Revenge is a dish best served perpetually. I drop my purse on the kitchen counter and exhale for the first time in what feels like a decade. I hope my tears were convincing. After the funeral, Helen hugged me tightly, then looked at me with a strange expression that made me wonder. The way her… Continue reading After Johnny’s Funeral
Tag: fiction
Smiley
The boy was lying half on the huge rug, half on the dark wood floor, on a pillow propped against a thick wooden bed leg. The floorboards would creak at night when he got up to relieve himself. He had taken it upon himself to learn where all the creaky spots were so he might… Continue reading Smiley
Wormhole
The exterminator wipes his brow, pockets his grease-stained handkerchief, and checks his tablet again. “Yeah. We don’t see a lot of these. If I’m honest, they told us about these in class, but I swore the instructor was pulling our legs. Pranking us. You know? That it was a joke to see which of us… Continue reading Wormhole
Muertos
Halloween 2043 I swallow four more ibuprofen. The sciatica is hurting today. “You almost ready?” I startle at the sound of her voice. I startle a lot these days. I was just putting the finishing touches on my Halloween getup. We must always dress the same. She was such a creature of habit. This is… Continue reading Muertos
The Conductor
The bus jerks me awake. Or that’s what I tell myself. I still harbor a fragile little tendril of hope that I’m still sleeping, that this is only a dream. Awake. Asleep. Is there a difference? Or some method for knowing which is which? This bus is a train. Or is this train a bus?… Continue reading The Conductor
Bohío
His thick fingers shake with nerves and are damp with sweat. It takes the shorter man two attempts to pry open the tiny tin lid. The three of them peer in at the contents. The pills seem too small. Are they supposed to be that small? Rick wonders idly. There are three in the tin,… Continue reading Bohío
Carl
He sits in my passenger seat. He sniffs and makes the pinchy face I hate. I pretend I don’t see it. “Hell of a game last night? Am I right?” “Yeah, I guess.” “You didn’t watch it? The Eagles were on fire!” He must know I’m still playing catch-up with how he screwed me on… Continue reading Carl
My Name Was Kevin
By the time I stand up, my chin has stopped bleeding. The Christmas card and its insidious message lay forgotten on the dirty floor under the refrigerator. There is a lot of my blood on the floor. I feel the Latin phrases (incongruous with the playful polar bear and mischievous elves) careen through my brain,… Continue reading My Name Was Kevin
Streaming Stanley
I still remember the day we found the proof. Rumor has it that no one ever saw Stanley in real life after that day. We were sitting in recon van 7. Kelly (of course), McGuire, and a new intern named Liz. Ostensibly we were Chicago PD. Kelly never went full LE. Partly because of his… Continue reading Streaming Stanley
Acula Dentistry
The Novocain starts working, but I think the dentist might have given me too much. My vision is swirling, and my eyes refuse to stay where I want them. I see at least three floor drains in the surgical suite. I’m lucky to have found this after-hours place. My crown cracked, and I needed an… Continue reading Acula Dentistry
Plastic Wraith
The swirl of black plastic sheeting whirling a few yards from my windshield jerks me away from my ruminations. It really does look like a ghost. Halloween Wraiths are an irresponsible underground fad that has plagued north Dallas since October 1st. Irresponsible, reckless, and a damn dangerous thing to do. The idea that anyone with… Continue reading Plastic Wraith
Ready for Freddy?
I reach forward and shut the music off before the calliope crashes to the ground again. I’ve been sitting here in my car, stalled, for almost an hour, listening to and pausing this crazy song over and over. This used to cheer me, an impossibly nonsensical koan. Merry-go-rounds, sneezing, wheezing, and tripping. Yet despite my… Continue reading Ready for Freddy?
Hexagram 57, Wind over Wind
June 2022 Flash Challenge, Day 29 As the doctor retraced the spots, the man remembered the trails and how simple life could be there. He’d blown through a lot of savings, planned his hike endlessly, then hiked an anemic 500 miles before calling it quits. The actual number was closer to 380. The last 120… Continue reading Hexagram 57, Wind over Wind
Liza Saves a Bunny
June 2022 Flash Challenge, Day 27 The sad thing was, it was not her rabbit. The tragedy might have been much worse if LeRoy had not been there. The young boy became a hero when he chucked his oversized history book at the shooter’s head. LeRoy was a hero, and the town was abuzz with… Continue reading Liza Saves a Bunny
Red Bike
June 2022 Flash Challenge, Day 26 I can still recall the day I first saw her bike. It was a deep red Trek that was, in her words, “not too girly.” Classic Nikky. She was one of a kind. I remember entering the Starbucks and having one of the kindest, most beautiful people I’ve ever… Continue reading Red Bike
Mr. Auk
June 2022 Flash Challenge, Day 14 The people of the earth collectively pause whatever they’re doing and shift their attention to the solemn ceremony. Today it is Mr. Auk, a retired fisherman in Thailand. Who knows where it will be (or IF it will be) next month. The sleeping wake in time to watch. A… Continue reading Mr. Auk
Rapid Transport
June 2022 Flash Challenge, Day 13 The smell of falafel is always the first thing I notice in the Cairo terminal; recirculated air is laden with the scents of parsley, mint, cilantro, and garlic. The bustling hallways of disembarking passengers and the vendors selling their falafel, hummus, and baklava. I woke on a sleeping couch… Continue reading Rapid Transport
Lou Cypher
June 2022 Flash Challenge, Day 12 The first thing I noticed about him was that he dressed impeccably in a black silk suit, the whitest shirt I’ve ever seen, and a red silk pocket square. His beard was salt and pepper but neatly maintained, and he carried himself with crazy confidence. His eyes were friendly… Continue reading Lou Cypher
Glitch Mendelsohn
June 2022 Flash Challenge, Day 9 I hurry my pace and steal a glance behind me. Damn it. They’re still there, the three teenage boys following me. Again, I allowed myself to forget that I’m an eighteen-year-old girl. What is my name this time? The body might be 18, but its rider is much older.… Continue reading Glitch Mendelsohn
Blythe
June 2022 Flash Challenge, Day 6 It is surprising how much misinformation the media and books have regarding monsters. The idea that the only way to kill a werewolf is with a silver bullet? Laughable nonsense. Or that vampires can’t go out in the sunlight? Silly and baseless. Most of them don’t like being in… Continue reading Blythe
Stories by Shawn 