Skip to Content

Serialized flash fiction by Rodger Jacobs… updated every Monday

Crumbling Slowly 4: Hector Escobar

The remote control for the TV was resting on the bar top next to a jar of cocktail onions and a stack of napkins. “Here, I’ll show you what I mean, “she said. “Have you ever heard of a man named Hector Escobar?”

I popped a handful of peanuts into my mouth. “Can’t say as I’ve ever heard of the man, no.”

“He has a nice home in Holmby Hills. What do you think is happening to Hector Escobar right now?”

I sipped my Maker’s Mark and shrugged indifferently. “I dunno. He’s having a colonoscopy? A guy named Hector Escobar sounds like he needs a colonoscopy. I have visions of undigested carne asada and chunks of green salsa in his colon. It’s not a good prognosis.”

“Do you want to know about Hector Escobar or not?”

“Rock on.”

Evelyn grabbed the remote and clicked on the TV impatiently. It flared to life.

Breaking News

Holmby Hills

Helicopter shots of a raging house fire and the pilot communicating with the retards at the anchor desk through that damn microphone filter thing in his helmet.

“That,” Evelyn turned to me slowly, “is Hector Escobar’s house. We did that. The Moss Foundation did that. Sadly, Hector Escobar did not make it out alive but society as we know it is this much further away from slipping into entropic destruction.”

She watched the hungry fire devour the luxurious home on the TV screen and her eyes positively glowed like jewels.

Part 3

Stay in touch

Sign up for our free newsletter

More from L.A. TACO

Weekend Eats: Paneer Tacos, Hamburger Handrolls, and Orange Chicken Fries Are Here To Test Your New Year’s Resolutions

Meanwhile, over 30 of L.A.'s best pizzerias are uniting to bake and deliver free pizza pies on Wednesday.

January 9, 2026

DAILY MEMO: Numerous Sightings of ICE and Border Patrol In Pomona and San Bernardino County in the Last 48 Hours

There were 10 confirmed sightings of federal agents in Pomona on Thursday. Agents also snatched someone near Hollywood High School on Wednesday.

January 8, 2026

‘It’s Colonizing All Over Again:’ Chefs and Tortilleros React to California’s Fortified Tortilla Mandate

A new California law, penned by a Fresno assemblyman, mandates folic acid in corn tortillas to curb birth defects in Latina women—rattling L.A.'s taco universe. Tortilla makers in California, who have followed the same 12,000 year-old recipe, now must add a synthetic vitamin... but not all are complying.

January 8, 2026

Pasadena Community Job Center Director Speaks Out About Arrest While Observing Federal Immigration Activity

“They didn’t stop the ICE agent, but they stopped me,” said Jose Madera, who followed a vehicle driven wrecklessly by ICE agents, who continue to roam freely nationwide, even after killing 37-year-old Renee Nicole Good in Minneapolis earlier today.

L.A.’s Young Magicians Are Blowing Minds at Clubs, Pop Video Sets, and Taco Stands

Today's budding magicians are trading college and 9 to 5s to work with Chappell Roan, raise money for cancer patients, and perform at Magic Castle, marking a comeback for magic tricks in 2026.

January 7, 2026

DAILY MEMO: Border Patrol Returns On Dia De Los Reyes, Taking at Least Eight in Orange County and Injuring Elderly Man

In another incident, a vendor in Fountain Valley was released after being questioned and detained, but not before CBP called for help from paramedics to use bolt cutters to remove the handcuffs used on the vendor.

January 6, 2026
See all posts