Categotry Archives: Fiction
Next Year
He was scared. He’d only been riding for a couple of years, but Grandfather said it had to be him. 26 kilometers in less than a day on the fastest horse in the herd. He was scared, but if not him, they had no one. And it was great! He won. “I can’t wait to do this next year.” “Sorry, grandson. Next year you’ll be too big.” The challenge, should you choose to accept it, is to write a story […]
Suzie’s House 332 : Chasing Toms
Justin adjusted his snare drum, then looked up in time to see Kate chasing down a tom as it rolled off the tiny platform that The Warehouse considered a stage. She was two for two, now. Two drums lost while setting up for two performances. Part of him felt superior, but part reminded him she probably wouldn’t lose any of her kit if she didn’t have to fit hers around his. It was always when her tom bumped into his […]
I Don’t Have a Muse. I Have a Cellar.
Things have been crawling out of the cellar; a man with his heart in his pocket and a sutra on his thumb, a woman with dark hair and a killer smile. They dance around the plots, unwilling to settle. They refuse to let the words count. I shove them back into the cellar, waiting until they are ripe. The challenge, should you choose to accept it, is to write a story in exactly 55 words. Flash Fiction 55 is hosted […]
Suzie’s House 331 : How to Not Bounce
Bruce stared into the eyes of the burly bouncer and dared him to keep them out. Uncle John really had set this gig up, hadn’t he? Even if they were all under age, they had a right to be here tonight. He didn’t have to pay a bribe this time. Did he?
Moth Attack
He woke to his wife’s screams. She kicked him as she leaped from bed to gyrate wildly around the ger. “What?! What’s wrong?” “Moths!” “Oh.” He flopped back into his pillow. “I don’t know why they bother you but not me.” He rolled over only to feel the fluttering, and then the crunch. The challenge, should you choose to accept it, is to write a story in exactly 55 words. Flash Fiction 55 is hosted by the G-man, a host […]
Suzie’s House 330 : First Gig
They were together. Emma could hear the difference in the music, and it wasn’t just the practice room. They’d been in the room practicing every day for a couple of weeks now and it didn’t sound new anymore. No, this was different. Everyone knew their part and played it perfect. Emma reveled in it. She felt like she could really let her voice out when the band sounded like this. It wasn’t just her thinking it either. When they finished […]
Whisper
She stood in the very center, directly under the dome where she did not belong and closed her eyes, the better to hear the voice of God. And soon it came. But no. Two voices spoking of their plans for her. She opened her eyes, but could only see her father and his friend. The challenge, should you choose to accept it, is to write a story in exactly 55 words. Flash Fiction 55 is hosted by the G-man, a […]
Camera Happy
While the gracious hosts offered everything from milk tea to fry bread, and the others all chatted comfortably, one tourist took pictures of everything; the food, the people, the ceiling, the floor…. “Why do you take so many pictures,” another tourist asked. “I’ll never remember if I don’t.” “Huph! I’m the one with Alzheimer’s.” The challenge, should you choose to accept it, is to write a story in exactly 55 words. Flash Fiction 55 is hosted by the G-man, a […]
Suzie’s House 328 : Garbage, Paint, and Shoes
Suzie’s mind wandered as she dumped the kitchen garbage into the trash can by the garage. The utility bills shouldn’t be too bad this time. Not like in winter when they could easily hit three hundred a month. Maybe more insulation in the attic would help, but that would require money she didn’t have.
Ozymandias or Chinggis Kahn?
“Hey,” said one huckster to another. “Let’s build a statue. A big one.” He held his hands wide. “So people can see it from far away. And then when they come to check it out, we’ll charge them a viewing fee.” “What, here? But there isn’t anything except our campfire here.” “All the better. Who’s to stop us?” The challenge, should you choose to accept it, is to write a story in exactly 55 words. Flash Fiction 55 is hosted […]
Suzie’s House 327 : Dredgeful. Just Dredgeful
“Dredgeful. It’s just dredgeful,” Tracy said as they headed home. Home to Ben’s house, not to Emma’s. No one said anything about it, they all just kind of went that way. Ben noticed it, but only because he was trying to pay more attention to stuff like that. “Dredgeful?” Bruce grinned at Emma, who kind of smiled back with that smile that always flickered and always faced the ground. “What?” Tracy scowled at Bruce. “Nothing,” Bruce said, and everyone in […]
Morning Ride
Bridals jingle, saddles creak, each soft thud as hoof meets the ground carries us further around the lake. Through the fog of early morning everything becomes muted and mysterious. Geese cross the trail in a bobbing line on their way from tall grass to a watery breakfast. Walking close together, the horses take us out and back just for the experience. The challenge, should you choose to accept it, is to write a story in exactly 55 words. Flash Fiction […]
Suzie’s House 326 : Tracy to the Rescue
It was them! Emma saw them through the front window from the second floor of the abandoned house and shut up right then. She hadn’t done much singing today, but she’d gone to the abandoned house to sing every day since her brother moved back in, and maybe was overdoing it a little. She got up close to the window to see better and held her breath. The last thing she wanted was for them to find her here. Not […]
Home Stay.
They make it sound so exotic in the brochures – stay with an actual native family in their home. Eat what they eat, sleep where they sleep, do what they do for three whole days. Nervously, Theresa put her suitcase in a corner of the ger. Guide and driver long gone, she turned to the family and asked. “Where’s the bathroom?” The challenge, should you choose to accept it, is to write a story in exactly 55 words. Flash Fiction […]
