TL;DR - Use 10 given words and an aphorism. 1000 words max, one week, link in comments if you want.
We were given some words and an aphorism to get us started. Note - An aphorism is a concise, memorable, and often witty statement that expresses a general truth, principle, or observation about life. You can do your own word list via online tools, or ask a friend for some. Wiki has a nice list of aphorisms.
The words: cafe, devil, course, path, other, first, days, catch, warmth, justice, apart.
The witticism: A man who has been the indisputable favourite of his mother keeps for life the feeling of a conqueror - Sigmund Freud
Some readers may recognize the mayor from back in 2012. My story is
Momma’s Boy
The Devil smiled as he sipped on his coffee. It was surprisingly good for a bland little cafe in a bland little town. He sat quietly in the cafe booth, gazing out the window, soaking up the sun’s warmth as he waited for the catch of the day to walk in. It was a quiet morning, with just a few locals perched on stools at the counter. The waitress slumped at a corner table, idly flipping through a magazine, cigarette burning down to the filter in her ashtray. He checked his list—she wasn’t on it. He settled back in his seat, humming along with the music. He’d triggered the juke box as he walked in, having it play a series of slow Leonard Cohen songs, faintly, in the background. They fit his mood today. His tunes weren’t actually in the juke box, but no one seemed to notice.
When the bell over the door tinkled, he and everyone else. looked over. In swaggered a large man, jacket buttoned tight over his stomach, face flushed, flashing a big smile. The newcomer strutted and preened, full of confidence, greeting the few patrons by name, slapping them on the back. The waitress came to life. With eyes wide, a beaming smile, and wide arms, she rushed towards him.
“How’s my favourite little boy?” she cried.
He stepped back. “Mom, I’m the mayor, not your little boy anymore.”
“Nonsense,” she said. “You’ll always be my boy, even as a famous and popular mayor.”
He dropped his voice. “Thanks mom, I appreciate you always being here for me. I wish I had the same support from the press. They love to twist every little thing I do into the worst light possible. They even pick on my weight.”
“Now Robbie,” she said, “they’re just playing up to their readers. They know the people are upset over all the cuts you had to make, so they will support anything that is printed against you. They don’t understand you as I do.”
“It’s a tough job,” he said,” and it wasn’t easy to get here.”
Over the years, he’d had to burn a lot of bridges, do a lot of back-room deals, bend a lot of rules, and upset a lot of people. But apart from the occasional hate mail, it was worth it; he was finally here.
“And you do such a good job,” she said. “You won’t be long in this little town.”
“Yeah, thanks mom,” said the mayor. He looked around, then pointed. “Who’s that guy in the booth, new in town?”
“He said he was here to collect someone,” she said. “He must have meant collect something, like one of those repo men I see on TV.”
The Devil had been eavesdropping from across the room, an easy trick for him. He rose as the mayor approached.
“Mr. Mayor,” he said. “I’ve been waiting for you—do sit down.”
“Really, for me?” said the mayor. “The waitress said you were here to collect something. If you’re here for my limo, well, this time it’s the town’s, and it’s paid for.”
“No, Robbie, I’m here to collect you,” said the Devil. “Time to pay up for all those rules you bent, all those people you stepped on.”
The mayor started to get even redder in the face. “Now look here, Mr . . . Mr . . . “
“Mr. D will do,” said the Devil with a little smile. “Go on.”
“Look here, Mr. D, if you’re another goon from Washington, you can just turn around and get out. The press has been spreading nothing but lies. Your people have been through my office files, business records, personal finances, my wife’s business, my brother’s, and couldn’t prove anything.”
The Devil smiled, and the room seemed to get a little darker. “No, they couldn’t prove anything, but you and I know that you’ve been a bad boy.”
The mayor sat back and waved a hand. “Pffft! Just talk. You don’t know squat about me.”
“You’d be surprised at what I know,” said the Devil. “You chose this path years ago. Let’s start with the puppy your sister had, the one you convinced her had just run away. But we know it was more than that.”
“It was an accident, I didn’t mean it,” said the mayor. He sat forward again. “Wait, how did you know about that?”
“Relax,” said the Devil. “There’s more. A lot more. I’ll just give you the highlights for now.”
He went through a litany of incidents, and as he did so, the mayor sank lower and lower in his chair.
When the Devil finally stopped, he smiled at the mayor. “So, you see, with that record, it’s time for me to collect you.”
“You’re not from the Justice Department in Washington, are you,” said the mayor.
“No,” said the Devil. “Another justice department. Similar, but different. We tend to win all our cases.” He casually stirred his cold coffee with his finger until it bubbled and steamed, then took another sip. “She makes excellent coffee; maybe I can offer her a job.”
“You leave my momma out of this!” said the mayor, grabbing the Devil by the sleeve.
She had seen the ruckus and hurried over. “Everything all right here, Robbie? Want me to call the sheriff?”
“No, Mom, it’s OK,” said the Mayor. “You were right the first time, this man is here for someone, not something. He’s here for me.”
“But you can’t take my boy from me,” she said. “He’s all I got. He’s not that bad a boy, really. Don’t arrest him—I couldn’t live without him here. My life would be worthless. Please, I’d do anything.”
The Devil smiled.”Anything?”
“Mom!” said the Mayor. “Be careful what you say, you don’t know who this is.”
“Why don’t I give her some hints?” said the Devil. “One, I’m pleased to say that your son has been a very bad boy for most of the last forty-some years, starting with the accident with his sister’s puppy. And two . . . ” He smiled, then slowly his teeth sharpened into fangs, his skin reddened, and two horns appeared on his forehead.
She took a step back, grabbed a chair back for support, then nodded. “I guess I sort of knew this was coming,” she said. She straightened and raised her chin. “Take me instead.”
“It doesn’t work like that,” said the Mayor. “Or does it?”
“Contrary to what people say,” said the Devil, “I can be a pretty reasonable fiend from Hell. Your mother here is not on my list, so she would have some extra value to me. You, given your course in life, you’ll be mine eventually. I could delay things, I suppose.”
“Would you really do that for me, Mom?” asked the Mayor.
She smiled and held out her arms. “Yes, I would, for my favourite little boy.”
The mayor jumped up and gave her a quick hug. “Mom, you’re the best.” He turned to the Devil and held out his hand. “Mr. D, nice doing business with you, hope it’s a long time before we meet again.”