near the campus library. "I'll just grab an ice-cream or soda to hold meuntil tomorrow."

The overhead lights were all off when Fred opened the small building's doors.Florescent lights were usually on all the time, but now, Fred stared into virtual darkness.Illumination from the vending machines, however, lightly lit the place. In particular, theCoke machine, with its large "ENJOY COKE" sign, threw eerie red shadows

everywhere. Across the way, the smaller ice-cream vendor's bright picture of eclairs,ice-cream bars and sandwiches, also added some light. The other machines--coffee,copier and cigarette--remained both dark and silent in their respective corners. "Niceplace for a murder," thought Freddy with a smirk.

He managed to find the light switch, which for some reason was already up. Assoon as he touched it, however, the lights above lazily blinked on. "Now that'sstrange. . . Well, just another thing around here that won't get fixed for years." As hemurmured this, the coffee machine started making quiet internal noises.

Walking to the ice-cream machine, Fred fished two quarters from his wallet anddeposited them in the coin slot. He pressed for an eclair. Nothing happened. "Aw,

come on now," he sighed, smacking the machine with his hands. Still nothing."Aw jeez, come on now! You stupid. . ." He started pushing all the buttons,

including the coin return, hoping to get something for his trouble, but still not a thinghappened. "Jeez!" Fred yelled in the empty room, "it's not even gonna give me back mychange!"

He opened the vendor's little doors and stuck his right hand in, trying to get anytype of ice-cream, but he couldn't grasp a thing.

All of the sudden, the "EXACT CHANGE" light flicked on.

"Oh, so now you tell me," he said sarcastically, removing his hand from the coldmachine's insides. Once again, Freddy got out his wallet, found forty cents (an eclair's

exact price), and shoved the money in. He pushed the proper button and waited.Nothing. He pushed again, with greater force. Still nothing.

"God damn!" he cried, striking the machine and slamming all the buttons. "I'vegotta be the stupidest moron in the world to feed this thing twice and get zilch!" Hegave the machine one last good kick to its shins and moved to the huge Coke machine."Well," he sneered aloud, "I won't give up. Something must work around here. I'll getsomething to drink at least!" He once again brought out his wallet, then removed fifty

8/14/2019 Freddy's Bad Day

http://slidepdf.com/reader/full/freddys-bad-day 2/2

cents for a can of soda. "Boy oh boy, this one had better work", he said gritting histeeth and shaking his head, "or else." The coins clinked far down into the machine.Although there were some whining noises deep inside, when Fred pressed for ClassicCoke, nothing happened.

"Don't get angry," he told himself, yet punching all the buttons. Still nothing

occurred. "I don't believe this!" He kicked the machine a few times. "Why does thisalways happen to me?!" In frustration, he put his arms around the machine as much ashe could in an attempt to shake it, but the heavy machine wouldn't budge.

He then turned to face the copy machine. "And you, you stupid thing," heshouted. "Last week you took my money and handed me back black pieces of paper. . .

 just black!"

Then he leered at the cigarette and coffee machines. "And if I was smoker whodrank coffee, you guys would get me too! Well excuse me if I'm not! Too bad for you,isn't it?"

In a rage, he returned to the Coke machine, stood back and began kicking itonce more, but with real force and abandon this time. "You, you, you, you damn stupidpiece of junk, gimme back my money! Now!!"

Then, Fred's foot, delivering its most powerful blow, landed in the machine's sodadispenser, getting caught way in the can-sized hole.

"Hey, what's happening?!!" he screamed as his foot and leg were firmly pulleddeep into the big machine. "Hey, hey, what the hell is going on here? Hey, lemme go!What, what is this? What, hey, HELP!!!!"

In just a few moments, Freddy, coin-filled wallet and all, was sucked into theCoke machine.

Now empty of living beings, the tiny room became peaceful once again. Theoverhead lights silently shut themselves off. Short, giggle-like sounds issued frominside the ice-cream machine. A clicking relay in the cigarette vendor conveyed itsapproval, while the copier briefly lit the room as when making a copy. The coffeemachine started brewing some coffee for its friends. Yet the towering Coke machine,still casting crimson shadows across the darkened room, remained silent until acompressor deep within began producing crude intestinal noises, causing the machineto then periodically burp.