Categotry Archives: Fiction
At the End of the World
It would be there, right where he left it. Everything else in the world may have turned upside down since the virus escaped from the lab, but his truck would be safe. He’d left it where the zombie’s had never appeared. No matter how much his lab partners teased, he’d always kept the gas tank full, a week’s rations in the back, and copies of the keys to every place he might want to go. Down to his last ounce […]
Suzie’s House 370 : A Gentleman’s Discussion
“What would you do if you found out your girlfriend had been raped?” Gene asked the question out of the blue. “I’d hunt the bast*rd down and kill him.” Drew didn’t consider his answer. It sprang to his lips without volition. Then he realized he probably shouldn’t have said something like that. “Yeah.” Gene actually smiled and nodded. “I’d like to.” He lifted his head from the plastic, chase-style, lawn chair to look where Gene sat on the other side […]
Suzie’s House 369 : What Happened in Vegas
“Tracy was raped in Las Vegas,” Lisa said is if that was the kind of thing she had a right to say. “I was not!” Tracy looked from Lisa to Gene, willing him to ignore Lisa. “How can you say that? It was vicious. You had finger shaped bruises on your neck.”
A Conversation on an Airplane
“Don’t tell anyone, but I’m afraid of flying. It’s true.” Jane nodded to the over weight woman in the seat beside her. “That’s why I wanted the seat by the aisle.” “The aisle? If we crash, will that make a difference?” “No, no. I don’t think so. But as long as I don’t look out the window I’m fine.” “Oh. I see. It’s the take off that gets to me. I’m always sure we won’t really get off the ground. […]
Suzie’s House 368 : Unloading
Lisa had no intentions of doing anything with Tracy today, let alone with Tracy and her band. She was on her way to the library when she happened to see them drive by. Or, more to the point, she saw Bruce trying to drive a van that kept stalling out and gave in to curiosity. She thought the fact she could keep up with them while on foot spoke volumes about Bruce’s driving. Then again, it was only a few […]
It’s Like Riding a Bicycle. You Never Forget.
“Need a fork?” Jane smirked. She already had her chopsticks out, though she hadn’t scooped up any of the stir-fry yet. “No! No, I’m good.” Marge took her chopstick out of the little restaurant wrapper and tried to remember how you hold them. “I bet you can’t do this.” Jane reached out with her chopsticks, aiming at a pop bottle. She had almost lifted it when the bottle fell over, sending a cascade of bubbles over the table, and one […]
Suzie’s House 367 : Driver in Training
“Go, go, go!” Tracy sat in the shotgun seat and leaned way too close while she looked out the driver’s window. “Y-yeah. We… we should g-g-g-go.” Emma sat right behind him. For a moment Bruce couldn’t remember how he’d ended up in the driver’s seat. Technically, he didn’t know how to drive.
Losing His Head
At the Bitterroot Mercantile in Darby, Montana, the clientele expect a certain ambiance. It isn’t enough that there are trophies on the wall. The animal heads must come from something the owner hunted and have a story to go with it. Unluckily for Ken, he’d only ever bagged one animal and that had been more traffic accident than safari. Still, he dutifully hung the ram’s head on his wall and claimed a kinship with Earnest Hemingway right up until the […]
Suzie’s House 366 : Uncle John’s Band
The drum kit would be the tricky part. He had hinted to the drummer girl that it would be better to go with something simpler. A hint was the best he could do when Bruce kept jumping down his throat about every little thing, especially in front of the band. Well, now that she saw where they were playing she’d get smart about it. Or not. She was already pulling one of those big drums out of the van like […]
Stormy
When the tornado warning alarms went off, two young men, brothers, spurned the basement in favor of watching the storm. Dark and roiling clouds obliterated the sky, but on land they found mostly wind. There wasn’t much to see. “Hey look. Doesn’t that cloud remind you of someone?” “Yeah, it’s just like what mom’s face would look like if she knew we were out here.” “That one looks like a horse.” The younger of the two pointed to the sky. […]
Suzie’s House 365 : A Translucent Attitude
Bruce knew something was wrong as soon as Uncle John arrived. He had that eerie combination of a guarded look in his eye and a big smile that always meant trouble. Still, Bruce didn’t say anything as the band loaded everything into the van. It wasn’t like anyone would listen anyway. They were all too excited about doing another gig. Well, let them see for themselves just how far you could trust Uncle John.
From the Depths of the Sea
As far as Poseidon was concerned, the hundred years at the bottom of the sea passed in the blink of an eye. He rose to surface in the Mediterranean where he’d often enjoyed bullying the humans. This time, however, the response wasn’t all he expected. No screaming or running or begging for mercy. People actually seemed to find him humorous. “Dude!” Some transplant from another continent bumped into him. “You look down right gnarly. And they tell me that I […]
Suzie’s House 364 : Keeping His Thoughts to Himself
Gene focused on his fingering, but his heart wasn’t in the practice session. “…and I’ll divulge my godless dreams,” Emma sang. “My insignificant, paladin dreams.” She stopped singing and lifted the bottom of her paper bag to look at them from its dark recesses. “Wait. Shouldn’t that be paltry?” “Just go with it,” Kate kept drumming. “Yeah, I kind of like ‘paladin’,” Justin grinned around the array of hanging glass bottles he’d been experimenting with. “We should make it a […]
The Parting
PHOTO PROMPT Copyright-Lura Helms. There came a parting of the ways. The Keeper of the Flame and The Severance Hand, long time friends in the battle for righteousness, disagreed on the likely outcome to the choice of right and not-right. Keeper insisted on right. Severance Hand insisted on might. Each took their choice and slunk into the future alone. Happily Nobody came to the parting of the ways and took the not-right path without hesitation. Fool that he pretends to […]
Suzie’s House 363 : The Best Dad Around
His mother hadn’t abandoned him. She’d merely been murdered. Gene pulled his guitar onto his lap and strummed a few notes while he considered all the mixed up feelings he had about family and friends now that he knew the truth. Tracy would probably say something like how this would make a good song. Maybe she was right. Maybe he needed to try writing one.
