We stopped on a face of sheer rock overlooking the valley. The late fall foliage scorched the base of Mount Monadnock, and a mist filled the gaps. A storm was coming, and the wind was beginning to show its teeth. It would be bitter cold at the top. We sat down to eat our lunchContinue reading “The Summit”
Category Archives: Short stories
Talking
ANNA: Just keep talking. DAVE: I can’t think of anything else to say. ANNA: Talk about anything. Talk about the house you grew up in. DAVE: Okay … well … we had high ceilings and a black metal fireplace. ANNA: Uh huh. DAVE: My dad put it in himself. It didn’t have a mantle, soContinue reading “Talking”
All the Lights Off
Their bare feet thudded on the wooden floor. He struck a match and lit the candles on either side of the stereo cabinet. He blew out the match and held it’s carcass in front of him, waiting for the red coals to turn to black before dropping it in the waste basket. “Why did youContinue reading “All the Lights Off”
Goodnight Pond
The tadpoles were in bed and Mike sat on his favorite lily pad looking up at the moon. “Croak.” He enjoyed that time of day. George glided over. He liked to skirt the edge of the pond looking for snails. A tuft of weeds jerked up and down in his beak as he chewed. GeorgeContinue reading “Goodnight Pond”
Cheaters
“Let me tell you a story.” The girl stared at the ceiling, and as her father sat on the edge of the bed she scooted back to keep her distance. She sighed meaningfully while her father began talking. “When I was in high school they had a big Trivial Pursuit contest out on the quad.”Continue reading “Cheaters”
At the Border
Two guards: one thin and quick, the other large and impassive. The quick one leafs through my passport, asks about plans, business dealings. He pockets my passport, smiling cruelly. The big one sighs, retrieves my passport for me and lets me through. [This is my alternate answer to this week’s Yeah Write microstory challenge]
At the Party
Who is it tonight? The quiet one, all darting eyes and monosyllables? The bore, spouting barely understood scientific theories? The smiler and nodder? The nerd? Maybe, just maybe, the interesting one? Which version of myself showed up? Oh, right, the distracted one.
Broken
You can’t fix a person like you can a car. Take this fuel pump. I just went down to the auto supply store and bought it. For a car, the fuel pump is like its heart, right? And you can’t just take someone’s heart out and put in a new one. Well, yeah, nowadays youContinue reading “Broken”
Do-it-all vs. Know-it-all
The 6-year-old teeters on the edge of the couch, gravity-defying plastic bag wings outspread. The 9-year-old folds her arms and declaims the stupidity of the enterprise. The 42-year-old enters and pauses, not sure whether to shut down the equation or just watch.
X-Ray Vision
David was nearsighted. At the age of twelve he received his first pair of glasses. He carried them in a case in his backpack, and when the teacher wrote something on the chalkboard, he retrieved them discreetly and placed them on the bridge of his nose. If possible, while taking notes, he kept his leftContinue reading “X-Ray Vision”
David Hammond 