Stories exploring the human condition, relationships, loss, meaning, and the complexities of life.
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…
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…
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…
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.…
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…
One warm summer evening, Lukas reclined on his lounge chair by the pool, scrolling through his phone. “Yay, they’re deporting all those illegals!” he exclaimed. His roommate, Jing Lee, reclining on a nearby chair soaking up the sun, peered at…
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…
“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, 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 this rugged coast. But tonight…
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…
It was a brisk Halloween night, 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…
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. …
I finished gassing up my car and noticed a pretty young woman at the next pump put the fuel nozzle into her gas tank. She stepped back, tripped over the hose stretched behind her legs, and fell flat on the…
Jake had been a delivery driver for over three years, navigating the bustling streets of his small town, but today, frustration gnawed at him like a mouse on melted cheese — sticky and relentless in the muggy heat. After a…
As I watch a televised game between the Giants and Nationals at San Francisco’s Oracle Park, the announcers flashback to the historic 2007 moment when slugger Barry Bonds hit his 756th home run against Nationals pitcher Mike Bacsic, breaking Hank…
I rock in my patio chair, basking in the warm embrace of a lazy fall day, as a gentle breeze tousles my hair. The trees boast vibrant reds, oranges, yellows, and greens in golden light, a vivacious show of glory…
Taliya rocked slowly in her chair on the front porch, sipping a frothy cup of hot chocolate, awestruck by the dazzling panoply of yellow, red, and orange hues that painted the evening sky like masterstrokes from an artist’s brush. She…
Joe gazed out the window at the receding ground as the 787 Dreamliner soared into the blue Texas sky. They once called him a dreamer, but he didn’t feel like a dreamer today. He was leaving the only home he…
The 30-year high school class reunion kicked off at 6:00 pm. Middle-aged classmates, many with receding hairlines, graying hair, etched lines, and heavier frames, brought their spouses and dates — though some came alone. They hugged, shook hands, patted backs,…
He walked the streets of Anytown USA, and nary a person saw him. He was there in plain sight for all to see, as real as anyone else, but he may as well have been invisible. He moved along with…
Ben looked over the handlebars of his bike down the steep trail leading to the lake. He checked the tightness of the bungee cords that fastened his fishing rods and tackle box to the metal rack behind the saddle. He…
From the age of 10, when I discovered the Hardy Boys Mysteries, I was hooked on reading. I wondered if someday I could write books like that–stories filled with adventure, danger, mystery, and intrigue—where the good guys win and the…
Amanda was pleased that her closest friends came for dinner tonight. She looked around the table at each one, their eyes reflecting the soft glow of the overhead crystal chandelier. She rose from her seat to fill the stemware with…
He watched the orange ball sink below the rim One day further from the day of his birth One day closer to the day of his death How many days were left he could only guess He hoped his days…
After his divorce, Keenan thought he would never find love again. He hated being alone. He missed female companionship. Twelve years together, then she was gone. Oh, how he longed for a second chance! Then he met her, and they…
Claire’s eyes lingered on the glittering diamond ring in the display case, its finely cut facets catching the light of promises to come. Her boyfriend, Donny, beamed and squeezed her hand. Today should be the happiest day of her life,…