A leering face, a dark alley, and a tangy, salty-sweet flavour were all he could remember when he awoke in the hospital bed.
The contents of his wallet said he was Josip Šerić, a wealthy Croatian businessman visiting Chicago.
He didn’t care. All that mattered was finding back that flavour.
Christopher loved his wife, his kids, his dog, his job, and himself.
The only thing in the world that Christopher couldn’t stand was unhappy people. Whenever Christopher met a sad, grumpy, or irritable person, he felt sad, grumpy, and irritable, too.
He was just like the rest of us, really.
“I have launched a satellite that can incinerate any city I choose!” Dr. Ruination announced over the hacked satellite feeds. “I demand fifty billion dollars or I lay waste to Portugal!”
It was an arbitrary demand. Dr. Ruination was just bored. He hated when there was nothing good on TV.
This is the last in a series of five stories by King Kool.
Dr. Ruination glowered across the table at superspy John Bolt. He tapped his fork, waiting for Bolt to start dining. Since they’d ordered the same meal, Dr. Ruination wasn’t positive he hadn’t received the poisoned one. He could have thrown his meal away, but he never liked to waste food.
This is the fourth in a series of five stories by King Kool.
Superspy John Bolt donned his scuba gear to explore the moat surrounding Dr. Ruination’s lair, hoping for a covert entrance. Before jumping in, he noticed Dr. Ruination standing outside the entrance.
“Oh!” Ruination stammered, somewhat chagrined. “Bolt, if you find a way inside, could you unlock this door for me?”
This is the third in a series of five stories by King Kool.
Dr. Ruination slapped the red button that lowered John Bolt, handsome and impeccably dressed spy, into the huge aquarium.
Bolt found himself afloat in a stagnant pool of foul smelling water, surrounded by decaying fish carcasses.
Dr. Ruination was horrified. “Who turned off the oxygen pump for the barracuda tank?”
This is the second in a series of five stories by King Kool.
Dr. Ruination plotted to steal the Mona Lisa for months.
He had a forgery commissioned so the theft would go unnoticed. His minions entered the Louvre and exchanged the Mona Lisa with their forgery.
They were crestfallen to discover someone had already stolen it, this replica going unnoticed until now.
This is the first in a series of five stories by King Kool.
Complete darkness.
The man was on his knees in the pale white snow. He pleaded with the Nazi soldier, but it didn’t work. Snow still fell.
The lights all moved towards the prisoner. The soldier took four paces back and said a few words.
And the prisoner awaited his death.
Cameron Brown is a student at Holden Lane High in Stoke-on-Trent, England.
Bill never expected to find love.
He never expected Susan at the coffee shop to greet him warmly, smile eagerly, and wink at him while she made his latte grande.
Bill never expected it, so he ignored her, took his latte, said goodbye, and went on with his lonely life.
Chris Fries is a new writer, working to hone his writing chops. He is an Engineer by vocation, a guitarist by avocation, and a writer by compulsion. His writing blog is StratPlayerCJF.blogspot.com.
The reporter looked away as the private’s family marched out to face the television cameras. A soggy flag drooped at half-mast on their porch. They spoke of a kid who led rubber band fights, flashlight tag, bicycle jousts. His pen paused, hovered. A phrase consumed his mind: pornographer of sorrow.
Joseph S. Pete won a four month’s supply of Pabst Blue Ribbon by placing second in the poetry category of the 2010 PBR Art Contest. John Donne couldn’t say the same.