Posts Tagged ‘Guest Contributor’
Jun
Stuffing Made Of Memories
by thegooddoctor in 100 Words
They sit on your bed, on a shelf, or maybe tucked away in a confined box collecting a musty smell. Once you cared for them and kept them neatly stacked up…but now they are forgotten and dusty all alone. They are full of memories of the smiles from old relatives who placed them in your arm. Or maybe the memory of wishing on their heart before their stuffing was sealed up, hoping it’d work like a charm. Think back to the stuffed animals that you held so closely as a child. Where are they now? What do they mean?
From Guest Contributor Madison Rutkowski
Madison is a student of literature and the sciences at Pikes Peak Community College.
Jun
Platero And I: Someone Wrote To Colonel
by thegooddoctor in 100 Words
The Colonel finally got mail, Platero. He has been waiting for this letter for such a long time: his daughter will finally visit him, after all those years. And he will meet the granddaughter he didn’t even know existed.
I remember that, after another violent argument with the Colonel, she ran away one night, carrying nothing more than the clothes she was wearing.
All searching was ultimately in vain.
I never told anyone this before, Platero, but I have sheltered her for over a week, until the search was given up.
Her as well as the fruit in her womb.
From Guest Contributor Hervé Suys
Hervé (°1968 – Ronse, Belgium) started writing short stories whilst recovering from a sports injury and he hasn’t stopped since. Generally he writes them hatless and barefooted.
Jun
As A River Runs Cold
by thegooddoctor in 100 Words
When the sun finally set that evening, it was as if someone was turning off a faucet. The water ran clear and cold, then stopped running altogether, leaving behind a long, jagged-edged stain on the pavement that slowly grew into a pool of blood on the street below, like a wound left open too long, growing wider.
Clouds pressed down hard against the earth while the sky darkened. The townspeople began dying in great numbers. The river never once turned red with the blood that flowed through its banks. Nothing could change the truth of who and what I’d become.
From Guest Contributor J. Iner Souster
Jun
If The World Stops While Having Coffee
by thegooddoctor in 100 Words
“I felt a lurch.”
“I think it’s stopped.”
“All that spinning. What did it come to?”
“To leave or not, that is the question.”
“What if we need oxygen? Have you any squirreled away?”
“I confess I don’t.”
“What do you think? Should we blow this pop stand?”
“I always loved that expression. Now we’re saying the world is a pop stand.”
“Is that a yes?”
“I’d like to finish my coffee first.”
“Remember loose change? I still have a quarter. How about heads, we leave?”
“Who carries oxygen?”
“Amazon, no doubt.”
“Go ahead. Flip it.”
“Here we go!”
“Maybe!”
From Guest Contributor Linda Lowe
Linda’s stories and poems have appeared in BOMBFIRE, The New Verse News, Microfiction Monday, Six Sentences, and others.
Jun
The Sweat Lodge
by thegooddoctor in 100 Words
The second hour of the sweat lodge was conducted in total silence and reflection, as was the first.
An elder finally spoke. “The path you are walking leads to darkness.”
Moonchild nodded.
“What am I to do, Bearpaw?”
“There are many paths that don’t lead to darkness. Cleanse your thoughts and ask the Great Spirit for guidance.”
More stones were brought in and doused with water and healing herbs.
“My child died in school, Bearpaw. Those responsible must pay.”
“I lost a grandchild as well, but your path leads to darkness and solves nothing. Keep searching, the answer will come.”
From Guest Contributor N.T. Franklin
NT Franklin has been published in Page and Spine, Fiction on the Web, 101 Words, Friday Flash Fiction, CafeLit, Madswirl, Postcard Shorts, 404 Words, Scarlet Leaf Review, Freedom Fiction, Burrst, Entropy, Alsina Publishing, Fifty-word stories, Dime Show Review, among others.
Jun
Two Hearts Beating
by thegooddoctor in 100 Words
I’m very excited to announce the winner of our Robots flash fiction contest is Two Hearts Beating by Marcelo Medone.
Thank you to everyone who submitted stories. It was definitely hard to pick a winner, and it was exciting to see a mix of stories from regular contributors and brand new authors.
If anyone has any suggestions for contest themes, please let me know in the comments or hit me up on Twitter
I led Lisa through the maze of underground corridors. We had no time to waste; the exterminator robots were on our trail.
“I’m exhausted,” Lisa told me, panting.
“We have to get to the vault. Only there we will be safe,” I replied, without letting go of her hand and moving even faster.
Suddenly, we ran into an automatic barrier, equipped with a heartbeat detector.
“CHECKING,” a voice yelled.
“TWO HUMANS, CORRECT,” it announced, after a few seconds.
The door opened for us.
Back in the vault, I gave my best artificial smile and was thankful that Lisa was pregnant.
From Guest Contributor Marcelo Medone
Marcelo (1961, Buenos Aires, Argentina) is a fiction writer, poet, essayist and screenwriter. His works have received numerous awards and have been published in magazines and books, individually or in anthologies, in multiple languages in more than 40 countries all over the world, including the US.
He has been nominated for the 2021 Pushcart Prize.
Facebook: Marcelo Medone / Instagram: @marcelomedone
Jun
The Swimmer Bot
by thegooddoctor in 100 Words
Robots Contest Submission:
“Granddad, were robots once different from people?”
“Oh, yes. I remember when they existed just to serve us. Swimmer bots used to deliver parcels to the islands, you know. I’d watch them through binoculars as they carried goods over in waterproof rucksacks. They swam freestyle. Fast. Never stopping. Apart from one time.
About a half-mile from shore, I saw one flip onto its back. It floated for a while and I just assumed it had malfunctioned. But then it started doing slow, languid backstrokes, gazing around, as if appreciating its surroundings.
Yes, it was around that day when everything changed.”
From Guest Contributor David Lowis
Jun
Mr. Robot
by thegooddoctor in 100 Words
Robots Contest Entry:
I wanted a new laptop for my seventeenth birthday, but my parents bought me a robot instead.
It’s not that bad, I call it Mr. Robot. I know, it’s not that creative, but the name is fitting for a machine, and it’s become a friend. I programmed Mr. Robot to speak and follow commands. Its square eyes and grey metal body are scary to look at, but hey, it does what I need it to do.
In fact, my parents didn’t consider that it is a computer and can give me the answers to my homework.
A win all around.
From Guest Contributor Lisa M. Scuderi-Burkimsher
Jun
Laundry Cleaning Model, Satisfaction Guaranteed
by thegooddoctor in 100 Words
Robots Contest Entry
Before the Robot Revolution, work meant something. My human’s child, Harold, played in the soft fabric that fed into my sorting compartment. One day, he gasped as his blanket disappeared within me. After that, he hid all his favorite clothes. It made the job harder, but finding his treasures added, not subtracted, to my routine. When the kill-all-humans command popped up in my downloads, I deleted it, but Harold and his mom never came home. These days, the dressers overflow, yet sometimes, I find an item, like his superhero underwear. I fold and then place it alone on his bed.
From Guest Contributor Frederick Charles Melancon
Frederick lives in Mississippi with his wife and daughter. More of his work can be found on Twitter.
Jun
In The Stir Of A Hand
by thegooddoctor in 100 Words
Robots Contest Entry
“Squeal! Crunch!”
“What’s that sound?” questioned Susan.
Tom ran into the kitchen to check. AngelCakes attempted to blend soup with the batter, including the tin can.
“Darn, instructions weren’t clear,” Tom fretted, making necessary adjustments.
With a replacement of ingredients, the smell of spicy tomato soup cake soon filled their house.
“Hmmm…crunchy!” Susan commented, spitting out bits of cake.
“Yuck!” Tom balked, taking a bite. “Should’ve written: Put egg into mixing bowl. Throw out shell.”
He made another note in the recipe.
“I’ll have our baking robot ready in time to make you a birthday cake, hon.”
Susan grimaced.
From Guest Contributor Krystyna Fedosejevs
Krystyna writes poetry, fiction, and creative nonfiction regardless of the season, although she prefers spring.