The story of the week for December 28 to January 1 is…
A False Hope by L.D. Water
and
The Tragedy of P–k by C.M.F. Wright
JENNIFER L FREED: In the Produce Section
Rachel’s been furloughed; she can’t afford to have groceries delivered.
She lives with her 78-year-old mother. Her teenage daughter has asthma.
She takes a spare mask from her purse and holds it out to the young woman picking through the peaches. “Please. It’s not for your freedom; it’s for ours.”
Jennifer L Freed writes mostly poems, and sometimes writes very short stories. Please visit her website at jfreed.weebly.com.
DUANE L HERRMANN: To Be A Brilliant Star
“Your star was getting dim today.”
“I’m sorry, Dad,” Benton answered. “He just made me so angry.”
“I know. Here’s something I’ve learned: Do something nice for someone who doesn’t like you. They’ll see you differently, and be nicer to you.”
“That’ll be hard.”
“But worth it. You’ll shine again.”
Surprised to find himself on a Kansas farm in 1951, Herrmann is still trying to make sense of it, but in that time he’s fallen in love with the vast sky, wind waving grass, moonlight, and the shade of trees. He tries to write about some of these.
EILEEN MARDRES: The View
A sliver of sky, beacon of hope, connection to the wider world embraced by towers of urban life.
I watch morning’s rebirth, bright orange bursts slowly fading into daylight blues, then twist into my pillow of despair until midnight moon penetrates, connecting me again to the world outside my cell.
Eileen writes poetry and flash fiction and letters to her grandkids. She has used the pandemic as an excuse to spend more time writing.
ROBERTA SCHINE: Yoga Class for People with Parkinson’s
I stick a long piece of electrical tape to the floor and announce, “Today we’re going to walk on a tightrope.”
Katherine says, “I think I may need my walker for this!” She bursts out laughing. We join in.
There are cheers for each person who completes this daring act.
Roberta Schine is a yoga instructor, immigration activist, and writer. She teaches yoga classes for People with Parkinson’s and for People with Cancer at Mount Sinai Beth Israel Hospital. Her writing has appeared in Portside.org, Bordernews.org, Hawansuyo.com, Perigrinosysuslettras.org, and other literary magazines.
JIM LATHAM: What the Sisters Saw
The day the government blinded the boys, their sisters sang them home.
Not one girl led her brother by the hand.
Looking ahead to decades of caretaking, the sisters saw they would have only one chance to teach the newly sightless boys to listen and keep their hands to themselves.
Jim Latham is a writer, hiker, and traveler. More of his writing can be found at jimlatham.substack.com.
SUSAN GALE WICKES: Exact Opposites
Mary loved words.
Her walls were lined with all the classics. Poetry spilled from corner nooks and lounged on bedside tables.
Harry was an accountant.
He couldn’t tell a sonnet from a haiku, but he recognized a nice number when he saw it.
Today they’re beginning their 46th chapter together.
Susan Gale Wickes is from Indiana. She enjoys writing and reading 50-word stories.
ROBIN BISSETT: Fall in San Antonio
The night of that strange party, I told you that I loved you. Later that evening, you spent the night at my place where I fell asleep with my head on your chest. In the morning, we toasted over breakfast tacos and coffee. In you, I had found my home.
Robin Bissett is a Teaching Artist and Writer from Central Texas. She enjoys absorbing and sharing stories and strengthening her surrounding literary communities. She tweets at @rtbissett.
EMMILY MAGTALAS RHODES: Refuge
High up in the mountains, fleeing wars, battling blizzards, struggling to evade adversity, we were famished and weary. We dragged our bodies forward. The perilous road stretched ahead, seemingly endless. Crying, you collapsed in my arms. You said, “We have lost everything.” And I whispered, “We still have each other.”
Emmily Magtalas Rhodes is a freelance writer living in a spa town in England.
CMF WRIGHT: The Tragedy of P—k
“Never look directly at the mountains,” warns Peik’s ma. “The gods will strike you down.”
“That’s ridiculous!” says Peik. “They’ve no reason to hurt me. I’ve done nothing wrong.”
In a fit of pique, Peik peeks at the snowy peaks.
The gods, offended by the excess homophones, smite him instantly.
C.M.F. Wright is an avid reader and sentence wrangler. Her short stories have appeared in Fifty Word Stories, Microfiction Monday, Syntax & Salt Magazine and the VSS365 Anthology.