Laying the microphone down the stage, feedback reverberated through the sound system, making the audience cringe. “I want to be whole again,” the egg-shaped man replied. “What’s your name?” the mysterious magician asked. “Humpty.” “Sir, you have a crack through your shell. And,” he wandered around the man, “it goes all way round, does it…

His hair was dirty from sleeping in the local park, still matted with leaves, twigs, and dirt. The downpour refreshed the homeless man, a smile creeping across his toothless mouth. Holding both hands out, palms upward, he threw his head back, laughing. Onlookers stared, wondering where his joy came from. “Mister,” the young girl asked,…

Smiling and hugging, the two men greeted each other like long-lost friends who’d not seen each other for years. Thirty years. That was the last time they talked face to face. Several life changes happened to each of them. One tragically lost his best friend to a massive stroke, and the other lost his son…

100-word story. Enjoy!

Standing behind the curtain, he held his blanket in his left hand, his right thumb stuck in his mouth, sucking away. Two silhouettes, one shorter than the other, stood in the shadows whispering, believing he was in bed. What they said, the young boy did not know, but it sounded – sad. Doing his best…

To start with, this guy. I don’t even know how to describe him because to do so, at least in this day and age of everyone being offended about every little thing means to accurately describe him, would take some doing. Let’s start with his stylish clothing. He was dressed to the nines, almost like…

Rocking in the gliding chair made him think about the time before kindness left the world. “Do you remember what it was like? I mean, before hatred came on stronger than love? When did love become an outlawed emotion?”                “Sid, you’ve been sitting in the same chair, rocking in the same way, before I…

He stood on the other side of the bar, mixing a drink for one of the other patrons sitting beside me. “How’s your night going,” he asked, rubbing a lemon wedge over the rim of the glass. On the left side of his t-shirt was a surf logo, one I didn’t recognize. The back of…

“No finesse whatsoever. Park wherever you want to, huh? Is that how you think driving works?” Their windows were rolled down, so you heard every word he spat at her. His hat was on backward, the brim touching his neck. Several tattoos were visible on his face, a few on both arms, and, as expected,…

Suzie slid into the booth, catching her dress on the edge of her heel. The fabric tore before she freed it from her heel. “Crap!” The hole wasn’t all that big, nor was it noticeable, except to her. The black dress matched the rest of her outfit, and the spot was nothing more than an…

“You sure we aren’t going to get into trouble, Josh? I mean, nothing about this seems okay.” Both boys were straddling their bikes, the toes of their tennis shoes touching the ground. Neither boy realized how far they rode. It was almost six miles to their houses. Josh and Will lived across the street from…

She was working behind the counter at one of the local coffee shops. Ice blue hair, a steel ring through both sides of her lip, several piercings through her ears, and one in her nose with the halfway-shaved head, looking a little like Gary Oldman in The Fifth Element. There were a few visible tattoos,…

Everyone thinks living in California is a glamorous experience, which can be true depending on where you live. But, believe it or not, in October, California gets cold, like other states. October of 1985 was a bit warmer than previous years, the high being in the upper sixties, quite a nice change from the norm.…

Is it just me, or does that question bug you, too? It’s as if people expect some level of success that measures up to what they do, doesn’t it? And no matter what you do, someone else is doing what you can better or working just a little more than you, so it appears you…

A new school. That’s not what I expected or wanted to happen at age seven. Moving? There’s no good way to articulate it. It sucks. Plain and simple. Moving bites. But if you are a kid and your parents tell you, “Guess what, kiddo? We’re moving 800 miles away from Washington.” Whohoo! 800 miles? It…