Mike’s gaze drifted from the road to his girlfriend, Ali. He was doing his best amid the traffic to 84 to smile. The gift had been a sweet one. She didn’t know enough about football for it to be anything but. As she had pointed out a half a dozen times, the drive to and…
Tag: Fiction
It’s Always Alright, Right?
The grief had picked him apart and time had sewn him back crooked. Everything was covered in a light dust, a film that marred his vision. Walls and barriers had to be put up where once there was a warm outreach. A joviality that died with their first born. He lifted his lukewarm beer, the…
Once in a Lifetime
Mason shifted his phone in his hand. The other returned his soda to the coffee table, the plastic sliding across the glass from the condensation, and picked up the remote. One hand always working the screen in that constant search for information. Sports everything – scores, schedules, articles, art older than his ex but recently…
Ephemera
He showed up wearing dark blue jeans, a dark shirt tucked in only emphasizing the size of his belt buckle. Despite the distance, she was sure he wore his sports coat complete with that fucking lapel pin the entire drive. His strawberry blonde hair toasted with a summer hue styled in the same pompadour it…
Betrayal at the Bungalow
“I’m not doing the job,” she said over her shoulder. The cord of her headphones snagged on her notebook as she turned the page and the corner. “Here is my phone number, it’s for the new address. Please send it out tomorrow.” She pressed end on her call; the open space of her bedroom waiting…
Kill the Lights
The lights would come and go at no particular interval. It was as though every morning someone deliberately spun the dial on a timer so that it was never actually set properly. Sometimes there wasn’t a real light in her dark corner, but only a glow from a nearby place. Sometimes there was no glow at all. Those were the days she decided that instead of a game of “Spin the Light,” it was “Kill the Lights.” No matter what the circumstances or environment Ali never lost her mind, she just waited patiently until she was freed to go home. That was her ultimate want, to return home.
Charming as a Snake (previously called “The Secret of Anna Maria’s Snake)
Propped up on her elbow, squeezing the neck of her stuffed animal between her forearm and bicep, Anna Maria tried to determine if the noise she heard was from her husband’s sleeping or if it was from an intruder. She pushed off the bed, onto her back. Sniper, the stuffed python, hissed a sigh of…
Flagpole Birdie
Their arm hairs touched instantly, separating them the way magnets pull and push from each other. Like little kids they giggled silently to themselves as they both turned in opposite directions. It had been her idea to compare skin tones. Silently raising her arm, gently placing it next to his on the desk between them….
Grump’s Fish Tank
Nessy Nickerson slid in to Grump’s Tank quietly unannounced. As always it took fellow bar patrons a few moments to notice him. His quiet walk, quick movements, and predatory tendencies made his presence unknown and unnerving. Most of all like him, it was unmistakable.
Time Froze Them Both
Scott slowly released his breath. He wasn’t sure how long he had been sucking it in. He continued to exhale as his pushed his foot into the floor. It was sore. The stiffness grew up his ankle and through his joints. He remembered the days when his stiffness lived in his boxer shorts. Those were…