The story of the week for June 28 to July 2 is…
Eight Blocks From Here to Home by Jim Latham
SUSAN GALE WICKES: The Picnickers
The picnic was everything they’d hoped for.
The table, beautifully set, sparkled in the afternoon sun.
Heavenly aromas wafted on the summer breeze.
They anxiously gathered around in anticipation of the upcoming feast.
Betty brought potato salad.
Bill made his famous meatloaf.
Sadly for them, Mildred brought a fly swatter.
Susan Gale Wickes lives in Indiana. She enjoys writing short stories, cartoon captioning contests, and the occasional picnic.
CANDACE KUBINEC: The Late Miss Emily
She’s late. Taking the last empty chair, facing the painting of the cemetery, Emily tries to avoid looking at it. Her eyes are drawn to the crumbling tombstones. Shapes rise, like exhaust from underground boilers.
The Ancestors join them. They call to her. She has no choice but to respond.
Candace Kubinec posts her stories at storydribbles.wordpress.com and her poetry at rhymeswithbug.com.
DAVID RAE: On the wings of love
I watched as a winged angel sailed out into the moonlit sky. I stood there speechless and motionless, one hand still strapped to the bed.
I do not know who brought a coverlet and draped it around my nakedness. No one spoke for a very long time.
She is gone.
David is not sure what love is, but he is always trying to catch it.
ELLY McFADDEN: 10 Days Late, 30 Years Later
Every picture tells a story, but sometimes the story’s a lie. Couples on prom night, big smiles, tight, shiny faces, one with fragile eyes. Old friends, good times.
Had he forgotten? The clinic, the protesters, the pain?
She “liked” it but would not “love” it, had no heart for him.
Elly McFadden studied creative writing at the University of South Carolina and teaches online English courses. She lives in Denver, North Carolina with her husband and two children.
MELISSA BANDY: Referral
Today a potential client called and asked if he had to pay child support if his minor child had been sentenced to murder. I told him that I don’t do child support or family law cases and referred him to a colleague who does.
Then I went home and cried.
Melissa is an attorney who lives in Little Rock, Arkansas with her family.
PERRY McDAID: Pensive
There was a great gaping hole in his life. He hadn’t dug it himself; he’d certainly allowed them to backfill it on top of him.
He could be assertive; he’d just never seen the need.
He toyed with a bit of kidney on his plate, doubting that cannibalism would help.
Absorbing the Donegal hills from distance only now, Perry McDaid’s creativity subsists on nature’s palette and scents. Unfortunately this sometimes involves silage.
JIM LATHAM: Eight Blocks from Here to Home
Sophie’s walking home in bloody clothes.
Telling herself:
Moonlight’s sunlight gone round the block.
Telling herself:
Eight Chicago blocks is one mile.
Telling herself:
Eight blocks from here to home.
Sophie’s telling herself:
She’s not going to Hell for shooting and killing three frat boys who cornered her in Wrigleyville.
If you like, keep in touch with Jim at his Substack.
JENISE COOK: Revival
Edward massaged his seventy-three-year-old back as he sat in his cramped attic. When he opened the largest box, he laughed out loud.
“Grandpa?” Maddox tapped his phone and removed his earbuds. “What’s that?”
“My old vinyls and my record player.”
“Cool! Play them for me.”
Edward’s heart swelled with pride.
Jenise Cook lives with her husband in the north-central highlands of Arizona where it snows. Jenise enjoys visitors to @jenisecook on Twitter and JeniseCook.com, where you can find a list of her published works.
NELLY SHULMAN: Emerald Fingers
Watering a plant on the balcony, he glanced across the street, comparing his withering creature with a lush garden opposite. His neighbor’s eyes were green, her fingers were emerald. Taking a leaflet from his mailbox, “Plant care for busy professionals”, he smiled for the first time since losing his job.
Nelly Shulman is an author of four popular historical novels in the Russian language. She is working on the fifth novel in this series and on the non-fiction book about the Russian revolution. She is a recepient of three literary awards. nellyshulman.com