Categotry Archives: Fiction
The Still Point.
The Girl: Even if you aren’t time traveling backwards, you’re still moving through time. Alice: And Space. Just lay there, the world moves. The Boy: Unless you go up in a rocket ship. Alice: Still moving with respect to the universe. The Boy: Unless you find the one spot in the whole universe that isn’t. Think about that. *eye wiggle* The challenge, should you choose to accept it, is to write a story in exactly 55 words.
Suzie’s House 147: Nervous
“Gene, cut it out.” Ben took the ice cube from Gene’s hand. “She doesn’t like it.” “So what? I do like it.” Gene tried to take the ice cube back, but Ben kept just out of reach. Not that Gene was really trying anyway. It wasn’t like he cared all that much. He grabbed for it again anyway. “I said cut it out!” Ben actually looked serious. “What are you two talking about?” Diane glanced nervously at them right before […]
Western Roads
“Oh. You’re really going somewhere with this.” She looked from the map to the highway stretching endlessly before them. “Of course I am. I may take a few detours, but I’ve always had a place in mind. Only, it’s very far away.” “How far?” “The other side of the Grand Canyon. Speaking of which…” The challenge, should you choose to accept it, is to write a story in exactly 55 words. This is actually an allegory for the way I […]
Suzie’s House 146: Introductions
“Vin!” Miranda took the remote control out of his hand and levered him to his feet. “Diane’s here. You haven’t meet Diane yet, have you? Come on. I’ll introduce you.” “Diane?” “Yeah. She’s a good friend of Suzie and me. She used to baby sit Ben when he was little. That’s why she’s here. She’s going to take care of Ben and Gene while the rest of us are gone.” “No wild parties, huh? What if she likes wild parties?” […]
Squeeee
Recess! She couldn’t wait! First out the door, running fast across the playground right into the biggest school bully. Down he went. “Hey! You! You did that on purpose. I’m going to beat you up.” “Tee-hee. No you’re not!” Running again, she looked over her shoulder as if to say “hurry up slow poke!” He grinned, and let her go. The challenge, should you choose to accept it, is to write a story in exactly 55 words.
Suzie’s House 145 : Diane Makes Herself at Home
About half an hour early, Diane walked up the steps to the porch of Suzie’s house with her over night case in hand. She paused in front of the door, trying to decide if she should knock or simply walk in. Before all those people moved in with Suzie, Diane wouldn’t have thought twice. She would simply have gone around back and walked into the kitchen, since that was where Suzie tended to spend her time. That was months ago. […]
Before You Go
Stop. Tell me why you’re leaving. You owe me nothing, still I ask, I beg; Was it the wall too high? the rope? the ladder? Which act failed? Which should I cut? Which joke fell flat? Tell me, before you walk away, leaving me nary a dime Have I no talent as a mime? . . . . The challenge, should you choose to accept it, is to write a story in exactly 55 words.
Hum Bug
Once a year the Hum Bug, a coal-black creature no bigger than a fingernail, makes his home at the bottom of a Christmas stocking. When the milk and cookies are gone, the bug emerges to fly into the nearest ear and hum. Woe betide the unlucky child who must hear Jinglebells the rest of the year. . . .
Suzie’s House 144: Sharing the News
“Mom! I did it! I talked to Mrs. Audrey.” Ben whipped into the house about five times as fast as he was supposed to. He ran down the hall to the kitchen. “And she said yes!” Intstead of finding Mom there, he found Miranda, who was packing one of Mom’s travel boxes. The travel boxes looked like toy boxes about the size of a picnic basket. They were great for holding the food on camping trips and stuff.
Bah!
Fluffy sheep jumping white pickets in Facebook aps never end. The same white fence, the same white sheep. Copy, paste, friend and tweet Sending round and round messages of almost-connection. Warmth from a name made familiar by kind repetition lulling the sheep with illusions of solidity, making them think it is safe to jump.
Suzie’s House 143: A Walk in the Park
It was only a few months between the day I watched two red haired men run out of Cindy’s apartment during a party and the next time I ran into Suzie’s son, Ben, but it seemed like a couple of years had gone by. In that time, Ben had nearly been abducted by those red haired men, seen them arrested, been accused of insanity by a crazy teacher, sent his own father to jail for attempted murder, rescued his best […]
Recipe for Disaster
I blame this one on Clean and Crazy, who didn’t know she was giving me ideas. Take one reindeer with frayed electrical cord to the roof. Add Christmas Music played at 20 decibels to one irate neighbor. Mix in a dozen screaming kids in the yard, a broken shingle, an open bottle of burgundy empty stomach and fresh snow. Finish with a spouse holding a light bulb. “You forgot his nose!”
Suzie’s House 142: The Punch
“Things are going to change right now. Beginning with you.” Mrs. H said it with that straight-up-honest, kind, mother type way of hers, but Gene knew she didn’t mean to be comforting. Good thing too, because her words put a chill down his back like having someone you really didn’t like staring at you too much. Gene swallowed hard, and waited for the punch.
Exquisite Moments
Snap Another capture Little girl, hands flapping on the ends of upraised arms pleading, “Daddy, pick me up.” Worthy of the picture and maybe a poem to be added to a collection of exquisite moments. Click Kids, cats, cormorants, anything that moves in the direction of joy becomes the building blocks. All of life, grist for the mill.
Suzie’s House 141 : Airing the Underwear
Drew finished taping a box full of books with a loud shruuunnnkkkuunkkk off the roll. He gave Suzie a nod as he hefted a couple of boxes and beat a hasty retreat. She took a few of extra minutes staring at his beige bedspread to pull herself together, then stood with the intention of going down to the kitchen. “Mom, I need to talk to you.” Ben burst into Drew’s room. Gene and the girl, Lisa, followed right behind. “Sure,” […]
