By Melissa R. Mendelson Government and Corporation are our parents, and the rest of us are children. Well, except the ten percent now that were thrown out into the cold. Harley sat back in his chair with the gray pen dangling between his fingers. The desk light dimmed, and he stared down at his journal.Continue reading “Ten Times Around”
Tag Archives: Short Story
Help Me, I’m Not Dead
By Anika K. Clausen The plastic lies heavy on my frozen limbs. My efforts to move are pointless, screaming –impossible. My idle olfactory capabilities allow me to discern the remaining air underneath my suffocating duvet. An iron odor fills my uncompromising trap. With my limited peripheral vision, I can sense the bed of dead leavesContinue reading “Help Me, I’m Not Dead”
Lavender Diamond
By Edward Sheehy I’m done writing first-person point-of-view stories. My latest saga of a modern family stretching back several generations, voiced by 72 first-person characters including pet dogs and cats and a crow circling the narrative dispensing omniscient commentary, had been soundly rejected by dozens of publishers. My agent said first-person was overdone, mine inContinue reading “Lavender Diamond”
Julia and Katherine
By Andy Betz “Hello. My name is Katherine Adams.” It was my reserved opening. Neither abrupt nor capricious, I remained steadfast in my resolve to make a singular opening. I made discreet inquiries about her idiosyncrasies and decided to discard such second hand information and decide for myself. “I read your ad in the tradesContinue reading “Julia and Katherine”
Transition
Inspired By My Dad By Melissa R. Mendelson Farewell. Light blue letters on a white banner hung against a nearby wall. The tape failed to hold it up, and one side caved, falling into a table set up with vegetables, chips and soda. A toddler squealed with joy, jumping up and pulling the rest ofContinue reading “Transition”
Harvest Season
By Amanda Eiden Three swift kicks is all it takes for Otis to break down the front door. It cracks from the hinges and hits the floor with a snap. Jackson and Dewey step inside. Their feet in sync. Cool air. Soft television static. Popcorn pops from the stove. Otis glances around before stepping inside.Continue reading “Harvest Season”
Judge and Jury
By William M. McIntosh I’ve seen just about everything. Thirty-three years in and I still get excited, though. The chase. The capture. The power. The idea that your hard work has paid off and you’re still the man; there ain’t a feeling that comes close. I remember my first. I still think about it allContinue reading “Judge and Jury”
Hard Case
By Glen Bush The wooden screen door slammed shut sending a rickety echo through the tavern. The two fans sitting at each end of the hand-made, but not well-made, bar did little more than disperse the muggy, August air. It was St. Louis and August, nothing more needed to be said. The smiling barfly atContinue reading “Hard Case”
Jaws of Fate
By Melekwe Anthony “Have you felt fear? Have you heard your heart in your ears and a sudden impulse to lie, hide or run; that you know what is coming and can not prevent it? Staring down the barrel of a gun is not fear, Doctor. “Yes…I’m. I understand.” “Watching your son get pulled awayContinue reading “Jaws of Fate”
Widowers Can Get Into Trouble
By Robert Honor Max Reynard held his head in his hands. His daughter hates him. Detests him in the “special” way a teenaged girl can. No idea what his crime was. When it comes to this between them the beginning seems familiar, yet the root cause is muddily untraceable. The greatest shamus in the worldContinue reading “Widowers Can Get Into Trouble”