All Stories, General Fiction

Seeing Music by Melissa Feinman

literallystories2014

Between 2000 and 2011, 215 people in America died from objects falling off buildings. And no, in the scheme of mass shootings and domestic homicides and car accidents, this statistic is nothing. Irrelevant. Flaccid, lifeless. The likelihood of a carpet bag filled with steel hammers falling twenty-nine stories, making contact with your skull, and fusing a metal-and-brain sandwich into hot concrete is nearly zero. For the most part, you should feel inclined to leave your protective headgear at home.

Continue reading “Seeing Music by Melissa Feinman” →

All Stories, Fantasy

We’re All Mad Here by Martina Braunegger

literallystories2014

“What are you in for?”

“Nothing…”

“Same.”

I had a feeling we would become friends.

This is a story about insanity. Well, about my attempt to stay sane inside insanity. No, the story about me battling insanity. No, about my victory over the insanity of life. No, still not right… or true. It’s a story about me. Hi. So buckle up. It’s going to be a bumpy ride!

Continue reading “We’re All Mad Here by Martina Braunegger” →

All Stories, Horror

Insomnia by Liam Silveira

literallystories2014

I had trouble sleeping through the night in high school: insomnia. But I hated the label.

It is a stupid and hateful prejudice that words are truth-bearers. I remember those torturous dark nights spent shifting beneath my blankets: the desperation of those countless hours I spent tossing and turning. I felt like I was lost in a thick mist. I tried everything: supplements, meditation, exercises. But nothing brought me any nearer that gentle foretaste of death. Insomnia: what nerve it must take to reduce it all to four digestible syllables.

Continue reading “Insomnia by Liam Silveira” →

All Stories, Historical

Blue Flame Rising by Holly Wells

literallystories2014

Something shakes me from sleep, a rhythmic clanging, harsher than the church bell. And closer too.

I sit up. The walls flicker in the dim light of the hearth fire. Across the room, Father’s side of the bed is empty, but Mother’s is not. She can sleep through anything.

Continue reading “Blue Flame Rising by Holly Wells” →

All Stories, Literally Reruns

Literally Reruns – Skink, The Town Drunk by Tom Sheehan

literallystories2014

This week’s Rerun showcases one of our most prolific authors. Anyone who has followed the site cannot fail to have been impressed by the stories of Tom Sheehan. Leila had a root around in his storage area and came out with this one. This is what she said:

Continue reading “Literally Reruns – Skink, The Town Drunk by Tom Sheehan” →

All Stories, Latest News, Writing

Week 233 – Neutral Protagonists, The Reason Lemmings Jump And New Genitalia.

gwencron

Another seven days bites the dust, so this must be posting number 233.

I didn’t need to look very far for my inspiration this week, it came from working on the emails.

Continue reading “Week 233 – Neutral Protagonists, The Reason Lemmings Jump And New Genitalia.” →

All Stories, General Fiction

Blowing Across the Top By Michael Foy

literallystories2014

Maya waits on the church stage in an ankle length black dress with white stripes holding a flute. She stares at a giant window covered in coloured plastic panels that play with the light. Looking at all those colours, she can’t tell if outside is cloudy, raining, or sunny. One blue panel has a spider web crack across its surface.

Continue reading “Blowing Across the Top By Michael Foy” →

All Stories, General Fiction

On a Balcony in Bucharest by Irina Popescu

literallystories2014

He lights a cigarette on their small balcony that overlooks the main children’s park beneath. It’s dark already, so the only rumbling he hears is from lonely street dogs and teenage couples. He takes long deliberate drags from it, letting the smoke settle on his lips for a moment before deciding to blow it out. He watches as the smoke meets the air, blurring the horizon underneath him. His wife approaches the balcony from their living room. He hopes she would not scold him again for smoking. He knows it’s bad for him. As soon as she steps out, he starts,  Continue reading “On a Balcony in Bucharest by Irina Popescu” →