Categotry Archives: Fiction
Suzie’s House 496 : Shelter From the Thorn
“Why? I’m not saying let’s go back to the park. I’m saying why did we have to leave when the sun is still up.” Lisa meant for the question to go to the entire band though she looked at Bruce as they hustled along to Ben’s house. “Like I said already, we’ll talk about it when we get to the house.”
Ticking Clocks
Alice slaved over the numbers. Every time the equity balanced, the income didn’t. Without even this rudimentary level of accounting, how could she hope to complete the tax forms? Finally finished, she double checked the address. The likelihood that congress would chose to change something so basic was low, but the laws change every year. Best to check. Yep. Same address as the last ten years. Her eyes slid down the instructions by a few paragraphs. There the changes for […]
Suzie’s House 495 : Scream
“Not like that Emma. More like… “ Lisa let the camera fall to her side. Her brow twisted in consternation or maybe puzzlement. Or maybe both. Emma kind of thought it was both. No matter what it meant that Emma wasn’t delivering whatever Lisa wanted for this video. Just that she was so sure she got it. What was wrong?
Buggy
Desmond slipped the electronic surveillance device under the dashboard while the perp run into the convenience store. As soon as the guy hopped in the driver’s seat, Desmond took up the conversation where they’d left off. “So, did you kill this one too?” “What? The clerk? Nah. Didn’t have to. Walked right past him with the goods in hand. It’s cause I’ve got the devil’s own luck.” “But that other guy?” “Yeah. Yeah, I killed him.” He had him! A […]
Suzie’s House 494 : Family Reunion
Emma had friends? Since when did Emma have friends? Jim sat in the van and stared. He did vaguely recall meeting some guy who had been walking her home one night, but certainly not any girls and certainly not so many people over all. And the way they treated her – like she was the main thing. Like she was popular. Like Jim would ever let something like that happen!
Suzie’s House 493 : A Free Ride
Sonoma lay flat on her back in a nest of blankets with her head wedged between the van’s driver’s seat and the front passenger seat so she could hear the conversation between Trent and “Big Jim”. She’d slept through an hour of the trip from Minneapolis and Madison, but didn’t feel very refreshed. “How you doing, Darling? Back any better?” He reached down from the passenger seat and gave her hand a squeeze.
The Door Into Summer
There were 32 doors in Ruth’s house. She knew for sure because she’d counted them when her cat, Sargent Pepper, insisted on trying each and every one. The first door she opened let out on a snowbank. Sargent Pepper gave her such a pitiful yowl, as though the cold and wet might be a personal insult. This was followed by a tour of every room, and every closet until at last they returned to the back door, where, of course, […]
Suzie’s House 492 : Blanking the Slate
“Hey! Whatcha doing?” The old geezer shouted his question as he walked across the Walmart parking lot. He had crusty jeans, but a fresh plaid shirt over a faded but clean tie-dye T-shirt. His long, gray hair was pulled back in a frizzy, puny ponytail. Great. Probably another refugee from the Hippie generation. Jim ignored him. “You really wanna be doing that? Seams like a real waste.”
In the Woods
“Is that a piano over there in the woods?” Brandy peered through the trees. “You think it plays? Let’s try!” She took off running. “Not that one!” Matt followed. “It’s cursed!” “Hah, hah! Don’t be silly!” The piano played beautifully until the last note. Then Ruth stormed out the back door of her house. “If you hit a wrong note you have to pay the penalty! It’s the chair for you!” She pointed at a kitchen chair left by the […]
Suzie’s House 491 : Goodbye Van Family
Jim walked for four hours. He would have stopped and slept at the side of the road, but the one thin blanket he had with him didn’t do enough to keep him warm. He had to keep walking until he either found a place to stay, or someone took pity on his cold hitchhiker’s thumb.
An Arch Look
Marge politely put a scarf over her head before entering the mosque. She was learning to carry one in her bag for just such occasions. It was that, or borrow one that had been on who knew how many heads. This mosque featured more arches that any of the others she’d seen. The tour group had gone so many places, she wasn’t even sure what country they were in. A set of arches beckoned. Maybe there would be something new. […]
Suzie’s House 490 : Van Family Neophyte
“He’s a misogynist!” The dork with fake glasses pointed at Big Jim Zempel and laughed. Laughed! As if he had any right to say anything, the wannabe. “What are you talking about?” Jim tried to laugh it off, though he really wanted to punch the guy. Lately it seemed like lately Rick had been picking up more and more of those people. Always the ones who didn’t really need to be there. College kids killing the last few minutes before […]
Making Tracks
Toby needed to make tracks. Fast. He should have left town right after the killing, even if it meant hitchhiking through a snowstorm at midnight. Instead, he’d slept in the old wino’s cardboard palace. The smell weren’t too bad, so he stayed a couple of nights. Then they found the body. Too late to hitch out now. He’d have to hop a train. He waited until the bull went by on an ATV, then tried to slip into an empty […]
Suzie’s House 489 : The First Day of School for Emma
Emma paused in the front entrance of East High on the morning of the first day of school. She swallowed hard and tried to not think about barfing. This year, she was not going to run to the bathroom every few seconds. Not like all through middle school. In middle school, up until she’d found the three Kates, she’d been a nervous wreck. Come to think of it, she’d been nearly as much of a nervous wreck afterwards too. When […]
The Fruit of Hard Work
Ruth liked to work in the elections office. Most of the other people there were also retirees. They all greeted her with a smile each election. Opening the envelopes and taking out the absentee ballots was easy work but felt important. During a major election they could work well into the night to be sure all the votes were counted and accounted for. “You’re so fast!” One of her co-workers said. “How many did you process today?” “I counted six […]
