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The Captain, by Bobby Warner

21/5/2015

The Captain stood high on the Command Bridge of the Starship Vulcan Prince in his shiny uniform, gazing through his optical sensors at the gigantic intergalactic viewscreen before him. The Captain and his Bridge were purely symbolic; the only truly alive thing about him was his brain, kept fresh and healthy and optimally functional even though the man himself had been dead for fifty years.

Hooked into the motherboard of the interstellar computer system, the Captain's brain augmented the computer, yielding a truly real artificial intelligence.

"We're set to enter hyperdrive in 5 plus Zy," said Commander Ellison, head of the two hundred and fifty volunteer colonists bound for a twenty-light-year journey to seed a new planet in a far off galaxy. The Commander climbed into his suspended animation capsule, and the remainder of the colonists did the same.

As the capsules closed, and a mixture of gases rushed in to bring sleep to the colonists, the Captain turned and gestured with his metal alloy hand; a salute.

"Sleep well, crew. We've a long journey ahead."

Lawyer Up, by Eric Smith

21/5/2015

When June answered the front door the sheriff and his new deputy—a hulking kid—pushed past her and shoved into the living room.

“How come we haven’t heard from you yet, June?”
“Maybe because I just got here.”
He pointed at a pile of crushed empty beer cans on the coffee table.
“So you been throwing a few back this afternoon?”
”Like I said, I just got here. Why don’t you tell me why you’re here so we can talk about what I found in my bathroom, okay?”

“So there’s a dead kid in your bathroom?”
“Yeah, how did you know?”
“You’re not conducting the investigation, June. Sandy, go back to the bathroom and check it out—don’t touch anything.” The kid stood there for a couple seconds, blinking.

“Get going, son,” the Sheriff commanded. “Speaking of touching anything, have you stayed clear, June?
“Pretty much.”
“Meaning?”
“Meaning I looked at him fifteen minutes ago and felt his forehead—it was cold. And no, I’ve never seen the kid before and yes he was dead.”
“So you’re a medical professional now June?”
June was about to come back with the F-word but thought better of it, even though they’d gone to high school together and had known each other twenty-five years.

Just then the deputy yelled from down the hall.
“Oh my Lord.”
The Sheriff ordered June to sit down and clumped toward the john.

“What is it, Sandy?”
“It’s Bud Gunderson. Looks terrible.”
The sheriff bent down and felt the kid’s neck and forehead.
“That’s because he’s dead, son. Done been for hours. You knew this kid?“
“We played football together.”
“So he was friend of yours?”
“No,” Sandy said. “He always treated my sister like shit but I guess it don’t matter much now.”
“I guess not.” The sheriff whipped out his phone and called the medical examiner. With the phone still on his ear, the sheriff walked back out to the living room.

“Doc, I need you at June Viren’s place. We got a stiff in the bathroom here. No blood or obvious wounds. Definite rigor setting in.”

“June, you’re moving into the center of this thing, okay? The kid’s dead in your house; you live here alone; you’re here now; and I haven’t heard anything from you about how all this could have happened. The deputy’s going to have to run you into the office while I wait for the ME. See you in a couple hours.”

June thought ahead. This thing might involve her son since he knew where she hid the spare key and he and some friends must have drunk all that beer. And someone was talking, otherwise the sheriff wouldn’t have arrived right after she got home. It’d take him awhile to figure things out. She was innocent, but they’d need witnesses from the café where she worked to corroborate that. She decided to clam up and demand a lawyer, even if they kept her a couple nights in jail.

An Unidentified Photograph, by Bobby Warner

20/5/2015

Someone took the photo shortly after sunset. The light was dim, but you could see plainly enough. They stood in profile, facing one another, except their faces were turned toward the camera.

They wore old-fashioned clothes, so I suppose the photo was taken in the late 19th or early 20th Century. I don’t know for sure; just guessing.

I wondered why someone would want their photo taken in such dim light. You could hardly see any of their features, other than it was a man and woman, or maybe a girl and a boy. Their faces were in deep shadow–except for the eyes. Oh, those eyes. I can never get them out of my mind.

Was it some freak of light? something on the film? perhaps a flash that caused their eyes to appear as two large globes of light–the only features that stood out so plainly?

I found the old photo in the attic of the house I am renting. No one seems to be able to place it, or identify the two people captured on film. I really would like to find out who they were, and where the photograph was taken.

But perhaps, for my own peace of mind, it is better that I do not know.

She Got Him, by Len Nourse

14/5/2015

Technically,at 676 words long, this is too long, but we'll cut Len some slack here.

Barbara heard his voice and these words before she even saw Andy, “In Nigeria there is a wealth of oil, and thus everyone should be enjoying the spoils, yet most live below the breadline while in the oil rich Arab countries you find no beggars.”

This stopped Barbara in her tracks, keen to hear more she sat down on the entrance steps, trying to imagine what this man holding sway at Jennifer’s dinner party was like. Jennifer begged her and Sarah, “Please come because Philip has invited five male partners to dinner. I don’t want to be the only female. He invited them mainly to hear the views of Andy Banks. “

It wasn’t only the subject matter that held her, but also the tilt in his voice. She was now eager to meet this man despite her initial misgivings. Jennifer’s voice “Oh there you are; why are you sitting on the steps? Please come in.” woke her from her trance. “I‘m so pleased you’ve come; Sarah can’t make it until later.”

Andy continued to hold sway, seemingly hardly noticing Barbara other than an intense glance out of deep blue eyes. He was of medium height, with short black hair tending to baldness; in the looks department, average. After the introductions, Andy was the only man she saw. During dinner she sat next to one of the other younger men, John, and with whom she mostly conversed. John told her that the three younger men were in partnership, the other’s name was Peter. Andy was the brain. Peter ran sales and he, John, the business. They had been friends at university, the older men an accountant and a lawyer. Naturally Andy sat next to Phillip, who captured most of Andy’s attention.

The evening went off very well. Philip captured Andy alone for at least an hour. Philip was also technically trained so he and Andy had a lot to talk about. During this time she also learned that none of the three partners were married. When Sarah arrived she soon commandeered the company of Peter, the most handsome. In fact, they were married three months later. Barbara spent much of her time conversing with John and the two older men. All that time, though, she so much wanted to talk to Andy, but John, who eventually invited her out to dinner, mostly commandeered her time.

She reluctantly accepted, but her purpose in accepting was really in hope to keep contact with Andy, thinking that on occasions Andy would be present.

Later in the evening, though, she did have a chance to speak with Andy, where he again gave her that intense look while speaking to her. He asked her all sorts of questions and she found out he was very funny with an acute sense of humour. After this she realized she had fallen in love with him, yet he disappointingly made no suggestions as to their meeting again.

After that evening she frequently dated John, who in time declared his love for her and asked her hand in marriage. She declined because she was really in love with Andy. After that she saw less of John, but they did go out with each other when need be, although never during their meetings did she once see Andy.

When years later, at the age of 35, and not having seen Andy again, she started to wonder if she should not have accepted John’s proposal of marriage, because he really was a nice man. The chance of this fell through, though, when she introduced John to her younger sister. She was matron of honour and as luck would have it, Andy was best man.

During the ceremony Andy confided to her that he had wanted to ask her to dinner that first time they met, but since John was one of his best friends, as well as business partner, he had not done so in respect for John. That was when the sparks between them started to fly – like his conversation there was never a dull moment.

Lost Soul, by Eric Smith

13/5/2015

Ray’s company often sent him to the Arizona office to edit manuscripts. On one of these trips Julie, a word processor operator, became interested in him—and not as a friend or colleague. Such things bemused Ray—he wasn’t rich or handsome, wore a wedding ring and didn’t stray—some men do, some don’t, and women on the prowl could tell the difference—or so Ray had been told.

After he returned to headquarters the calls began. Julie rang him up a couple times a week—just to talk. The conversations were desultory—long pauses and awkward changes in subject. She complained she was tired of living alone; she wanted a man in her life. She’d had plenty of boyfriends but something always went awry. Some men told her she was needy, but mostly they said nothing. Instead, they’d stop calling or fail to return her calls, see her less often, and eventually drift out of her life. When she could pin them down—noting they hadn’t spoken to her for awhile—they’d justify their behavior by saying something like “I didn’t think our relationship was going anywhere.”

She asked Ray what men meant by that. He told her it probably depended on the man—and maybe the woman—in question. That upset her although he hadn’t intended to hurt her feelings. Julie left the company abruptly and Ray stopped hearing from her. He was sorry he’d never apologized for offending her, but he was relieved she’d exited his life.

The Captain, by Bobby Warner

Lawyer Up, by Eric Smith

An Unidentified Photograph, by Bobby Warner

She Got Him, by Len Nourse

Lost Soul, by Eric Smith

Longer
Stories

Longer Friday Flash Fiction Stories

Archives

The Captain, by Bobby Warner

Lawyer Up, by Eric Smith

An Unidentified Photograph, by Bobby Warner

She Got Him, by Len Nourse﻿

Lost Soul, by Eric Smith

LongerStories

Longer Friday Flash Fiction Stories

Archives

She Got Him, by Len Nourse

Longer
Stories