The story of the week for April 1 to 5 is…
Flying by Jerry Weller
SAM EVANS: Sun-Starved
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.
JERRY WELLER: Flying
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.
CHELSEA UTECHT: Peasant and the Pea
“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.
FIONA H EVANS: Better?
I can’t contain my tears as I hug my grieving friend, grateful that I’ve never lost a husband to cancer. After she leaves, I change into pyjamas, fill my bowl with cornflakes for dinner, drink the leftovers from last night’s bottle of wine, watch TV and go to bed. Alone.
Fiona H Evans is a mathematician and writer who lives in Perth, Western Australia. You can read more of her stories at fionahevans.com.
GENE NEWMAN: The Can’t Openers
Dining for seniors is becoming uncanny.
Canners now baffle both Grandpa and Granny.
Soup, hash and green beans are out of our reach.
We try but we fail to accomplish the breach.
With one bruised finger and one shredded nail
we tug at the lid loops, but always we fail.
Gene Newman was a USAF cryptologist during the Korean War and is a retired engineer and journalist, including stringing for the N.Y. Times and being a crossword puzzle creator for the New York Times and USA Today.
MARIEKE STEINER: Five Haiku
Bitterest winter.
Creator sends warmest hug.
Son embraces soul.
Yellow crocus bud
Peeks through blanket of white snow.
My heart rejoices.
God’s grace comforts man
Who, contrite, offers poem,
Homage to nature.
Eternal haiku —
Seasons change, calendar flips.
Written word remains.
Short unrhymed verses
Capture essence, glorify
God’s smallest wonders.
Marieke Steiner is a Virginia (US) writer of mainly short stories. She lives in Hampton Roads and works as a technical writer. More of her fiction can be read at marieke-steiners-website.yolasite.com
TIM BOITEAU: Just Work
I descend into the basement, every day, for work. Clacking away on the keyboard, bathed in the blue glow.
Ostensibly.
The reality is I’m gazing beyond the screen, through the wainscoting and cinder block. Into the soil. The teeming, rich loam.
Neurons flickering to the rhythmic buzz of fluorescent tube-lighting.
Tim Boiteau writes in Michigan. He has two novels out now, and two more coming this year (The Nilwere and The Neighborhood Game). During his spare time he jogs and is Editor at Every Day Fiction. Find his editorial picks on twXitter at @timboiteau
NICK YOUNG: The Park
It had been a year to the day since we’d parted, and there he was laughing, strolling arm-in-arm with his latest lover. As he neared, our eyes locked for the briefest moment. I opened my mouth to speak but all that emerged was the hollow silence of a broken heart.
Nick Young is a retired award-winning CBS News Correspondent. In addition to 50-Word Stories, his short stories have appeared in dozens of publications. His first novel, “Deadline,” was published in September. He lives outside Chicago.
CAROL REEVES: Alone Again
The last time I lived all alone was in the womb. Then out I popped, eager to grab the golden ring. The family grew and filled my busy days, creating an endless symphony—but never the time to listen. Now, alone again, I’m listening to the music of my life.
A prolific writer, Carol Reeves is loving the freedom and challenge of Flash Fiction. Her stories are found in 50-Word Stories and Flash Fiction Magazine. She often writes of the privilege and vicissitudes of aging. Her memoir, “All the Little Miracles,” was published in 2022.