On this day 350 years ago, Samuel Pepys and his wife snubbed Lady Batten at church by leaving before her. According to the rules of etiquette, they should have allowed the higher-ranked woman to exit first. Ha! Very British hijinks likely ensued. He says only, “…which I believe will vex her.” That was the detail that tickled my brain all day as I tried to come up with a short story. Eventually, in desperation, I just started typing variations of the word “snub” over and over, which got me thinking about someone refusing to speak to a friend, which then made me think of a silent pet parrot.
Working Title: Hey, Sweetie
1st Sentence: My parrot will no longer speak to me.
Favorite Sentence: So if I give him more jelly beans, I’m disobeying the doctor, I’m knowingly imperiling my parrot’s sensitive birdie system.
Word Length: 1,030
Photo by John Salmon (12/2008) of a bust of Samuel Pepys outside Seething Lane, London EC3, the location of one of his homes. From the collection at geograph.org.uk.
Daily Shorty 
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