CATE COVERT: Rejuvenation

Artistic, Submissions, Touching, , ,

She is seven years old: half the life expectancy of her kind. She’s become depressed and lonely.

Her mistress has arthritis in her throwing arm but wisdom in her old soul—it’s time to call for reinforcement!

Now she has renewed vigor; the light’s returned to her eyes.

Hello, puppy.

Cate Covert hails from sunny Idaho, U.S.A. She has been telling stories since she could talk. She is a gardener and amateur herbalist, plays guitar and piano, and loves baking bread and making beaded jewelry. Most of all, Cate Covert loves to engage her reading and listening audiences. You can read her frequent inspirational writings, poetry, flash fiction, and humorous stories at Cate Covert on Chadashah.org or her Inspirational essays and bible studies at Pastora Cate’s Corner on Substack.

ROBERTA BEACH JACOBSON: Time

Amusing, Artistic, Submissions, , , ,

Work in the time of Covid
Renting in the time of inflation
Parenting in the time of bullying
Dating in the time of social media
Dieting in the time of food delivery
Journalism in the time of artificial intelligence
As time goes on, don’t be surprised if clocks melt

Roberta Beach Jacobson is an American poet and author who is drawn to the magic of words – poetry, song lyrics, flash fiction, puzzles, stand-up comedy. Her latest book is Demitasse Fiction: One-Minute Reads for Busy People (Alien Buddha Press, 2023). After spending 38 years in Europe, she relocated to Indianola, Iowa with her husband and three cats.

THOMAS MALLOCH: A Kind of Immortality

Artistic, Submissions, Touching, , ,

At the eulogy, he spoke of his daughter’s qualities; her patience; honesty; kindness. Easy claims to make, these abstractions.

But towards the end, he became more specific.

In a voice that wavered, he listed her donations; liver; pancreas; both kidneys.

“Generous to the end,” he said.

“And beyond,” say I.

Always a reader, Thomas Malloch took the opportunity of retirement to try his hand at writing and sometimes he even gets published. Examples of his work can be found in “New Writing Scotland,” “the barcelona review,” “Gutter,” “Ringwood Publishing,” “Bath Flash Fiction,” “Reflex Fiction,” “Fairfield Scribes” and, of course, “50-Word Stories.”

JOHN H. DROMEY: Branding Irony

Amusing, Submissions, ,

“My ranch stretches farther than the eye can see—it seems to go on forever. That’s why I chose a lemniscate as my cattle brand.”

“A what?”

“The infinity symbol.” He traced a ∞ in the air. “But there’s a problem. Apparently, it’s already been registered as a Lazy Eight.”

John H. Dromey has micro-fiction, flash fiction, and short stories published in over 200 venues.

CAROL REEVES: Sensible Travel

Artistic, Submissions, , ,

A whiff of Jasmine, I’m back on spring-break. The sound of rock music, I’m up on my feet. A taste of cocoa, I’m in from the cold. A sliver of moon, my heart skips a beat. A touch of silk, I’m back at the ball. Tiny, unexpected trips—never planned.

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.

JOANNE BOWERS: A Fishy Tale

Amusing, Puns and Wordplay, Submissions, ,

The old man told the story to anyone who’d listen. “I’d seen some strange things as a fisherman, but nothing like this! A giant fish leapt from the sea, smacked my face with its tail then splashed back in.”

“Codswallop!” someone commented.

“Too big for cod,” the old man said.

Joanne Bowers lives in England and enjoys reading and writing microfiction.

POLLY FOSTER: Bleached Bone

Artistic, Submissions, , ,

After that we wanted to build a home together.

We pulled chattering bones from our packs and buried them deep under the foundations.

We carved initials into rafters and clapped sawdust from our hands.

Now we hunker down, listen to the coyote howls and wait for ghosts to move in.

Polly is a Content Strategist living in London with her partner and baby.

TIM BOITEAU: Up the Rabbit Hole

Amusing, Submissions, , , ,

The white rabbit pursued the girl in the blue pinafore across the giant chessboard, whiffled through the tulgey wood, battered down the back-talking doorknob, clambered up the tunnel of backward-tocking clocks, and stumbled into a wonderland of health-conscious caterpillars, frowning cats, and lucid hatters—where everything ran orderly and on time.

Tim Boiteau writes in Michigan. He is an Editor at Every Day Fiction and a Writer of the Future winner. His third novel, The Nilwere, is forthcoming from Grendel Press. See more at timboiteau.wordpress.com/

NICO CALVANICO: A Puddle on the Bathroom Floor

Adventure, Submissions, Top Stories, ,

With a flash, the lights go out. You wipe shampoo from your eyes and curse under your breath.

You turn off the water. The drain groans, then—silence. Your hands reach for your phone, but it’s hopeless; try as you might, you cannot see in the dark.

But I can.

Nico Calvanico is a native New Yorker and a student at The New School. After studying performing arts for his entire life, he has decided to pursue something far more lucrative: creative writing.