Stories That Will Astound You
Carol peered down the curving lakeside path that disappeared into the dense forest a hundred feet ahead. New to the area, the locals had insisted the five-mile Silver Lake Trail was a “can’t miss hike” that everyone should take, so...
I live alone in a one-room studio apartment, with no partner, roommate, or pet to keep me company and ease the crushing loneliness I feel. The room is small, with minimal furnishing — a bed, sink, toilet, desk, chair, and...
The timer started. I’m doing a 15-minute writing sprint with Keiren Westwood, a writer I follow on YouTube. Now, I don’t have a story or even an idea at this moment, so I will free-write and see what comes…. The...
I have an addiction It starts as a gentle itch that tickles the corner of my mind, demanding a scratch. I resist — but it persists — and grows stronger every hour. My resolve is firm. I don’t want it....
Trumpty Dumpty sat on a wall Trumpty Dumpty had a great fall And all the MAGA Republicans Couldn’t put Trumpty together again
12-year-old Lucy Smith rushed into the living room, clutching her Bible, tears on her cheeks. “Daddy, I’m scared!” “Aww…come here, baby.” She ran to her father’s open arms, and he enveloped her in a gentle hug. “I’m sorry,” he whispered....
A flash of light invades my closed eyelids, rudely wrenching me awake from my pleasant dreams. I prop up on my elbows and rub the sleep from my eyes. Morning already? My clock says 2:47 AM. That can’t be right;...
Grieve for the widow Cry for the child Weep for the mother The Lesser Than – Mourn for the victims Of missiles and bombs Wail for the wounded Battered and Torn – But my thoughts resist They’re not my kind...
A famous world leader I shall not name, Said, “Smart people don’t like me you know.” Well, that must make me immensely smart, For I dislike him intensely so.
I’m not Shakespeare, I’m not Poe, I’m not Hemingway. But stories, poems, and twisty tales, I write in my own way.
Done with the “how to’s” Ready for the “will do’s. Will do what I want Will do what I plan, Will do what I dream All I know I can do.
The second hand ticks around the clock, in one continuous swirl. Sixty seconds per minute, sixty minutes per hour, twenty-four hours per day. I can’t slow it down, I can’t make it stop, I can’t ever turn it around. This...
They weren’t worth much money, but they were priceless to me. Because they were my dad’s. Those vintage little tie tacks in the shape of guitars, locomotives, dune buggies, anchors, and crosses. Those cufflinks fashioned from Indian-head pennies. The old...
Today I feel less alive than yesterday, and yesterday, less than the day before — dissolving, vanishing, fading — unseen, unheard, and unwanted. Someday soon, when I draw my last breath, my heart beats no more, and midnight claims my...
I spot the little fuzzy brown lump wriggling across the porch. “Oh, what a disgusting creature,” I say. “I hate caterpillars.” I lift my boot, but before I can crush it under my heel, I stop. Yuck, that will make...
She sat alone in a dilapidated booth at the 24-hour diner. She glanced at her watch. Nearly midnight. Where is he? The door jangled as he walked in, a grimace replacing his usual smile. A woman followed close behind, scowling....
I walk through the door to my new workplace near the city center, buzzing with subdued energy I can almost feel. There are many people here, hundreds, maybe thousands, I’m unsure. From my vantage point, I can’t see them in...
I know I am different. I see others walking around without a thought or care, with no self-awareness or knowledge of who they are or what they are doing, lost in their own little world. But I am aware. I...
Art browsed through the bric-a-brac on the crowded, dusty shelves in the old antique store, finding little of interest. He spotted an odd-looking object tucked away in the back that looked like a little metal pitcher with a handle and...
The dying embers of sunlight fade to dusk, casting long, eerie shadows through the windows of the small bedroom. Clara hastily packs a tattered blue suitcase on the bed with a few clothes, personal effects, and a framed wedding photo....
I finally met God. Yeah, I’m serious, this isn’t a joke. I’ve never been more certain of anything in my life. Lots of people say they’ve met God, that they know him personally. They pray, meditate, receive impressions, dreams, and...
One warm September afternoon, Jake walked to the student car lot with his teammates after another blistering two-hour football practice in the blazing sun. Their banter was lively and carefree, and they laughed and joked and teased each other about...
Today is the first day of the new year. How did I get here so quickly? How did last year pass so fast? This year I’ll cross the Rubicon, officially old. I don’t want to be an old man, but...
“You need to develop a writing habit,” the experts say. “Set a goal every day to write 100, 200, 500 words or more. Maybe even 1000 per day if you can, and you will write a complete novel in 60...
The air was crisp and cold in the wooded wilderness of Wisconsin, a portend of winter soon to come. Down the narrow path, the boy of 10 years, lost and alone, came to a fork, with no sign or hint...
Jayal knew the only way he could ever escape the oppressive totalitarian state was by his own hand. For a month, he pretended to take the sleeping pills they allotted him each night, saving them for the night he would...
A lone silhouette approaches in the flickering lamplight, a petite, feminine form, skirts flowing in the breeze and high heels echoing across the cobblestone street — click-clack, click-clack. I step out of the shadows into her path. “Oh, my!” she...
I type: “Good morning, Aileen. How are you doing?” The black screen flickers to life with eerily fluorescent green words. “Good morning, Joshua-0918. I am doing very well, thank you, and ready to assist you today. How can I help...
One warm summer evening, Lukas reclined on his lounge chair by the pool, scrolling through the latest social media posts on his phone. “Yay, they’re deporting all those illegals!” he exclaimed. His roommate, Jing Lee, reclining on a nearby chair...
So many seconds but not enough time. They tick into minutes and hours and daysand weeks and months and decades sublime.I can’t get them back although I have tried. There’s no second chances, re-dos, or rewinds. The seconds dissolve...
Once upon a time, in the village of Weedville, lived an elderly man with a crown of white hair named Matteo. The large backyard of his beige bungalow contained a small lawn and a patchwork garden of vegetables and herbs,...
It terrifies me to no end, beginning anytime, anywhere, a silent ambush, with no warning or sound. Imperceptible at first, it quickly grows in ferocity of attack, every second more intense than the last, until I can think of nothing...
I’m startled awake by the sound of a blaring trumpet. What was that? The moonlight streaming through my bedroom window tells me it’s still night, but my wife’s side of the bed is empty. Where did she go? My breath...
“Ma’am, I think you dropped this,” said the voice behind me. I turned around to see the pretty self-checkout attendant holding a lotto ticket. She smiled and held out her hand to give it to me. I shook my head....
The wind shrieked like a pack of hyenas, and the rain thrashed the lighthouse like a hundred whips, mirroring the storm brewing inside Elias. After three decades as a lightkeeper, he had seen more than his share of Nor’easters on...
She snuggles close to me as we sit on the edge of the cliff, our legs swinging freely above the raging surf and jagged rocks below. Do it now, I think — a slip, a fall, a tragic accident, I’ll...
The starting pistol cracked in the sparkling blue alpine air, sending dozens of competitors sprinting up the steep mountain trail in a frantic race to the top. Their speed slowed as lungs burned and legs turned to lead, but they pushed...
I gave her the kidney in good faith, just as I gave her the ring in contemplation of marriage. Because I loved her, and would do anything for her. My soon-to-be wife, for better or worse, till death do us...
My religion taught me to live in fear. Fear of demons in the shadows, tempting me to stray from the straight and narrow path. Fear of sin that could curse me to Hell’s eternal flames. Every night I pray for...
It was Halloween, and Alejandro handed out candy at his front door to an endless parade of trick-or-treaters dressed as ghosts, witches, zombies, clowns, princesses, superheroes, and horror movie characters. But the most popular costume this year appeared to be...
Every day, Bunny Rabbit loved to run through the lush green meadow in the pine forest, feeling the soft blades of grass tickle his paws with every bound. He adored the fragrant scent of the wildflowers that dotted the land...
It’s the latest in technology; convenient, safe, and unhackable, they said. I got one embedded in my hand, between my thumb and index finger. A microchip smaller than a grain of rice, replacing ID cards, credit cards, keys, transit passes,...
A reporter once asked the president, “Should conditions warrant, would you ever consider suspending habeas corpus?” “Habeas who?” asked the president. “Habeas Corpus,” answered the reporter. The president shrugged. “Well, I don’t know. Habeas Corpus sounds like a Latin name...
Sherry wandered among the bustling crowd in the crowded flea market, ducking in and out of the colorful vendors’ stalls that lined the path. She stopped at a booth with a sign that read: “Gypsy Rugs’N Stuff.” She peered inside;...
My roommate Rich says, “You know, some people criticize President Daniel Trounce for being selfish and uncaring, but it’s not true.” I raise my eyebrows at his assertion. “Oh?” I say. “Yes, he has everyone’s best interests in mind. I’ll...
The alarm on Gregory Wendell’s phone jangled, breaking the calm stillness of early morning. He dismissed the alarm and scanned the latest notifications on the screen, his eyes blurry with sleep. He jolted awake as he read the headlines. “Daniel...
Gregory Wendell threw the voter guide onto the kitchen table and groaned. After reading it for the umpteenth time, he still wasn’t sure who to vote for. And today is election day. He thought back over the last few weeks....
Callan loved to watch documentaries of World War II, especially those about the Nazis and the Third Reich. He was fascinated by how Adolf Hitler and his criminal cohorts rose to power and deceived so many ordinary people. He wondered...
I sit cross-legged on my bed and contemplate the lonely night ahead. It’s Christmas Eve, and of all nights to be alone, tonight is the worst time for a 16-year-old to be by herself. And tomorrow will be even worse....
I grab my sign and flag and head for the front door, passing by my roommate Arnold sipping his coffee on the recliner. “So, Teddy, you’re going to that idiotic protest downtown with all the other woke libtards?” he smirks. ...