The story of the week for January 12 to 16 is…
We Remain by Vicky Hinault
ALISON MOORE: Head Cheese
They stomped into the bar shedding barn jackets covered with snow dandruff, then hoisted themselves onto barstools – waxy red circles, like rounds of edam cheese. They rotated from side to side, exchanging unpleasantries about the weather and gossiping about the shot-dead murderer in the storage unit down the street.
Alison Moore has spent much of her career in marketing. Now she’s writing fiction for fun. Her work can be found in Edible Boston and 50-Word Stories.
VICKY HINAULT: We Remain
She treasured his heart while in his chest, admired it for its beauty and then, upon his soul departing, picked out its essence, pressed it between the pages of his favourite book and read those words as his eulogy. The memory of his soul meeting her tears on the page.
Vicky Hinault is a writer who explores what it is to be human. Her stories examine how our experiences shape our behaviours and the influence that has on how we move through life. Her work has featured in Flash Flood Journal, Nanoism and Microcosm. She can be found on social media @StayTrueCreate.
LYNN KOZLOWSKI: The Professor
The Goldwater Professor of Early European Literature is fourth in line at the checkout. He has bananas, yogurt, low-sodium soy sauce, unsweetened soy milk, and silky tofu. He is wearing a college t-shirt, baggy shorts, and sandals. His mind is on the ordering of the conclusions of his Goethe essay.
Lynn Kozlowski’s writing has appeared in such places as The Citron Review, The Zodiac Review, Molecule, 50-Word Stories, Every Day Fiction, The Dribble Drabble Review, and Friday Flash Fiction. He has a volume of short pieces, Historical Markers.
DAN HEMMERLIN: Beginning
Our eyes met, and it felt like my first day on Earth. We studied each other from across the lab, your knowing grin bending spacetime. Somewhere across the galaxy, a star imploded while sweat trickled down my neck. I diverted my gaze to avoid staring, but you were still looking.
Dan lives with his wife in the New Jersey Pine Barrens. He wrote this one for her.
ED WALKER: Confirmation
The DNA testing service put an unknown cousin in touch with me. They asked if I were related to Wilhelmina in some way. “Yeah, she is my aunt on my mom’s side.” Later, I asked my surviving uncle about it. His expression quickly turned hard, “We don’t talk about that.”
After decades of nattering on about moving abroad, Ed Walker finally retired and is currently living in Catalunya, Spain. His work can be found in 50-Word Stories, The Arcanist, Blink-Ink and elsewhere.
DG BRACEY: Atlantic
“Don’t fight it; dive through the wave,” Pop says. “Let the tide take you past the breakers.”
The ocean builds, bubbles, rises like green champagne. We lay back and float with arms splayed out—two messiahs, under cloudy skies, wasting hours in the wave’s trough and crest.
DG Bracey is a teacher and a freelance writer from the Carolina coast. He’s picked up degrees from the University of South Carolina, Coastal Carolina University, and the University of North Carolina – Wilmington. He’s published short stories in various journals and been a feature writer for several newspapers.
DAVE SCHELL: Jeff the Karaoke Singer
Jeff sings Karaoke every Friday night at the local bar. The crowd loves his booming voice and personality. As a crowd favorite, he opens and closes the night. He gives clues about his wife’s unsolved murder. Tonight was “Maxwell’s Silver Hammer” and “Baker Street.” The crowd sings along, cheering loudly.
Dave Schell is a web designer, woodturner, woodworker, bartender, the grandchildren’s favorite grandparent and someone who wishes punk rock was still on the radio. He lives in Lancaster County, PA (USA) and is not Amish.
MICHELLE DINNICK: In the Foliage
“Yeah, I see it.”
“What should we do?”
“I’m thinking… bring blankets? And food.”
“Seriously? Then how long before more show up?”
“These are people.”
“It’s private property! They’re trespassers. You couldn’t just put up a tent and camp there. Do you want them lighting campfires behind your wooden fence?”
Michelle Dinnick really enjoys writing short fiction. Sometimes she writes longer pieces as well.
ALEXA DONLEY: An Unanswered Question
There is no recipe to bring back the dead, but there is a formula for grief. Time known x title in life = amount of time it will take to stop bleeding. The titles have a logical, tiered system. He can quantify this.
But an unknown variable ruins it all.
Alexa Donley is a speculative fiction author living in Washington. When not writing, she can be found traveling to new places or walking in storms. Her first book, The House on the Rocks, is available now, as well as monthly short stories on Patreon. You can find her on alexadonley.com and on social media @alexadonleybooks.