Posts Tagged ‘Barry O’Farrell’

18
Nov

Reflex Action

by thegooddoctor in 100 Words

The front page of the morning newspaper is carrying a photo of the xenophobic, misogynistic new President.

Suddenly I spit. Expectorant deluges the photo and page. It is an uncontrollable reflex action. I couldn’t suppress it. It’s not like I knew it was going to happen or had planned it.

The commuters in the subway car look at me in silence. I am embarrassed. I am also sorry for damaging a complete stranger’s newspaper.

It was when he raised his open newspaper to read it, the front page photo loomed in front of my face triggering this; a reflex action.

27
Jan

Cut And Paste

by thegooddoctor in 100 Words

Screen Shot 2016-01-27 at 12.51.14 AM

Today’s story has a special format, and so we had to take a photo to insert it. Enjoy!

Barry O’Farrell is an actor who sometimes writes, living in Brisbane, Australia.

Barry’s stories have appeared in Cyclamens & Swords, The Flash Fiction Press, 50-Word Stories, 101 Words and of course here at A Story In 100 Words. One of Barry’s short stories was runner up in the 2015 Arts Alliance competition.

8
Dec

Christmas Cards

by thegooddoctor in 100 Words

My eccentric aunt sits in front of a stack of approximately one hundred Christmas cards, freshly signed, sealed and stamped.

“May I help? Let me mail them for you,” I offer.

I grab a plastic bag. As I manoeuvre cards into the open bag, about one third fall to the floor. I kneel down to scoop them up.

She begins to wail. “Don’t you realize, I spent forty minutes sorting them into fashionable zip code order?”

Is there any point in explaining they will become part of the greater mass once dropped through the chute at the Central Post Office?

From Guest Contributor Barry O’Farrell

Barry is an actor who sometimes writes, living in Brisbane, Australia. Barry’s stories can be found at Cyclamens & Swords, 101 Words, The Flash Fiction Press and here at A Story In 100 Words. One of Barry’s stories was runner up in the recent Arts Alliance competition.

17
Nov

228 Days To Mars

by thegooddoctor in 100 Words

The Delta 2 rocket clears the tower. All eyes are on the big screen. Lift off is a success.

Spontaneous cheering breaks out.

In 228 days our unmanned vehicle will be on Mars. If all goes well, our next launch will be the much anticipated manned mission. We can feel the excitement already.

I notice Eddy is subdued. He is not joining in the celebrations erupting around him.

“Eddy my man, why the long face?”

“Uhm, just been thinking.”

“Oh yeah, thinking about what?”

“Just remembering something… something important, I forgot I would adjust, recalibrate, in time for this launch.”

From Guest Contributor Barry O’Farrell

Barry is an actor who sometimes writes, living in Brisbane, Australia. Barry recently had a short story awarded runner up in the Arts Alliance biannual short story writing competition. Barry’s stories may be found at Cyclamens & Swords, 101 Words and of course here at A Story In 100 Words.

8
Oct

Ashley Who?

by thegooddoctor in 100 Words

My buddy George is sitting at the bar by himself, twiddling his wedding band. Often tempted to “kick over the traces,” he never succumbed to temptation.

“How long have you been married, George?”

“Long time. Dunno.”

“When crooks hacked the infamous adultery website, was your name on the list?”

“No.”

“Are you sure?”

“Yep.”

“Well you must be the only male over 35 years of age in this town whose name isn’t on the list. You should be ashamed of yourself.”

“I know.”

“I can tell you what the problem is George. You’ve been married too long.”

“Yeah. Too long.”

From Guest Contributor Barry O’Farrell

Barry is an actor who sometimes writes, living in Brisbane, Australia. Barry’s stories can also be found at 101 Words, Cyclamens & Swords, 50 Word Stories and of course here at A Story In 100 Words.

2
Oct

Beautiful Bouquet

by thegooddoctor in 100 Words

I love my wife. Maybe I don’t show it often enough and I will admit there is room for improvement.

The first of the season’s colourful, bright flowers are on display outside the florist shop. As soon as I lay eyes on them, they inspire me; I buy her a bunch and present them with a smile.

“What’s this for?”

“No reason. I love you.”

“What have you been up to?”

“Nothing.”

“You’ve got guilt written all over you. I’ll find out.”

“What will you find out? There’s nothing going on.”

“Enough with denying. It will all come out eventually.”

From Guest Contributor Barry O’Farrell

Barry is a actor who sometimes writes. His stories have appeared in Cyclamens & Swords, 101 Words, 50 Word Stories, and of course here at A Story In 100 Words.

18
Sep

Wedding Anniversary

by thegooddoctor in 100 Words

I have gotten myself into trouble over the years, forgetting simple little things like Valentine’s Day, wedding anniversaries, and such. Yes, her birthday too but only sometimes.

This year will be different. I have loaded all the important dates into my iPad, which I left in the office last night by accident.

Nothing can distract me this morning; I am buying a dozen long-stemmed roses, a box of chocolates and a wedding anniversary card, on the way into work.

In the office, I double check my iPad.

Today is the anniversary of my first marriage. What to do now?

From Guest Contributor Barry O’Farrell

Barry is an actor who sometimes writes, living in Brisbane, Australia. Barry’s stories appear in Cyclamens and Swords, The Flash Fiction Press, 101 Words, and of course here at A Story In 100 Words.

25
Aug

Shipping Container

by thegooddoctor in 100 Words

“A single nuclear device, including laptop computer, can fit inside a standard 20-foot shipping container. There are 1,250 shipping containers on a regular container ship. Now if you look at this photo what do you see?”

“In profile, a container ship, fully loaded.”

“Notice anything unusual? Take my magnifying glass. Let me help you. There are wires connecting every container.”

“Every container’s armed?”

“Triggered at the same time, and the ship can be anywhere in the world, we can blow the planet asunder.”

“What is it?’

“One of ours.”

“Yes, I understand but what is it?”

“Our doomsday machine.”

Barry O’Farrell is an actor living in Brisbane, Australia.

Barry’s other stories appear in Cyclamens & Swords, 101 Words, 50-Word Stories, and of course here at A Story in 100 Words.

11
Aug

Winner

by thegooddoctor in 100 Words

I enjoy winning. I am competitive by nature.

The trouble starts when winning becomes the focus.

To be honest, for me the trouble starts when winning becomes everything. Winning for the sake of winning, I describe as the ultimate step.

Especially when I am in a room full of other people who are winners, or think they are winners.

Damage happens. I know the masochistic irony of what it is like to win, and lose, simultaneously. In private, as I tally the losses, my self-loathing grows.

Yes, in my case it is a sickness. My doctor has diagnosed ‘Auction Fever.’

From Guest Contributor Barry O’Farrell

Barry is an actor living in Brisbane, Australia. Barry’s other stories may be found at Cyclamens & Swords, 50 Word Stories, 101 Words, and of course here at A Story In 100 Words.

16
Jul

Cage Fighter

by thegooddoctor in Uncategorized

Emmet never gets scared. He is a terrifically talented mixed martial artist; flexible, strong, unpredictable.

His rise through the rankings has been steady. Probably get a shot at a universally regarded title next year.

The opportunity to compete tonight arose unexpectedly when one of the fighters withdrew suddenly, for reasons which were never fully explained.

Emmet took the fight at short notice, no questions asked.

As his second I follow him into the cage.

“I’m scared,” says Emmet as his opponent, a hideous alien lumbers into the cage. “The way they spoke, I was expecting to fight another human being.”

From Guest Contributor Barry O’Farrell

Barry is an actor and writer who lives in Brisbane, Australia.

Barry’s other stories may be found in Cyclamens & Swords, 50 Word Stories and of course here at A Story In 100 Words.