The story of the week for November 13 to 17 is…
Psychotherapist in Need of One by Kelsey Mathias
STEVE SAULSBURY: Preserves
The scuffle was jarring. Rick shouldn’t have offered the vet a job. How could he have known tomatoes would trigger him? The serrated knife, the guts. Afterwards, he canned the man, restoring order to his kitchen.
Rick laid the knife on the drainboard, imagining men gutting. Cutting.
Stringing sundried ears.
Steve Saulsbury resides in Maryland, writing slowly, and sometimes successfully. His story “Herding Instinct” will be included in the 2023 London Independent Story Prize anthology.
NELLY SHULMAN: Back to Square One
After balancing on the slippery maze of village roads, the green bus jumped on the highway going uphill, past the ancient sign spelling the greeting familiar to Mark from his school days. He dove back into the language with the enthusiasm of somebody deciding to turn his life upside down.
Nelly Shulman is a writer based in Jerusalem. Her short stories appeared on JewishFiction.net, in the Vine Leaves Press Anthology of the Best Flash Fiction, and the various literary magazines and anthologies.
AMY CLARE FONTAINE: No Such Thing as Huskycorns
“There’s no such thing as huskycorns,” sneered Mariah’s big brother, stomping her drawing into the dirt.
Mariah wailed. Tears rolled down her rosy cheeks, sparkling as they hit the sandbox.
Little did she know that if you plant a dream—and water it—there’s a slight chance it will grow.
Amy Clare Fontaine is a wildlife biologist and a wildly imaginative author of fiction, poetry, and games. Her work often features fantastic creatures. Find out more at www.amyclarefontaine.com.
CAROL REEVES: A Tender Ritual
“Hi guys,” I say to my stuffed animals each morning—one elephant and one bear. “I’m up.”
They look back wide-eyed, their floppy selves eager to fill the void that sometimes threatens to swallow me whole. They require so little yet offer so freely the healing balm of their silence.
A prolific writer, Carol Reeves is loving the freedom and challenges of 50 word stories. Her memoir, “All the Little Miracles,” was published last year. Her stories often reflect the privilege and vicissitudes of aging.
STORY OF THE MONTH: October 2023
The Story of the Month is chosen from the Story of the Week winners announced from the past month.
The finalists for October were:
Remembrance by Jack Cameron
40 Acres Done Today by Dan Johnson
Desert Blues in a Minor Key by Jonathan Kosik
Giant Silk Moth by Angeline Schellenberg
Childhood Bravery by Chelsea Utecht
The winner of the October 2023 Story of the Month, and the $10 prize, is…
Desert Blues in a Minor Key
SAM BROWN: Hotdog
Tommy is choking on his hotdog, his face growing blue in the rear-view mirror. I pull up onto the green and grab him from his booster seat. I slap his back, hard, the chewed-up wiener falling onto the rubber car mat.
“Dad,” Tommy cried, breathing, “I wanted to eat that!”
Sam Brown is an author based in East London. He released his first book at age 22.
PHYLLIS RITTNER: What Are You Grateful For?
She invited every single, childless, widowed, estranged acquaintance to a pot-luck celebration. Thirty strangers arrived at her studio apartment clutching favorite Thanksgiving dishes from their childhood: tandoori turkey, shakshouka, pumpkin empanadas, green-bean casserole. They dined cross-legged on pillows, a laughing gaggle of utensils reaching across plates, birthing a new family.
Phyllis Rittner writes poetry, flash fiction and creative non-fiction. Her work can be found in Roi Faineant Press, Emerge Literary Journal, Versification, Sparks of Calliope, Gyroscope Review and others. She is a member of The Charles River Writing Collective and can be reached on Facebook at facebook.com/phyllis.rittner.
DAVID DEZELL TURNER: Cephalopods Give the Best Hugs
There were those strange ripples again. Steve poked his head above water to investigate.
Tiny creatures in a tiny wooden vessel greeted him with shouts of “KRAKEN!” (Their word for hello, Steve surmised.) He returned their hospitality by giving the vessel a hug.
Whoops, thought Steve. Hope they can swim.
David Dezell Turner is an astrodynamics PhD student at the University of Colorado Boulder. When he isn’t giving directions to real spaceships, he’s probably writing about fictional ones. Check out more of his work at daviddezellturner.com/
MICHAEL THEROUX: They Never Learn
We’ve studied them for centuries and it is always the same! No matter where they go, no matter what they do, they wreak havoc. You’d think they would learn, but oh, no! Befoul their own feeding ground, waste what is freely given, and then steal the rest. Humans! They’re Everywhere!
Michael Theroux continues to write and submit from his office in Northern California. He is well underway in a transition from decades of developing and publishing techno-science & socio-political works toward publication of poetry and fiction. Ah, the World of Journals and Presses! Much to learn; much more satisfying…