Short Story: Lament

It was a light, trilling melody, reminiscent of a carol, but not a happy one—more like those sad songs Charlie heard on the radio about poor people or loss, created in a half-hearted attempt to reject the commercialized truth of the season. With a haunting hum, the tune looped through his head: One, two, three, […]

Short Story: Look & Listen

The following was written as a quick exercise in my Modern Short Stories class. Photo by Pixabay on Pexels.com “You’re right,” Jack said, breathless, as Ryan’s fingertips touched the grille of the poolside. “You’re out of shape.” Ryan was panting, his fingers clutching the plastic and metal as though they were all that stood between […]

Poem: Amsterdam

The following is an insanely bizarre, free form poem written in August of 2017. There once was a very sad monkey, and he was super into doughnuts. But the donuts were all sold out. They had been for 75 years. The monkey considered quitting doughnuts. He could move to Amsterdam, maybe, try something new. […]

Short Story: The Midnight Gang Rides Again

Tonight, the sky was so black that the few stars not stifled by the city’s crashing chaos burned brightly in the air. Colin hadn’t seen a night like it before, but Grandpappy liked to claim it always was like this. “The city used to breathe and beam,” he would claim to his closest living relative. […]

Short Story: The Appalling Annihilation of Articles

Once upon a time, in the mystical land of Grammaria, there was a huge city filled with all sorts of words who lived in nine beautiful districts. The district of Articles was located between the other eight, ensuring order and unity for the city. The Article family itself was rather small, consisting of two sisters […]

Short Story: Okay

“It’s okay,” said the rose to the boy. “I know you didn’t mean to.” Billy did not think what he had done was okay. Not even a little bit. He hadn’t known the rose was alive when he had picked it, true, but that really didn’t make it better. It was like planning to destroy […]

Short Story: Bargain

Created with a structure based on another fictional work in Advanced Comp class. Content-wise this story is mine, but the sensory grouping is the work of another. Sight It’s like a fire, she supposes- bright and ethereal, flickering as though it cannot decide whether to remain a part of reality or not. It casts strange […]

Short Story: Humanity

Another day, another failure. I sighed as I left the interview, knowing that I had blown it. None of my jokes were ee remotely funny, and my resume had left a lot to be desired. Ever since I was a kid, I’ve dreamed of being a comedian. I’ve taken classes, entered competitions, joined troupes, but […]

Short Story: Nemesis

When I said “I do,” the first time it was already apparent that my marriage would not last. There was a look of sad uncertainty in her eyes as I told my new wife another lie, which was neither the first or last I would tell to protect her. Jenny wanted to know about my […]

Short Story: The Secret of Warren Thomas

“When will you admit it?” The boy cocked his head questioningly. Taken aback, Warren took an involuntary step backwards off his porch and into his foyer. “Excuse me?” He should’ve known that a visitor at 5 A.M. on a Monday morning would be trouble. In fact, when he and his wife had been woken by […]