DANIELLE BUTLER: Seasons Change

Artistic, Submissions, ,

I fell for him like autumn leaves.

Seasons change from green to gold.

and

I am

deeply,

madly,

in

love

My hands shake and my heart beats fast.

He’s the kinetic energy pulling me in and nothing draws me away.

Our worlds collide. I am his and he is mine.

Danielle deems herself witty and enchanting most days. Rumors has it this young women’s charm is genuine and true. She loves rainy days in bed and productive days in the sun. Danielle lives and works for joy and not for the money. She writes to awaken her soul and to avoid unpleasant tasks and people.

VIRGINIO ROTA: What I Like (Ode to my Bike)

Poetry, Submissions, ,

A horse or a bike
I’m sure what I’ll ride
No sugar no hay
Only oil for its chain

On the mounts on the hills
Only me and its wheels

Its name just four letters
But it makes me feel better
Ask me what I like
My answer’s… my bike

Virginio is an Italian student of English language. He likes writing stories in English and sometimes playing with rhymes.

JONATHAN HOUSTON: Bedtime Story

Adventure, Amusing, Submissions, , ,

Darkness crept over him like a sheet of ice. Is this the end? he wondered. He shuddered as the light was extinguished, leaving him alone in the emptiness of nothing.

Suddenly, a beacon of light pierced the blackness.

“Goodnight sweetheart.”

His mother always made sure to turn on the nightlight.

Jonathan is a freelance writer in Southern California. He loves writing almost as much as he likes In N Out, which is to say: a lot.

MONICA PEREZ NEVAREZ: Tempus Fugitive

Amusing, Submissions, , , ,

At drab Shelley’s checkout counter, Dan’s gaze stripped her bare.

He hung around until closing, and murmured in her ear, breathless.

With one kiss, he stole her heart.

Giddy, she took him home.

Next morning, she awoke—groggy and alone—to a bullhorn screeching “Come out with your hands up!”

Monica Perez Nevarez is a sustainability manager by day and a writer by night.

JAMIE BRIAN: The Boy Rocket

Adventure, Artistic, Submissions, , ,

“You can reach the stars if you pump your legs fast enough,” she said.

So he kicked and flailed until his swing broke away from the wooden frame. When he soared through the troposphere, he tucked a star in his pocket for her.

He’s still waiting to be pulled down.

Jamie Brian is a college student who enjoys thunderstorms more than the average person.

BILL COX: To the Terminus

Adventure, Odd, Submissions, , , ,

“The buildings outside look bizarre, different. The people we pass look… odd. Whose idea was this?

“Let’s take the bus to the terminus. See where it goes!”

We’ve been driving for hours now. It’s dark outside, but there are two moons in the sky.

I just want to go home!

Bill lives in Aberdeen, Scotland. His campaign to be crowned King of the World has yet to really take off.

STORY OF THE WEEK: November 27

News

The story of the week for November 21 to 25 is…

Palindrome by Pontius Paiva

If you’d asked me whether it was possible to write a 50-word story that was mirrored around the centre, in palindrome fashion, I’m not sure I would have said yes. And yet here we are. Fantastic work!

FEE JOHNSTONE: Waist Not, Want Not

Amusing, Submissions, , ,

“Hold still!” Mother chided, yanking impatiently at my corset lacing.

“Someday women won’t have to suffer these torturous contraptions!” I lamented.

“That’s absurd! Respectable gentlemen don’t wed thick-waisted ladies,” she retorted. “What’s next, women wearing trousers? Keep these fanciful notions to yourself, otherwise you’ll bring our good name into disrepute!”

Fee Johnstone is a managing editor of a medical journal who favors cats, cheese, and craft beer over most other things.

KEVIN G BUFTON: Mother Earth

Artistic, Submissions, ,

A fetal ball on freshly-turned loam, her tears seep into the soil. Amanda’s arms cradle her knees tight to her body.

Above: a mother – weeping, grieving, dying.

Below: another – reaching, loving, living.

Green shoots cover her fragile form. Mother is bonded with daughter.

She’ll sleep on the hillside soon enough.

Kevin G. Bufton has been writing flash fiction for nearly eight years and still hasn’t got it out of his system. He lives in Birkenhead with his wife and kids, who seem to tolerate him. He writes his darkest stories wearing his brightest shirts, and believes the world could do with more rum.

INGRID JENDRZEJEWSKI: Crossword Puzzle

Submissions, Touching, , , ,

This morning, we do the crossword puzzle on the floor, just like we did the day we moved in fiftysome years ago, before we had furniture or the children who will, today, help us move into assisted living. We’re rusty at the clues, but the coffee tastes just as hot.

Ingrid Jendrzejewski grew up in Vincennes, Indiana, and loves cryptic crosswords and the game of go. Recently, she won the Bath Flash Fiction Award. Links to Ingrid’s writing can be found at ingridj.com and she occasionally tweets @LunchOnTuesday.