The sign said “$10 for photo and handshake; hugs and autographs extra”. The queue said “Yes, please!”
“I love hearing the sheep crack open their wallets,” muttered the author of “How to Spot a Con Man,” measuring his stack of money against his stack of books and stifling a devilish grin.
This story was based on the prompt “crack open the” at TypeTrigger.
On a walk I saw a dying cicada mating with a fully dead one. It was a silent act. None of the annoying buzz.
With a flickering of one wing, the dying bug ceased all movement. I wondered if it was necrophilia or one last chance to make a mark.
Nathaniel Tower writes fiction, teaches English, and manages the online lit magazine Bartleby Snopes. His short fiction has appeared in over 50 online and print magazines. A story of his, “The Oaten Hands,” was named one of 190 notable stories by storySouth’s Million Writers Award in 2009. His first novel, A Reason To Kill, was released in July 2011. Visit him at www.bartlebysnopes.com/ntower.htm.
Lightning crashed.
Wind whistled through the trees. He was only halfway through Greensleeves before Lightning asked if whistling was not maybe just a bit too jaunty, given their predicament.
Wind complied as he helped his friend untangle himself from his airbag. “Just try not to crash so hard next time.”
Jeremy Petter is a student of English Literature and Theatre at the University of Victoria. Until recently, he wrote, performed, and sometimes edited funny things for LoadingReadyRun.com, but he’s on indefinite hiatus at the moment to grow his brain. He is a co-organizer of Desert Bus for Hope, and an avid fan of ducks.
He tried desperately to keep the merchandise hidden under his shirt, but the guard had already noticed his fumbling.
“Maybe you should’ve worked out a bit before trying to steal those heavy weights!” laughed the security guard.
“What do you think I want them for?” retorted the scrawny boy.
“Touché.”
Justin Boyd writes and draws the webcomic Invisible Bread and is half of the duo behind Left-Handed Toons. He previously contributed Dental Scare.
Ronette hated bears.
One sat on her convertible.
The bear rustled the bag of chips on its snout.
She threw some chips into the back yard. The bear went after them.
Ronette started the convertible and sped away, but stopped as the bear cub wasn’t in a child safety seat.
Greg X. Graves likes monsters, ghost monsters, alien monsters, beast monsters, and monster monsters. Read more about them on his site, www.gregxgraves.com.
Kieth leaned wearily on his mop. He looked up at the ugly contraption the whitecoats had so proudly built and intended to fire tomorrow. Kieth thought of the misery and death it would bring. Quietly, carefully, he removed a metal panel, tugged free some wires and snuck away a hero.
Alex Steacy is a member of Loading Ready Run and recently released a collaborative graphic novel called Shards.
Wouldn’t it be nice
if life
had handlebars?
A simple way to steer;
Something to hold
for balance;
A little bell,
to let people know
we were coming;
And a headlight
to help us see
the road in front of us.
Come to think of it,
how about some brakes?
This story was based on the prompt “handlebar” at TypeTrigger.
Joanna had seventeen seconds to decide: would she help herself, or help someone else? Which would it be, selfishness or altruism?
To her left lay the bike trail to work. To her right, a struggling local donut shop and the subway system.
Joanna turned right. Today, she was a hero.
This story is based on a title suggested by @Haberley.
Four flies met at a crossroads, each one travelling north, south, east, or west.
“East is amazing,” said one, “but I hear west is better.”
“South is supposed to be fantastic.”
“North, I’m told, is far superior.”
Each fly returned the way it had come, content with its homeland’s reputation.
This story is based on a title suggested by Mark McCarthy.
Bryson was just a dumb baboon. He knew nothing about radioactivity or mutations: all he knew was that the glowing green thing he’d eaten had tasted funny.
He hadn’t yet noticed the line of pebbles he was inadvertently levitating with his new telekinetic powers. He was just a dumb baboon.
This story is based on a title suggested by Kathleen DeVere of LoadingReadyRun.