Genre: Drama & Literary

Stories exploring the human condition, relationships, loss, meaning, and the complexities of life.

By Your Sad

I lost Puddles today. No, not lost as in she can be found. Lost. Forever.  I sit on the bench under the ancient oak tree in our yard. “Have you ever lost someone?” I whisper to the tree. Branches sway,…

Saved

God saved his life, they said. The Miracle on Flight PS91.  He wasn’t so sure.  Why should he be the only survivor of the plane crash that killed all on board save one? What higher purpose did God spare him…

Wally at Three

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…

Waiting for Rainbows

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,…

Human, in Progress

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…

I Don’t Want to Go There

“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…

The Candles

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…

The Story Tree

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…

The Lesson

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…

The Sentence

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.…

Dad’s Order

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…

Love Lies

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…

The Promotion

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…

Truth Pending

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…

The Last Denial

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…

The Story That Wrote Me

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…

BFAM

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,…

Male Mom

“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…

The Blank White Sheet

  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…

Three Hikes at Silver Lake Trail

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…

Daddy, I’m Scared!

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.…

Lesser Than

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…

The Power of Do

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. 

Eternal Rhythm of Time

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…

The Little Box

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…

Slow Fade

Today, I feel less alive than yesterday,And yesterday, less than the day before.Fading, vanishing, dissolving,Unseen, unheard, unwanted. Someday soon,When I draw my last breathMy heart beats no more,And midnight claims my soul,Who will remember me? And who will know I…

The Worth of a Life

I. Knowing 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…

My Responsibility Now

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…

In the Shadows of Dusk

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.…