FF – Rise of the Machines
Here is my story for Friday Fictioneers, hosted by Rochelle. This week’s photo was contributed by Claire Sheldon. Obviously, this photo speaks of dire consequences for mankind.
To read this week’s other stories, click on the blue froggy.
Copyright Claire Sheldon
He didn’t know. How could he know?
Every day, Jeff arrived at his desk. Every day he sifted through mounds of old data, sorting, checking and scanning. Every day, he shredded old data and threw the staples in a jar.
He could never have known…
… that his staple collection had achieved critical mass. That the staples had become self-aware.
In offices everywhere, staplers rose up against their masters. Fingers were pierced, while sheaves of important documents fell apart at inopportune moments. Important meetings collapsed. Civilisation fell. The world burned.
He hadn’t known. How could he have known?
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Friday Fictioneers
draliman on life 
I always wonder about vegetables. What if tomatoes got seriously angry at us?They could snatch the pizza from our hands! The horror! The terror!
I loved it 😀
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That would be the final straw 😦
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Oh the horror. How long until the pens and copiers join the revolution?
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Once that happens we are indeed lost.
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“His staple collection had achieved critical mass.” Brilliant! Perhaps that’s how all life came to being.
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It wouldn’t surprise me 🙂
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I never did meet a staple I could trust. Of course I’ve never met one I couldn’t either. Honestly, I’ve never given it much thought. I can say for certain that I will never fully trust them again after reading what they’re capable of.
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It’s important that word gets out about these insidious devices.
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Terrifying!
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Indeed!
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This was heaps of fun, Ali! It’s just a question of time before other items begin joining in on the revolt…
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Keep your eyes peeled for strange goings on at your desk. Ballpoint meetings and so forth 🙂
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Right now, there seems to have been some kind of ransack. The place is totally a mess… Methinks I may be late…
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Yeah, that’s definitely it 🙂
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Brilliant. I urge everyone to use paper clips in future, but, whatever you do, DO NOT link them together!
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I worry about those elastic band balls people like to make…
I’m glad you enjoyed it!
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I like a staple diet of silliness!😜
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Hee 🙂
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I will not sleep tonight… being attacked by staples is serious matters. Good to know that I also saw staples and shredding.
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Don’t take your eyes off that office equipment…
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I have to get the staples out…they scare me🤗Pawkisses for a stapless…century😘❤😻
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They scare me too!
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Staples of the World, Unite!
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The rallying cry of the downtrodden office supplies…
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What a delightful read. The idea of the pierced fingers made me cringe! That is SO painful.
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I stapled my thumbs together once. Damn staplers 🙂
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Dear Ali,
I’m keeping a vigilant eye on my stapler as I write. You can’t be too careful. Thank you for the reminder. 😉
Shalom,
Rochelle
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Dear Rochelle,
I would, you can never be too careful indeed 🙂
Ali
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I never saw that coming. Staplers and me do not usually get on, now I know why.
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No-one did. Who could have guessed? I don’t get on well with staplers either!
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Great story! …..looks nervously at stapler which has moved closer as the theme from Jaws suddenly starts playing in the background………………
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Quick, throw a book at it! Or will that just make it mad…?
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A reasonable question: how *could* we have known, when all along it’s been the post-it notes who seemed primed for revolution? That or the ballpoint pens, with all that popping up and down. My cat always wants to knock the pens off the desk and onto the floor. Maybe she knows something about their evil plans and is trying to warn me!
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Yeah, post-its get everywhere… My money is on the pens, though. How do they keep disappearing? Where are they all going? 😦
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It’s a mystery — perhaps a SINISTER mystery!
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Meep 😦
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Whoa! Self-aware staples, who would’ve thunk it. Love the sci-fi element to your story 🙂
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It could happen! Maybe. Possibly. Probably not 🙂
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in the future when they’re embedded with thinking chips, this will become the new reality. better treat them nice. they can only take abuse to an extent.
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No more yanking them out of pages and chucking them in a corner. Revolution!
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Ha I love this!! 😂
I have a fear of a hair brush revolt. ☹️
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That could get messy 🙂
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Knots of hair everywhere!
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Ha ha. I’ve now locked my stapler away…
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Wise move 🙂
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Ha, ha. If staplers arise and staples disconnect how will we ever get organized again. The disorganized will be the only ones to survive. Oh, the horror. One bright spot is no aliens in their right minds would want to invade. Good writing, Ali. 😀 — Suzanne
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Unless they’re aliens who are heavily into office supplies 🙂 I’m glad you liked it!
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Superb writing!
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Thanks, I’m glad you liked it!
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That speaks to me, all right. When I temped at a job at UPS, I got my tie sliced in a paper cutter. Conspiracy! Good story, Ali!
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Office’s are frightfully dangerous places! I’m glad you enjoyed it 🙂
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“this photo speaks of dire consequences for mankind.”. My first thoughts exactly 😉 Great stuff
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You’ve gotta think that when you see a big jar of office supplies…
I’m glad you liked it 🙂
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Staples Unite! the cry sounded! 🙂 Loved it!
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They will ignored no longer 🙂 I’m glad you liked it!
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Hahaha! The Revenge of the Staples and Staple guns! Scary! Great story Ali!
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Possibly my scariest fiction to date!
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Hahahaha! Possibly!
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Now you’ve got me worried! Nice one.
Please click to read my FriFic
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Thanks, I’m glad you liked it!
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Hope they haven’t invited the thumb pins to the party.
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Me too. I don’t want to have to check the floor before getting out of bed every day 😦
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Despair, this is only the beginning. You know the cpoy machines that can staple the documents? That’s where they organize. Stapler-net. It’s only a matter of time until they take over. Which will be a shame, because then we won’t get more of your fun stories.
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I always thought that stapling copier was looking at me funny…
Don’t worry, if the worst happens I’ll go “underground” 🙂
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Good one, Ali! I see we were both thinking of Jeff today. He must be the universal alpha office worker. 🙂
By the way (Smug looks) WE have a little clicker that cuts a small strip and folds it so WE don’t need to over-use staples. Nevertheless, since I’ve been wielding a can of insecticide all week, I could give the office supplies quick swish just to be on the safe side.
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It’s a good name, it brings a certain type of person to mind 🙂
We don’t have a clicker, we just have a stapler which I cut my finger on a couple of weeks ago 😦
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Maybe I had better get them thrown away!
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Yes, just in case… 🙂
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This is very well conceived – liked the layers and the larger connotations.
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Thanks, I’m glad you liked it 🙂
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This is why I keep my desk a mess and just leave all the papers piled up and unorganized in the corner of……………………..
Oh no! What if that pile of papers is achieving…………. critical mass!?!?!?!?!?
Human civilization…… done in by an outbreak of paper cuts.
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Eek and ouch! You don’t feel anything, then suddenly you’re bleeding from everywhere… Tidy your desk, dammit!
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You know, I’ve never trusted my stapler. Every time I have to open it to add more staples, I’m convinced the darn thing is going to close on my fingers. Staplers are scary!
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Nasty, dangerous things. I hate them. And that was before I knew they were trying to take over the planet 🙂
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They are truly evil!
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I’ve never met a staple I could trust. Got to be wary of that staple gun and the one hole punch that can kill.
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The hole punches will be the shock troops of the revolution.
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Jeff shouldn’t blame himself. It’s the shredder’s fault really. If only it had bigger teeth it would have controlled the staples. Nice apocalyptic take this week ☺
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You’re right, the shredder should have made short work of them. And now we’re all doomed 😦
I’m glad you liked it!
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I’ve been attacked by the little bastards before, it was only a matter of time, really.
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Me too, I’ve had all sorts of staple-related accidents. Maybe some sort of early probing strikes to test our mettle?
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LOL
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You’ve played on man’s inherent fear of being attacked by those evil, sharp little metal things well for this one. Love it! 🙂
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Well, there was that one toddler who was run over in a shopping mall by a security robot. It’s the beginning of the end!
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