Categotry Archives: Fiction
Suzie’s House 340 : Looking For a Complication
A roll of toilet paper came flying over the partition into Drew’s stall. “Are you trying to tell me to hurry up, old man?” “Thought you might be stuck in there. It’s been half an hour.” Drew blinked. Half an hour in a rest area toilet? He was pretty sure that was a personal record. It wasn’t generally a place he felt compelled to sit and ruminate. But that’s exactly what he’d been doing.
Friends
I will always want to walk with you. Maybe I can’t walk so fast. Or maybe it’s you. Maybe we will lose other people, or gain a few. But still, no matter how high the hills or how long the path, When I turn my head and speak, The one I want to see is you. The challenge, should you choose to accept it, is to write a story in exactly 55 words. Flash Fiction 55 is hosted by the […]
Suzie’s House 339 : On the Road Again, Dudut-du-du-doooo-du duu du-du
“Thanks.” Drew took the keys from Trent. “I owe you one.” “You owe me more than one, but who’s counting?” Trent grinned. Drew could hardly argue. If not for Trent and Sonoma’s faithful care, he would have ended up in some back alley feeling isolated in his insanity and scrutinizing every little dust speck of self recrimination that fell past. In a way, he could say he owed the couple his life.
Chopsticks?
Such an elegant hotel, with gold filigree on the walls and marble on the floors. A restaurant downstairs only open at breakfast and a private-room, Chinese restaurant on the second floor. But they fed us Chinese food in the bar and forgot the chopsticks. Half an hour later, we improvised. The challenge, should you choose to accept it, is to write a story in exactly 55 words. Flash Fiction 55 is hosted by the G-man, a host with the most.
Suzie’s House 338 : How to Define Yourself
“I can’t seem to get my feet under me.” Drew sat at the battered kitchen table and turned his cup of tea around and around. The delicate handle rubbed his thumb raw every time it came around. “I think I’ve got a hold of the hallucinations, but it seems like I just never feel like ME anymore.” “It takes more than a cup of tea and a straight head to define us.” Trent eased into a chair across the table, […]
Only Her Hairdresser Knows
“Is that sign in English?” The tourist pointed out the window of the bus. “Yes. Many businesses use English even if they can’t speak it, especially for store names.” The tour guide winced. “So, they have no idea what ‘Disaster Hair Salon’ means. Well, if they live up to their name, the customers can always go to the Shanghai Styles next door to fix it. ” The challenge, should you choose to accept it, is to write a story in […]
Roundup
“Hurry, the camels are getting too far away. Go bring them back.” With her hands full of felt, the mother was glad her kids were home from boarding school. “I can’t, Mom. Brother took the motorcycle. He won’t be back for hours.” “Idiot! Take a camel!” What did they teach them in that new fangled school? The challenge, should you choose to accept it, is to write a story in exactly 55 words. Flash Fiction 55 is hosted by the […]
Suzie’s House 337 : In a Sluggish Economy
The woman behind the counter probably didn’t mean to come off as combative. She squeezed off a hard, polite smile as she said, “It’s all done on computer now. We have several available in the room over there.” She pointed to the room to the right. “Oh.” Suzie hadn’t been in Job Service in so long that she might as well have no experience at all. Everything had changed in the intervening years. “Um…”
Blur
First to the dentists before the insurance expires, then to the mall for socks and underwear, and then back to work on the annual report due the instant the year is up. It’s hardly worth taking time off when it means so much extra work. Sometimes she’s so busy her feet can’t be seen. The challenge, should you choose to accept it, is to write a story in exactly 55 words. Flash Fiction 55 is hosted by the G-man, a […]
Suzie’s House 336 : Have a Cigar
John parked the van behind The Warehouse. By now the kids should have finished playing however many songs they could get away with and should be waiting. If he pushed it back too much more, Bruce would be calling, demanding a ride for their equipment, and maybe a chance to yell about the gig. No way John was going to submit to that.
Offline
The little blinking lights should have clued me in, even if they were green. The modem fizzled out. The first thing Tech Support had to say? “You can chat with us on our web site. Or if you prefer, google our store’s location.” Stupid me, I actually tried. The challenge, should you choose to accept it, is to write a story in exactly 55 words. Flash Fiction 55 is hosted by the G-man, a host with the most.
Suzie’s House 335 : Where the Bass Belongs
This was great! Tracy windmilled her strumming arm and pushed out to the front of the stage. She’d never felt so good before. Could this really be her calling in life? Except she wasn’t supposed to be doing this, right? Usually it was the guitar that took the lead, right? That’s why they called it a lead guitar. But Gene must have stage fright or something because he spent the whole show looking down like he didn’t know how to […]
Suzie’s House 334 : Without Bunny Ears
Pink. And fluffy. With whiskers. Bruce had given her a flipping bunny mask! The only thing it was missing were the long ears. How was Emma supposed to sing in this thing? She’d planned on wearing her black dominatrix mask. That fit in a bar, didn’t it? No one would really notice her in something like that, right? But something so pink and childish?
Arches
“At the end of your long journey you go through the arch and everything will be different.” “Really? Is there a wall, then?” “Nope. Just the arch.” “Are there more houses? No? So what makes it so different?” “The other side is in the city limits.” The challenge, should you choose to accept it, is to write a story in exactly 55 words. Flash Fiction 55 is hosted by the G-man, a host with the most.
Suzie’s House 333 : You Can’t Manipulate Every Bitter, Tight Spot
Just like he thought, the drums took forever to get set up. Bruce had his keyboard up and running almost as fast as Tracy and Gene had their guitars plugged in and tuned. Of course Emma hovered just off stage. She kept touching the mask he’d given her like maybe it didn’t fit right. He’d have to check it later. That just left the drums, and there goes Kate, chasing one right off the stage.
