My eyes stay open to the saltless press of darkness. Beyond the closed door, footsteps. The light pressure of her heel, the soft breath of her footfall.
Where does she go? The hearth is empty, the chair is silent. The doors stay shut.
Motionless, I wait for night to end.
Susan is an emerging writer who mainly writes short stories, especially flash fiction. An ex-teacher, she lives in Brisbane, Australia, and enjoys camping trips into the Australian wilderness.
Crimson eye glowing on the square tiled ceiling, three left, four down – five east of the lampshade. Does it blink or wink? I wonder, while it paints the room maroon, making shadows crawl across the walls, illuminating your empty side of the bed.
At least one of us sleeps tonight.
Billie-Leigh Burns is a writer from Liverpool. Her work has been featured by 50 Word Stories, 101 Words, Funny Pearls, and The Mersey Review. She is also a bookkeeper, making her the only writer she knows who owns an ‘I Heart Spreadsheets’ mug.
Bob was dreaming that he couldn’t sleep but didn’t know he was dreaming, and so, on waking, he imagined he was exhausted yet he wasn’t really awake.
When the beast came, he didn’t know if he’d sunk into its dream or it into his.
When he woke, the beast followed.
Patrick Mc Loughlin is an English Language Teacher in Ireland and dabbles in writing. He also dabbles in painting and music and some day hopes to do more than dabble. He lives in the west of Ireland, where it’s hard to concentrate.
Between sleep and wakefulness lies a moment of possibilities. She hovers there, feelings of desire and longing rekindled by dreams of him. Should she call? Risk rejection. Refrain? Always wonder.
Daylight seeping through a gap in the curtains brings reality with it. She remembers the heartbreak. Her phone stays untouched.
Bridget Scrannage lives near Bath with her husband. She’s the founder of an international online writing community with 120 members. See more at bridgetscrannage.wordpress.com.