The story of the week for December 26 to 30 is…
If… by Kamalinii
The reflective nature of this story is a good fit for starting off a new year. Have a great 2017!
MARY SHEEHAN: Between Psychiatry and Infectious Skin Diseases
“I’m sick!” the stranger whispers, in the hospital lift.
Fear takes my breath.
“A sniff a day… prevents… you know?”
“Okay.” I breathe.
“Really?”
He hunkers down.
Wrestles off my left shoe.
Inhales deeply.
The doors ping.
He’s gone.
“You’re sick!” I yell, furiously hoping my diagnosis will be infectious.
MONICA PEREZ NEVAREZ: The Christmas Card
“Wishing you merry days and happy smiles during the holidays,” says the hand-written card, a picture of a well-dressed family traveling through China inside. The Christmas tree on the cover made me forget the cold, the hunger, the loneliness, but not the family resentments.
Sisters are sometimes the roughest critics.
Monica Perez Nevrez is a Sustainability Manager by day and a writer at night.
JENORA VASWANI: Pensive
The memories ripple as you wade in, the concrete beneath your toes cushioned by abstract thought. Your fingers trail the surface, silver swirls of emotion patterning in your wake. Pause for a breath, then plunge down, losing yourself in memories even as they nibble away the edges of your mind.
Jenora Vaswani would like to think of herself as a lightfoot halfling, nimbly toeing the line between fantasy and reality. In actuality, you’re more likely to find her at her desk poring over various literary theories, surrounded by biscuit sandwiches and red velvet cookies. If you’d like to see more of her work, feel free to pop over to her website.
DEVON R WIDMER: Writing From Beyond the Grave
Thirteen months after his wife’s passing, the words appeared, scratched deep into her writing desk:
The streets are paved with flesh and bone
The mortar’s mixed with blood
The stench of death pervades the air
Displaced eyeballs glare and stare
I cannot find you anywhere
Out here among the dead.
Devon R. Widmer plans to continue writing at least until the end of this life.
CONNELL WAYNE REGNER: Christmas Paintings (or Art)
The neighbourhood children around here seemed just like mine.
“What have you been doing, sweetie?” I asked.
“I painted an angel.”
“…And you, sonny?”
“I painted Santa.”
Looking around they explained they were in another room drying, so I entered and there they were… Tied up and covered in paint.
Connell often says too much or too little in his biographies and probably will again. Despite this, he has been inspired, by others, to become a great writer of such, but to date his biographies have been sadly lacking in the necessary achievements required by him to embellish once more.
LAURA MARION ROSE: October Thoughts from Hvar
We dock at two. Take a tour of an ancient church overlooking the sea. Climb narrow cobblestone streets polished smooth by centuries of passing feet. Sip cappuccino while people-watching at a café facing the town square. Contemplate calling this home –– a Croatian escape appealing, looking easier than a Canadian one.
A writer by nature, once a scientist by trade, Laura searches for fiction that is truer than life, conjuring up stories that both draw and promise relief from years spent in a fact-filled world. She lives in the Pacific Northwest in the company of plants and friends.
JOHN H. DROMEY: Clueless in Seattle
“Who do you think is guilty?”
“I haven’t a clue.”
“Me neither. I imagine it’s situations like this that drive detectives to drink.”
“Shall we give it a try?”
The two penniless PIs pooled their pocket change and shared a cup of coffee so hot it nearly melted their straws.”
John H. Dromey has a short story in the forthcoming Candlesticks and Daggers: An Anthology of Mixed-Genre Mysteries edited by Kelly Ann Jacobson.
HARRY DEMAREST: A Visit to Grandma
Mikey and I visited Grandma in the city.
“Look in the apartment across the street,” said Mikey. “They’re not wearing any clothes.”
I tried to shut him up, but he continued: “What are they doing?”
“You little snoop,” growled Grandma.
She reached into the drawer and handed Mikey her binoculars.
Since he retired in 2009, Harry Demarest has published in Fiftyworstories.com, Festival Writer, Compassion and Choices, and Gold Man Review.
STORY OF THE WEEK: December 25
The story of the week for December 19 to 23 is…
A shared honour between:
Pieces in Place by Raphael Bastek
and
The Weight by Kimberly Edwards
Both Kimberly and Raphael painted character portraits of individuals striving to gain control over the details of their lives, in very different ways. Thank you both for sharing.