ALYSSA GALLOWAY: The Best Friend

Submissions, Touching, , , ,

She finished tying his black tie before tucking it into the pink vest his fiancée picked out.

“I thought you didn’t want to be loved,” he said, looking down.

“I didn’t,” she smiled. “But sometimes people change their minds,” she whispered, squeezing his shoulder reassuringly before heading towards the sanctuary.

Alyssa Beth Galloway is an unpublished fiction and poetry writer. She enjoys watching Hitchcock films and browsing used book stores in her spare time. Galloway currently attends Southeast Missouri State University, and is seeking a career in writing.

J CHRIS LAWRENCE: Swallowed By the Dark

Artistic, Submissions, , ,

He came in the night and had his way, leaving evidence in the trunk. Yet, by popped tire and flipped car, he woke to find her gone.

Through the trees he ran, catching fleeting sight of pale gown. Swallowed by the dark, he found only silence, and her cold embrace.

Born in the Blue Ridge Mountains of West Virginia, J. Chris Lawrence spent much of his life traveling, exploring the various cultural facets of American life. With a love for dark fiction, he fancies himself a writer, and hopes to make a profession of it. He currently lives in Georgia with his wife and two sons. Find out more at jchrislawrence.com or follow him on Facebook at facebook.com/JCLFiction

Hide, Hide, Don’t Dare to Breathe

Amusing, , ,

I crouch, bound in tension, not daring to move, not daring to breathe, not daring to blink, lest I be discovered. The consequences would be extremely unsavoury…

Someone enters the room, stops, inhales deeply. Can they smell me? They depart.

I peek. The coast is clear.

This pie is MINE!

Through the Flames

Amusing, Artistic, , , ,

I could barely see him through the smoke, a wispy silhouette, dancing and swaying to the rhythmless music of the crackling bonfire. His erratic movements transported me to some other place, a far-off, magical land. He was ethereal, mesmerizing, screaming…

Screaming!?

“DON’T JUST STAND THERE! MY PANTS ARE ON FIRE!!”

This story was based on the prompt “through the flames” at TypeTrigger.

The Consequences of Sleeping on the Job

Amusing, , , ,

Check the news, honey. Apparently something crazy happened at work today. I was napping in a storage room. (Hey, I earn my siestas!) The guys didn’t give me many details. When I woke up they said it was over already.

Haircut? What haircut? Why are you laughing? Did someone…?

Argh.

TIM SEVENHUYSEN: Waitering Woes

Amusing, Odd, Puns and Wordplay, , , ,

“I won’t recommend seafood dishes anymore,” the waiter explains. “It has landed me in hot water too many times before.”

“Oh?” I say. “Do people really get upset with you when they don’t like your suggestions?”

“I mean literal hot water,” he says sardonically, clicking his lobster claws.

This story was based on the prompt “won’t recommend” at TypeTrigger.

GARY CLIFTON: Non-Daisies

Amusing, Submissions, , , , ,

First night on the ward, the boss said, “Lookit, college boy, we got a load of patients. Most are only pick daisies in the park nuts, but them two in lockdown there is bona fide nuts-nuts. Don’t mess around with ’em.”

They didn’t look a lick crazier than the boss.

Gary Clifton was forty years a Federal officer, has an M.S. from Abilene Christian University and has short fiction pieces published in Spinetingler, Broadkill Review, Yellow Mama, and Dumb Butt Mag.

Safety Hazard

Artistic, , , ,

My wife spotted the chip in our car’s windshield first. “That’s a safety hazard,” she said.

“It’s no big deal,” I replied, but when I bumped out of the driveway it split into a larger crack. I was staring disgustedly at the crack when I missed the stop sign.

Crunch.

Mortuary Moratorium

Amusing, , , ,

“…So, between emigration and attrition, our population has been in steady decline, damaging our international image. That’s why today we’re announcing a moratorium on death.”

The press clamoured. “Ma’am! Ma’am! How can you possibly enforce this new policy?”

The president waved her hand dismissively. “Pharmaceutical bailouts and creative book-keeping, mostly.”

This story was based on the prompt “moratorium” at TypeTrigger.

The Adventures of Lord Flufferkins and Sir Oakfeller

Amusing, , ,

“Shall we?” pondered Lord Flufferkins.

“Indeed,” said Sir Oakfeller.

“Tally ho!” cried Lord Flufferkins.

“Quite,” agreed Sir Oakfeller.

“En garde.”

“Touché!”

“Harry, what’re you doing?”

Harry started. “Er, nothin’!”

“Are you playing make believe with a stick and a bit of fuzz!?”

Harry blushed. “I’m just… Just practicin’ my ‘magination!”

This story was based on a title suggested by Master Gunner.