Member-Sponsored Guy with a Vacuum Mini-Contest

Details

It was a normal day, running errands and going through the usual routine. What was an uneventful day took a turn for the odd rather suddenly. Sitting on the side of a dirt levee was a 50-yr-old man, about 20 feet from the street, with an old, slightly beat-up vacuum cleaner. There was no bus route around, no businesses, and few houses. Just a man and his vacuum. Our benevolent contest sponor would like to know why.

In no more than 1500 words, write a story about why this guy sitting there with a vacuum. The story must be plausible in our current year and current world - please, no magical powers or other planets or 500 years in the future.

Let's give our contest sponsor something to read that doesn't suck.

Winning entries

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Prizes

Rules

• Entries must be received by midnight, September 28th (UTC time).

• Entries must be fewer than 1500 words.

• One entry per person. Multiple entries will be disqualified

• Entries must be a piece of fiction set in our current world. No magic or time traveling allowed.

• Entries will be judged by the contest sponsor and all decisions are final.

Submission guidelines

• To enter the contest, post your work on Scribophile and check the box that says "Enter this work into the Guy with the Vacuum Mini-Contest". Your work will automatically be considered. The checkbox will be visible until the contest deadline, which is in UTC time.

• Entry is free, but you'll need karma points to post your work. You can earn karma points by writing critiques of work by other members.

• If you have placed in a contest in the past with a particular piece, you may not resubmit that piece in other contests.