Five minutes before curtain. The audience is growing restless. Everyone coughs. Somebody sneezes. And that is when-
The ingenue faints, the leading man steps out for a smoke, the leading lady laughs like a braying mule, and the director forgets his script on the fire escape.
One minute to go…
Though she mostly writes radio plays, Patti Cassidy is often seduced into other forms and has grown to love 50-word stories.
I go out to soak my knees in the above-ground pool. All the pool toys come to rub against me like affectionate pets. HELLO vinyl doughnut, I say. HELLO black and gray faux truck tire. HELLO burgundy lounge chair that one day I plan to conquer. HELLO. Yes, Daddy’s home.
Michael Walker is a writer living in Newark, Ohio. He is the author of two books: 7-22 and The Vampire Henry. He has also seen his poetry and prose published in PIF, Sky Island Journal, and The Adelaide Literary Journal.
They stood by her bedside. They were her favourite only she couldn’t commune with them.
She planted them and happily watched them grow. She sang as she watered them. Their fragrance permeated the space. They glowed in the sunshine.
They honoured her in her last days.
Purple flowers, nature’s gift.
Thompson Emate is a diverse writer. He lives in Lagos, Nigeria.
As he cut away drywall, Sawzall vibrating his bruised hand, he thought about how to make amends.
The hole patched, smoothed, and painted, he could finally breathe.
Unfortunately, according to her, the color didn’t quite match. It seems this damage is not something $37 at the hardware store can repair.
Dave Myers (he/him) lives and teaches in Bend, Oregon.
Eight-year-old Bridget has been coming to the June Unicorn Festival since she was five and discovered the valley. She loves the polished, flower-wreathed horns. Bows on tails, painted hooves, races, hoop tosses, feasts, sometimes rides, all enchant her. She pushes away glimmers that this won’t last. Holds onto the magic.
Marilyn McFarlane is a travel writer and the author of Sacred Stories: Wisdom From World Religions. She writes poetry and fiction, likes the challenge of the 50-word form, and occasionally explores memoir. She lives in Oregon, where there is a lot of scope for the imagination.
The story of the week for June 20 to 24 is…
Evolution by AJ Joseph
She ran every day.
She ran far, ran fast.
She pushed her body to its physical limits.
One day, she felt compelled to run farther, faster, harder.
And she did.
She ran till her body tingled, until she was wind, and crimson wings erupted from her back.
Then she flew.
AJ Joseph tweets very short stories as @sonobeus.
We have a new routine these days: checking the mailbox when we return from daycare.
It is day three and still no letters to collect. Those big brown eyes look at me in disappointment.
It is day four. I put a letter in the mailbox before going to collect her.
Ellie Nik is a teacher/researcher who lives in Sydney, Australia. She writes as a way of self-discovery.
Back then our skies were mostly fogged with worries of what others would think. The thoughts flung us apart.
But don’t you remember those clear nights? Far from the skyglow of the city, exploring each other’s constellations.
Can’t we go back? Just hide from the world under blankets and secrets?
Sally is a doctor by day and an amateur flash fiction writer by night.
Go on,
steal my words,
but leave my zen
Play with fire,
trick the birds
drive my car,
cruise away
Then,
When you’re ready
wrong and steady,
sell my work:
Change the plates,
fix the dates,
strip the color,
and my quirk.
Feel that pucker?
Oops!
Enjoy your lemon, sucker
Nikov Sprindlosi enjoys writing poetry, shiny hunting, and thinking up new worlds to explore. He currently lives in Michigan working as an Editorial Assistant by day and writing novels by night. Check out more of his work on his Instagram, @nikovsprindlosi, where he posts new poetry every Sunday and Tuesday.