The story of the week for May 27 to 31 is…
Last of the Lemons by Christine Nedahl
CHRISTINE NEDAHL: Last of the Lemons
Rheumy eyes viewed the long orchard.
His treasured trees would outlive her, but deprived of care, they too would die.
He’d picked his trees, and her, for the fruit each would bear. He’d loathed her barrenness.
His acid tongue was silent now. For the first time in years, she smiled.
Christine Nedahl is a retired teacher from the Rhondda Valley, South Wales, now living with her husband in Arboleas in the Almanzora Valley, Spain. She enjoys writing about anything and everything, but flash fiction and poetry are currently favourites. She has been published in a number of anthologies and is a member of Writers Abroad. See more at christinenedahl.wordpress.com.
PATRICK MC LOUGHLIN: A Hundred Thousand Lifetimes
The pebble was perfect—smooth, oval, and just the right weight.
Sally picked it up from where it lay nestled snugly and warm among the other stones on the beach. She skimmed it and counted: “Seven, eight, nine… Not bad.”
The pebble sank into the ocean and started over again.
Patrick Mc Loughlin is an English Language Teacher in Ireland who dabbles in writing. He also dabbles in painting and music and someday hopes to do more than dabble. He lives in the west of Ireland, where it’s hard to concentrate.
ROBERTA BEACH JACOBSON: Long Gone
I logged out and fled my cubicle
so find yourself another IT guy, boss
’cause I’m rebooting my system
Time for me to start a new session
open a new window
and reset my password in a warmer climate
as I back up the files and folders of my life
Roberta Beach Jacobson is a humorist from Iowa.
TIM BOITEAU: Morning After
I step in something cold, slimy on the kitchen tile.
Gelatin-encased golden suns. Crushed shells.
Gwen is slumped in the corner, rage melted.
I grease up a pan, ignite the burner, scoop up the ruined eggs with a spatula, and toss them into the spitting oil.
Then help her stand.
Tim Boiteau writes and lives near Detroit with his wife and son.
JOHN B SINCLAIR: The Warnings
Our peaceful mission
which commenced in Roswell in 1947
is complete.
Agents infiltrated the planet on periodic visits
successfully morphing into intelligent life forms to deliver our survival doctrine.
Warnings of the dangers of pollution, climate change, and chemical toxicity
were ignored
Mission conclusion:
Earthlings will destroy their own planet
John B. Sinclair is a much-travelled Scot who has now returned to Scotland, where he enjoys freelance writing on a variety of subjects.
GERALDINE McCARTHY: TV Dinner
Old Harold buys a fish tank on his birthday. Fills it with guppies and mollies, hardy breeds. Throws in the odd fish flake. Changes the water on Saturdays. It’s good to be needed.
The fish swim and swirl, dive and stare.
Tiddles is mesmerised. Now he has his own TV.
Geraldine McCarthy doesn’t own any pets. You can find her on Facebook.
RON. LAVALETTE: Fine Point
It wasn’t until his third unsuccessful attempt to get something—anything—worthwhile onto paper that he realized he’d been using the wrong pen. Somehow, a 0.7 had made it into his pocket along with his favored 1.0 and he’d been accidentally selecting it, thus guaranteeing his dissatisfaction with the outcome.
Ron. Lavalette has been widely published in both print and pixel forms. His first chapbook, Fallen Away, is now available from Finishing Line Press, and a reasonable sample of his work can be found at EGGS OVER TOKYO.
LIS BOQUETE: A Life Unlived
I just wanted to make it big, be useful, go clubbing, to the beach, take photos of all of those things, maybe call 9-1-1 sometime.
I’m an iPhone! A must-have gadget! I deserve an owner who uses me properly.
Sure, I’m user-friendly, but…
With grandma, I’m nothing but a paperweight.
Lis Boquete is a student of English as a foreign language, born and raised in Buenos Aires, Argentina. She is a book lover and is currently studying to become a sworn translator.
AMANDA THOMPSON: Highway
The highway is not safe. There are things that will consume you in the blink of an eye. Creatures born out of the radioactive scorched earth. They are hungry for human flesh, prowling the area constantly.
He sees them on the road from his vantage point up on the hill.
Amanda Thompson is a South African writer who has written several short stories and novellas in different genres. She loves to read, write, and build miniatures.