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julie_slink

The Four Hundred and Twentieth Warden

A vision of the future. A way to say goodbye to those lost too soon.

Dear Dad, It’s Julie. This is the letter we always used to wonder about. It took much longer than expected. My timeline runs parallel to, but thirty years ahead of yours, and I’ve grown older here than you are there. You’re approaching the point where I lost you. A time when everything fell into chaos here. You wouldn’t recognize my world, but I’m still your little girl. I miss you...Read On

Added: 22 Sep 2018 | Category: Flash Fiction | Words: 420 | Tags: whatever dirty martini rest in peace sci-fi letters | 4 Comments

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rantingsenior

The Last Beginning

He didn’t dance. Why was he locked in a room with a ballerina, a conductor, and a photographer?

“This is like a Rod Serling Twilight Zone episode!” he observed. “Four of us locked in a room, and none of us know how we got here!” “And none of us seem that concerned about it!” the photographer noted. “Mind if I get some photos of everyone with my Exakta 66?” He stood up and started looking for the best vantage point in the room. The short, portly conductor was already pacing around,...Read On

Added: 22 Sep 2018 | Category: Flash Fiction | Words: 337 | Tags: whatever mixology phones signage roll-overs | 3 Comments

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Dreamcatcher

Last Note

My friend Alan...

“What is this place?” he thought to himself. He carried only his beloved Gibson Les Paul guitar as he kept stumbling forward. His watch read 4:20 but he didn’t know if it was A.M. or P.M. A booming voice echoed through the cavern. “Step forward boy!” A figure rose from the ground. He watched as the figure stood 10 feet tall. It was grotesque in appearance with horns of a ram and a...Read On

Added: 22 Sep 2018 | Category: Flash Fiction | Words: 415 | Tags: whatever | 7 Comments

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rune

420 Minutes

It was a whirlwind between us that ended too soon...

The first time I meet you in a guitar store, strumming a Gibson Les Paul guitar I know you are the man I should be scared to get closer. My eyes behind my digital camera focus on your face while you are listening to the sound of the guitar. A penguin tattoo on your left tattoed hand stops playing, and you lift your head up to look in my direction as if you know that I am looking from behind...Read On

Added: 22 Sep 2018 | Category: Flash Fiction | Words: 420 | Tags: thinking rune whatever 420 dirty martini competition | 6 Comments

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steffanie

Shining On

I meet up with a distant friend... Sort of.

It's unfortunate when you try something new and it all goes to pot. Big Dave is only too familiar with such misfortune, his rundown bar barely covers the rent and its faulty neon sign seems rather appropriate. Although, I kinda like the way his 'Rock Bar' trade name flickers and dies periodically, because sooner or later it always lights up and shines again. Despite its obvious...Read On

Added: 21 Sep 2018 | Category: Flash Fiction | Words: 399 | Tags: mr martini bar cocktails loss whatever | 9 Comments

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Ping

Whatever

Do the Angels of Mercy override the whatevers and help shape the course of history?

This numerology thing is cool yet thematically unrelated, but I lead with it anyway. If you add the first twenty even numbers, starting with two and ending with forty, the sum of those twenty numbers equals four hundred and twenty. Go ahead. Try it. Or not. Whatever. If the Waldos knew that sparking up after school would have inspired an annual world-wide celebration of smoking weed at...Read On

Added: 21 Sep 2018 | Category: Flash Fiction | Words: 420 | Tags: 420 april 20th weed-buzz hitler-hate marley-love les paul bee-spit | 10 Comments

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JamesFoley

The Balcony

Can a wild girl force her socialite friend to marry the man the wild girl loves?

Dark-haired Diana Lessing wasn't highly educated. Rumors blamed her abusive father for her never finishing high school. But she mesmerized and monopolized Justin Bayard's life. He forgot work, skipped classes, and jeopardized his job. Then Diana, a social activist, got arrested with Clara Trescott, demonstrating for some cause. Apparently, this made them good friends: Diana, the...Read On

Added: 21 Sep 2018 | Category: Drama | Avg Score: 0 | Words: 1,417 | Tags: wild brunette blonde socialite passion money.

7

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Jimwillhavefun

Dreaming

I dream of a city where everyone is neighbors Knowing helping each other isn’t wrong And there is no race or color Where old ladies can feel safe and sound I dream of a state that works as one Taxing people fairly and giving back what isn’t theirs Helping the poor man to find work and feeding the destitute While not lining their pockets with the sweat of everyone's back I dream...Read On

0

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GoNE68

War Of the Worlds II - part 1

Eleven years after the Martians first invasion - a meeting in Harrods.

Saturday January 13th 1908 - the day after the warning I had a routine back then. Since the death of my wife and unborn child during the Martian invasion eleven years previous I had needed structure in my life outside of work. On a Saturday I started off my day with some manual relief of my morning tumescence prior to getting out of bed. It wasn't the only time I would do so, but I...Read On

Added: 19 Sep 2018 | Category: Adventure | Avg Score: 0 | Words: 4,162 | Tags: science-fiction sequel

10

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LarryFNigh

That Radiant Smile

Behavior that's hard to forget

10

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rune

Smile

When I look into your eyes...

When I am not doing anything I look at your picture, and I think to myself, what it would be like to hold your face in my hands and kiss your lips, to touch your beard and trace your eyes with my fingertips. You have this innocent look of a little boy in your eyes that I so dearly love to look at. That naughty streak to explore is showing in your sparkling blue eyes. I wanted to know what...Read On

6

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AnnaMayZing

Fusilladeplaats

...through the trees, a lone Heron, standing absolutely still on the opposite bank just yards away.

Today I took a long stroll, well, longish. It was an absolutely beautiful day and the sun shone brightly and hot as I walked through the trees. It was the Fifth day of September, Two Thousand and Eighteen and the forest was quiet and peaceful. Suddenly, I stopped. There, on the lake, just through the trees, a lone Heron, standing absolutely still on the opposite bank just yards away. I...Read On

9

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verbal

Window

"Remember. The attic is off limits."

The realtor described the place as a grand old dame of a house: a three-story high Victorian in a state of slight disrepair, built in 1897 but with so many random, period-inconsistent architectural details added on over the years (a deck over the front door, a mudroom added on the side, several of the larger rooms broken up with wallboard and framed for apartments) it did not qualify for...Read On

3

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GoNE68

Boyfriend and Wino

How not to deal with winos.

**** **** Reader discretion strongly advised. The story you are about to read contains content that some may find offensive or disturbing, including strong language and graphic violence....Read On

6

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KindOfFool

The Emperor

Your name will divide opinion for as long as Europe lasts, and many think only of your overweening ambition. Yet you saved your country from chaos, and even as your armies marched across the continent they were engaged in an act of creation as much as destruction, resulting in the making of modern Europe. And in their wake you imposed a unified legal code that has never been replaced. Even...Read On

9

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magnificent1rascal

Lost and Found

A Short Tale of Dogged Determination

MARTIN HANDED A MUG of fresh coffee to Jane and slid into the seat opposite her at the breakfast table, pausing a moment before he spoke. “Jane, I need to ask you something.” Caught off guard by the statement, she slopped a little of the steaming liquid. “You always do that when I’m holding a drink,” she chided gently, dabbing the spill with a napkin. Her lighthearted tone belied...Read On

4

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GoNE68

Broken Roses

The first blow of the next war of good v evil

It had started inauspiciously, much as any other day. But that sharp, cold, Thursday morning was one that would shape history. Both political and religious history. It would be wrong to say that it 'changed' history, as history is an eternally changing story. History itself cannot be changed - only the telling of it. Not a single member of the congregation of The Church of Our Lady who...Read On

7

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Ping

Demon Within

The battle of at least two father's, is a young boy's newest war...

He forced open his mouth and filled his lungs, but the man’s clenched diaphragm only exhausted his terror in silence. No sounds of warning escaped to his doting young son. There was no more fight. The demon had finally come. The man’s immediate thought was how his boy would remember the coward that had abandoned him. There was no taste of blood. No tears. No feeling of love or hate,...Read On

9

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magnificent1rascal

Writer's Block

A Short Tale of Seaside Serendipity

THE CALENDAR TAUNTED JANE, its little yellow-highlighted square outlined in a bold red stroke mocking her lack of progress. ‘You’re going to miss the deadline, you know. I’m just six weeks away now,’ it scoffed. ‘Whatever made you apply for that fellowship anyhow, and what could the panel have been thinking when they gave it to you? You’re no writer; you’ve proven that over the past...Read On

3

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GoNE68

Nightmare 2

What is the punishment for a seven year old caught stealing?

My breath comes in great gasps. I stand panicked but subdued in a long, thin, dust filled communal toilet. Several of the buildings in our street have been lost to bombs in the past few days, and the dust seems to hang around like a fog. The white and dark blue tiling on the walls and floor reflect the remains of the daylight, which plays with the Brownian dust particles. As much is hidden...Read On

10

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maryruth

Moments

Moments Of being scared Being in a fog of uncertainty Not having control Moments Of reaching out Of believing Of holding on and refusing to give up Moments Of laughter Joy Tears And rage Moments To live Grow together Never letting go Moments Of love Of life...Read On

2

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thaddpresley

You'd Better Learn

A glimpse into a life filled with darkness. A world that light has abandoned long ago.

“This isn’t how it has to be,” John told the big man holding the bolt cutters. “I’m tryin’ my best t’ hold everythin’ together, but…” He looked toward his wife. “Just look!!” Sobbing, he slowly lifted his free, undamaged hand and pointed. “Look what I come home to.” Blood was dripping from his hand and running in streams down his forearm. When he focused on the blood drizzling from his...Read On

13

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LarryFNigh

The Little Bliss

Just remember the bliss

12

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verbal

Pennies

Don't you want to know what blood tastes like?

The woman in the mirror spoke to her. This was before she covered all the mirrors in the house. This was back when she was like eleven, maybe twelve, before all the crazy shit happened. Back when they first moved into the house. The woman had been in her mirror for some time. Hiding. At first, Em didn’t even now she was there. She thought it was her own reflection. Em noticed the woman...Read On

1

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The_Count

More Cop Humor

It was a beautiful Saturday in June when I received a call from dispatch. It seems a bus driver had three youngsters on her coach that were a little too young to be on their own. The female driver had called her dispatcher who in turn dispatched me. I was to intercept the bus and wait for the parents to arrive. I caught the bus on a regular layover and had the kids exit the coach. It seems...Read On

0

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KazeronnieMak777

The illusion of life

You bawl at the deceased because he has already escaped from the human world of w...

It was said that, since Buddha had given a public education in a country. The common people all became the morals, courtesy, and thoughtfulness. They lived in harmony with the mutual love and support each other, which had made the land verily a paradise. The marvelous tidings had been spread far and wide. A pagan was named MAZE who wondered about the mighty power and high-mindedness...Read On

1

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Perwinkle123

Night Streets-Chapter 2

“Hey Andrew,” Jeremy began. “You know, when you said you had exams to study for, I thought you meant you were going to study for them after our little outing.” Andrew rolled his eyes. Sarvanez knew that they were friends, or at least, they knew each other already. It was she and Esperanza who were new to the group. “One of the people here,” said Andrew, as he opened the door to...Read On

8

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Wordpusher715

Practice Dating

A young man is counseled by his familly about dating

7

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Adagio

Sharpening My Pencil

At times when writing, my words depart. But not for lack of confidence. It's the speed bumps that slow me down. Or which direction to take my prose. Sometimes, I write with my heart. And sometimes, I lean towards the dark of the river Styx. Then at times, a friar's lantern leads me to a serene monastery, where I lay with angels to comfort me as I scribble. But first! Sharpening my pencil. ...Read On

10

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Ping

Why Worry?

Some things are just not meant to be worried about, and others, are unforeseen opportunities...

Some time ago, in a not so far off place, I stumbled across a small vender’s booth on the roadside while on vacation. The older woman, appearing wise with wavy dark hair streaked with various hues of grays and whites, and sun-baked skin with crow’s feet extending from the corners of her deep-set, black eyes, asked me how I was that first-day-of-my-vacation day. Maybe I struggled to respond,...Read On

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Latest Stories

The Four Hundred and Twentieth Warden

The Last Beginning

Last Note

420 Minutes

Shining On

Whatever

The Balcony

Dreaming

War Of the Worlds II - part 1

That Radiant Smile

Smile

Fusilladeplaats

Window

Boyfriend and Wino

The Emperor

Lost and Found

Broken Roses

Demon Within

Writer's Block

Nightmare 2

Moments

You'd Better Learn

The Little Bliss

Pennies

More Cop Humor

The illusion of life

Night Streets-Chapter 2

Practice Dating

Sharpening My Pencil

Why Worry?