The story of the week for September 12 to 16 is…
Moving On by Mark Farley
Character and emotion distilled into a central metaphor. This is textbook microfiction.
JENNIFER L FREED: Melting
Her last moments haunted me.
Yes, she was a mean old
witch, but to think
how death washed over her
so abruptly.
How she must have felt,
seeing herself
diminishing, knowing
she had no
hope.
The echo
of her final words.
Toto sniffing the black pool
of her empty robes.
Jennifer L. Freed writes mostly poetry, and occasionally some short fiction. Her poetry chapbook was published in 2014. Other work can be seen at Jfreed.weebly.com.
VIV BURGESS: Through the Looking Glass
Alice bunks off school. Going home is safe with parents at work. Entering the hall, she hears something upstairs.
“Mum? Dad?”
Venturing up, Alice opens the bedroom door.
A strange woman looks back, shocked. She wears too much makeup.
“Who are you?”
“Alice…” the woman says.
It’s her father’s voice.
Viv Burgess worries about the characters she has pushed into the deep end.
JON NIXON: An Easy Mistake
Montgomery Jackson’s luck ran out when, at the annual manoeuvres, and in front of the new Commander, he proudly showcased the new guerrilla tactics he had developed.
Charging headlong at the enemy whilst bellowing, hurling vegetation and beating one’s chest like a dominant Silverback was simply not the done thing.
From the North West of England and currently working in local government, Jon likes to write and be creative. He is inspired by flash fiction and other short works, and is regularly blown away by the high standard of 50-word offerings on this site.
SUSAN GALE WICKES: The Fine Art of Fabrication
“Get your story straight.”
My mama never made it past the seventh grade, but she always knew what she was talking about.
The judge looked at me and said, “Let’s hear your story.” I looked into his eyes and they turned a soft blue, just like Mama’s.
Easy as pie…
Susan Gale Wickes spent many years in the newspaper industry, but is now devoting her time and energy to writing poetry, songs, and short stories. She has been published in Haiku Journal, Sleeve, and 50-Word Stories.
MARK FARLEY: Moving On
The raindrops on the window look like tears.
Ava says, “Daddy, the house is crying.”
“It’s not, dear,” I promise, gathering the last of our bags from the room where her mother fought so hard.
But as the removal van pulls away, I look back and wonder if she’s right.
Mark Farley (mumbletoes.blogspot.com) is attempting to write 1,000,000 words in 2016. Please wish him luck!
HANNAH STEVENS: Flying
What seemed like an infinite amount of time passed in about three seconds. She experienced the glorious sensation of what seemed to be flying. All of her worries vanished, except that for a split second, just before she hit the tarmac, she found herself asking, “Wait, why did I jump?”
Hannah Stevens has always had a passion for reading and writing. She is fifteen years old and has a weakness for words.
NATISHA PARSONS: Saved by a Glimmer
Martha, daughter of the hated sheriff, was seated at the window of his forest cabin. She stared vacantly at the shining glimmer of sunlight on metal or something a distance away.
“Must be a soda can.” She jumped off the stool. “I’m thirsty.”
The bullet splintered the wall mirror instead.
Natisha Parsona is a South African retiree who lives on the South Coast KwaZulu-Natal. She has been published in not too many magazines and has a children’s book on Amazon. She also has a short story in a chapbook published in South Africa.
DIANE de ANDA: Bon Voyage
His aunt didn’t see him watching her put in the wall safe’s code.
She didn’t see him hiding in the cellar the morning she left for her three week cruise.
He couldn’t see her pull out and bolt the sliding metal door she had recently installed at the cellar entrance.
Diane de Anda has published fiction, poetry, and essays in Rosebud, Straylight, Storyteller, Pacific Review, Bilingual Review, Frogpond, Modern Haiku, Bottle Rockets, Presence, and others; satire in Humor Times; eight children’s books; and a collection of 40 flash fiction stories.
JORDAN REYNOLDS: Captivity
She is a dancer, twisting her lithe grey body through the air as rivulets of water streak along her slender flanks.
At the peak of her flying pirouette, she can just make out the other dolphins playing in the distance.
Then her vision falls behind the stalls.
The audience applauds.
Jordan is a twenty-something writer and MA student from Telford. He has lots of aspirations, half hobbies, and musical instruments, but not enough time. If you like this, why not check out his blog.