Blog Archives

Serve and Protect, by Janice Siderius

27/5/2022

“Serve and Protect”. That is what it says on the sides of their cars. But what the cops don’t know is that I have a plan. Tomorrow, I will arm myself with my new weapons, put on my body armor, and take my vengeance on those who have ignored or disparaged me.

I am going to start with my grandmother because she nags me about school and how ungrateful I am. Then I will go where all of this started: my elementary school. When I finish there, no one will forget who I am. My name will be remembered forever!

Last Dance, by Alyce Clark

27/5/2022

He’s a dance instructor. And she has two left feet. Though her heart dances whenever he’s close by. That, or the butterflies in her stomach, she’s not sure which.

Sometimes, her legs cooperate as she moves across the floor watching him with other students. Sometimes she’s immobile.

Tall, dark, handsome… for her, the list goes on and on. Incredibly shy, she can never muster the nerve to say more than hello.

Finally, she finds the courage to approach him for the last dance. She looks up at him and smiles. Taken aback by her beauty, he falters. He’s smitten too.

Good Boy, by John Bonanni

27/5/2022

Bobo gripped the grilled cheese sandwich and lifted it to his mouth. Droplets of yellow over three layers of oily and crusty bread. He felt the warm ooze sink in between his teeth. Momma was good to him. He would consume the contents of the plate, even if he felt full halfway through his meal. He was careful not to drink too much milk to conserve room in his belly. He finished off the milk, and with a wetted finger wiped every crumb off the plate. He would never leave crumbs again. His whipping scars still needed time to heal.

Frozen Temptation, by Russell Conover

27/5/2022

Sam stared dreamily at the selection of ice cream in front of him in the new local shop. The pink strawberry looked fruity yet refreshing. The white vanilla was classic, though it had a certain zing to it. The spunky peach was a fresh flavor he hadn't had for a while. The rich brown chocolate looked decadent, his mouth watering. The green mint chocolate chip, his favorite, looked irresistible as always.

How could he possibly choose? He was tempted to just throw caution to the wind and order a scoop of everything. The ice cream headache would be worth it.

Two Words, by Dee Lorraine

27/5/2022

My muse gazes into my eyes and says two words.

Fear grips me. “But what if they don’t like it?”

He shakes his head. “Your real question is, ‘What if they don’t like you?’ You’re afraid that not liking it means not liking you. Right?” He tilts his head like a professor awaiting the student’s answer.

“Right.”

“I’ve been down that road. It’s long and bumpy. But in the end, it’s the better way to go, regardless of how painful it seems. And no matter what happens, I’m on your side.”

He repeats them: “Be authentic.”

“Okay. Here I go.”

New Horizon, by Sandra James

27/5/2022

Friday started well; sunny and the promise of a weekend of writing.

But on the bus, the ping of her phone email brought dark clouds to her horizon. Another rejection. She took out the notebook she always carried, filled with poems and ideas. What’s the use? She’d never be published.

After a long day, she climbed wearily aboard for the journey home.

‘Excuse me.’

An elderly woman squeezed in beside her.

‘You left this on the seat this morning. I peeked. They’re good.’

Through the window, a glorious red sunset. Red sky at night, writer’s delight.

A great weekend beckoned.

Be Mine, by Sue Clayton

27/5/2022

Not a day passed by when I didn’t pause outside her window, just for a glimpse.

But glimpses weren’t enough. A bench outside the window allowed me to sit and gaze continuously at her beauty, devising ways to make her mine.

My daily obsession became conspicuous, so I reverted to the cover of darkness, admiring her beauty through the brightly lit window.

Desire ultimately overcame me.

Unlawful entry, malicious damage and theft was the charge. But for one glorious night she became mine.

I’d broken in, smashed the showroom window, then driven her away.

The silver BMW 8-Series Gran Coupe.

Wolf’s Teeth, by William Falo

27/5/2022

I lingered too long; tonight was a full moon. I ran toward home and saw Ivan in the street holding the gun. He raised the weapon; his hand was shaking.
“Elena,” he said. I ran. He didn’t shoot.
I woke up on the couch and touched my teeth. Wolf’s teeth. There was blood on them.
Ivan. I ran upstairs. Whatever happened, please don’t think of me as a monster. Can a monster have a heart? I know I do because mine was breaking. That means I’m not a monster, doesn’t it?

In Transit, by Krystyna Fedosejevs

27/5/2022

Young woman sitting across from me… I was her. Eyes scanning textbook facts before an exam. Ambitions beyond clouds. Future glittering in gold.

I met him, waiting for a bus. He was older, seemingly wiser. We rode into a sunset of spectacular colour until the merry-go-round stopped. An unexpected rollercoaster ride followed, ending our relationship.

I maintained I’d never be like them. They whose faces wore glum; a buildup of adult responsibilities laced with disappointments.

I began talking with someone at a bus stop only to realize he was plugged into his personal selection of music.

I understood.

The Reason, by Paritosh Chandra Dugar

27/5/2022

“I don’t like him.”

“Whom?”

“Your father.”

“But why? He is such a nice man, a good listener, a good speaker, and a good adviser. He is gentle, sober, compassionate, courteous, wise, bold, honest, creative, innovative, and sensitive. He is one of the most respectable persons in society. He has all the qualities of a good human being, yet you say you don’t like him.”

“I agree with you. He is one of the best men on earth. Yet his very qualities make me dislike him.”

But why? What is the reason?”

My father lacks a lot many of them.

Baggage Allowance, by Jenny Logan

27/5/2022

Holiday Packing list:-

Childhood - Teddy bear, books, toys, sunhat, blanket

Youth - Pretty clothes, makeup, book x 1, toiletries, bikinis, tablet, high heels

Young married – Travel guide, négligée, improving literature

Middle Age – Sensible shoes, more books than clothes, heavy sun cream, sketching pad, notebook, embroidery

Late Middle Age – Vitamins, reading glasses, family photo, neck pillow, flight socks, posh frock, pearls for Captain’s table

Hospital visit – Walking stick, magazines, snacks, warm socks, heavy cardigan, puzzle book, medication

Final journey – Nothing at all

Dear Diary, by Tom Baldwin

27/5/2022

At the office Janet quietly performed her usual tasks, mentally noting highlights, such as the Danish pastry brought for her by Peter, her secret, and oblivious, love.

Peter, with the muscled body, the hair, the eyes, the smile, the voice. Peter, the perfect man. Peter, who could pick any woman he chose.

Janet knew it would never be her, not with her shy demeanour, dumpy figure and unruly hair.

Instead, she wrote in her diary every night, describing what she could for him, with him, to him. She always slept well.

The Conversation, by Pamela Kennedy

27/5/2022

“Seth, honey, please…don’t go…not yet. I knew back then you were suffering from some inner turmoil. Those were dark days when there was hardly a happy moment among your sullen moods. But the turbulent times passed and you stopped hiding behind the bottle. Laughter and lightheartedness replaced your growls and scowls and life became fun again.

Remember when you asked me why I never left you. Did there need to be a reason? There’s never a rhyme or reason with love.”

Cynthia kissed him and kissed him again. Their time together was coming to a close.

Swiped, by Kim Favors

27/5/2022

“So this is similar to online dating? We create a profile, then look at photos and start swiping?” Fifteen-year-old Gina sets her laptop on the dining room table.

“Yes, Sweetie. Just like the volunteer showed us in class. If we find someone we like, and our profiles seem like a good match, we can arrange a meeting.”

“So many up for adoption. Why do women have children if they don’t want them?”

“It’s a long, sad story, Sweetie. If your father were still around we would ask him.”

A Secret Affair, by Jacqui Wiley

27/5/2022

A beautiful feeling built up inside him, a deep flurry of excitement. The purple and gold dress so neatly wrapped around a vision of beauty. His mouth watered; a burst of euphoria exploded inside him. He tried his best to hold back, was it worth the risk, the consequences, how long would it take him to get over it, this wouldn’t last. He couldn’t hold himself back, he reached out and so it happened, his mouth opened, and he ate the chocolate.

If I Was There, by Brian Taylor

27/5/2022

Ashley met her online friend Eric about eight months ago. He seemed really sweet.

They texted or talked on the phone every night.

He'd say, "If I was there, I'd hold your hand."

On days she was sad, he'd say, "If I was there, I'd comfort you."

Some nights, they went further. "If I was there, I'd make love to you."

But then she met a boy in her hometown and fell in love. It was the hardest call she ever made.

Coldly, he said, "If I was there, I'd kill you."

He never called again, but she remained afraid.

Armchair Wisdom, by J. Iner Souster

27/5/2022

As his cigarette burnt holes in the Herculon, Addison sat there, reading, enthralled by the words formed within, bound in something familiar but foreign. The book had aged with the filth of time, the once white pages now a sallow yellow, its margins worn away by the blood and ink-stained thumbprints from countless hands before him.
It would have been wonderful to think he hadn't already read these words, but he knew better now. He was fully aware that everything is cyclical and that the universe is an eternal loop with no end and no new things created, just recycled.

The Fall of a Civilization, by Sankar Chatterjee

27/5/2022

(Photo credit: Sinjinee Chatterjee)

Jim Oliver was strolling at the western tip of Cape May, an American beach town bordering the Atlantic Ocean. He looked at the horizon. The sun was beginning to set. A breezy soft serenity was engulfing the nature. But from where did that dark cloud suddenly appear?

His smartphone pinged, a newsbreak flashed. A teenager mowed down one score of little school children and their beloved teachers with a high-powered gun. Just a week ago, the victims were African-Americans inside a grocery store in a similar mayhem.

Jim searched within “Will our romanticized love-affair with guns bring our own annihilation?”

Mistress, by Cindy Patrick

27/5/2022

She doesn’t know what I found.
Chattering away, she showed me the pins awarded from his thirty years of service, the collection of watches.
His bedroom dresser and then the portable safe. Sharing the contents so when all her memory has left, I have a clue.
“Yes, Mum, coins and wills”. I pick up a letter with my sister’s handwriting. The final one before she died.
Cards and poetry from me and my brother as children.
As if the pain of Dad’s loss at this time wasn’t enough.
A photo of his mistress. Quickly tucked away in my back pocket.

Wine Glasses, by Bruce Gunther

27/5/2022

We basked in the euphoria of new romance, and everything was a reminder of it. One night, after making love, we drank wine from glasses she reserved for special occasions.

I planned to tell her I loved her, but first I asked her – in jest – who else had drunk from these glasses.

There was a Michael she said, and Bennie of course, and Ryan, and a few others – names of men which became a blur.

I went for a refill when she finished. Out of sight, I dropped my glass on the kitchen floor.

It shattered, the pieces flying everywhere.

Please Don't Feed the Animals, by Bill Cox

27/5/2022

The alien invasion of Earth lasted for a fraction of a second. There was no resistance, no heroic struggle against the odds. The technological gulf between our species was too immense to be bridged by mere gung-ho or derring-do. Earth’s biosphere was broken down into its constituent atoms in a process too fast to measure. They saved a dozen of us aboard their ship, the last members of humanity, to live out our lives caged in an alien zoo.

So, no, sir, madam or whatever you are, I’m not going to apologise for throwing my dried poop at your child!

Let Them Eat Kale, by Mary Anne Mc Enery

27/5/2022

Last year, prisons switched to vegetarian menus in an effort to cut costs, decrease aggression and slash carbon emissions. Outdoor exercise areas were reduced and replaced with kitchen gardens—which prisoners managed themselves—further cutting costs and increasing rehabilitation benefits from communing with nature.
The breakfast fungi omelettes were so popular they disappeared like magic. Battered and spiced veggie burgers for lunch. Dinner, a satisfying salted stir-fry garnished with hemp leaves. For dessert a choice of bad apple fritters or crime brulée.
One year on, the justice spokesperson announced the plant-based dishes were an enormous success. “Thyme well served, ” she said.

A Lexical Conversation, by Gordon Lawrie

27/5/2022

Utterly obsessed with Wordle, Karen would now only speak using five-letter words. When she bumped into her crossword-fixated friend Diana, things became rather lexical.

“Hello, Diana! You’re doing great, maybe?”

“Not coarse, shtank (anag). Sounds like howru?”

“Brill, Diana.” But Karen was looking at Google Maps on her mobile phone.

Diana wanted to help. “Have you been defeated?” she asked.

“Where might Pizza Dario exist?” Karen wondered.

“First letter of the alphabet!” Diana exclaimed. “One and tiwonk back.”

“Which roads might reach there?”

“Four down and three across,” said Diana, pointing.

Karen’s face lit up. “Thanx, Diana – seeya!”

Loving Emily, by Yap Swi Neo

27/5/2022

Emily is happy, rocking herself in her swing chair, smiling and humming songs she loves most. She has forgotten she is seventy-nine.

“Charles, we’ll celebrate my eighty years in grand manner. That’s also our Golden Anniversary. You, my gold.” She promises herself.

“Charles, aren’t you tired?” my brother asks.
“Yes, that’s why I sleep every night.”
“It must be difficult for you.”
“In what ways difficult?” He has no answer.

One morning, for the first time in years, she smiles, singing softy, “Happy birthday Charles. I love you.”

She remembers me and that is all that matters.

The Veil, by Chelsea Aston

27/5/2022

The veil floats listlessly before the altar, a sigh whispering from beneath.
“Told you.” The bride adjusts the bust of her ivory gown. “Take a picture.”
I squint for signs of a prank. “I’m a wedding photographer, not a paranormal investigator.”
She nudges me forward, and I sigh.
The veil hovers five-and-a-half feet off the ground, its elegant train trailing behind. I raise my camera, and the flash fills the sanctuary.
The veil darts forward, dropping over my eyes. Layer upon layer of tulle swallows me into blackness. My screams are drowned by the sighs of a thousand jilted brides.

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