Jumping Day The Flea has just started lowering, preparing to jump. And now, as the Springmaster, everything is up to me. “Thank you for coming,” I say to the assembled inhabitants of Kirppu. There are seven hundred of us in the small city built on the back of the Flea. “As you know, we are…
A Real Vacation
A Real Vacation Allison woke to the sun shining through the tent door. She made breakfast and sat looking out over the valley. This is what I need. A real vacation. The breeze smelled like pine. Too much? No, just right. Relax. You are alone in the Scottish Highlands for four days. Enjoy it. The…
Muse on Monday – July 3, 2023
Welcome to July, everyone. For the next two months, we’ll be trying something different for the weekly Muse on Monday prompt. We’ll be pairing a theme with a genre and your task will be to come up with a story that combines those. The other elements, such as the tone, length, setting, etc. are all…
Nip and Tack
Nip and Tack 48 Peacock Lane was breathing comfortably. Structural anesthesiologists were monitoring it, and the surgery crew moved in. “Anything major?” Jim asked the lead surgeon as he assembled a reciprocating saw. “Nah, just light touchup work. Some rotten siding. Cosmetic stuff.” “It’s a new world.” Jim shook his head. “Sometimes I wish houses…
Broken
Broken I’m almost done the dishes when the unthinkable happens. My hand, slippery with suds, grasps my glass and it slips, falling onto the floor with a sharp crack. I stare in horror at my only glass, lying in four large pieces and a scattering of shards. Immediately I start gathering them together, trying to…
Muse on Monday – June 26, 2023
Think about somewhere you go often. Work is the most common place for me, obviously, but probably the next is Panera since I go there every week to write. That’s a bit big to get to know the people well, but I’ve written at other coffee shops where you get to know everyone there: the…
Spirits
Spirits “What are you hoping from this?” I asked the woman across who was looking out the train window lost in thought. She glanced towards me. “Oh, I’m just curious. I don’t think we’ll see anything, really, but I’ve got an open mind.” She went back to looking out into the fog. “I’ve got questions…
Creeping Things
Creeping Things Footsteps creep by outside, military-style boots. Breathe slowly. Militia, looking for conscripts. Or target practice. Stomach rumbles. It’s been hours. Low voices. So hungry. Moving away. Something creeps across your hand. You grab it instinctively. It squirms. You stuff it in your mouth. Crunchy. Suddenly you’re a kid again, hunting crickets in the…
Muse on Monday – June 19, 2023
Happy Juneteenth to anyone in the United States. Today is the day people remember the end of slavery in the US. One of my hobbies is finding funny and interesting signs, not just street signs but the warning or advisory signs that businesses put up. Sometimes you can tell there is a story behind it,…
When our World Moved
When Our World Moved Could I move the glass telepathically? Pure fantasy, but so was this date a year ago. Anything to impress her. I chatted superficially, willing the glass to move. Bang! Glass and water flew everywhere. My face exploded in pain. Despite everything, my spirit glowed. I was telekinetic. Later, as I was…
The Green-Walled Treehouse 