He rented a room from his ex-mother-in-law. She baked meatloaf Mondays, mac-n-cheese Wednesdays, pancakes Sunday mornings when he wasn’t due at the foundry. Between her shifts clerking at Sentry, they played Bananagrams every chance they got.
Sure, his marriage had bombed, but Eloise was the best friend he’d ever had.
Shoshauna Shy loves finding stories waiting patiently all over the place. She is the editor of PoetryJumpsOfftheShelf.com
Melissa tugged on her brand-new velveteen shirt. Another date! She’d get asked about her week; how things had gone since last seeing him. When Robert touched her between the shoulder blades, Melissa hoped this soft shirt might entice her physical therapist to rest his palm there just—a little longer.
Shoshauna Shy likes finding stories all over the place.
Victory! An empty chair by the table of my latest coffeehouse crush this quiet morning–and no wedding band, either!
Unload book bag, coat; stir my latte. Look his way, smile, ask for the sugar canister.
Oh, no… A waft of fabric softener envelops me as he obliges.
Married already.
Shoshauna Shy likes finding stories all over the place.
As he lined up each
of The New York Times
upon her dining table
that had arrived each day
while she was bicycling Yars Trail
a swell of happiness rose up
for he found he truly loved her
far better than he managed to
all those years spent yoked together
Shoshauna Shy divides her time between flash fiction and poetry, and often merges the two. See more at PoetryJumpsOfftheShelf.com.
Took me three winters to finally get over you.
And there you are–in line at 40 Flavors Lickity-Split. I’d know that red braid anywhere.
Someone shifts their weight, and a cherub comes into view. He’s riding your hip.
I’m a cardboard bucket, my insides scraped out with a spoon.
Shoshauna Shy loves the word “nevertheless”, but wishes it had the counterpart “alwaysthemore.”
LOST
Dec 17th white w/ brown stripes
Home: 33 Winslow Court
Answers to Willow
No collar
Call 428-6700
Showed up weekly on my porch in June.
Tuna. Sardines. Naps on my sofa.
Came to stay when snow started flying.
Catnip. Halibut. Rocker in kitchen.
“Lost”? No way. Freddy found me.
Shoshauna Shy enjoys writing, revising and copy editing. It’s like playing Lego, only with words.
This was it. This answered everything. She was quenched upon reading that first two-letter word, expansive as a verandah on a summer afternoon. Only one consonant, one vowel but since their argument and the weeks of silence, the barren Sundays, the no-text midnights, here it arrived at last: “My Amelia…”
Shoshauna enjoys being with trees, books, cats, chocolate and her husband, preferably all at the same time.
Call from Health Department: voice claimed Eliza was exposed to COVID-19, should quarantine.
Eliza shivered, hung up. This was Anthony’s fault. They’d met behind the Nitty Gritty wearing masks, thought it’d be OK.
Her husband appeared. “Who’s calling you?”
“Lady looking for a jerk I never heard of,” said Eliza.
Shoshauna Shy finds the pandemic provides a lot of writing material. Read more about what she does at PoetryJumpsOfftheShelf.com.
We don’t know who will be “It” next. No one screams, freezes, then pivots.
Paramedics ushered Mr. Steensaver out in his bathrobe last night, Greta from two doors over today.
Pushing the elevator button could be our downfall. Meeting the FedEx man. How to become invisible from an invisible enemy?
Shoshauna Shy relies on stories and poetry to get through the pandemic. More of her work can be found online at Literary Orphans, 100WordStory, Fiction Southeast, Brilliant Flash Fiction, and lots of other places.
We are fair weather friends. Yet here you are seeking my embrace. You need sustenance, but the shelves in town are ransacked. You need nurturance, but the seven beds at the hospital are all spoken for. I am a mere Band-Aid for a bullet wound. I am only a house.
Shoshauna thanks all the other authors of 50-Word Stories for their continual inspiration.