“We’re eating healthy this Christmas,” Mom announced. “No artificial flavours or colours.”
Six-year-old Joey winced. “Yuck, more Brouches schproats!”
“Nothing wrong with Brussels sprouts,” Mom said. “Or fruitcake with natural dried fruits.”
Joey and Dad frowned.
Then, a miracle happened: Grandma walked in bringing candy canes and chocolate marshmallow Santas.
Krystyna writes poetry, fiction, and creative nonfiction. Her published works can be found online and in magazines and anthologies.
Flapping ducks carried
casually
by their feet
Piglets struggling
in nets, rope burns
on protruding legs
Only we pale Westerners
gasp; to the bustling
crowds, the animals are simply
food: meat
fresh as the lush scallions,
the eels
circling in barrels, chosen
by pointing shoppers
the way we
choose lobster.
Jennifer L. Freed lived in China for one year as a college English teacher. She writes mostly poetry and, sometimes, very short stories. To read more of her work, please visit her website, jfreed.weebly.com.
Plop.
“Eat up!” said Mom.
Victor stared at his plate. Yuck. What was this slimy, moldy, mushy gunk?
“Don’t you like it?”
“Gross!” said Victor. “Is this rotten food?”
“It’s your winnings,” said Mom. “The ones you gloated about after Monopoly. Like you said, to the victor go the spoils!”
I’m happy to announce the birth of my second son, Victor! This story is for him.
Our waitress, Carlie, promised to “take care of” us. She sliced and served the pizza. With a flourish, she slid the pizza on to my plate. It continued to slide right on to my white slacks, sauce side down.
The manager arrived with club soda, an apology and the check.
Marian Brooks has recently retired and found some time to write short fiction. She lives in Pennsylvania with her husband.
She dieted for three weeks; avoided all soft drinks, steered clear of pie and ice cream. She ate salad for breakfast, lunch, and dinner; consumed plain yogurt by the quart; and drank green tea.
Now she stood on the scale. Weight loss: one pound.
The chocolate melted in her mouth.
Joanna M. Weston has had poetry, reviews, and short stories published in anthologies and journals for twenty-five years. Her middle-reader, ‘Those Blue Shoes’, was published by Clarity House Press, and her poetry, ‘A Summer Father’, was published by Frontenac House of Calgary. Her eBook, ‘The Willow Tree Girl’, is available at her blog or http://smashwords.com/b/137826.
“Please, Clarissa,” pleaded Sergio, “don’t leave me! I’ll make you better spaghetti, better pizza, better wine!”
“Always food with you,” said Clarissa wearily. “Always wine… Don’t you understand me? What I really want are children… and pets!”
Sergio bought her a mouse. She kept it, and got rid of him.
“I don’t know…”
I gritted my teeth. “Make up your mind! I can’t stand your waffling.”
“Both options look good!” she protested. “I hate being forced to choose…”
“Here,” I said, “I’ll choose for you.” I flung a waffle onto her plate.
“But,” she said, “maybe I want a pancake…”
This story is based on a title suggested by @PoshPlatypus.
We killed nearly the entire frog population that summer, Matt with the bat, me with the hoe. Years later I read in the obits that Matt died choking on frog legs. Why was that detail in the obits? Only I knew about the frogs. Fate? Nope, bound to happen eventually.
CS DeWildt’s stories appear on Bartleby Snopes, Word Riot, The Bicycle Review, Mobius Magazine, Writer’s Bloc, and The Foundling Review. His novella Candy and Cigarettes is available at http://www.vagabondagepress.com/bookstore.html.
A leering face, a dark alley, and a tangy, salty-sweet flavour were all he could remember when he awoke in the hospital bed.
The contents of his wallet said he was Josip Šerić, a wealthy Croatian businessman visiting Chicago.
He didn’t care. All that mattered was finding back that flavour.
Dr. Ruination glowered across the table at superspy John Bolt. He tapped his fork, waiting for Bolt to start dining. Since they’d ordered the same meal, Dr. Ruination wasn’t positive he hadn’t received the poisoned one. He could have thrown his meal away, but he never liked to waste food.
This is the fourth in a series of five stories by King Kool.