Categotry Archives: Fiction
On the Boardwalk
“I heard you and Liam went on a date.” Alicia glowered at Sally. “We just went on a hike. You didn’t miss anything.” “Didn’t you go on a boardwalk somewhere? I wish Liam would take me on a boardwalk. Window shopping, holding hands, maybe stopping somewhere for an ice cream. It would be like a dream come true for me!” “Not this boardwalk. We went bird watching in the marshes. Part of the trail is wooden. I wouldn’t even really […]
Suzie’s House 469 : Flash Point
“So? What’s the sitch?” “FUBAR.” Martin’s eyes went wide and his face drained of color. “Nothing but enemy between us and the pick up five miles from here.” “There’s a field right in front of us!” A soldier behind Walter stage-whispered. “Tell them to change pick up locations!”
Closed
“Are you sure?” Milton stood to the side of the ornate scrollwork around the entrance as his wife locked the door for the last time. “Yes.” Fran turned the key decisively, sending the deadbolt home. “Isn’t there anything you want to take? I’m sure the new owners would never notice. They didn’t even ask for an inventory before they bought the store.” “I said ‘As Is’ and that’s how they’ll get it. Fifty years of looking at all that junk […]
Suzie’s House 468 : Flashback #2
“Why do you put up with him?” Walter could no longer remember the name of the soldier who said it, but he couldn’t forget the words.
Last Man Standing
After the war, Timothy felt like the last man on earth. Getting home had been hard. When the army pulled out, most of the force was already infected. He spent a month in quarantine outside of Philipsburg. He probably should still be there, but when he couldn’t find anyone left alive and got hungry he broke out. The first place he hit was a grocery store. The parking lot was full of cars, but no one manned the tills. He […]
Suzie’s House 467 : Flashback #1
“Ewwww! Icky!” Martin threw his hands to the side and lifted a leg in retreat from a mud puddle. “Quit fooling around,” Walter growled. “You know this area is full of landmines.” This had to be the fifth time Martin had done it. Was he trying to give Walter the jitters? As if he needed to lavish on the jokes during recon!
Suzie’s House 466 : Holding Up the Wall
Holding up the wall. That’s what Martin used to call it. It was a manly way to be a wall flower. Except you needed a bottle of beer to make it look right. Walter shifted from one foot to the other. His hip hurt like it always seemed to these days, and he had trouble seeing over the shoulders of the five band members who had crowded into the sound room while the sixth member played drums. Still, it was […]
Suzie’s House 465 : Listening Closely
I’m Not Always Wrong played through the headset. Bruce braced himself. A lot of times when you listened to a recording it didn’t sound anything near as good as what you thought it was to start with. It wasn’t too bad. He looked around. Everyone else was kind of deadpan. I wasn’t sure if they were hiding reactions, or just didn’t know enough to have one. Emma glanced at him with a little worried wrinkle in her forehead. He gave […]
Spy vs Spy
Akbar leaned into the alley to make sure the way was clear. Good. No one would see as he dragged the body to the waiting camels. It would have gone off without a hitch if it weren’t for all the blood. “Cut! Who left the blood trail from the previous take? It all has to be done again! Get that extra off the set. Come on, people. We’ve got deadlines to keep. Everyone ready? Take 52, and action!” Akbar leaned […]
Suzie’s House 464 : Bruised Egos
“This is fantastic! I could get addicted to this,” Bruce grinned “How many songs have we done so far?” “Just three.” Ever practical, Justin didn’t seem to be nearly as wowed by their studio recording as the rest were feeling. Gene wasn’t so sure about any of this. He wasn’t even sure they were ready to do recordings at all, let alone trading commercial use of some of their songs for an album. Then again, he had been second guessing […]
Shadow of a Ghost
The lace in the window of the old woman’s house sticks to a frozen window. She used to say she never cried for ghosts, but maybe she should. Death is just a separation. She said she pitied the living more because their grief carried her away. But what of the dead? Would it not be worse for those who loose every connection they had than for those who only lost one? “Any ghost that doesn’t move on to his or […]
Suzie’s House 463 : Wallflowers
So Gene still had a problem with Suzie adopting him. Drew thought that whole thing was settled weeks ago. What was there for the kid to complain about? He had come to Suzie’s house as an unruly kid from a violent, broken home. The way Gene had been forced to live would make anyone shudder. In comparison Suzie must look like a saint. She had patience to burn, knew right from wrong, and cared about everyone in her life with […]
Air Space
It was a disaster. Marge shouldn’t have booked her trip to Argentina through the travel company. Left to her own devices, Marge never flew with Jet Blue. She’d already been stuck on the tarmac for three hours. Another twenty minutes and there would be no way to make her connecting flight. At least she had a bit of breathing room since the aisle seat next to her hadn’t been taken. In the old days, when she still traveled with Jane, […]
Suzie’s House 462 : An Overheard Conversation
What a fine day to slip the leash! Walter couldn’t have been more pleased with himself. He’d been feeling a little tattered for the last few days. It seemed the more he stayed around the house, the more his mind wandered back to the past. That wasn’t a place he wanted to be.
Death of a Clown
Ronald got fired from his job as a short order cook because of his terrible fashion sense. Next he tried running away with the circus, but crashed the clown car. He lost his job as a security guard when he tripped over his own feet and let a burglar get away. Finally he tried piano tuning. He had a good ear, so things went well on his first couple of jobs. Then he hit a real challenge. With an iron […]
