YASH SEYEDBAGHERI: Inbox Emptiness

Artistic, Submissions, Top Stories, Touching, , ,

Nancy vanquishes electronic rejections from lit mags, slays alumni newsletters, and eliminates campaign letters.

They call her, “Dear Nancy.”

She prefers Nance, Nanny, old nicknames conveying light footsteps, laughter, whispered secrets. She wishes they’d ask about her worst day. Her favorite movie.

Empty spaces taunt.

Full inboxes hide so much.

Yash Seyedbagheri is a graduate of Colorado State University’s MFA program in fiction. His work is forthcoming or has been published in WestWard Quarterly, Café Lit, and Ariel Chart, among others.

TAWNIA COURAGE: Getting Old

Submissions, Touching, , , ,

Mom shuffles to the car, back stooped, frustrating tremors slowing her progress.

Walker, bed rail, shower seat, suitcase, and a box rattling with pills are packed for her visit.

She struggles to fasten her seatbelt, so I help.

“Thanks… Getting old isn’t for wimps, you know.”

I smile, feeling blessed.

Tawnia is an elementary teacher in Ontario who started writing a few years ago. You can find her on Twitter @TawniaCourage.

CAMPBELL HINSHELWOOD: The Drone

Amusing, Submissions, , ,

He came again this afternoon, floated right down into the garden. I waited by the back door with my net but he was too quick, escaping under a hum of rotator blades and flashing lights.

The boy’s quite the pilot.

Next time we’ll see how he fares against my rifle.

Campbell is a photographer and aspiring writer from Sydney’s Eastern Suburbs. campbellhinshelwood.com

ROBERT MARKOVICH: Scratched

Amusing, Artistic, Submissions, , , ,

Scanning the discarded Scratch-Off tickets on the ground, I wonder what their transitory owners had coveted. A hulking new SUV with the Limited Leather Package? A garish new McMansion with ten bedrooms and a 110-inch TV? A new life?

Then I carefully check that all the scratch-offs were, indeed, scratched-off.

Robert Markovich spent a lifetime in what is charitably referred to as service journalism, writing and editing stories about everything from cars to toilets, most recently at Consumer Reports. He is happily and gratefully retired.

LAURIE-ANNE JEAN-BAPTISTE: Blue Light

Artistic, Submissions, ,

He drew on his cigarette and wondered how incessant electronic noise could coexist with silence. Loneliness consumed his soul. A room filled with only his body and too much smoke. Perpetual late mornings and nights, made of blue light and introspection too heavy to bear. Undoubtedly, his days were numbered.

Laurie-Anne has been writing for as long as she can remember and is only now ready to share her stories and ideas with the world… or at least part of the internet. A Cinema and Communications graduate, she has also studied Creative Writing. When she isn’t pursuing artistic endeavours, Laurie-Anne works as a Marketing professional.

MARILYN McFARLANE: The Choice

Artistic, Submissions, , , ,

She was torn between two lovers.

One gave her a pink silk negligee and said if she wore it every night, he’d know she was his.

The other gave her his softest old shirt and said if she wore it she’d know he was hers.

She chose the right one.

Marilyn McFarlane is a travel writer and the author of Sacred Stories: Wisdom From World Religions. She also writes poetry, memoir and fiction. She lives in Oregon, where there is a lot of scope for the imagination.

CLARISSE DE JESUS: Clueless

Adventure, Submissions, , ,

Everyone says people should keep away from that solitary house at the dead end of Wolfsbane Street. A witch lives there.

But I’ve been there once, alone, and no harm has befallen me.

Truth be told, she’s an extremely sweet and alluring woman. I’m asking her to marry me tonight.

Clarisse de Jesus believes in love at first sight, depending on her mood. Follow the twists and turns of her turbulent thoughts at autumnleavesnowfalls.wordpress.com.

ANGIE ROBERTS: Babysitting

Amusing, Submissions, , ,

Granny, babysitting two-year-old triplets, took a bathroom break. She heard the toy box being pushed down the hall, stopping by the bathroom door. Giggling; then the click of the dead bolt installed to keep the boys from playing in the commode, and three pairs of feet running away.

Angie has been writing short stories since 2010 and has had one piece published.

CHARY: Play to Lose

Amusing, Artistic, Submissions, , , ,

Wrinkles on her nose and graphic tee bestill his heart. Their first album’s good, he reassures, but nowadays they’re trash.

Eyebrows quirk.

Seizing his chance, he suggests they experience real music this weekend, but she declines.

He says she’s playing hard to get. She says he’s playing hard to want.

Chary writes at a snail’s pace.