All Stories, General Fiction, Short Fiction

No is a Complete Sentence by Katy Watson

She knew from the moment that the notion entered her mind that it was surely a terrible one. The odds were too high that he would fully transform. It seemed these days that the slightest annoyance and the stiff orange hair the color of an emblazoned sun would streak the ridge of his spine and he was all claws and jagged teeth. He bit a boy on the playground last week. A smaller boy who’d done nothing more than deny Wallace the privilege of destroying his small diligent sandcastle. It was like watching a Godzilla movie if Godzilla were an outraged baboon decapitating beach condos with shoddy foundations instead of a giant lizard. And then they had all spent three hours staring at the sterile screaming walls of the ER while both boys were tested for rabies.

Continue reading “No is a Complete Sentence by Katy Watson”

All Stories, Historical

The Generation We Lost by Nik Eveleigh

typewriter

All things bright and beautiful
All creatures great and small
All things wise and wonderful
The Lord God…

*

“I was told I should report here. What do you need me to do?”

“Shovels are over there, buckets are behind you. Dig or help carry it away.”

*

Each little flower that opens
Each little bird that sings…

*

“I’m sorry Mrs Jones but you’ll have to move back. They’re going as fast as they can.”

“I just need to know if Tommy is OK. He is OK isn’t he? He said he was feeling sick this morning but you know what they are like on last day of school…”

Continue reading “The Generation We Lost by Nik Eveleigh”

All Stories, General Fiction, Story of the Week

The Old Man In The Park by Nik Eveleigh

DSC_0592

“Of course you can talk to him, off you go.”

“Thanks daddy!”

I watch as Daniel sprints away. Head down. Arms pumping. Balance ready to fail him at any given moment. Adrenaline fires my heart as he skids on a pine cone at pitch-forward-and-split-head distance from the wooden bench. I breathe again as he thrusts his hands forward and climbs laughing onto the seat and gives the old man a hug who, in return, as usual, pats my son’s head and continues to stare at the trees lining the park.

“I got a book from the library today it’s about a dog and Charlie wanted it but I got it first and gave it to my teacher and…”

Continue reading “The Old Man In The Park by Nik Eveleigh”