Posts Tagged ‘Guest Contributor’
Jul
Vacation 2250
by thegooddoctor in 100 Words
Still a little queasy, she stepped out of the ‘Beach Hut,’ glad the temporal capsule was not constrained to contemporary hygiene amenities.
Feeling vulnerable in her figure-hugging woollen tank suit – despite built-in modesty shorts – she moved to the water’s edge and marvelled at the carefree gambolling of the beachgoers: naive inhabitants of the Interwar Era, taking time off from the trials of the Great Depression.
Her ocular bioscan implant picked him out from the crowd: Tommy.
She grinned at the one-piece swimsuit her great-grandfather wore.
Translucent seawater free of corrosive algae was an emotional revelation.
She hadn’t expected to cry.
From Guest Contributor Perry McDaid
Jul
Disembodied
by thegooddoctor in 100 Words
Glassy unseeing eyes stare out from rows of faces. Bloodless lips frame mouths, some closed, some open displaying teeth, some smiling, and some solemn. Disarticulated limbs lie about. Arms and legs in varying degrees of flexion and extension wait, motionless. Hair wigs of different colors and textures, long and short, decorate the windowsills of the dark and silent room. Headless torsos, male and female, some nude, some partially clothed, some prone, some supine, so lifelike yet so inanimate, complete the macabre scene.
On Monday morning, workers arrive to begin another week of readying manikins for the department store’s window display.
From Guest Contributor Judy Salz
Jul
And That’s That
by thegooddoctor in 100 Words
“How are you really, dear?”
“I’m fine.”
“Sweetheart, you can tell me.”
“I am telling you. I’m just fine.”
“Are you getting out?”
“I’m out right now.”
“With someone.”
“I’m here with you.”
“A man! Are you seeing anyone?”
“I see a lot of men, mother. I’m not dating anyone, if that’s what you want to know”.
“What about that nice young man…”
“He’s married.”
“Oh.”
“You know, mom, I met this wonderful sixty-year-old man.”
“Oh, darling, sixty?”.
“He’s perfect. He’s dying to get laid.”
“JENNIFER!”
“I gave him your number. Have you had the chicken salad here?”
From Guest Contributor Jean Blasiar
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.
Jul
At Least It Gets Me To Work And Back
by thegooddoctor in 100 Words
I pass the dump truck parade on my way to work, and I pray the spider cracks in the windshield of my creaking and shaking and ground-scraping savior will remain intact until tomorrow. But this is the end for it. The heavy glass shatters on me, pouring down with a ripping gust of gravel and unpaid bills. I cover my scrunched face to protect from the impending costs. I bleed my next paycheck into the repairs. There is a new scar on my credit report, just next to my student loan debt. My last breath is spent coughing up pennies.
From Guest Contributor Stacy Gorse
Jul
They Worked Together, In New York
by thegooddoctor in 100 Words
“Most people are Virgos – know why?” I do. Nine months before September is commonly cold; nowhere to go but bed. The I.T. guy thinks he’s flirting but now I’m just picturing my parents.
We are so many, they economize. One cake only – sheet, naturally – with plastic balloons and red and blue frosting. Children’s cake. We begin to reveal our birth dates around the break room, and I fade away.
Later, the liquor store clerk pity-frowns at my I.D. “Man,” he says, “bet your birthday sucks.” I got nothing to add, except at least I’m around to celebrate it.
From Guest Contributor Vera Duffy
Vera is a semi-retired Mexican wrestler living in Los Angeles. Her work has appeared in Puppet Terror magazine and the L.A. Alternative Press.
Jul
Career
by thegooddoctor in 100 Words
A holiday in Hawaii proved to be a great way to celebrate my ten years’ service with the company. In my absence, a new department head was appointed. The morning of my return, the boss walked in and introduced himself.
“Xavier Truex, your new department head. If you would like to resign now, I will give you a glowing reference. Sooner is better than later.”
“Why would I resign? I mean, I’ve just celebrated ten years’ highly rated service with the company.”
“My girlfriend is looking to change jobs. She has experience in this area.”
I feel the screws tightening.
From Guest Contributor Barry O’Farrell
Barry is an actor living in Brisbane, Australia. Barry’s stories also appear in Cyclamens & Swords, 50 Word Stories and of course here at A Story In 100 Words.
Jul
What We Might Deserve
by thegooddoctor in 100 Words
The snarling saw cuts off and the groaning fir drunk on gravity takes its first step. A full ocean is born in the soughing fall and over four centuries whumps the earth like a five-dollar moll on a sprung stained mattress. And you stand there, hands numb and belly tight and you wonder why something so old saves its final words for someone like you. Someone who knows the glass bite of gin straight from the bottle while slouched at the tilt kitchen table as rain plunks a pan on the floor near the hot squat stove in the corner.
From Guest Contributor Casey Hampton
Jul
Family Under Scrutiny
by thegooddoctor in 100 Words
Spectators looked on with intense intrigue as the judge examined articles placed before her.
“Mister Coroner,” she began. “Did you succeed in contacting the victim’s next of kin?”
The questioned man glanced nervously about him. “No, Your Honor. Records show her parents are deceased. A younger sister ran away from home six years ago. Hasn’t been seen since.”
“Have you tried her extended family?”
“I’m not aware of any members.”
I sat fidgeting in the back of the courtroom.
“Excuse me,” I said rising. “I knew the young victim.”
“Who are you?” the startled judge asked.
“I was her sister.”
From Guest Contributor Krystyna Fedosejevs
Krystyna writes poetry, fiction, and creative nonfiction. Her work has been published at: Nailpolish Stories, 50-Word Stories, 100 word story, 101 Words, Boston Literary Magazine, From the Depths (Haunted Waters Press), ShortbreadStories, and espresso stories.
Jul
Gone
by thegooddoctor in 100 Words
A little red toy truck rolled across the floor followed by quick scurrying steps. He picked up the truck, looking to the door, then to his grandmother, who was quietly waiting by the stairs. A light rapping on the door. The woman knew what this was.
Opening the door, quiet words were exchanged. Just as quickly, the door closed again.
The boy’s grandmother gave him a pat on the head and made her way up the stairs, unable to speak to him.
His eyes followed after her. He clutched the little red toy truck that much closer to his chest.
From Guest Contributor Nicole Rand