(559 words) He walked across the shallow pond. He was a little drunk and struggled against the suction of the mud. He pinched the neck of the bird feeling the gravelly rice inside. A group dropped down and he raised the barrel straight in front of him. One slumped and […]
Category: Short story
The Job of the Novelist
(417 words) The kid reached into the darkness and pulled the book from the closet. It was by an unknown French existentialist. It must be a translation, he thought. His confidence in it, thus, shaken he began, nevertheless, to read: “The job of a novelist,” it said, “is to show […]
No Smoking
(636 words) They should have known people weren’t really reasonable when they saw they’d buy at a joint what they could get for 1/10 the price at the grocer. Maybe they go for the motion of the bottle lifted from the shelf and poured into piled saucers and brandy glasses. […]
Lucy Dreams
(553 words) “Dad, the news is on.” “Isn’t it always? I can’t watch that.” “Why don’t you like the news?” “I don’t hate the news I just know what it is.” “I didn’t say you hated it.” “Ok I hate it.” “Why do you hate it.” “Because someone I trust […]
A Watery Eclipse
He ordered huevos rancheros and a beer for breakfast. Above the outdoor bar, a basketball game played on the TV which no one watched. He angled his barstool to face her. After inquiring further, the bartender clasped both hands and hinted at a bow. Several goldens ranging from deep red […]
21st Century Man
The truck broke down and the desert stretched for miles in all directions, as far as they could see. The two men doubted they’d be rescued after their water ran out and had decided to try and walk out the way they’d driven in. But they hadn’t driven in straight, […]
Traveling Light
There is a place in America that feels freer than the others. It’s an escape and it’s far enough away that it feels strange. The summertime Mountains of Colorado. Maybe you can get there when you still have your youth. Nothing can replace the smell of the air when you […]
Things Fall Apart
(2,192 words) “If someone ever asks you what you’ll be doing at some given time tell them, instead, where you’ll be. The details of what you’ll be doing are unimportant, and unknown. The importance of what you’ll be doing is implied. You’re living your life to its fullest. Namely, you’re […]
George and Bill
[George and Bill sat on George’s back porch drinking lemonade, looking out over a Texas tank pond, surrounded by the mesquite and willow trees, late on a warm summer afternoon.] “Question, Georgie boy.” “Yeah, Bill.” “They say you don’t remember what a person says, you remember how a person made […]
The Sir
(678 words) They’d just finished each an MRE. Then they sat on each a rock. They were high on the mountain and the sun was nearly set. The valley below, straight down, was red. Everything was red, or chocolate brown. It must look like Mars. There are parts of the […]