Twisty Tales

In the near future of a dark dystopian world, the JoyCom Corporation sells mood bracelets that help people regulate emotions—inducing joy and happiness in place of sadness and despair.   Feeling blue? A Joy Jolt is a button press away. Having...

As I signal to turn left, the Chevy pickup truck behind me speeds past on the right shoulder, horn blaring. The driver throws a middle-finger salute out the window and yells something like “Luck you!” Maybe he thinks I’m driving...

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...

Prompt: Exactly 100 Words. Include the words: moan; cackle; hiss; splash; crash; meow; howl Another foggy Halloween night, pitch black save for a few freshly carved  jack-o’-lanterns perched on the river’s edge, their flickering light casting ghoulish shadows on the...

I rock in my patio chair, basking in the warm embrace of a lazy fall day. I relish thoughts of my happy life. 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,...

On a cool November morning, Josh and his labrador retriever, Maxibo, set out for their morning walk along the forest trail near home. Josh wanted a change of scenery from the usual and chose a part of the trail they’d...

“Nice seeing you, Joel. Have a great day!” Joel chuckles, or is that a smirk? Hard to tell. “You too, Albert. Have a great next 24 hours.” With those words, Joel Amos goes on his way. I walk to my...

In a parallel universe, President Daniel Triumph was holding a press conference. A reporter asked if he was concerned about terrorist sleeper cells activating after the bombing of Iranizbad.  The President responded: “Our dumb former president, ‘Sleepy Joe Lyin’, let...

It was a grueling eight-hour shift that felt like forever, but finally, it was over. Joe somehow drove home without crashing, and he staggered through the front door of his tiny one-bedroom apartment. Kicking off his shoes, he took a...

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...

I knew she was his wife. I knew better than to get involved with her. But I did anyway. She understood me like no one ever had. We shared secrets, hopes, and dreams. She was my soulmate, my lover, and...

I drift unseen through the darkened house, a ghostly specter come to end my husband’s dreams. I hear him whisper her name as he sleeps, unaware of my presence or intent. Betrayed by a kiss, he traded my life for...

I let out a whoop. “Whoa, look at this!” With my hand, I brushed the dust off the ornate purple bottle I found in a pile of debris in the attic. Larry tiptoed gingerly through the clutter towards me. He...

I check my phone’s weather app. It’s -6℉, with a windchill of -23℉. I slide open the patio door and stick out my head. I shiver as icy fingers of cold air assault me. Brrr…that stings! I shut the slider...

Today is Mrs. Hazel Winslow’s turn to host the monthly neighborhood coffee klatch. Since it’s the host’s duty to provide refreshments, she spent the morning baking fresh muffins, pastries, and gingerbread cookies. She expected the usual attendees—her neighbors, Mary, Joy,...

He crouches behind the bush and looks through the eyepiece at the majestic lion resting fifty feet away. After tracking this regal beast for hours across the savannah, he finally has a good position and clear line of sight.  He...

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...

I lie in bed, silent and still. The dim glow of the nightlight casts eerie shadows on the wall.  Above me, the faint outline of the heater vent gapes at me with open mouth and slatted teeth. The air rustles....

Richard is Martha’s husband. She calls him Dick.  One day, Martha discovered Dick secretly watches adult videos. Martha is passive-aggressive. She cooks beef stroganoff for him every night.  Dick doesn’t get it. Nor does he get why she doesn’t make...

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...

The doorbell rings a second time, interrupting the still of morning. I’ve been up all night, and I’m tired and irritated. Who is it, JW’s? Mormons? Kids selling chocolate? Go away already.  Through the peephole, I see two police officers...

“Pathetic losers,” I smirk, as the credits rolled on my favorite Reality Crime TV show, Predator SmackDown.” I shake my head. How stupid can these guys be?  I look at my phone. Drat! Not enough time for another episode. I...

My phone buzzed. I glanced at the screen and swiped to dismiss the notification. Time for my meeting with Mr. Grant. I rode the elevator up to the executive top floor, and the pretty secretary ushered me into the inner...

Claire’s eyes lingered on the glittering diamond ring in the display case, its finely cut facets catching the light of promises yet to come. Her boyfriend, Donny, beamed and squeezed her hand. Today should be the happiest day of her...

“I love you honey,” I say. He doesn’t respond, but I know he’s still awake. “I love you forever and always.” Still no response. I lean towards him and kiss his cheek. “I love you babe, till death do us...

He watched the orange ball sink below the horizon.  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...

One rainy Saturday morning, Connor, a very ordinary, bored-out-of his-mind teenager, was looking for a snack in the pantry when he found a vegan cookbook on the top shelf. The cover featured a colorful montage of salads, soups, and sandwiches...

“We need to talk,” says dad.  “Okay, I’ve got a few minutes. What’s up?” “Have a seat while I get some coffee.” I sit at the dining room table. Dad fills his coffee cup and sits next to me. He...

After his divorce, Keenan thought he would never find love again. He hated being alone. He missed female companionship. Oh, how he longed for a second chance!   Then he met her, and they have been inseparable ever since.  His heart...

The Squeakle family lived in a nest in the abandoned basement of the quaint little cottage of Mrs. Fluffenmutter–an elderly white-haired lady whose eyesight and hearing weren’t quite what they used to be. The Squeakles were a bustling clan of...

You wake on the basement cot.  Why are you here? How long have you been here? The dawn’s early light peaks through the window overhead.  Betsy, the tabby cat, meows close by.  You remember. You came to find her after...

I fumble with the phone and lose my grip on the steering wheel as I send a text message to mom.  Oh no! I jam on the brakes and spin out of control as my car skids off the road...

“Hey man, look at this.” Tomas shoves his phone under my nose. A notification says: “Your package is out for delivery. Jesus is your driver.” “Wow,” I say. “So…Jesus takes the wheel?” Tomas chuckles. “Haha, I didn’t think of that,...

Commander Arelle Zinhara checked the sensors on the dashboard a final time. Oxygen: 21%, Nitrogen: 78%, Trace Gases: 1.0%. All good, she noted, the air sustainable for life, with no need for the breathing unit. She pressed the red button...

“Jimmy, dear, why don’t you take a break for a couple of hours? Let’s try out that new Thai restaurant in town. I hear it’s great. We haven’t gone out in ages.” “I can’t Babe, I’m working on this project,...

Professor Chet Baker looks through the magnifying glass at the worn pages of the ancient manuscript, slowly making out the faded Greek words one by one. As he reads, a story unfolds that transports him back twenty-three hundred years to...

“Hey Jack, I found the map to Captain Kidd’s lost treasure, it’s buried on a tiny Caribbean island. Come with me, man, you’re really good at finding things like this.” “Sounds cool, bro, but I’ve got a family and a...

Teagan sighed as she leaned back in her office chair. She looked at her laptop’s blank screen, cursor blinking, mocking her—daring her to write something. Anything. She wondered why it was so hard to be a writer. Over the last...

The wind shrieked like a pack of hyenas circling their prey. Don looked out the patio door to see an army of white snowflake demons attacking the house. The worst winter snowstorm in a dozen years, they said. They didn’t...

As sure as my name is Ainsley Addison, I suspect I will live and die the life of a lonely man. Even my mother must have known, for my name is Scottish for “alone.” Not that I don’t deserve it,...

Jimmy points to the empty container on the kitchen counter. “Okay, Skippy, ‘fess up!” I look away like I don’t see him. “Skippy?” I hang my head. I’m busted. I say nothing; my guilt is written on my face. Jimmy...

Meteorites are small bits of inanimate rock, streaking through the sky, leaving a trail of brilliant light in their wake. Shooting stars, but no more. They pass through time and space for a moment, leaving their memory etched in the...

It was 11:30 am on the day the spaceship landed in Carol’s back yard. She didn’t know it was a spaceship at first; she thought the noise she heard was from the street sweeper going by as it did every...

The clock on my living room wall is stuck at 3:51 and has been for the last three years. Did it stop in the morning or afternoon? I can’t tell. Month or day? I can’t tell. It’s an analog clock. ...

Wherever she went, heads turned. Men stared and whistled. Women gave her a jealous eye and whispered.  Everyone agreed: she was the most beautiful girl in town. With model-good looks that made men weak in the knees, and women weak...

The minister asks, “do you take this woman…?” His words fade to the background as I look into my bride’s glistening blue eyes. She is so beautiful, so lovely, adorned in her flawless white wedding gown.  “I do,” I answer....