What an induction day that was!
Unemployment had been high for years, and so the surprise arrival of Dutch company ‘Bananenbuigerij’ had been greeted with much enthusiasm in town. Like most of my friends, I’d sent in my application, and was one of those fortunate enough to be offered an interview.
Continue reading “Bananenbuigerij by Michael Smith”
Muriel McGregor had her champions, but they were far outnumbered by her enemies. Both agreed that the university president had made a mistake when he selected Muriel to be dean of the Humanities College. The tenured faculty were noisy or ominously quiet when discussing Muriel. The untenured professors were discreet. They hugged their fears and were vaguely positive.
Continue reading “Death to the Dean by Linda P. Rose”
It’s raining and fog lays a smoky screen over the distant hill dotted with houses that twinkle like fireflies at sunset. I stare out, feeling some guilt about watching Rick James videos on YouTube. I told Cheri and she went: “You know all he sang about was ‘bitches and hoes,’ right? Disgusting. And all he did was free base coke and have orgies! What’s your problem, have you sunk so low?”
Continue reading “Sunday Whatever – Channeling Rick James by Susan DeFelice”It’s now week 572!
I feel that the year is fair flying in. I think that happens when there isn’t much to look forward to!
Before I start writing the usual pish that I do, I’d like to point out that the site now has over one and a half million hits!
Continue reading “Week 572 – Medals, Trys And Advice.”
In the morning, the sun had long since risen above the horizon, casting stark, foreboding shadows over the Yampa River. We stood at the edge of the water, my wooden boat bobbing gently on the surface. The wind whispered secrets through the cottonwoods and I felt the weight of my history bearing down upon us. We had married, and this handsome kind man had promised to spend the rest of his life with me, knowing I was doomed to run this river every two weeks for all time.
We pushed off from the shore.
Continue reading “Hell’s Half Acre by Danyl A Doyle”
AJ slows his pace, hesitant to interrupt Lu as she tosses crusts to a pair of pigeons. When he crunches gravel, she doesn’t look up, just asks, “Why you back?”
Wanted to see this hellhole one more time.” He takes a few steps toward her. “And you, Lu.”
She stiffens. “Been a long time.”
Continue reading “Trespassing by Liz deBeer”
I love the smell of antiseptic in the O.R. as the cool, dry air penetrates my mask. Even the acrid odor of cauterized flesh is tolerable after thirty years of incisions and excisions. However, this morning the room is foreboding.
Continue reading “Asimov in the Operating Room by Barry Yedvobnick”
Bernice sits in her work clothes on the edge of the bed in her small bachelor apartment above Main Street not knowing what to do next. When she woke up that morning it all seemed so simple. Her manager asked her to do a window display in the Bargain Centre to show off the new running shoes that had been shipped in from Grand Forks, and just before she’d gone to sleep she’d had this terrific idea about using her dead husband’s prosthetic leg. Her plan was to hang the leg from the ceiling of the window and put one of the new running shoes on its foot, classy like, as if it was ready to power that leg straight to the Olympics. But to figure out how she needed the leg. And she’s frightened. She can’t bring herself to open the closet door.
Continue reading “Woman with a Prosthetic Leg by Tom Bentley-Fisher”
Klib placed the bag on the counter and took out a sandwich. And now you have read the most boring sentence to begin a story ever. The bag, the counter, the sandwich, even Klib: nothing even remotely interesting.
Continue reading “The Chicken Sandwich by T.A. Young”
Rachel Sievers has been a steady winner with us for the past four years or so. Trailer Parks and Sagebrush is one of her very best. Many writers, who know nothing about trailer parks, attempt to go at the people who live in them as though the residents were alien beings from another solar system.
Continue reading “Literally Rerun – Trailer Parks and Sagebrush by Rachel Sievers”
literally stories 