MARY WANJIRU: The Last Bus Home

Artistic, Submissions, Top Stories, , , , , ,

The bus hissed to a stop, doors yawning open. One passenger remained, clutching a torn ticket. The driver met her eyes in the mirror. “Last stop.” Outside was only darkness and silence. The doors closed. The road itself vanished. Still, the bus moved forward toward nowhere.

Mary Wanjiru is a freelance writer from Kenya who is passionate about microfiction, human interest stories, and exploring the eerie in everyday moments. Her work has appeared on various platforms, and she enjoys crafting stories that linger in readers’ minds.

MARIA MILLER SILVERT: True Story

Amusing, Submissions, , , ,

Since Dad passed, Mother asks repeatedly, “Am I dying?”

We reassure her.

At the store, I leave Mom sitting by the door for a minute. When the sirens blare, I run to Mom, thinking the worst.

She’s there, flirting with a chiseled EMT.

“She called 911. Said she was dying.”

Maria Miller Silvert is a multimedia creative living in Northwest Spain.

 

NATALIA PLOS: Frank

Artistic, Submissions, , , , ,

Frank dreamed of becoming an astronaut. His mother said they eat tubes. Frank looked at the toothpaste and decided to become a cook. The kids started teasing him with a donut. Frank wrote a poem about them. It was published. Frank is writing a novel about a cook in space.

Natalia Plos is an aspiring novelist. She is passionate about creating immersive worlds and compelling characters. Natalia can’t imagine life without great coffee, chocolate, and books. She now lives with her husband and two cats in the beautiful city of Phoenix.

JOE PEARSON: Aubade for My Daughter

Artistic, Submissions, , , , ,

I fought the night. Chose cold screens and exhaustion.

But now the dawn cries “Daddy” through the static. What new joy can we uncork today? We scream and laugh and stick out our tongues. Find new ways to pause time.

Another day will never come. We’ll live this one forever.

Joe Pearson is a British fiction writer living in Paris with an interest in human responses to crises — whether personal, social, or environmental. His work often deals with themes of climate change, mental health, masculinity and fatherhood.

JENNIFER CANAVERAL: Field Notes from Dig Site 612

Adventure, Artistic, Submissions, , ,

Newly discovered item: a bookcase, notably from antiquity; shelves contain a myriad of rudimentary texts, ranging from architecture to quantum physics.

Relic assembled with sturdy, fibrous, organic material from a source plentiful of its time.

Overall, specimen is a fine example of human’s simplistic ingenuity—albeit inferiority—to robotic successors.

Jennifer Canaveral is a writer and librarian’s assistant originally from San Francisco. She is the author of the 101 Horror Movie Haiku series. Jennifer lives in Kodiak, Alaska with her family.

ZENITH KNOX: Fist

Artistic, Submissions, , , ,

I counted on my fingers every time my best friend failed me after becoming popular.

One—she called me a loser, behind my back.

Two—she copied my homework.

Three—she winked at my crush.

I stopped after four and five. By then, my hand had balled into a fist.

Zenith Knox is a Korean-American writer from the DC metropolitan area. Her stories are published at BULL, The Citron Review, Literally Stories, and elsewhere. Visit her at ZenithKnox.wordpress.com.

DAVID C PORTER: Old Pine

Artistic, Submissions, , , , ,

Two men crouched under an old pine, waiting for the rain to pass. Its needles drawn together, the pine became a shelter for them. Down below, by the river, an old ghost wrapped itself in newspapers. On every page the same story was printed. On every page were different words.

David C. Porter is a writer and photographer from the American northeast. He edits Keep Planning, and writes Garden Scenery. His work has also appeared in various other places. His first novel, NTTN, is available now from Organ Bank Industries. He can be reached on Twitter at @toomuchistrue or via his website, davidcporter.net.

MIKE KEYSER: Distant Ember

Adventure, Artistic, Submissions, , , ,

He, born to dirt, smoke, and blood-stained rocks, watched his clan diminish in this harsh environment.

Now alone, longing to share his fire, he searched empty horizons.

His journey is inscribed in etchings and ochre on cave walls.

The Neanderthal’s light dimmed, never knowing his distant spark would reach us.

Mike (and his 3.2% Neanderthal DNA) uses speculative fiction to explore the boundaries between what was, what is, and what could be.

KATIE HEMMERLIN: Hands of Time

Artistic, Submissions, Top Stories, , , ,

I don’t remember the first hands that held me as I entered this world, vulnerable and mewling. I won’t remember the last hands that cling to me as I leave this life, helpless and silent. This is half my story. In the end, I hope they aren’t the same hands.

Katie lives on a farm in the Pine Barrens of New Jersey. Lately, she and her husband have been embracing the hint of early autumn air and exploring the creative side of writing. In addition to 50-Word Stories, her microfiction was recently featured in Short Beasts Flash Fiction and is forthcoming on 101 Words.