The story of the week for July 4 to 8 is…
Poor Devilish Me by Bob Thurber
and
The Survivor by Gene Newman
All posts by Tim
GENE NEWMAN: The Survivor
“I’m sailing home” cried Ezra Bligh
through cracked and blistered lips.
That night I wept and watched him die
while hailing phantom ships.
I lived a week till rescue came
but the price I paid was high.
The man who tells this tale of shame
survived on poor Ezra Bligh.
Gene Newman took this excerpt from a longer poem he wrote some time during the last century.
RAN WALKER: Seeds
He’s growing a nightmare garden. When he’s startled awake in the middle of the night, he runs to the plot in his backyard and screams into a fresh hole, covering it up. He has planted many seeds, but no fruit has emerged from the soil. Maybe that’s for the best.
Ran Walker is the award-winning author of 26 books, the most recent of which is Black Marker: A Novel in 100-Word Stories.
KATELYN SIMPSON: Watercolor
Brush to paper, watercolor dripping down,
down,
down her cheek to her chin, pooling with the colors there–
blue hues bleeding back into bark tones, swirling darker and darker.
Lift brush and rinse, dab tissue to chin; soak and suffuse the stirring shades.
There; now no one will ever know.
Katelyn Simpson lives with her family in Cincinnati, Ohio. She has worked in many fields, from theater technical directing to expediter advertising. She enjoys reading, writing, crafting, traveling, and fine dining.
ROBERTA BEACH JACOBSON: Kitchen Fly
How long have you been trapped in here? Most likely you’re not even a housefly. I’m opening this window for you to experience freedom. Your lifespan is brief, so live your best month. Sit in the grass, feel the breeze on your wings, know the sun, the moon. Soar wildly.
Roberta Beach Jacobson is drawn to the magic of words–poetry, puzzles, song lyrics, flash fiction, stand-up comedy. She is the editor of Cold Moon Journal.
STORY OF THE MONTH: June 2022
The Story of the Month is chosen from the Story of the Week winners announced from the past month.
The finalists for June were:
Tricksters by Paula Henry-Duru
Adrift in Timeless Affection by Bob Thurber
The Green Goddess by Rosie Douglas
Evolution by A.J. Joseph
The winner of the June 2022 Story of the Month, and the $10 prize, is…
The Green Goddess
ENZA VYNN-CARA: Wolves
In the elevator, non-retractable claws graze the small of her back, her flanks, her belly button. One barks Starbucks mocha down her neck: “Meeting in ten.”
In the open office, monitors wink, a chair screeches her way and dewclaws gently rub her shoulders.
“Tense?”
She leans away, doubting her disquiet.
Enza Vynn-Cara comes from a medical background and has a BA in English Literature and Creative Writing. Her short stories appear in Second Helpings, an Anthology with Recipes, and in Women Who Write with Elves, an Anthology, her flash fiction and poetry in Blink-Ink and Village Square.
JOHN H DROMEY: Verbal Directions
“This concludes the press tour of the Acme manufacturing plant. Any questions you may have about our transoceanic supply chain should be directed to Lucille in shipping and receiving. She’s the one with a voice-activated computer.”
“Can you give us a brief job description for her?”
“Lu’s lips sync ships.”
John H. Dromey’s short stories have appeared in Mystery Magazine and numerous other publications.
EILEEN MARDRES: Hope Lives
A towering amaryllis in a tiny pot appeared on the doorstep. Despite a consistently brown thumb, I transplanted it. Predictably, it died. After suitable mourning and procrastination, I found space to hide yet another failure among other deserted pots.
Then, from the dead, abandoned amaryllis: one tentative green tip emerged.
Eileen gets along better with words than with plants, making house plant survival a small miracle.
BOB THURBER: Poor Devilish Me
I met an angel. The honest-to-goodness real deal. A wholesome beauty, born of light, who smelled like early Sunday morning rain. She sparkled in the dimmest light, brightened even the darkest shadows. We tried living together for a while but she knocked me over every time she spread her wings.
Bob Thurber is the author of six books. Regarded as a master of Flash and Micro Fiction, his work has appeared in Esquire and other magazines, been anthologized 60 times, received a long list of awards, and been utilized in schools and colleges throughout the world. He resides in Massachusetts. Visit his website at BobThurber.net.