The story of the week for March 20 to 24 is…
Faster Than Life by James P. Spitznogle
Well-delivered sci fi with a powerful kicker.
MICHELLE DINNICK: In His Head
“He fell. Hard. We’ve called 911.”
I was terrified. His eyes were closed.
“What happened?”
“Severe concussion,” they say. Serious head trauma.
“CT is clear. No bleed. He needs rest.”
No contact sports. No TV. No colouring.
“Physical and cognitive rest.”
How do I possibly keep a six-year-old boy still?
Michelle is a freelance writer; who writes both fiction and non-fiction. She is a regular contributor to the Briar Crier Magazine, and has had her work featured recently in the Voice of the Farmer newspaper, and the Focus 50+ newspaper. In April 2016, she was shortlisted as a finalist at the Ontario Writers Conference Story Starters Contest.
APRIL SCIACCHITANO: I know you’re still in there
I fell in love rapidly,
with a strong, sweet, chivalrous man.
You adored me then…
before the breakdown.
It took you away. I understand.
I’m not the same so you’re not the same man.
I patiently await your return.
I’ll never give up.
Please! We can fall in love again.
April is a hopeless romantic, even in hard times. Life equals love.
ROBERT RUSSELL: Surprise Date
Charlie and Mable hadn’t been on a date in years; their 32-year marriage felt lifeless. To rekindle things, Charlie called up a favorite restaurant from their youth.
“I’d like a reservation for 7:00 tonight for Mabel and Charlie Williamson.”
“Well, alright. Is this replacing the reservation Mable made for 6:00?”
Robert Russell is an English Education major at Black Hills State University.
JEAN LLOYD: Last Rolo
He gave everything. Candles and wine and his undivided attention. He gave me a ring he had fashioned with twine into a lover’s knot. He gave me his love. He would have given his last Rolo.
I had my own agenda. I gave him my best smile as I left.
Jean lives in Bath, UK. She loves writing 50 word stories and won’t give up trying!
JOHN KEELEY: We
We live in the shadows. We watch and wait. We act to safeguard all. We have futurist capabilities. We make the tough decisions of life and death. We ensure the planet.
We are Atlantis.
We are the world’s second foundation. We are humanity’s fail-safe.
Enjoy your ignorance; hope is secured.
John Keeley is an NYCer and futurist who believes that tomorrow is ours and guaranteed.
JAMES P SPITZNOGLE: Faster Than Life
“With one formula, we’ve reached singularity. Those black skies will be mapped; endless mysteries will become facts.”
That was the pitch, anyway. Now, standing on this… living satellite, I shiver despite the heat.
Overcome by hostile hosts, it dawns. Now that we live faster than light,
so too we die.
James P. Spitznogle is an aspiring writer from the star-scraping hills of West Virginia.
ALEXANDRA RENWICK: Killer Details
Target confirmed, advance fee accepted, Robert dresses that night to kill. Black pants, black turtleneck, black greasepaint covering every inch of face and hands. Stealthy, he waits in shrubbery. Hours pass. Lights dim. Robert heeds nature’s call at last.
Sirens erupt: the alarm!
He’d never considered greasepaint below the belt.
Alexandra Renwick’s literary pulp fiction has appeared in Ellery Queen’s & Alfred Hitchcock’s Mystery Magazines, The Exile Book of New Canadian Noir, and Imaginarium: The Best Canadian Speculative Writing. When not inhabiting urban wetlands in Austin, Texas, she can be found curating a crumbling historic manor near downtown Ottawa. More at alexcrenwick.com.
LOU ROMERO: We Can Work It Out
Uncle Willy’s rescued Heeler pup grew into an sneaky biter. Nine leg bites in two years.
After bite ten, Willy retaliated with a toothy gnash to the dog’s foreleg. A respectful friendship ensued, perhaps the first for each.
Limping along our grim barrio streets, they plant a seed of hope.
Lou is new to the 50-word story world. He now knows what a trout feels like when the hook is set. He takes writing classes at the University of New Mexico.
ALISON McBAIN: Penalty
He’d been running for years—even hijacked a spaceship once, using a plasma rifle and a bluff. But they’d finally caught up.
“Mr. Jameson?”
Mirrored glasses reflected his mute, fearful face as they scanned him and nodded.
“At a fifty percent penalty, you owe back taxes in the amount of…”
Alison pays her taxes. Honestly.