The story of the week for June 10 to 14 is…
Bedraggled by Lionel Ray Green
DERRICK R LAFAYETTE: The Fly
Why does the fly not die? When I put all my strength into each blow? When the rolled up Sunday newspaper smashes against the coffee table, sending my macchiato into a light brown rivulet of failure spilling over pictures of her, splayed out for my bereavement?
It’s been a month.
Derrick R. Lafayette has had several short stories published in such publications as Suspense Magazine, Lycan Valley Press (Anthology), Red Fez, Aphelion, Red Fez, and more.
J DAVID THAYER: Coffee at a Crossroads
She stirred creamer into her coffee; he drank his black.
Sigh.
“Aren’t you tired of the fighting?”
“Of course! But I thought we were worth it.”
He looked at her again. That old spark.
The waitress handed him the check.
“Ready, hon?”
“No,” he said. “We aren’t quite finished yet.”
ANITA ROBERTS SOUPIR: Lucifer
Unseen eyes watched, sending a chill down my spine. Loathing enveloped me. What had I done to deserve this hatred?
My last thought before Lucifer sunk his claws into my back was that it would be a cold day in Hell before I agreed to feed the neighbor’s cat again.
Anita Roberts Soupir is a wife, mother, photographer & freelance writer. Her work can be seen in: Crack the Spine Literary Magazine and Mused – the BellaOnline Literary Review Magazine, as well as Boston Literary Magazine, Literary Juice, 50 Haikus, 50 Word Stories, and SpeckLit.
ADRIAN L COOK: Five Seconds
Thomas reached across the gear shift, searching for his brother’s hand, as mangled shreds of guardrail accompanied their descent.
The five-second drop opened up into a lifetime of memory.
Campouts. Christmases. Dallas Cowboys games.
So what if Jimmy’d slept with his wife?
Thomas regretted his decision five seconds too late.
Dr. Adrian L. Cook is a humanities professor at Tarrant County College in Fort Worth, TX. He is also a semi-pro musician, specializing in the electric washboard. He lives with his wife — children’s book author Cristee Cook — their two kiddos, their pancake-colored dog, and lots and lots of books.
LIONEL RAY GREEN: Bedraggled
One leg missing and the other hanging by a thread, the bedraggled teddy bear had sat forgotten on the thrift shop shelf for years.
“I want her,” Mollie said.
Mollie’s mother frowned.
“Pick something better. It’s your birthday.”
Mollie rolled her wheelchair closer to the shelf.
“No, I want her.”
Lionel Ray Green is a horror and fantasy writer, an award-winning newspaper journalist, and a U.S. Army gulf war veteran living in Alabama. He ironically loves Bigfoot and hobbits and believes Babe is the greatest movie ever made.
SOMA DATTA: The Devil You Know
“Psst. Hey. Come over here.”
“No. I have nothing to say to you.”
“Your father made me a promise and he didn’t follow through.”
“So? He died last night.”
“He sold his soul first.”
“That has nothing to do with me.”
“He used you as collateral. I’m here to collect.”
A graduate of the University of Minnesota’s Creative Writing program, Soma Datta is reinvigorating her poetry and flash fiction muscles after over two decades of writing stories for businesses and brands. She intends to tell her story as a first generation Indian woman growing up between Western and Eastern cultures.
STORY OF THE MONTH: May 2019
The Story of the Month is chosen from the Story of the Week winners announced from the past month.
The finalists for May were:
Hitchhiker by Hannah Whiteoak
Fired by Anna Sanderson
Close by Lex T. Lindsay
Forgotten by Trisha Ridinger McKee
The winner of the May 2019 Story of the Month, and the $10 prize, is…
Forgotten
What a strong crop of stories we had in May… But Trisha’s piece generated such a strong response from both me and the wider audience that she managed to edge out the competition.
SIMON CLARKE: Dream, and I’ll Come For You
When I was seven I saw forks rising out of the mattress underneath me as I arched above them, terrified.
It happened again last night.
Too old and infirm to move, I lie here impaled by phantom forks through my eyes, mouth, heart, and spine.
They all think I’m dead.
Simon Clarke was born in and raised and currently resides in East Anglia, United Kingdom. He has been writing fiction for at least five years and regularly submits to UK and international publications as well as reading short pieces and poetry at open mic events. He is currently working on his first novel and continues to write short stories and poetry.
IRENE P SMITH: Twinkle, Twinkle
When I saw the twinkle in his eyes, I was his, forever more.
It took him only nine years to realize he felt the same about me.
Marriage; a son; joys and sorrows.
On our Silver Anniversary, I fall in love again whenever I see that twinkle in his eyes.
Irene is the Firefox Developer Content Manager. She spends her days writing content for web developers and her evenings and weekends writing very short stories.