Anyone But Lisa Fish (Story #146)

This is the Solitaire Story I wrote on August 6th, 2026. In the waning days of the Ed Bashir Show, a junior talent booker tasked with assembling the venerable host's final panel feels a self-destructive impulse to tank the whole assignment. He waffles between wanting to do a good job and wanting to do a provocatively bad job, and struggles mightily with both endeavors. He has a bit of a breakdown by the end of it, but perhaps he'll come out better on the other side.