VIABEL OLUWATOSIN: Memorial Catalysts

Artistic, Submissions, , , ,

Yesterday, we buried another cat, pure and innocent, eight more lives ahead of him. Someone forgot to shut the front door, despite Papa’s constant warnings.

Sometimes, He’s a prophet. Other times, a military man.

“Your grief is an artwork,” He’d say.

Every day he paints his trauma on a canvas.

Viabel Oluwatosin, from the shores of Lagos, is an enthusiastic short story writer and a poet. Formerly known as Oluwatosin Okupa, her creative works have appeared in Five Minutes Lit and several other literary journals. With a creative focus centered on restoring hope and sanity through the enriching power of words, she breathes fearlessly on oluwatosinokupa.medium.com and tweets at @ladyviabel.

LAURA SHELL: The Waking

Adventure, Submissions, , ,

Wake someone from a deep, drug-induced sleep and they get pissed. Especially when there isn’t a tangible reason for the waking.

Except for the knife.

That was tangible. An 18-inch blade. From the kitchen.

It clattered to the ground when he woke, as if dropped from midair.

Laura Shell quit her day job in August of 2023 to become a full-time writer. She has been published in numerous literary publications. In February, her first anthology of paranormal stories will be in print. When she isn’t writing and reading short fiction, she watches horror movies with her dog, Groot, and jabs snarky remarks at her husband of 35 years.

JEFF GARDNER: These Things Take Time

Artistic, Submissions, ,

My friendship with Stan lasted thirty years. He ended it recently at a diner on Eighth Avenue, telling me that he thought I stole something of his a decade ago. I didn’t, but I wonder if my heart might hurt less some day if I convince myself that I did.

Jeff Gardner has been a theatrical and fine arts professional for his entire life.

CHERYL SNELL: Facets

Artistic, Submissions, , , , ,

Marriage fails. Diamond falls out. Stone resembles tinsel crushed after another drunken Christmas. Not so fast, mother says. Diamond is not metaphor. Pair it with a nice gold chain. Same gem, different context. Pendant arrives; oh my chained neck. Locked in mother’s jewelry box ever after, it sparkles at nothing.

Cheryl Snell’s books include poetry and fiction.

BILLIE-LEIGH BURNS: The Lighthouse

Artistic, Submissions, , , ,

On this dark night, a man roams the beach, eyeing the abandoned lighthouse – once a beacon guiding wave-ravaged boats home, sea-savaged soldiers conjuring the strength to set burning arms to oars again.

He longs to break in, to light up the sky, searching for his wife, nestled in the stars.

Billie-Leigh Burns is a writer from Liverpool. Her work has been featured by Funny Pearls, 50 Word Stories, and Fictionette.

TIM WEIGHART: First Scars

Artistic, Submissions, , , , , ,

The first cat he loved died when he was young.

Time weathered. Age hardened. Pain grew familiar.

But after the divorce, the scratch that cat had etched into his toddler-sized ring finger started stinging, and that wailing child reemerged, scarred by something he had assumed was exclusively soft and warm.

Tim Weighart grew up near Boston, but he lives in Colorado now. He enjoys words, and the trials that come with finding the right ones.

DEBORAH TAPPER: The Keen Gardener

Adventure, Artistic, Submissions, Top Stories, , ,

He plants green thumbs in fertile soil, coaxing every seed into life. Donates vibrant baskets to friends and carves Halloween pumpkins for local kids, while appreciative neighbours can depend on his generosity with mouthwatering fruit and vegetables. His scrumptious strawberries are especially prized.

Until digging police unearth his missing wife.

Deborah writes at an old desk surrounded by five hundred pet bugs.

JULIE REED: Visitor

Artistic, Submissions, Touching, , , , ,

The terrified child cowers down the hall of the nursing home unaware her grandma once felt the same. Her mother forced this visit. Everyone smiles at her as if she exists only to spread happiness. Hope in a puny package. Grandma won’t remember her, and that is for the best.

Julie Reed is a retired nursing home administrator living in Indiana. She is a member of the Indiana Writer’s Center Fiction Group.

RAN WALKER: Mother’s Notebook

Artistic, Submissions, , , ,

They found the notebook buried within the bookshelf between two hardbacks. In it, the ideas that their mother could never arrange into an intelligible book. Words stacked upon words, the cursive neat, but heavy.

It could have been a book, they thought.

It should have been a book, they thought.

Ran Walker is a microfictionist and author of over 30 books. The creator of the 100 x 100 micro novel, he teaches creative writing at Hampton University and lives in Virginia with his wife and daughter.

EILEEN MARDRES: Tear Lines

Artistic, Submissions, , , ,

The first time I met a cheetah I finally understood how the dark rivulets running from her eyes connected us, heart to heart, separating her from other wild cats, speaking uniqueness and lending dignity. So, why, looking in the mirror, seeing those same dark lines, do I feel so sad?

Eileen became slightly acquainted with several cheetah when visiting South Africa and has fond memories of their beauty and dignity.