CAROL HUEBSCH REEVES: Again and Again

Artistic, Submissions, , , , ,

Mother Nature is flipping channels. A new season airs.
Nights grow cooler; the trees display a familiar tinge of color.
“My favorite season,” I exclaim—as I do the first weeks of every season.
It’s not the colors that excite, but the chance to travel yet again through the memories.

Carol Huebsch Reeves loves the fun, freedom and challenge of writing Flash Fiction. Her stories are frequently found in 50-Word Stories and Flash Fiction Magazine. She often writes of the blessings and vicissitudes of aging. Carol’s memoir, All the Little Miracles, was published in 2022.

ANGELICA JIMENEZ: A Load of Bad Luck

Artistic, Submissions, , , ,

The day Goldie died, he put it in a bag and walked to the park, where, sitting on a bench, he threw it straight up. That day was a load of bad luck.

Didn’t come back down. Could, though, anytime. If you sit there, they say you could catch it.

Angelica Jimenez is a writer who currently serves as editor-in-chief for her high school’s literary magazine, Sin Fronteras. She has also been published in 50-Word Stories and Friday Flash Fiction, including a story in their book, Editor’s Choice: Friday Flash Fiction Favourites.

TODD MERCER: Quotidian Speculation

Artistic, Submissions, , , ,

Maybe this guy visits his local ice cream parlor sixty-seven times through life. Supposing. This instance is sixty-six, but he doesn’t realize what’s coming. Scratch that. Suppose this is that last outing’s cone: a single scoop of praline, not some massive Boston Cooler. Minimal. Again, no foreknowledge, no farewell speech.

Todd Mercer writes fiction and whatnot in Grand Rapids, Michigan, and he loves this life.

LISA McEVOY: Dead Silence

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“We all know what happened,” said our kindergarten teacher. “And I don’t want to hear anyone talking about it.”

“It” was the death of our classmate. Fifty years later, hearing “grief counselors are available at the school,” makes me think of the dark-haired girl who could color inside the lines.

Lisa McEvoy is a communications professional in Boston who occasionally enjoys writing without worrying about SEO and GEO.

PHIL W BAYLES: In the Blink of an Eye

Artistic, Submissions, , , ,

Quiet house. Blink.
Crib in the nursery. Blink.
Changing nappies and late-night feeds. Blink.
First steps. Blink.
First words. Blink.
First birthday. Blink.
Second. Blink.
Third. Blink.
Fourth. Blink.
Preschool. Blink.
Playdates and birthday parties. Blink.
Red checked pinafore, black leather shoes. Blink.
First day of school. Blink.
Quiet house.

Phil W. Bayles is a father who wishes the tempus would stop fugiting so much.

MIKE SHIELDS: Grief in the Woods

Adventure, Artistic, Submissions, , , ,

The death toll grew daily as did the burial mound, dominating the prairie, then requiring the removal of ageless oaks and tall, proud pines. As the dense groves receded, remaining trees turned frail, their branches soft and thin, bowing their majestic heads as if in prayer.

And the willows wept.

Mike Shields enjoys the Flash and Micro format.

YESICA HURD: Autopsy Report

Artistic, Submissions, , , ,

The sheriff calls me twice.
He tells me they have to transport your body across the Bay Bridge.
To San Francisco.
To get an autopsy.
I pay $500 to move your body.
No charges against him. The one who pushed you.
Me. I get emptiness.
Nothing but a silent siren.

Yesica is a Mexican-American writer who lives in California.

LUISE BOLLEBER: The Bird that Mistook a Window for the Sky

Artistic, Submissions, , , , ,

A thump against the window, again. This time a goldfinch.

He sputters on the deck, one wing dragging, the other spiraling like a paddle, frantic. Flightless now, he seeks cover, flails underneath the grill.

I did not need this sorrow today. I do nothing to help because I’m not God.

Luise Bolleber recently published her first book One War Ago, a biography about her father’s experiences in World War II. Her work has appeared in the New York Times, Cereal City Review, The Dolomite Review, and elsewhere.

LAUREN BUDROW: After the Funeral

Artistic, Submissions, , , , ,

It was supposed to rain. They went to the arboretum anyway. She wanted to see the peony garden where they were married.

It started to drizzle, then pour. Her son held an umbrella over her while she leaned down to sniff the battered but fragrant blooms already past their prime.

Lauren Budrow is an Assist. Professor of Mortuary Science.