SYLVIA HEIKE: Loss and Gain

Amusing, Submissions, , , , ,

Sarah stared at the hamster. “Mom, where’s Poppy?”

“Right there, sweetheart.” Mom hoped Sarah couldn’t tell the
difference. Old Poppy had died and she’d replaced him with a
lookalike.

“But it’s much smaller.”

“Maybe he’s lost weight.”

Sarah mulled it over. “Overnight? I wish Poppy could tell you his secret.”

Sylvia Heike lives in Finland and loves her rabbits, even when they nibble on her books. She writes poetry and flash fiction and is
working on her novel. Check out her website at www.sylviaheike.com.

PHILLIP OWENS: Epilogue – Guilt

Epilogue, Submissions,

The Soviets go dark the moment our forces make landfall.

A day passes. Nothing.

Finally, the inevitable appears on every screen.

A briefcase of codes is opened. Somewhere, missiles are given wings.

The room is numb.

In one motion, I’ve outdone Hitler, Stalin, and the Devil too.

God forgive me.

Phillip Owens is a rookie EMT, eventual nurse, and aspiring writer​.

MARIAN BROOKS: Speechless

Amusing, Submissions, , ,

The day the little flat screen in the kitchen blew up, Heidi and Jim Colton knew they were in trouble. They listened to the loud hiss of static and watched the frantic swirling of tiny snowflakes blanketing the screen.

For the first time in years, they would have to speak.

Recently retired, Marian Brooks has begun to write some short fiction. Her work has appeared in Word Riot, Slice, The Short Humour Site, The Linnet’s Wings and others.

PHILLIP OWENS: Epilogue – Apprehension

Epilogue, Submissions,

Now we wait. Thought hangs heavy in the air.

The Cold War is over, replaced by our every fear fulfilled.

Generals talk about casualty figures as if they were just numbers.

Advisors advise me to rally the people.

Men like us wield the power of Gods to settle mortal disputes.

Phillip Owens is a rookie EMT, eventual nurse, and aspiring writer​.

PETER LI-PING: Place and Time

Submissions, Touching, ,

“Do you want to talk to her?” he asks.

She’s maintained contact with him. Now she asks him about me.

“Sure,” I say, almost casual, taking the phone. We’ve been apart. (She’s always so busy.) Now something happened, I’m leaving soon.

Our voices are breaking. Time is against us. Emotion.

Peter Li-ping is an experienced college lecturer and manager. He currently lives and works in the Northeast of England and has aspirations to have his written work published.

PHILLIP OWENS: Epilogue – Helplessness

Epilogue, Submissions,

Command goes silent when the phone rings.

I hesitate, but I must answer, and so I do.

A faraway voice tells me Khrushchev and his ships called our bluff.

I say my lines. The invasion of Cuba begins.

I don’t want this, but even powerful men are slaves to circumstance.

Phillip Owens is a rookie EMT, eventual nurse, and aspiring writer​.

STORY OF THE MONTH: July 2014

News

The Story of the Month is chosen from the Story of the Week winners announced on the previous month. The finalists for July were:

Dream by Azarin Sadegh
Sitting by Jennifer L Freed
Blood Diamonds by Patricia Albela-Silver
Paper Crosses by J Ian Manczur

The winner of the July 2014 Story of the Month, and the $10 prize, is…

Paper Crosses

Congratulations, Ian!

STORY OF THE WEEK: August 2

News

Last week’s winning story is Through the Window, by Alex Mascarenhas.

The story does a really good job of making us think about our fear of death. Ultimately, death is an inherent part of living. How would our lives change if we treated death as the final adventure, the last story we get to tell, rather than something horrible and terrifying? Great work.

LAURA MARION ROSE: Vortex

Artistic, Submissions, ,

Jason flew across the pavement like a dancer, spiraling upward, around and around.

We got dizzy watching him. Then we started spinning hand-in-hand like a double helix in toe shoes.

Laughing, we all three gave into the wind as it lifted us skyward toward the soft allure of the clouds.

A scientist by trade and writer by nature, Laura searches for fiction that is truer than life, conjuring up stories that both draw and promise relief from years spent in a fact-filled, SciTech world.

ALEX MASCARENHAS: Through the Window

Artistic, Odd, Submissions, Top Stories, ,

The man jumped off the window. Not unhappy. Not disgruntled.

The building was 100 stories high; he had a story for each flight he climbed, as he now flew past them. Some funny. Some sad. Some crazy. Some had wisdom.

He was about to see something he’d never seen before.

Alex Mascarenhas is an actor and a poet, and has written for the stage and screen as well. His debut novel(la) THE DOG, THE VOICE & THE SIDE ROAD is available on Amazon. He is also fluent in Portuguese and has worked as a translator.