Categotry Archives: Fiction
The Hitch
Gil grew up on the wastelands. When he was five, the fields grew just enough to keep his small home town going. Then the rails came, bringing toxins that killed the crop even as they carried away most of what they grew. By the time he turned ten, half the population had moved or died. By fifteen, a couple dozen faced starvation even as the train stopped long enough to take everything. That was when he came up with the […]
Suzie’s House 401 : Verbal Abuse
By the time Miranda made it home from the ad agency, she’d broken the heel of her newest Charline De Luca shoes – the red ones with the pony tail of fringe hanging off the back. Before that she’d taken a verbal beating from her boss for ordering the wrong size graphic sheets for a set of billboards, and spent hours dodging a client who wanted more than to place an order and have lunch with her. She was hungry, […]
Urban Renewal
Matt sat in his little second hand shop and cringed with every step the renters next door took on his roof. Clunk, clunk, clunk. How unfair that they should have easy access, and him none at all. It was all because these old buildings had been renovated so many times. The neighbors put something down with a thud, and little bits of ceiling plaster came filtering down. Then he had it. A great idea. If he did a little renovation […]
Suzie’s House 400 : Bruce the Songbird
Kate and Justin were holding hands when they walked into the practice room. Tracy noticed it right away, but didn’t really think much about it until she overheard Gene’s quietly surprised “Oh.” “So, you two are dating now?” Tracy asked mostly to get it out of the way. “Yes!” Kate preened while Justin smiled quietly.
Fireworks
Jimal entered the gazebo like a warrior to battle. He had two more weeks to whip this amateur band into a Fourth of July force to be reckoned with. Twenty years ago they predicted the band’s demise. “The median age is ninety” the newspaper touted. Look at them now. Well over a dozen regular members, including two – count them – two! – tubas. Sure, they may have a little trouble with their hearing, but they gave it their best. […]
Suzie’s House 399 : Bruce vs Emma’s Brother
Bruce felt like a total idiot carrying around his latest creation. It might be a glorious confection of feathers, lace, ribbon, beads, and satin, with an extra layer of feathers just for emphasis, but it looked silly in the hands of a rough, tough dude. Seriously. People were staring. Luckily, he caught up with Emma before he reached the square. Unluckily, her reception was chilly.
Suzie’s House 398 : Walter’s Nightmares
Walter woke up screaming. It had happened so many times over the years that no one bothered to check on him anymore. He lay in the hushed dark, panting and in a cold sweat, but not so much as a shadow flickered. Still, he reached across the bed with one hand, seeking a wife who had died long ago.
Spring!
Finally, Sally got to claim her own little piece of land for a kitchen garden. It seemed silly to her that the family raised acre after acre of wheat, yet had to go to the store for cucumbers because no one wanted to deal with it. Finally, at the beginning of March, her parents said she would use the old garden plot next to the house. It was up to her what she did. She bought a bunch of seeds. […]
Suzie’s House 397 : Just So We’re Clear
“Can I get a glass of water from you?” Drew used it as an excuse to follow Walter into the kitchen, but he really was thirsty. “Yeah, sure.” Walter opened a cupboard. “You must think I’m a total idiot. Crawling out a window without my pants. So lewd.” He shook his head sadly. “I don’t remember that at all.” “It’s no worse than some of the things I’ve done,” Drew assured him. “Yeah, well. Drugs will do that to you.” […]
An Adventure
Two young fairies left the confines of their magic mushroom circle to see the world. “What could this be?” The first fairy put his hand on the surface of something big. “It’s like a tree, but dead.” “Could it be a wall?” The second fairy nearly fell over from leaning backwards in search of the top. “It’s too big to be a wall.” “The elders always said the world is much bigger than we realize, and that there is a […]
Suzie’s House 396 : Shenanigans
“The first time he got away from me, don’t laugh, he hid in the closet.” Donny grinned for a minute, then seemed to realize no one smiled back. “Hey, he could have fooled anyone. I swear I checked everywhere. Checked the closets twice. He had to have moved from one to another, always one step ahead of me.” “Just goes to show I’m not as stupid as you think I am,” Walter said. His smile wasn’t entirely nice, but not […]
Have you seen her?
Emily has been walking for fifty two days now. She just got up one day and started out. We don’t know why. All she’s got is what will fit in one little backpack and our good will. If she lets us know where she is, we send money. So far she’s never hung around long enough for us to catch up. No need to try and bring her home. She won’t stay. She’s full grown now. Not much we can […]
Suzie’s House 395 : Job Insecurity
Donny didn’t like the look of this new guy. He had “cop” written all over him. But it was too late to hide the evidence. Donny had been toking for at least an hour. Pot smoke filled the air of his employer’s living room. Donny glanced at Ned, his employer. No reaction. None from the other guy either. They all just stood around the couch with their heads in the cloud. Well, he had his green card, anyway. If this […]
In Comparison
“This is the perfect symbol for my love.” Liam pointed to the mass of dark crystals in the museum. “They are long and barbed like frozen fireworks splayed in all directions. Each crystal is very sharp and dangerous, yet delicate and brittle. Only gentle care will keep it intact.” He gave Sally a meaningful look. “Your love? Your love is more like real fireworks – all flash and heat. No, if these symbolize anyone’s love, it would be mine.” Sally […]
Suzie’s House 394 : Shaking Hands
He looked like Martin. Or maybe not. This guy had sandy brown hair where Martins had been more of a light black. This guy was a lot taller. His face more angular. But there was something in his eyes a little off, the way it had been with Martin when he wasn’t sober. Walter wasn’t at all sure he wanted to meet this guy. “My name is Andrew Banks. You can call me Drew.” The druggie stuck out his hand […]
