Tag Archives: family

CYNTHIA FRANKS: Composure

Submissions, Touching, , ,

Composure best describes him, she thinks as she watches him dice tomatoes for his signature dish featured in tonight’s dinner service. The little bits of tomato are perfect cubes; never a cut finger. Her chef husband.

“Honey,” she smiles, “I have a bun in the oven.”

Chop, chop, chop, “Ouch!”

Cynthia is an award-winning playwright whose short play “Then…” was produced in New York and Russia. Her other plays include, “The Lighthouse,” and “Impromptu.” Her spec script “Brick by Brick” for the HBO series Deadwood placed 2nd at the Austin Film festival. Her monologues appear in several collections. After living in New York City for fifteen years, she has returned to her hometown in Michigan where she writes short stories and is working on a young adult novel titled “Dirt” and the series The Ridgeback Gang.

ANRI BRENNINKMEYER: Daughters

Submissions, Touching, , ,

The nursing home is bright, austere. I watch mother comb grandmother’s hair, matted from her constant cat napping. Mother is tender—unlike the rushed ponytails I give my daughters—speaking slowly, loud.

Leaving, I touch grandmother’s hand. Is she, too, wondering if this is forever?

“I’ll be waiting,” she says.

Anri Brenninkmeyer is a New Yorker living in Cambridge, MA. She has worked as a English teacher, management consultant, and pastry cook. She currently owns a small sewing business and raises her two young daughters. The one constant through it all has been her writing.

CHRISTOPHER DEHON: My Brother’s Last Christmas

Submissions, Touching, , , ,

Mom told my older brother and sister to let their little brother have one more year of believing. Could they be kind teenagers for Christmas?

We laugh now, all adults, over wine.

My brother died last year. My mother ruined Christmas for him when he was just 13 years old.

Chris Dehon is a child and adolescent psychologist living in upstate New York with his wife and daughter. Although he’s been in New York for nearly 10 years, he considers himself a New Orleanian for life.

DEBORAH DAVIS: Father Christmas

Submissions, Touching, ,

On Christmas Eve, six-year-old Debbie woke in the night to a jolly “ho ho ho” coming from the living room. Trembling with excitement, she lay still in her bed. Santa musn’t know she was awake.

Five decades later, she fervently wished she could hear her father’s “ho ho ho” again.

Deborah Davis misses her Dad every Christmas, especially when stringing the lights on the tree.

SARA JACOBELLI: The Sound of Tinny Speakers

Submissions, Touching, , , ,

Eviction notice; drive-in nights.

Swings and slides til the sky darkened, the movie started.

Feet crunching gravel to Poppy’s ancient Cadillac, a grand ship sailing the seven seas.

Joanie in pajamas, gulping hot dog and Coke, asked, “Is this our home now?”

Pillows, blankets, brothers, laundry, in the back seat.

Sara Jacobelli lives in New Orleans where she tries to avoid vampires, tourists, and Bourbon Street.

ARTHUR BROWN: Cleanliness is Next to Godlessness

Amusing, Odd, Submissions, , ,

The entire house was spotless. Door-tops: dustless. His own razor: hairless. Kitchen trashcan: almost trashless. He kicked it over; an empty, washed milk carton fell out.

They thought they’d beaten him. But he knew their filth was somewhere. Dirty vermin, his family.

When they returned, they’d pay for this mess.

Arthur Brown has been a teacher for a long time and hopes to be a non-teacher for longer.

DEBB BOUCH: Modern Alchemy

Amusing, Submissions, , ,

Fry flour in the pan juices. Stir in stock (chicken, or marmite and water).
Add worcestershire sauce and pepper.
What could possibly go wrong?

Whisk to get rid of lumps.
Sieve to get rid of lumps.
Hope mother-in-law to be doesn’t notice lumps.

It’s not a witch’s brew.
Just gravy.

A little over a year ago Debb Bouch entered a short story into a Needle in the Hay contest. Regular contests since have provided encouragement and challenge. And writing is all about challenge.

BETH TILLMAN: It’s All I Can Tell You

Submissions, Touching, , , ,

An antibiotic left Mama almost deaf at 92.

Long distance I call about my son’s report card.

“He’s playing the recorder? Wonderful!”

More misinterpretations follow.

Frustrated, I yell, “I love you!”

She answers, “I love you, too.”

We have that: three words rattling at the bottom of the pill bottle.

Beth Tillman has learned not to rely on the word count tool in her document production software to give her fifty. Some things can’t be delegated.

JEFF SWITT: Ignoring Time

Artistic, Submissions, , , , ,

I buried the last of my children last month, the last of five. My parents passed sixteen and eight years ago. Spouse, nine.

I have their memories and a few pictures. A drawer of greeting cards hastily signed. A deck of cards, their corners worn.

The mantle clock ticks. Beckons.

Jeff Switt is a retired advertising agency guy who loves writing flash fiction, some days to curb his angst, other days to fuel it. His words have been featured at Dogzplot, Boston Literary Review, Flash Fiction World, Nailpolish Stories, 50-Word Stories, 100 Word Story, A Story in 100 Words, 101 Word Stories, and Shotgun Honey, and have appeared at lots of places that take whatever you send in.

JEAN-LUC BOUCHARD: Thicker Than Water

Amusing, Submissions, , ,

I took my grandfather out for his birthday. Neither of us wanted to dine together, but since he was alone I insisted.

We don’t have much in common, but after some torturous small talk about weather, we were finally able to come together by treating our waitress like total scum.

Jean-Luc Bouchard is a writer whose short fiction has been previously featured in Umbrella Factory, Danse Macabre, and Eastlit.