Temperatures soar in the day and plummet at night, here in this God-forsaken desert. Stretching to the unimaginable horizon are miles and miles of nothing but miles and miles.
Don’t leave your car, they said.
Our rations are finished. Our water is finished.
I love you, we tell each other.
Mary Steer enjoys writing stories of all lengths, from fifty words to fifty thousand and more. More of her stories may be found at marysteer.com.
The story of the week for September 5 to 9 is…
Intent by Perry McDaid
Perry always comes up with complex characters and ideas, and he does a great job bringing them to life.
How to ignore her screaming as the car plunged into the river? But I couldn’t die with this on my conscience. “I slept with your sister!” I shouted above the torrent.
Kerry continued screaming, even when arms appeared to drag her out.
If she heard my confession, I’m done for.
Heather lives in the UK and writes poetry, flash fiction, and stories. Her poetry has appeared in several UK small press magazines, and her flash fiction at paragraphplanet.
His head thrummed through mixed conversations which crept down the aisle of the 35 bus. He patted the saxophone case.
He wasn’t musical. He preferred to write short stories since his psychotic breakdown.
He could have walked to High Street, but the hot Edinburgh summer made the Kalashnikov especially heavy.
Irish writer Perry McDaid lives in Derry under the brooding brows of Donegal hills which he occasionally hikes in search of druidic inspiration.
Survivors and the families of lost loved ones gathered en masse to gaze at the blue lights the city had erected.
They cannot forget. In the same way, they will not forgive, either. “We will seek justice,” they chant together.
With that, the plan is hatched. Retribution will be theirs.
Kim Smyth is a freelance writer who loves to blog about life in general and alternative health. She lives in a quiet suburb of Fort Worth, Texas, with her hubby and two adorable Shorkies. Find her at kimsmyth.org and kimmy1563.wordpress.com.
He got home exhausted. It had been a hard work day.
The fridge: empty. Nothing to cook. Again.
Some pizza would work. Some Chinese, maybe.
He turned on the television. “…for the second consecutive time, the Best Chef of the Year is…” He smiled seeing his face on the news.
AnaBLViera lives in Madrid, where she works as a secretary. She has a pile of dreams. The last one: Writing a short story. There she is. AGAIN.
Armed with flowers, she visits his grave. Six months gone. She lays the bouquet down, purple petals smeary as lipstick.
Dahlias, she says. They’re my favorite.
He’d always bought her daisies for wedding anniversaries, Mother’s Days. The old frustration sears her. Better to forget she’d told him a million times.
Adina Davis lives in Massachusetts. Her stories have appeared most recently at streetwrite.com and Intrinsick.
He was bursting to pee after spending hours in a wheelchair in the sweltering heat of a tent-missionary revival meeting in Kentucky hill country, but he had the goods on this charlatan.
So he leapt to his feet and ran for the toilet. Behind him, the scoundrel claimed another miracle.
Dermott Hayes is a short story and novel writer and occasional filmmaker.
Sitting closely together on the Calle Larga, glasses of chilled Chianti before them, they watch a gondola glide silently by.
This will be his last time, the rest of his life having been crammed into three short months.
For him, a last dream lived. For her, a lasting memory built.
Jean lives in a village near Bath but longs to be in Italy, her favourite place in the world.
It wasn’t really a bad thing. Well, okay. So maybe it was.
No one got hurt, though. Alright, so maybe a couple.
I’m sure it was nothing that was my fault. I followed the internet instructions to a tee.
The still was most likely defective.
It was a small explosion.
Gordon Lysen resides in Manitoba, Canada and spends his time between the city of Winnipeg and his true home at Sugar Point on Lake Manitoba. Retired from police work after some 27 years, Gordon co-authored the novel “A Deadly Blend of Souls” with his wife, Lisa. Writing and painting are Gordon’s relaxation methods when retirement becomes too stressful.