The witch hired to protect villagers from a predatory shapeshifter reported.
“The werewolf’s no longer a threat. My non-lethal spell minimizes his means of aggression whenever the moon is full. Right now, for instance, he’s all bark and no bite.”
“What did you do?”
“I turned him into a tree.”
John H. Dromey’s short fiction’s been published in Mystery Weekly Magazine and over 150 other venues.
Without X-ray vision, I cannot say with certainty what goes on in the apartment above. I can only speculate.
The tenant’s noise-making cannot be eliminated entirely, of course, but confiscating his pogo stick, restricting lessons for cloggers to midday only, and impounding his pet elephant might be a good start.
John H. Dromey’s short fiction’s been published in Mystery Weekly Magazine and over 150 other venues.
Following a grandson’s visit, Dot got a phone call.
“Did you get frustrated and yell at Dad?” her daughter asked.
“Regarding his hearing aid, I may have raised my voice to ask whether he wanted me to change his batteries.”
“That explains it! Sammy thinks his grandpa is a robot.”
John H. Dromey’s short fiction’s been published in Mystery Weekly Magazine and over one-hundred-fifty other venues.
“If he hopes to hold on to his title, our newly-appointed chief of police really needs to get his priorities straight.”
“Why? What did he do?”
“His first day on the job, he found a housefly in his office. Rather than handle it himself, he called for a S.W.A.T. team.”
John H. Dromey’s short fiction’s been published in Mystery Weekly Magazine and over 150 other venues.
Two hyperactive squirrels chitter-chattered as they scampered around a picnic table.
“I’m disappointed,” one remarked. “Our old homeplace is not at all like I remember it from when we were kits.”
“I agree,” the other replied. “It seemed to be so much taller before it lost its leaves and bark.”
John H. Dromey’s short fiction has been published in Mystery Weekly Magazine and over one-hundred-fifty other venues.
A star performer was missing from the dog and pony show.
“Where’s your trick pony?” the ringmaster asked the head of the equestrian troupe. “The filly that answers questions involving numbers by the tapping of a front hoof.”
“Trixie’s out with tendonitis. Some wiseacre asked her how old Methuselah was.”
John H. Dromey’s short fiction has been published in Mystery Weekly Magazine and over one-hundred-fifty other venues.
“Our little factory is struggling to keep its head above water. Originally, we manufactured buggy whips. Later, we switched to rumble-seat covers for Model A Fords. Now, we need to scrap our outdated business model and look to the future.”
“Producing what product?”
“Waterproof stilts for pedestrians in low-lying cities.”
John H. Dromey’s short fiction has been published in Mystery Weekly Magazine and over 150 other venues.
A youngster came home from school with scraped knuckles and a torn shirt.
“Fighting again? I think your classmate Donnie is a bad influence on you. Have you been playing violent video games at his house?”
“No, I haven’t. Donnie won’t let me. First I have to win a fight.”
John H. Dromey’s short fiction has been published in Mystery Weekly Magazine and over one-hundred-fifty other venues.
A State trooper approached a stalled auto with caution. The stranded motorist—already outside of his vehicle—was walloping a highway marker with a tire iron.
“What’s going on here?”
“When I called my roadside assistance provider, a recorded voice told me to enter my membership number and pound sign.”
John H. Dromey’s short fiction has been published in Mystery Weekly Magazine and over one-hundred-fifty other venues.
When last I saw them, they were down by the river. They were holding hands. No surprise there; she’d always been possessive.
On this occasion, she seemed especially reluctant to let go. She professed to love his mind and body, while her rival’s interest was strictly physical…
The crocodile prevailed.
John H. Dromey has a 10-word story, “Paranormal Household Survey,” on the Potato Soup Journal website.