JOHN FOWLER: Tick and Tock

Artistic, Submissions, , ,

Tick and tock, the hall clock’s persistent twins.

One his sister, the other her brother.

With hammers of gold, they relentlessly break the present into bits.

Slippery seconds which pass by unnoticed and unused on the way to becoming our past.

So savor the here and now while you can.

John Fowler served twenty years in the US Air Force before retiring and starting a second career in the IT field. He is also a Lay Pastor serving a small church near his home in Texas. His hobbies include reading, golfing, writing, and now oil painting (and teaching painting lessons).

SUSAN GALE WICKES: Bridges

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She burned the bridge without a second thought.

Ran, barefoot, through shards of glass that would have wounded a weaker soul.

Now, on the threshold of everything she’d ever wanted, she cautiously looks back.

The glass, strangely smooth, shimmers, beckoning.

But the bridge is gone.

Quietly, she begins to rebuild.

Susan Gale Wickes is a writer who calls Indiana home. She enjoys writing short stories, greeting card verses, and the fun of cartoon captioning.

BOB THURBER: Pressing Matters (Another Misadventure of the Broken Boys)

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Late one night the boys woke from the same dreadfully bad dream.
They scrambled to their feet all at once.
The moon seemed unusually large.
The stars shone uncomfortably bright.
The sky felt dangerously close.
Half the boys pressed down against the earth.
Half the boys held up the sky.

Bob Thurber is the author of six books. Regarded as a master of Flash and Micro Fiction, his work has appeared in Esquire and other magazines, been anthologized 60 times, received a long list of awards, and been utilized in schools and colleges throughout the world. He resides in Massachusetts. Visit his website at BobThurber.net.

ANGELA PANAYOTOPULOS: Missing

Adventure, Amusing, Submissions, , , ,

The neighbors locked their pets indoors whenever he walked his around the block.

The creature grinned, teeth silvery as its chain leash, time-bomb claws clicking against asphalt.

But when Hook hung up a ragged Jolly Roger, promising treasure for finding his crocodile, they realized not seeing it was even scarier.

Angela Panayotopulos is a Greek-American storyteller with a soft spot for fresh-brewed coffee, transformative books, and genuine people. Her books include The Art of War: A Novel (among The National Herald’s Top Books to Gift, 2017) and The Wake Up (recipient of a Readers’ Favorite Book Award for Supernatural Fiction, 2020). Check out her forthcoming publications at pansbooks.com.

EMILY MERRELL: No Solicitors

Amusing, Submissions, , , ,

The couple came to my door with religious tracts. “We’re visiting neighbors and want to know if you’ve learned the secret to everlasting life.”

“I’m glad you’re here!” I exclaimed. “I’ve been researching just that!”

Then I led them to the cauldron in my basement, which required two final ingredients.

Emily Merrell is the author of the children’s book, Whirl of a Girl. You can visit her online at ehmerrellwrites.com.

YOGITA KHANDGE: The Last Rebel

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The only part that showed was her beautiful eyes. She never uttered a word, but her eyes screamed as she watched, and she was judged to be the most “vocal.”

So they slapped and kicked her, blindfolded her, threw her in a dungeon. They could not bear their own nakedness.

Yogita has worked for 25 years in a rural financial institution and now uses writing as a means to open her heart.

HUGH CARTWRIGHT: No Place Like Home

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Children scour tanks left crippled among the dying trees.

A bloated body in khaki, abandoned by retreating troops, is fought over by crows, greedy and fractious.

Rushing out, the woman stares; one glance at what remains of his face is enough. She screams and collapses.

It’s the road to hell.

Formerly a University scientist, Hugh is now retired and living in the Pacific Northwest, where writing provides a diversion from his doomed attempts to grow Canadian oranges. His stories have appeared in Nature Futures, Foxglove Journal, Meniscus, The Drabble, Grey Sparrow Journal, and elsewhere.

STEVE SWALLOW: The Gift

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I was given a cup filled to the brim. The content was delicious, and I drank it down. In the morning, the cup was again full, and I took it with me into my day. Realizing others didn’t have cups, I shared mine, knowing it would be full again soon.

Steve Swallow is a carpenter who likes to build with words!

DEBORAH TAPPER: October

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Another monochrome day. She replaces it with flamboyant forests, endless lapis skies. He’s waiting, joyous. They run through dazzling colours, carefree, fingers entwined. Sunlight warms their faces, ripe berries bursting across laughing tongues.

A granddaughter drops by, finds her in his favourite chair. Still smiling, faded photographs tumbled like leaves.

Deborah writes at an old desk surrounded by five hundred pet bugs.