Stuff That Makes Me Laugh Novels & Stories

“I don’t want them to be, you know.” “Come on, everyone knows.” It just has the heavier maid laugh outright. She moves her hand, and the two laugh. “Right, right.” They keep laughing as if it’s the funniest joke in the world. Their fangs are out and stained yellow from the tobacco. It must be that funny to them. But I don’t find it funny. I don’t see anything; I just heard it to be funny. And I find the laughter grating. It stings my ears until I can’t stand the sound.

The room went dead quiet when I said I would take the prize, but that quiet did not last. A second later, laughter thundered through the air. Lily Smith was the loudest, doubling over with tears streaming from her eyes. "How else could she be the top seller?" she cackled. "A woman like her has to have skin as thick as a rhino." I ignored her snide comments and kept my cool. "Just to be clear," I said, "since the company so generously 'rewarded' me with bathroom duty, that's all I'll be doing for the next three days. Everything else is off my plate."

“I just came to make sure you’re okay” This time, I can’t help the laughter that bursts out of me. Is this some kind of joke?

I gently touched my cheek. “I can’t believe people get scared of a pretty cute face like mine,” I whispered to myself, momentarily forgetting the previous night's drama, forgetting how I had physically shoved a terrified mistress back into my husband’s arms. “The only thing that brings me joy is me.” Knock. Knock. Knock. Three sharp, demanding raps shattered the quiet of the morning. My little smile faded instantly, wiped away by the tension tightening my shoulders.

I pondered for a moment, then typed, "The one where we're laughing at that silly joke you made. Your smile is my favorite." Her reply was swift, "I remember that! You have the best laugh." I chuckled at her words, "Well, you have the best jokes. It's a perfect match." The conversation flowed effortlessly, a dance of words that mirrored the rhythm of our connection. As we continued chatting, the miles between us seemed to vanish. She shared anecdotes from her day, and I found solace in the sound of her virtual laughter. I couldn't help but tease her, "You know, our photos don't do justice to your laughter. I miss hearing it in person."

“I hate everything.” And that? That’s when I lose it. I don’t even mean to. But something about the combination of events—the bad service, the ruined dress, the cold food—just breaks me. I start laughing. Like, full-body, uncontrollable laughter. Bill stares at me like I’ve lost my mind. “You okay over there?” I wipe a tear from my eye, gasping. “It’s just… this is so bad, it’s actually hilarious.” Bill watches me for a second, then his lips twitch. “You’re really laughing right now?”

she laughs. What a funny little thing. I drink the water and take the tablet. I must be nuts.

A message bubble lit up under his name, cheerful and oblivious. Just another one of his dry, stupid jokes—something about his dinner being so terrible he was convinced the restaurant was trying to assassinate him with undercooked chicken. He'd probably attached one of those ridiculous GIFs he was always finding, something animated and silly that was meant to make me laugh.

Some jokes were clever. Some were outrageous. Some were so ridiculous that they shouldn't have been funny. Yet somehow they were. More than once, I laughed so hard tears formed in my eyes. The kind of laugh that leaves your stomach hurting. The kind of laugh that makes it difficult to breathe. The kind of laugh I hadn't experienced in years. At one point, I noticed Jack looking at me instead of the stage. "What?" He smiled. "Nothing." "You're not even watching." "I am." "No you're not."

The laugh cut off instantly. I frowned, leaning forward on the sofa. Glitch, I told myself. Just a compressed audio error. I unpaused it. The movie continued, but the laughter returned a few seconds later, layered underneath the dialogue. It was mocking, a rhythmic he-he-he that seemed to pulse with a life of its own.