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A Game of Tag, by Tom Baldwin

20/5/2022

2 Comments

 
The hip-hop crew walked down the street to gloat over the lettering they had sprayed on someone’s wall the previous night. To their fury it had been defaced by four graffiti tags they recognised, and despised. At that moment the same four taggers appeared round the corner.

‘You tagged our work!’ said the hip-hoppers, squaring up for battle.

‘No way!’ said the taggers, squaring up themselves. After the full-on, dirty street-fight no-one was left standing.

A little old man watching from across the street smiled and walked away, hoping no-one would hear the rattle of spray-cans in his bag.
2 Comments

Climate Refugees, by John Cooper

20/5/2022

0 Comments

 
Outcasts from the storm they huddled in the front porch looking forlorn. You might have imagined the suitcases at their feet, tired children asleep in their arms, crumpled clothing hanging from their exhausted figures.

As you moved closer their chirping grew louder, a plea for help or a call of distress?

The winds that spring, being as contrary as ever, had not obeyed the previous night’s forecast. In fact they had been far stronger than for many a year; bringing down several big branches into the garden and with them this family’s birds nest.
0 Comments

Hobson's Choice, by Don Tassone

20/5/2022

3 Comments

 
Hobson was a teenager when he began paying close attention to climate change. What he learned alarmed him.

“Damn!” Hobson said.

He vowed his first car would be electric. When he graduated from college and got a job, Hobson made good on that promise. By then, most cars and trucks were electric.

Hobson felt good about his choice until he heard the news. The mass conversion to electric vehicles was making climate change worse because the power plants supplying all that electricity were spewing even more carbon dioxide and toxic metals into the air.

“Damn!” said Hobson.
3 Comments

The Stalker, by Anushka Kulkarni

20/5/2022

0 Comments

 
"I think the fiery ball in the sky loves me. It follows me wherever I go. When I die, I wonder how it will survive. I think it'll die too because I can't imagine its existence without me. That's why I came here today. I just feel so guilty being the center of its attention all the time. How can I help it cope with my inescapable mortality?"
'Here we go, yet another one,' the therapist thinks. In her notes, she writes 'Textbook narcissist.'
0 Comments

Silent Mission, by Sharon Mallon

20/5/2022

0 Comments

 
Ashley crept out of her bedroom, she had her trusty dinosaur tucked under her arm.
Her pajamas were too big, so she had to hold up one leg with her free hand.
Behind her she could she her night light sending a glow across her floor.
She was on a mission, she had somewhere to be.
I wasn’t far but she needed to be quiet.
Ashley took another slow silent step, and then another.
Then she heard THE noise, she turned quickly and ran, she jumped as high as she could and landed, “STOP SNORING DADDY”, she yelled.
0 Comments

Thunder Cloud, by Guy Fletcher

20/5/2022

1 Comment

 
Thunder cloud; cumulus nimbus. It stretches out in front of him like some mythical snow-capped mountain. The sky darkens and then the first drops of rain bless the arid park.

Soon there is a gigantic crack of thunder and fork lightning, mirroring his mood. The torrent arrives and he brushes back his soaking hair, refreshed.

A couple scurry for shelter but he is in his element escaping from the claustrophobia of four walls and drama and for a while at least...he feels freedom.
1 Comment

The Son, by Paritosh Chandra Dugar

20/5/2022

1 Comment

 
“Mom, why are you so distraught about me? Why don’t you accept the truth?”
“You are my beloved son. You and I are inseparable. I can’t allow anyone, not even Death, to take you away from me.”
“But, Mom, you know what the doctor said. My leukemia is most lethal. I can’t survive long.”
“My son, you are so young. The doctor’s words are no oracle.”
“You are watering a withered plant, Mom. After sometime, I will be left with no breaths and you, with no pennies. Let me go.”
The mother wondered whether her son was a human being.
1 Comment

Going Back to Work, by Ann-Louise Truschel

20/5/2022

1 Comment

 
I’d quit working at 30 when I fell in love with Ben. We married and quickly had two children. Ben was a great mechanic and a good provider. Although I missed the money I used to make, my new life gave me something I’d never had before.

Then Ben got injured at work. His boss fired him, our savings evaporated, and debts piled up. Out of the blue, my former employer offered me my old job, which always paid well.

And this job works out well for me, because the guy he wants me to kill is Ben’s former employer.
1 Comment

Hobson's Choice, by Don Tassone

20/5/2022

0 Comments

 
Hobson was a teenager when he began paying close attention to climate change. What he learned alarmed him.

“Damn!” Hobson said.

He vowed his first car would be electric. When he graduated from college and got a job, Hobson made good on that promise. By then, most cars and trucks were electric.

Hobson felt good about his choice until he heard the news. The mass conversion to electric vehicles was making climate change worse because the power plants supplying all that electricity were spewing even more carbon dioxide and toxic metals into the air.

“Damn!” Hobson said.
0 Comments

Whore, by Phyllis Souza

20/5/2022

0 Comments

 
In a cold, damp basement, she's curled up in a corner.

"Take off your clothes," the man says.

With tears washing dark mascara through her heavy make-up, she cries, "I won't."

He glowers. "I paid you cash."

She glares between her long strands of oily black hair.

A crooked half-smile appears on his face.

The woman crawls toward the man. She wraps her arms around his knees and pleads. "Don't do this. I'm begging you."

He looks down. "Get the fuck up. You're under arrest." He flashes his badge.

"Bastard!" She spits at his feet.

"Whore."
0 Comments

It's Monday, by Cailey Tarriane

20/5/2022

1 Comment

 
It’s Monday! Isa rushes over to me. ‘’Why are you panicking?’’
I flop in my chair. I should’ve done my project yesterday. It was a holiday; no school. ’’The Science project. Due on Monday. Today’s Monday! I haven’t started!’’
Isa frowns. ‘’The project is due NEXT Monday. Today’s Tuesday.’’
‘’Tuesday? What?’’ I suddenly realize what’s happening. ‘’OH! I didn’t think yesterday was Monday since we didn’t have school! It was like Sunday’s continuation!’’
That stupid holiday got me stressed out over nothing.
1 Comment

I Talk to the $5 Tree, by Yap Swi Neo

20/5/2022

2 Comments

 
Picture(Image: Exploring Singapore)
“Hi $5 dollar tree. What’s your name?”
“Tembusu.”
“You are famous all over the world.”
“That’s my problem.”
“Problem? Famous trees do not have problems.”
“People sit on my lower branches for photo shoots. Children run, stomp along my lower branches, tear my leaves. It hurts but no one cares.”
“You are hard, durable wood.”
“I’m old, very old!”
“You are so much loved.”
“Love does not strengthen my life. See I have to be propped up or parts of me will snap.”
“Now you are safely fenced.”
“Safely imprisoned. We have feelings too. I’m tired.”
Author’s note: the Tembusu tree is featured on the Singapore $5 note.
2 Comments

On Clearing the Air, by Krystyna Fedosejevs

20/5/2022

1 Comment

 
“You hear me?”

“Somewhat,” Doreen answered. “Why don’t we get a brand new system?”

“What for? I fixed ours,” Arnold beamed, entering from the outdoors.

“Sparky, join me!” Doreen giggled while setting a cake on the kitchen table.

As she belted out a familiar tune, the doorbell ran. Their dog bolted towards the front door.

“Are we too late?” enquired the next door neighbour, holding a bottle of wine.

The doorbell rang again. More neighbours entered.

“How do they know?” Arnold asked.

Doreen grinned. “They heard me sing ‘Happy birthday’ through our newly repaired intercom.”

“What else did they hear?”
1 Comment

Debate, by Colin Punt

20/5/2022

1 Comment

 
God was watching a program in which a panel of experts debated the existence of God. His annoyance increased as a pompous anthropologist from Oxford loudly denied the deity’s existence. Fed up, God called in.
“Let’s go to our first caller,” said the presenter.
“This is for the gentleman from Oxford. I assure you, sir, I exist.”
The other panelists, a philosopher and a bishop, whispered while the anthropologist furrowed his brow and replied, “I’m sure you believe that your statement necessitates for me a belief. However, the fact has not created in me a sense of obligation.”
1 Comment

The Outing, by Jennifer Duncan

20/5/2022

3 Comments

 
Madeleine locked the door of her house and turned to go with her daughter.

"Giovanni's for lunch?" she asked.

"Sure,"Georgia answered with a bit of hesitation.

The pasta meal was delicious and the fruit gelato was a tasty finale.

"That was scrumptious," declared Madeleine enthusiastically.

"Right," Georgia replied, eyeing her suspiciously.

Georgia's phone rang jarringly.

"Got to answer this," Georgia exclaimed. "A contractor for our leaky roof. There's always something to fix with a house."

Later that evening, Madeleine lay in her bed, cozy, comfortable and happy. She liked being in her new maintenance-free suite at the seniors residence.
3 Comments

Awkward, by Jenny Logan

20/5/2022

2 Comments

 
My little lad said to me recently,

“Dad! Where’s my pet spider?”

“What, now?”

“My friend. He was right there before you came downstairs.”

I suspected their ‘friendship’ hadn’t been long-lasting.

“Did he have a name, son?”

“Friendy.”

Oh, dear. I wished his Mum were there to help. She had been the expert in this type of thing.

“Well, like all spiders, Friendy liked swimming, so I took him to the spider pool in the bathroom.”

“Who says spiders like swimming?”

“Incy Wincy does, for starters. Lives for it. Anyway, that’s where he is now, having a good splash about.”
2 Comments

A Sticky Wicket, by JM Subban

20/5/2022

0 Comments

 
“You’ve spent a whole month of evenings in front of the TV,” she complained.
“As opposed to?” he asked.
“Going for a walk; dinner with friends; going to the movies; playing with the dog. Chatting.”
He smiled. “I run in the mornings with the dog. Our friends are working overseas until June. We both hate going to the cinema. And we talk all the time.”
“But aren’t you bored with it all yet?”
He gasped. “Take that back, woman. It’s the Indian Premier League, the best cricket tournament in the world.”
She rolled her eyes. Thankfully, it was almost over.
0 Comments

Mother's Day, by Cheah Yin Mee

20/5/2022

0 Comments

 
Past noon. The phone remains silent. She frets, pacing the hall. Have they forgotten? She picks up the phone. Puts it down.
"Do something else," she says.
In the garden, she picks up a pot, puts it down. The hours creep by.
Evening. She curls up in bed, crushed.
Don’t put too much meaning to this day, she reminds herself.
Then, “Mum, hello!”
Cheerful voices echo through the house. Her heart thumps in excitement. They appear at her door, beaming.
“Happy Mother’s Day”, they say in unison, holding up flowers and gifts.
Relief floods her as she hugs them tight.
0 Comments

Eternal Hunger, by Paul Lewthwaite

20/5/2022

0 Comments

 
After saving Pharaoh from almost certain death, the Chief Taster was in great demand. Pharaoh gave him leave to attend to other families.

Poisonings were infrequent, but banquets plentiful. He tasted, but also partook of all the delicacies on offer.

His fame grew, matched only by his expanding girth and insatiable hunger. Uninvited he would attend family gatherings or appear unannounced at weddings. To refuse him: an insult to Pharaoh.

When Pharaoh died, his counsellors summoned the Chief Taster to them.

“Our Lord will need his most loyal of servants,” they said. “Fear not. Tonight you feast with the Gods!”
0 Comments

Another Birthday, by Allison Symes

20/5/2022

1 Comment

 
So what if she wanted birthday cake candles? Susie loved the fire hazard jokes.

Anyway, she knew worse. Susie couldn’t remember her mum or understand what cancer was back then.

She knew now. Tomorrow was her birthday. Her cake would have 47 candles.

Then she’d tell her husband and sons. She shouldn’t have kept it quiet and knew they’d never buy the “did it to spare them” line. She was just delaying the inevitable.

But having her cake her way was another victory. She made it through another year. There wouldn’t be another.

Yes, she blow out those candles tomorrow.
1 Comment

Batman, by Jeongmi Park

20/5/2022

0 Comments

 
A cold wintry day. An overheated classroom. End of mask mandate, but most students still wearing theirs. As students eat lunch, the teacher opens window for fresh air. A girl approaches. "Teacher, the cold wind is blowing. I need a mask, but mine just tore!" She picks up a mini-pouch from toy basket. She unzips it and presses both sides against her cheeks, covering nose and mouth. An amazing use of a pouch, muses the teacher. Children nowadays mask their face for anything. It shields from bad things, but also good? Batman never experienced winter’s first snowflakes on his cheeks.
0 Comments

The Beauty of Time, by Susmita Ramani

20/5/2022

1 Comment

 
On opposite coasts, Melissa and Charlie grew - latch-key kids, each raised by a single parent, and teased by classmates for glasses, braces, and shyness.

When Melissa did a presentation on her pet rat Maude, everyone yelled that a rodent was the only friend she could get. (Incidentally, Maude was smarter than many in Melissa’s class.)

When someone squirted mustard into Charlie’s hair, everyone jeered that it would still be in his hair the next day. (It wasn’t.)

When Melissa and Charlie met years later, members of Congress, each resplendent with straight teeth and contact lenses, the attraction was instant.
1 Comment

Heartbeat, by Therese Kinahan

20/5/2022

2 Comments

 
My chest tightens as I wait in the airport; my hands rattling in sync with the letters on the arrivals board.
The letters ‘landed’ appear beside London. Breathe.
He's here; waving through the glass wall.
Blue eyes lock with brown, did my heart stop?

The door slides back and he's in front of me. Like magnets we lock together in the tightest hug, one heartbeat, together again. No need for words, everything conveyed in the stillness of our warm embrace. I pull away. "You came, Father."
2 Comments

Whited, by Myram Huey

20/5/2022

1 Comment

 
First of all it was the furniture, all draped in white linen sheets, every room; and not a sound. It was when I stepped outside that I realised the seriousness of the situation. The garden was likewise draped: the rosebushes, the buddleia, even the apple tree. I took my bearings; steadied myself. I saw that the gravestones in the churchyard nextdoor were similarly shrouded; the parked cars in the street also. It was soon clear the same applied to the rooftops in the village and to the hills beyond. All draped in sheets of white linen. And not a sound.
1 Comment

Vegas, by Kathy Whipple

20/5/2022

1 Comment

 
Alex stumbled into the dim hotel room.
Nikki stirred.
“Baby, we have to leave,” he urged.
“Alex, is that you?” She rubbed her eyes, tried to focus. She’d fallen asleep with him next to her.
“I’m so, so sorry.”
“What are you talking about?”
“I slipped down to the casino. Lost everything. Even the money for the room.”
He jostled from foot to foot.
“You’re joking, right?”
“I wish.”
Nikki rose from the bed. “Well then, it’s a good thing I have some emergency money hidden in my suitcase.”
Alex hung his head.
“No. You don’t, ” he said.
1 Comment
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