August, 2020 Archives
Aug
Let’s Stay Focused On The Good News
by thegooddoctor in 100 Words
HUBRIS CONTEST:
Gerald raced home, test in hand, too excited to look both ways as he crossed intersections. There was never any traffic anyway, and this news was too good to wait. He only paused at one point to pick up the books that had scattered on the sidewalk behind him because he’d forgotten to zip closed his backpack.
He sprinted up his driveway and burst through the front door.
“I am the GOAT!!!” He threw the paper towards his mother, who looked up in bewilderment.
“A B+ on your English exam. I’m proud of you. Now what about your math quiz?”
From Guest Contributor Breanne Nyhoff
Aug
Their Tale
by thegooddoctor in 100 Words
The day after they were introduced to each other, the author sent a message.
“I’m planning on writing a story about a young, talented and beautiful female musician, thousands of miles away from home. But I’ve still got some research to do. I thought maybe you’d like to help me out.”
“Is it a love story?” she asked.
“It might just turn out to be one of the greatest love stories ever told,” he answered.
“Do you think it’ll have a happy ending? I love happy endings.”
From that moment on, they both knew her story also became his.
From Guest Contributor Hervé Suys
Hervé (°1968 – Ronse, Belgium) started writing short fiction whilst recovering from a sports injury and hasn’t stopped since.
Aug
The Truth And Nothing But The Truth
by thegooddoctor in 100 Words
HUBRIS CONTEST
At a young age, Bjorn swore he would never tell another lie. For others, this might have been a quickly forgotten boast, but for him it was the mantra he would forever live by.
In the beginning, it was relatively easy to always tell the truth. But gradually he found that being honest frequently hurt the feelings of those closest to him. He began to meticulously avoid human connection, because this way he would never have to disappoint anyone by telling them how he really felt.
What had initially seemed like a valiant choice eventually became Bjorn’s life long curse.
From Guest Contributor Gil Anders
Aug
Equals
by thegooddoctor in 100 Words
“Hurry up with those bricks!” the manager screamed.
The workers glared at him but moved faster, wheeling bricks to the concrete slab.
Looking at his watch, the manager scowled. “This building isn’t going to make itself. If you work harder, maybe one day you’ll be my equal.”
The group of men laughed and shook their heads. They spoke in their native tongue, their words meaningless to the manager.
“What are you saying? Speak English!”
They looked at him with contempt, and a man stepped forward before answering, “Learn our language and find out, then maybe someday you’ll be our equal.”
From Guest Contributor Caitlyn Palmer
Aug
Waitress And The Ventriloquist
by thegooddoctor in 100 Words
She had sun-streaked hair. I told her we could have a quickie after the show but she just looked blankly at Murphy, the doll. That night I jerked off with Murphy and cussed him for missing my chance with her. He looked on with the wooden smile, his wooden fingers clenched tight by his side. Murphy said cute things that day. People laughed at the stale jokes about slavery. I saw her reach out for the tip. And then she walked past me, with sad the ruffle of notes in her bodice. A little girl came up and hugged Murphy.
From Guest Contributor Sreemanti Sengupta
Sreemanti writes fiction and poetry (Losing Friends – Alien Buddha Press 2.0) while occasionally dabbling in collage art. Some of her haikus have been translated to French and a poem read out at City Lights Bookstore, NY. She runs The Odd Magazine and Odd Books.
Aug
Jack’s Undoing
by thegooddoctor in 100 Words
HUBRIS CONTEST
Jack had it all: six luxurious homes, expensive cars, a private plane, and a trophy wife. Like many trust-fund babies, he had grown up with few responsibilities and many advantages, including a degree from Yale. Unfortunately, for Jack, he did not grow up with a sense of ethics or basic moral values.
The FBI stormed through the front door of his New York apartment at six in the morning.
“We have a warrant for your arrest. The charge is transporting wealthy, inadmissible aliens into the USA.”
Jack rolled his eyes. Don’t these people realize my connections? He called his lawyer.
From Guest Contributor Janice Siderius
Aug
Thanks
by thegooddoctor in 100 Words
I cannot thank you,
little cat with serious eyes,
for your gift of a dead mouse.
I flee from reminders
of killing. I am a vegan, and it would
be easier if you were too.
But then I would lose
your playfulness and pounce, and turn
you into a timid, nibbling rabbit.
I love you for those things,
for your wish to feed me, and for
your love for me, strange as
I must appear to you: so huge,
so hairless, so hopeless a hunter. I am thankful
for what I cannot understand, this strange
love than can span species.
From Guest Contributor Cheryl Caesar
Cheryl lived in Paris, Tuscany and Sligo for 25 years; she earned her doctorate in comparative literature at the Sorbonne and taught literature and phonetics. She now teaches writing at Michigan State University. Last year she published over a hundred poems in the U.S., Germany, India, Bangladesh, Yemen, and Zimbabwe, and won third prize in the Singapore Poetry Contest for her poem on global warming. Her chapbook Flatman: Poems of Protest in the Trump Era is now available from Amazon and Goodreads.
Aug
Helicopter Parenting
by thegooddoctor in 100 Words
HUBRIS CONTEST:
Malcolm was the victim of helicopter parenting. Literally. He didn’t drive to school, he flew. His mother and father, both victims of neglect and recrimination growing up, had overachieved as adults so that they could protect their own child from such abuses. This meant sheltering Malcolm from all criticisms, never allowing him to fail or even fall short in anything he did.
When he inherited the family business, he was both horribly unqualified to run a company and incapable of conceiving of the possibility of failure. Thanks however to his tremendous hubris, the company continued to thrive under his direction.
From Guest Contributor Mindy Storr
Aug
A Genius Remains Unrecognized
by thegooddoctor in 100 Words
HUBRIS CONTEST:
John shouted into his megaphone, sending the entire set scrambling. He was in command. He was a god, and “Flesh Would Melt” was his creation, his masterpiece finally springing to life.
Even amidst the commotion, there was a still part of John’s mind that was not occupied by the calculating of f-stops or picking out of wallpaper patterns. He thought of the first time he’d seen Hamlet performed, wondering at the rapturous applause, and thinking to himself that if he had been in charge, he would have done better.
Almost exactly one year later, John’s film premieres to universal vilification.
From Guest Contributor Eduardo Felin
Aug
Flash Bang Boom
by thegooddoctor in 100 Words
With the encouragement of family and friends, I adopted a retired bomb-sniffing dog. I called him “Flash” – after the flashing lights of a migraine, I would joke to anyone who asked. One day he discovered under the couch a severed doll’s head I didn’t even know I had. Next the piano stopped producing sounds when I sat down to play it. Then the tree outside my window appeared suspended like an astronaut in space. Now I often catch the dog lying on the couch studying me with cold, squinty eyes as if calculating exactly how much a person can bear.
From Guest Contributor Howie Good
Howie is the author of THE DEATH ROW SHUFFLE, a poetry collection forthcoming from Finishing Line Press.