Becca could not remember where she picked up the canvas bag. It was at least two years ago. It had been white at one point, white and perfect. Now it was a road map of stains, rips, tears, discolorations marking her life on the streets since that pandemic business started three years ago.… Continue reading Becca’s Bag of Phones
Category: tender
The Twenty
For my sister on her 51st birthday The afternoon sun was high and hot overhead. The two of them, the mother and her favorite child, the sweetest by a country mile, her daughter, walked along the road. They intended to spend a few simple minutes engaged in retail therapy, shopping at the dime store that… Continue reading The Twenty
Christina
30-Day Flash Challenge, Day 25 She’s doing it again; she shouldn’t be able to hold the tiny blunt, let alone take a hit, but she can and does. “Whoa,” that’s some good stuff,” Christina says as she exhales a cloud of acrid smoke. The four of us, James, Seth, me, and her, are… Continue reading Christina
Same Old Dance
30-Day Flash Challenge, Day 22 The thing is, I could tell what she was thinking the whole time, from her first spontaneous hug, to how she responded to my touch when we traded massages, how I responded to hers. I swore I wanted to; no needed to touch her every week. What would… Continue reading Same Old Dance
After the Rain
Flash Fiction Challenge 100 – Day 83 “Lying in the dark, it’s understood We are both lost And we won’t be found.” The Last Unicorn – Passenger When it was done, after he had gone through the normal stages of adapting to the new norm (single again), he felt surprised to learn that what he… Continue reading After the Rain
The Holler Man
Flash Fiction Challenge 100 – Day 81 I never learned whose idea it was to hold his funeral outside in the gravel parking lot that sits at the mouth of the holler, but I want to shake his or her hand. What better way to say goodbye to the man everyone knew as The Holler… Continue reading The Holler Man
Rubbing
Scenes From a Massage Spa Once upon a time, there was a massage spa with therapists and clients and managers and sales associates, and it was good. All of it was good. The environment was chill (except for when it wasn’t), and it was serene (except for when it wasn’t), but it was always a… Continue reading Rubbing
The Man in the Mirror
“No, you’re still looking at the mirror. Look at the wall there – about a yard to the left of the mirror. Just notice in your peripheral vision what’s happening in the mirror.” Peter shifts his gaze according to Dawn’s instruction. “But I still don’t see anything,” Peter says. “Relax your eyes and give it… Continue reading The Man in the Mirror
Midlife Mambo
Flash Fiction Challenge 100 – Day 69 Uh, oh, I may have made a mistake here. Okay, okay, breathe, I remind myself, leaning over the railing of the balloon’s basket. Below us, the Taos Valley is so achingly beautiful it wounds me. It was a gorgeous fall day in central New Mexico. I had been… Continue reading Midlife Mambo
Shrinking
Flash Fiction Challenge 100 – Day 47 “Excuse me, but do you have these in a larger size?” I don’t know why I’m asking; I already know they don’t. And I knew this day was coming. The salesperson takes the box of shoe lifts from me. She studies the back of the box; she’s just… Continue reading Shrinking
Kitten Infestation
Flash Fiction Challenge 100 – Day 42 My neighbor wakes me up. I look at my phone. Damn! It’s only 7:03 AM! And it’s my only day to sleep late. Still, he’s a nice guy, and I try to stay on good terms with all my neighbors. I lean out of my bed, rest my… Continue reading Kitten Infestation
The White Elephant
Flash Fiction Challenge 100 – Day 40 “So how about a cup of tea?” the man says. “I think I’d prefer a beer!” she says. The man looks surprised. – “Yes! Let’s get a beer! It’s so hot out today; a beer will taste great.” “Mmm,” she says. He drives to their favorite place, The… Continue reading The White Elephant
The Last Sunset
Flash Fiction Challenge 100 – Day 37 The writing prompt today was ‘What is a dream you’ve had that you want to live in forever?’ That’s easy. It was a dream I had years ago, with all the plot holes and inconsistencies of a bad movie. I and some faceless others are hiking up a… Continue reading The Last Sunset
Mr. Morelli’s Upstairs Neighbors
“You would think someone had died!” Mr. Morelli huffs in frustration. His upstairs neighbors are at it again today! Every day it was the same; yelling, crying, and moaning. Get a grip! Some of us are trying to enjoy our retirement down here! He pounds on his low ceiling. The pounds never seem to do… Continue reading Mr. Morelli’s Upstairs Neighbors
Apple Communion
My daughter walks over to me. I’m still lying in our hammock. When she reaches me, I slide over and sit in the hammock sideways, gesture with a head nod, wordlessly asking her if she wants to join me. She doesn’t of course. This is how it starts. It’s always the same. She walks over,… Continue reading Apple Communion
