The Demolition Pending sign went up only days after the old lady died. The bulldozer was already waiting nearby. That night I snipped the sunset- and dusk-hued hyacinths blooming in her yard. She would have wanted that. I thought they would smell like Spring but they were tainted by death.
Sherri Bale loves using the fewest words possible to tell a good story. So why the heck has she just drafted a novel that stands at 387 pages?
He thinks it sheepish after all, without religion as he is, to plan to store the ashes of his body in an urn, but he knows too well the smiling piecemeal passing of parts on med school anatomy tables. He will not have his hand in theirs—his science notwithstanding.
Lynn Kozlowski’s writing has appeared in such places as 50-Word Stories, The Quarterly, The Malahat Review, Poetry Breakfast, and failbetter.com. He has a volume of short pieces, Historical Markers.
Aleah Kattan watches new refugee Ruslan lean over her student contest entry of karabij halab, nutty cookies fragrant with hints of orange blossom.
Ruslan nibbles. Smiles.
An Arab proverb fragment (feeding another nourishes two souls) confirms her hope: today’s tasting quickens repair of his heart’s distress.
He reaches for another.
Gary Thomson is himself a descendant of refugees, from the Highland Clearances.
Stretching truth… an old photo, a love of hiking and exotic travel, a passion for good food and wine plus an irresistible sense of humour. Both were guilty. He scanned the cafe looking for his “Hopeful Goddess”, she for her “Saviour Knight”. Empty chairs and lonely hearts, sipping Diet Coke.
Cari Main is retired and a big fan of the 50-word challenge.
Smoke rings poured out of the hollow tree’s mouth.
A nasty habit but one she couldn’t break. Simple pleasures.
And it would be the death of her from the inside out if she weren’t already dead.
The fire department came, cold water to quell the moldering. The hollow tree endures.
Mary has written prose and poetry and journaled throughout her life. In 2011 her essay, Cheating Death, won second place in Shelia Bender’s Essay Writing Contest. Currently Mary is preparing her memoir, Novice, for publication and working on a book of short stories.
Led ever forwards by sticky-pawed bears, grizzled and fat, a March of hares—we lollop towards tomorrow—madness beckoning and no hats needed. Kiss my heels if you can.
Where the king’s horses and where the king’s men?
When the honey runs dry, the bears growl deep in their bellies.
Heather is a sight-impaired spoonie and emerging working-class writer from Yorkshire. Her work has been published by Fictive Dream, The Phare, Free Flash Fiction and others. She has won competitions with New Writers and Globe Soup and has been nominated for Best of the Net. Find her at haigh19c.wixsite.com/heatherbooknook.
The story of the week for April 1 to 5 is…
Flying by Jerry Weller
Dark hues color the ever-expansive sky
The cloud-folk veil every last ray of sunlight
Foggy droplets slowly seep into my soul
My veins crack wildly with each thunderous echo
As I drift away into an eternal mist,
I float above the clouds, ascending sunward until I find my way home.
Sam is a high school student from northern Florida. His love for the English language began while studying for the spelling bee, where he competed at the National level.
A swing set anchored in the backyard sings as grandpa pushes little Cordelia.
“Higher!” she pleads.
“Your toes already touch the sky!” grandpa cheers.
“I want to fly like birds!” she thrills.
Cordelia’s mother arrives with lemonade, chiding, “Please settle down!”
Cordelia leaps, always will, leaving anchored things far below.
Jerry Weller is a long-time writer and teacher who lives with his wife, cats, and dogs, in the countryside north of Lake Ontario, Canada.
“Well, My Liege… she did locate the pea…”
“Excellent! We have at last found a woman delicate and refined enough to – what? Oh no…”
“Yes, Your Excellency. I’m afraid she ate it.”
“Not another one.” The king sighed. “Well, give the girl a snack and send her on her way.”
Chelsea Utecht is an American living abroad in Tbilisi, Georgia where she teaches literature and writing. A recent participant in the Iowa Writers’ Workshop, her work has been published in Shooter Literary Magazine, The Gravity of the Thing, and Fifty-Word Stories. More about her and her writing can be found at chelseautecht.com.