The story of the week for December 23 to 27 is…
Unopened by Alyce Clark
ALYCE CLARK: Unopened
I fought the urge to wreck the place.
Tears streamed down my face, blurring the decorations I’d put up for Daddy. Presents taunted me from under the tree.
It’s late January now. There will be no welcome home from the hospital, no belated Christmas celebrations… Those gifts won’t be opened.
Alyce Clark was so awed and inspired by the stories of others, she decided to write them for herself.
VERNAE COFFEE: Praying Through the Darkness
On my first night in the shelter (in a pitch black room), while praying, someone touched me. Then a softly accented voice said, “Teach me to pray like you…”
I did.
Months later, I still see her clasped hands praying through her darkness. Her smile widens with each new day.
Vernae is new to the world of publishing, but is enjoying every moment of it. She began submitting her work for publication in 2018 and has been published several times. Her unpublished children’s book “Teddy Wet My Bed” was recently selected as one of five Finalists by Eyelands 2019 Book Awards in the Unpublished Books Category.
LAURA BESLEY: Santa’s Favourite
“Look what Santa gave me,” Travis says.
“Wow! An iPhone!” Arthur says. “I got an iPad.”
Neil has heard of these things, but he got a puzzle.
He kicks at the playground gravel, scattering it against a window. In the Time Out Chair, he wonders why Santa likes him less.
LISA CHAMBERS: Best Friend
“Rugged male seeks companionship. Loves outdoors, sharing dinners, cuddling. Eager to please. Not afraid of commitment.”
Sam and Beth were a perfect match. Eight glorious years together.
At the pet cemetery, she clutched his leash, holding it close to her broken heart.
Some happily ever afters end much too soon.
Lisa Chambers is a Texas girl who believes in happily ever after.
BILL DIAMOND: The Perfect Christmas
Samuel’s holiday decorations had to be perfect.
They drove to multiple lots for the ideal tree. For that ‘special’ look, he insisted Tamra help place each ornament in exactly the right spot. The house was always a flawless display.
His perfectionist demands were why he was spending this Christmas alone.
Bill Diamond lives in Colorado’s Rocky Mountains and writes to try and figure it all out.
ELLEN HANSEN: The Path
She walked the labyrinth slowly, absorbing the imagery of both the circle and the spiral. She was careful at the turns, at this turning point in her life.
Something loosened inside; then the tears came.
This meandering yet purposeful path spoke both of safety and the dawn of new openness.
Ellen Hansen is a writer and fiddle player living in Helvetia, Oregon. She recently retired from leading international tours.
TYLOR JAMES: Blue Christmas
The stockings were hung with melancholy.
There had been three stockings in the decorations box. Mr. and Mrs. Jones hung up two. They dropped the third into the trash, almost sickened.
Mrs. Jones turned on the radio. Elvis Presley was crooning, “I’ll have a blue, blue, blue Christmas… without you.”
Tylor James is a twenty-five year old writer living in New Richmond, WI. He writes dark fiction and has had stories, poems, and essays published in such anthology books as ACCURSED: A Horror Anthology, Emerging American Horror Writers: Midwest Region, Emerging Wisconsin Writers: An Anthology of Non-Fiction, and Willow River Writers Anthology. Tylor is prolific, having written forty-five short stories and one novel in the year 2019 alone.
STORY OF THE WEEK: December 22
The story of the week for December 16 to 20 is…
Holiday by Chad Bunch
JO WITHERS: Neighbourhood Watch
It happened occasionally, stray balls, wayward kites, but today was relentless.
Baubles in her birdbath, puddings thrown into petunias, tinsel in her tulips.
Angrily, she marched next door, demanded an explanation.
Guiltily, her neighbour’s boy confessed to everyone: “I hoped she’d come. She’s alone on Christmas Day. Can she stay?”
Jo Withers writes short stories and poetry from her home in South Australia. She wishes everybody a safe and happy holiday season.