SHEELA KAMATH: Ennui

Amusing, Submissions, Touching, , ,

I haven’t cleaned (or done much of anything) since you left, and now I only have dust clouds to keep me company in my silent apartment.

I resolve to vacuum, knowing I can treat myself to a peek at your picture (which I’ll destroy, I swear!) in the storage closet.

Sheela Kamath is a copy editor based in the San Francisco Bay Area. When she’s not writing, she’s adding books — from literary fiction to sci-fi and fantasy — to her Goodreads list and playing with her dog Starbuck (named for “Battlestar Galactica,” naturally). You can follow her on Twitter @skamath3.

DEBB BOUCH: An End; A Beginning

Submissions, Touching, , , ,

“I don’t love you enough.” How can enough be measured?

Five short words have changed months of planning for a shared future. We are no longer we.

But ‘I am’ succeeds ‘we are’, as determination succeeds incomprehension. My eyes are dry.

The future is all mine. He cannot change that.

A little over a year ago Debb Bouch entered a short story into a Needle in the Hay contest. Regular contests since have provided encouragement and challenge. And writing is all about challenge.

KAVYA JANANI: The Unknown Performer

Amusing, Submissions,

I was an amateur singer. I had composed my own song and the melody was scintillating. I hoped to become famous.

I performed with full vigour at the park, the beach, and wherever there were people.

If only the people could’ve seen a singing ghost, it would have been better!

Kavya Janani is a writer from India. She has published 4 short stories and is currently publishing her debut novel “With love, forever” as a series on WattPad.

MARY J. BREEN: Escape

Artistic, Submissions, , , , ,

The congregation were aghast upon learning his wife had left. Imagine! During his Christmas sermon!

She’d gotten the boys dressed and out before the alarm sounded. “Where’s Santa?” they’d asked. “Surprise!” she’d said.

She’d always imagined their escape in black and white, their taxi chased by those terrible French sirens.

Mary J. Breen lives in Peterborough, Ontario, where, among other things, she teaches memoir writing. She is a retired ESL and literacy teacher, and the author of two books about women’s health. Her fiction, articles, and memoir pieces have appeared in national newspapers, essay collections, travel magazines, health journals, and literary magazines.

RYAN KHATKAR: Love

Odd, Submissions, , ,

It was unlike anything he had ever felt before. The warmth coursed through his body, filling his veins with fire. His vision blurred; his thoughts became clouded.

And yet, he thought, there was an unshakable feeling forming within his stomach. A feeling of doubt.

An understanding of his inevitable death.

Ryan is a student at Coventry University currently studying English and Creative Writing. His hobbies include being the greatest musician to have ever lived, winning the Nobel Prize seventeen times, and being the first man to go to Mars (without a rocket). Oh, and he’s humble, too…

DAN CAMPBELL: Grief

Artistic, Submissions, , , ,

Grief is a cowgirl. She is beautiful. She rides me, pulling on the bridle, telling me when to kneel and weep. Her long fingers guide tears down my cheeks.

She was here all last month; she’s with me today. I’m afraid to ask how much longer she’s going to stay.

Dan Campbell wrote this story.

BOB THURBER: Famous Last Words

Amusing, Submissions, , , ,

After we’d unloaded the snowmobiles from his truck, my father pointed toward the lake. Someone had driven a blue Volkswagen Bug onto the ice and just left it there.

“What did I tell you? Ten feet thick at least. You could drag a house out there and not break through.”

Over the years Bob Thurber’s work has received a long list of awards and appeared in 30 anthologies. His most recent book is a collection of brief stories titled Nothing But Trouble. Visit BobThurber.net.

JASON HUYNH: The Cat Named Ra

Amusing, Submissions, ,

His peers worshiped him like a god.

The leader must be the first to rise, he proclaimed. He would proudly situate himself in the holy morning sunlight, so the others would awake to witness his golden fur in the sacred light.

An overcast day abruptly cast doubt upon his superiority.

Jason’s inspiration for this story was his tuxedo tabby, Rusty. While Rusty may not be worshipped, he is still a spoiled cat who loves the sunlight.

OLGA KLEZOVITCH: Bummer

Amusing, Submissions, , ,

The police officer really hurt my feelings. I said I was sorry for running over the old lady and that I didn’t mean it, but he still yelled at me and made me cry.

I guess I will have to take my driving test again.

Daddy will not be pleased…

Olga Klezovitch is a scientist who lives in Seattle. Her previous work has appeared in 50-Word Stories and Necon E-Books.

MARK TWEDDLE: Uh-Oh

Adventure, Submissions, , ,

Just before he’d left the room, he’d commented that he thought he knew her, but couldn’t think where from.

She’d smiled and said that she couldn’t think of anywhere they may have met before.

But now she was scared.

If he worked it out, if he remembered, there’d be trouble.

Mark plays the ukulele, rides a motorcycle, and likes monkeys. He can easily be lured into a trap with the promise of chocolate.