Categotry Archives: Fiction
Suzie’s House 461 : An Open Invitation
“Hey, check it out! It’s the old guys.” Bruce pointed at a table on the sidewalk on State Street. “”Drew’s not that old,” Gene muttered. He didn’t think anyone heard him, though. Seemed like lately most people didn’t pay any attention unless he raised his voice. “Hey, we should talk to them. Right?” Tracy nearly bounced with anticipation.
Suzie’s House 460 : Coffee with the Soldier
“We really have to stop meeting this way.” Drew pulled up a chair at the sidewalk table at a small, State Street café. He caught the eye of the waiter to order a coffee. “But you found me.” Walter grinned. The old man sat with a coffee and a Danish in front of him. That was a good sign. He had his head together enough to buy something. He also wore some beat up old army fatigues. Oddly enough, they […]
Ye Olde Hermitage
Toby settled in his new digs, then dug out his phone and texted his friends: Toby: Come hang out with me! I’ve got this new gig. Some old fart just gave me a place to stay. It aint much – just four walls and a roof – but it sure beats living in the park. Right? Friend: How’d you land that? Is there noise ordinance or anything? Toby: No way, Dud! It’s a lord. He said he wanted a hermit. […]
Suzie’s House 459 : The Lethal Machinations of a Maniacal Kook? AKA a Reputation
Drew unplugged the laptop. Some people might think you wouldn’t ruin the battery by leaving it plugged in over night, but he’d read the manual. No point in making the charge cycle any shorter than it had to be.
Washed Up
Merriam the Mermaid washed up on shore at ten on a Saturday night. The bars along the shore were hopping. She had a little trouble getting her land legs under her, but once on her new feet, she made straight for the brightest lights around. Inside the bar was dark and smoky. She didn’t let that deter her. All she needed was to lure ten men into the sea where her tribe could turn them into dinner. Then a quick […]
Suzie’s House 458 : A Counter Proposition
Emma kept her mouth shut. She wasn’t at all sure what they should do. On the one hand the deal Miranda offered seemed too good to be true. On the other, it wouldn’t be the first offer the band had been given that turned out wasn’t like it seemed at all. It wasn’t like any of them were ignorant, happy-go-lucky types that would be all joyous the first time someone paid them any attention. Not anymore. Maybe. She glanced at […]
Seen and Not Heard
“Don’t say anything,” Mother pushed her into the Quaker’s house for the meeting. “No no,” Mother’s well-meaning friend said. “She should say whatever The Lord moves her to say.” “If you let her get started, we will never hear the end of it. We’ve already had to switch congregations twice.” To her daughter she said in a harsh whisper, “Say nothing! Nothing all.” She was good. For a whole hour she sat in the pews, listening to the grownups talking […]
Suzie’s House 457 : A Proposition
“Don’t look at me like that.” Drew didn’t mean to snap at Vin, but he was getting so tired of the way the adults in the house looked at him. “I don’t need any pity. Not from you, and not from Miranda either.” He gestured at where Miranda stood in front of the TV, facing all the kids from Gene’s band. Her smile was positively giddy, though she probably intended an enchanting smile. Vin stood in the doorway to the […]
Shared Dreams
Ted and Anita sat on the deck of her yacht with wine spritzers in one hand and paintbrushes in the other. “No, no. I think this part needs more viridian.” “What are we painting here? A landscape or a UFO? This is exactly why I said co-painting wouldn’t work. You can’t get across a clear vision when two minds are competing on one canvas.” “But the whole point is that we are so closely attuned we can overcome the normal […]
Suzie’s House 456 : An Advertising Agent Comes Home
Miranda could tell from the babble of voices coming from the den that the kids were in the house again. It irritated her that they felt so free to run wild in her cherished home. The pack of teenagers were always underfoot, but Suzie was hardly ever home anymore. Nothing had turned out as Miranda originally envisioned when she suggested Suzie turn the house into a boarding house. A loud thump and laughter came from the den over the sound […]
Bird on the Wire
The battery died, but there were three bars of reception where there had been none all day. He knew he wasn’t supposed to touch the smart phone while it recharged. He didn’t care. The more he texted, the more his fingers tingled. Still he clicked on. He told the girl he liked everything he was feeling. It was easier to do it through the phone than in person. Finally, he clicked the send button. Within minutes his inbox filled. He […]
Suzie’s House 455 : Toast and Shoes
It wasn’t that Sophie considered Ethan selfish. She’d seen him do unselfish things many times in the course of a fairly long marriage. He simply didn’t think very far beyond himself. His acts of selflessness were always spur of the moment, brought on by a kind of surprised compassion. So she shouldn’t have been surprised by the brand new pair of sturdy white nursing shoes in exactly her size that magically appeared on her seat at the kitchen table. She […]
When it Rains
“See? I told you everything would be great.” Mark said to Debbie as they set up their tent. “I would still rather be in Murphy’s or maybe Napa going from wine tasting to wine tasting.” She flicked off a speck of dust. “I am not a fan of the great out doors.” “Why? What’s wrong with it?” “Too much dirt! I mean, imagine if the weather reporter was right and it rained?” A clap of thunder rolled through the wood. […]
Suzie’s House 454 : Still Too Many Characters
While I critiqued Lisa’s work, Ben got antsy. He pulled at his lower lip, glanced between us, and shifted weight in his seat. I thought he wanted to say something, but when I looked at him, he looked away. At last, he picked up his manuscript and banged the bottom of the stack of paper on the table to line up the pages, then stuffed it into his backpack. A field of cookie crumbs appeared where the paper had been. […]
Fence
Fred walked out to the back forty to find Barb standing by the fence. Some of her long, beautiful hair had gotten caught in the barbwire. She picked and tugged at it. “Morning Barb! Got yourself caught again? You know, neither one of us has run cattle on our property in a long time. I’m not planning on changing that. Are you?” “Nope.” She ripped the hair loose. “Why don’t we just take this fence down?” “It’s the way I […]
