When I hold her in my arms it’s like magic. She coos quietly in my ear as I put her to my shoulder. Her head is just the right size to fit in my hand. Her body so small it barely seems to weigh anything at all. Immediately, I’m thankful for her. I can’t help but think about how lucky I am every day. Today especially because of the way the sunlight shines soft and golden as it starts to sink in the sky and the way the wind brushes my arms. It is the perfect day for a picnic in the park with the family. [Read more…] about A Few Minutes (Flash Fiction Challenge)
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Book Review: Never Let Me Go by Kazuo Ishiguro
Never Let Me Go takes place in an imagined dystopian past. The story is told by a character named Kath. When the book begins, Kath is in her early thirties and has been working as what she refers to as a carer. She is looking back at her past as she prepares to make the transition from being a carer to being a donor. These words are all used in the beginning without the reader knowing exactly what they mean. I appreciate that the author was willing to trust the readers and not over explain. [Read more…] about Book Review: Never Let Me Go by Kazuo Ishiguro
Faith to Move Mountains (Flash Fiction Challenge)
Her dark eyes mesmerized me. The hypnotic movement of her head drew me in. She seemed to have power over us all, but the others managed to resist her. Their fear was stronger than their faith.
My whole life was built on faith. When I came kicking and screaming out of my mother it was a miracle. The doctors thought I was dead before I ever took my first breath. I wasn’t dead; I was still because I was praying. Before I could utter a word, I understood the importance of communicating with my maker. [Read more…] about Faith to Move Mountains (Flash Fiction Challenge)
The Fox Man Visits (Flash Fiction Challenge)
It was 10 in the morning, and I’d slept in because I didn’t have anywhere else to go, not since getting fired two weeks ago. The manager said that I came in late one too many times, but he didn’t seem to understand that I had my reasons.
“We can all make excuses, Scout.” That’s not my name. His calls everybody that. My name is Jen. Anyway, he said, “We all make excuses, Scout. It’s the people who rise above those excuses that become a success.” He said that like I dreamed all my life of being the best cashier I could possibly be in this terrible store. I wasn’t even sure if I was going to get paid from week to week. How does he have the nerve to lecture me about being a success when he’s going out of business? [Read more…] about The Fox Man Visits (Flash Fiction Challenge)
From the Underworld (Flash Fiction Challenge)
Lucille closed her eyes and started counting back for from 100. This was what they told her to do. She sat perfectly still and listened as they shuffled around the room, searching for something without saying a word.
They had ambushed her when she was coming from the bathroom. It all happened so quickly that she couldn’t say how many there were, only that she should’ve have known they were in her apartment from the start. She could smell them when she came home from work, the scent of soil just after a downpour. They hid behind doors and in closets waiting for the right moment. [Read more…] about From the Underworld (Flash Fiction Challenge)