Stories That Will Astound You
Molly feeds the squirrels at the park every day at three. They gather around her bench and scamper after the breadcrumbs she tosses their way. A grey squirrel hops up beside her. “Good afternoon, Wally. How’s my favorite little squirrel doing today?” The squirrel chirps....
Black clouds gathered overhead. Thunder rumbled. Lightning flashed in the distance. Noah checked the shipping manifest: Crickets, seven pairs. Check. Ants, one pair. Check. Sheep, seven pairs. Check. Tyrannosaurus, one pair. Check. Food for the carnivores… Noah looked at the sheep. He looked at the...
Noah stood at the door of the ark and checked off the final animals on his list. Grasshoppers. Check. Anteaters. Check. Zebras. Check. Koalas. Check. Unicorns? He looked up at the unicorns, the most beloved of God’s creatures on earth, waiting in the grass nearby. ...
At first, it looked like dawn on the far side of the world. Another morning stirring people from their sleep, full of the laughter and promise of a new day. Until the horizon began to burn. As he watched it on the news, he applied...
Writing rarely comes easy for me, but I like putting what matters into words, whether profound or banal. Even the banal is not always as dull as it first seems. Some writers try to write beautifully. I try to write truthfully. Sometimes it’s the same...
My phone chimes as an offer pops up on my food delivery app. I click “accept” and head for Penny’s Pizza. A few minutes later I pull into the parking lot and look for a space. My breath catches when I see it. Her Mercedes....
Her skirt sways as she walks, and my heart falls into step with hers. Her perfume intoxicates me, leaving me quivering at her feet. I ache to hold her close, gently caress her brow, and softly kiss her lips. But she doesn’t even know I’m...
“Mom, did Jeffrey Dahmer become a born-again Christian before he died?” asked Jonny. “He said he did,” his mother answered. “So he went to heaven?” “If he became a believer, then yes, I guess he did.” “Did the people he murdered go to heaven too?” ...
I peer through the window at the dark house across the street. “Hey, Honey, why does Mrs. Callum light candles in her window every night?” My wife comes to my side. “I think she’s waiting for her husband to come home from the war.” “But...
I believe a story grows like a tree. It begins as a seed—a word, a phrase, a question, an idea—planted on a blank page with no promise of what it will become. I water it with words until a sapling emerges with tiny limbs and...
My sixth-grade teacher, Miss Lamb, humiliated me in class, and for years, I rehearsed what I’d say if I ever saw her again. Yesterday, while visiting the nursing home, I saw her sitting alone, staring through a window. She smiled as I approached. “Have we...
I. Innocence I stood with my lawyer before the judge, and he asked if I had anything to say before pronouncing sentence. The only person I wanted to hear my words was the man sitting in the back row, smiling. But the words meant for...
As I browse the menu at the Happy China restaurant, one entrée takes me back to my early teen years. Moo Goo Gai Pan. Oh my gosh, I remember that! Dad’s favorite dish every time he ordered our family Chinese food for dinner after Sunday...
Every night my love lies in my arms, and I tell her I love her, and I know it’s true. I gave her my vows for better or worse, in sickness or health, till death do us part. I kiss her lips and caress her...
Lonnie lived his life believing he was utterly forgettable, a dullard with average grades, ordinary jobs, invisible in every crowd. When he retired at sixty-five, he quickly got bored and volunteered at the city police station, cataloging old records. One day, he found a crumbling...
Hudson leaned his broom against the attic support post as he spied an ancient cigar box in the dusty corner. He opened the box, tossed the tarnished jacks across the floor, and bounced the rubber ball as he resumed an unfinished game. A crushing pain...
Melissa closed the office door, her colleagues’ applause ringing in her ears. She took a deep breath to slow her racing heart. Vice President. The position she’d pursued for years. Her phone buzzed. “I’m proud of you!” texted David, her mentor. She hesitated, then deleted...
They attacked us first, or so reports said. In a split second, a suitcase nuke reduced the city to ash. We vowed to strike back 100 times harder when we found them. Rumors exploded. Some blamed communists trying to start a revolution. Others claimed it...
Ted muted his TV and cocked his head. “Help!” rang out from outside. There it was again. He pushed his recliner upright with a groan, grabbed his Mag-lite, and headed out the door into the moonless night. He swept the flashlight across the sprawling yard....
The war lasted 47 minutes. The first missiles rose from their hidden silos in the Great Plains before dawn. The next wave launched from submarines lurking silently in the Mediterranean Sea. The last warhead arrived before the morning news had even begun. By noon, military...
I have a story to write; I have a tale to tell. With pencil sharp and page untouched, I wait in silence for the words to come. The words arrive, not with fanfare, blaring trumpets, or birds chirping their cheerful songs; they come as a...
Today, I discovered I have a BFAM. No, it’s not some exotic disease or a terminal illness. It’s not a mental disorder or psychological dysfunction. It’s something deeper and more life-changing than that. Let me explain. A few days ago, I tried to schedule an...
The doorbell jangled as a couple walked into the Smith Family Farms Cafe and took a seat at the crowded bar counter. Vera handed them menus and greeted them cheerfully, “Happy Independence Day!” “Hi,” the man replied. “We’re only having dessert. What have you got?”...
“Bye, honey, I’ll see you tonight!” I shout out to my wife, Jelinja, as she opens the front door to leave. “Be home in time for dinner.” She grins back at me. “Well, of course, babe, I would never miss your meals, you’re the best...
I sit at my desk start my laptop and open a new document page The cursor blinks on the blank white sheet awaiting action from me an untouched canvas brimming with possibility It’s the same empty page that greeted me yesterday and...
“Oh man, he beat me to it!” my roommate Bryan exclaims as he lounges on the living room couch. “Who beat you to what?” I ask, startled by his sudden outburst. He stops scrolling his phone and looks up at me. “Elon Musk. He just...
I remove my new laptop from the cardboard box and tight styrofoam packing, and carefully unwrap the sealed plastic wrap encasing it. I admire the sleek, brushed metal case that feels so solid and light in my hands. I got a really good deal on...
My mind wanders to a faraway place as the speaker on stage spins fanciful stories of miracles performed and prophecies fulfilled. “He’s a modern-day prophet,” said my best friend, Dave, who convinced me to come to this revival crusade tonight at the civic auditorium downtown....
At three minutes to midnight, the observation window of the orbiting crew capsule shattered into a million pieces, and she was sucked into the vacuum of space, instantly transformed from a vibrant, living human to a dark, dead satellite, silently circling the earth. ***** Micro-fiction...
The President of the United States said that a big, beautiful ballroom would be the most secure place to keep people safe. I agree wholeheartedly with his assertion. In a country plagued by repeated acts of gun violence and threats of harm, safety should be...
In the living room, the TV blares a bouncy kids’ tune that dissolves into a symphony of chaos—her two young sons shrieking as they toss toys and tussle, her hungry, over-stimulated toddler daughter wailing to high heaven. In the kitchen, Mom fries bacon, eggs, and...