THOMAS MALLOCH: Me and Neil and Buzz

Adventure, Artistic, Submissions, , , , , ,

I remember it well. Me and Neil and Buzz, loping along, kicking up moon dust like cowboys home, home on the range. Only we had no horses and we wore space helmets, not stetsons.
So many times I’ve watched that footage. Yet it’s always a surprise: I’m never in shot.

Thomas Malloch is a retired doctor from Scotland. Always a reader, he thought he might try his hand at writing. He completed a Masters in Creative Writing (Distinction) at theOpen University in 2018. His work has appeared in the barcelona review, Bath Flash Fiction, Reflex Fiction, and Gutter.

PATRICK YU: Time for the daily walk

Artistic, Submissions, , , , ,

My dog waits at the door
Outside he’s in his element

His charismatic smile
A beacon
For everyone to greet him
He thrives on affection

Times have changed

His disappointed eyes look back
For an explanation
There is no affection from six feet?

How surreal
The virus
And its implications

After 42 years of working with industrial computers, robots, and automation, Patrick Yu has retired. While not ideal times, he looks forward to his many hobbies, one of which is writing.

JOHN H. DROMEY: Mechanical Response

Amusing, Submissions, ,

Following a grandson’s visit, Dot got a phone call.

“Did you get frustrated and yell at Dad?” her daughter asked.

“Regarding his hearing aid, I may have raised my voice to ask whether he wanted me to change his batteries.”

“That explains it! Sammy thinks his grandpa is a robot.”

John H. Dromey’s short fiction’s been published in Mystery Weekly Magazine and over one-hundred-fifty other venues.

LORNA YE: Dear Grandma

Submissions, Touching, , , ,

Thinking of you is like sipping my second cup of coffee of the day: not a yearning rush, just savoring the dreamy warmth and bittersweetness. My eyes will still moisten suddenly, fogged in the aroma of the past, when my fingers run across your old ring laced with green patina.

Lorna Ye writes flash fiction and poetry. She enjoys listening to soft jazz and trying new recipes.

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.