The story of the week for June 27 to July 1 is…
A Second Death by Nathaniel Mellor
STEVEN HOLDING: Life Sentence
To ease Alex’s anxiety, many remedies were trialled.
Neither medication nor meditation proved fruitful; still he agonised over his eventual demise.
A doctor displaying a shaded area upon an x-ray changed things. With a finite amount of time, the finishing line was truly in sight.
Strangely, Alex finally felt free.
Steven Holding lives in the United Kingdom. Most recently, his work has appeared in CTRL ALT DELETE from Black Ink Fiction and DARK MOMENTS YEAR THREE from Black Hare Press. You can follow his work at www.stevenholding.co.uk.
DIANE FERGUSON: Blue, White, and Strawberries
Pierre glumly rinsed another strawberry. Bastille Day had sneaked up on him. Consequently, there were no baguettes or chocolate soufflés, and he wouldn’t hunt for snails in his robe. All he had was these strawberries. The kings of the berry world.
He picked up another, cheerfully slicing off the top.
Diane Ferguson graduated from Brigham Young University with a BA in English and a Master of Public Administration (MPA). She has spent most of her career as an editor. Currently she enjoys exercising, improving her French, and singing (accompanied by criticism from her five-year-old).
ELLIS SHUMAN: Jupiter Aligned With Mars
A multitude of stars and their constellations. A fleeting meteorite or two. A moon larger than life. Time stretching to the edge of the visible universe and beyond. Wonders unknown. I fondly recall growing up in the country, and how my walks in the fields after dark enlightened me.
Ellis Shuman is an American-born Israeli author, travel writer, and book reviewer. His writing has appeared in The Jerusalem Post, The Times of Israel, The Oslo Times, and The Huffington Post. He is the author of The Virtual Kibbutz, Valley of Thracians, and The Burgas Affair. His short fiction has appeared in Isele Magazine, Vagabond, Literary Yard, The Write Launch, Adelaide Literary, and other literary publications. You can find him at https://ellisshuman.blogspot.com/.
NATHANIEL MELLOR: A Second Death
Each of us dies twice, they say.
Once when you draw your last breath, once when your name is spoken for the last time.
Ever since I heard that, I walk through graveyards just to read the names.
One day, their name will never be spoken again.
But not today.
Nathaniel Mellor is a short story writer and poet who lives in Southern Italy with his partner. He has work published or forthcoming in Willawaw Journal, Second Chance Lit, MASKS!, Six Sentences, Birdseed, Moria, among others. He is the current fiction editor at Pigeon Review. You can find him on Twitter at @MellorNathaniel.
JAY HALEY: Too Young
“Maybe Parkinson’s,” he said flatly, taking a quick glance at his watch, then the office door, measuring the seconds left in his obligation. “…Can’t be. Twenty-nine is too young for that.”
Thirty-seven years old now, I count the ticks of a second hand on my trembling wrist, still too young.
Jay Haley is a Mississippi-born writer living near Iowa City, IA. As a Parkinson’s Disease patient, he hopes to use his writing to illuminate the issues facing the disabled in the United States and beyond.
PATTI CASSIDY: Behind the Curtain
Five minutes before curtain. The audience is growing restless. Everyone coughs. Somebody sneezes. And that is when-
The ingenue faints, the leading man steps out for a smoke, the leading lady laughs like a braying mule, and the director forgets his script on the fire escape.
One minute to go…
Though she mostly writes radio plays, Patti Cassidy is often seduced into other forms and has grown to love 50-word stories.
MICHAEL WALKER: Bad Day At Work
I go out to soak my knees in the above-ground pool. All the pool toys come to rub against me like affectionate pets. HELLO vinyl doughnut, I say. HELLO black and gray faux truck tire. HELLO burgundy lounge chair that one day I plan to conquer. HELLO. Yes, Daddy’s home.
Michael Walker is a writer living in Newark, Ohio. He is the author of two books: 7-22 and The Vampire Henry. He has also seen his poetry and prose published in PIF, Sky Island Journal, and The Adelaide Literary Journal.
THOMPSON EMATE: At Home With Her
They stood by her bedside. They were her favourite only she couldn’t commune with them.
She planted them and happily watched them grow. She sang as she watered them. Their fragrance permeated the space. They glowed in the sunshine.
They honoured her in her last days.
Purple flowers, nature’s gift.
Thompson Emate is a diverse writer. He lives in Lagos, Nigeria.
DAVE MYERS: Repair
As he cut away drywall, Sawzall vibrating his bruised hand, he thought about how to make amends.
The hole patched, smoothed, and painted, he could finally breathe.
Unfortunately, according to her, the color didn’t quite match. It seems this damage is not something $37 at the hardware store can repair.
Dave Myers (he/him) lives and teaches in Bend, Oregon.