Tag: short-stories
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Wrong Place, Wrong Time
🚨 Locked out. Soaking wet. Wearing a towel. 👍 Jack Stevens just wanted his water bottle. 👎 Instead, he sparked a showdown with clinic security, crashed a wine gala, and accidentally became a performance artist. Sometimes a bad day isn’t a disaster — it’s a spotlight. “Wrong Place, Wrong Time.” A story about being ignored,…
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The Collector
When an aging coin collector discovers a strange coin outside a small-town store, he has no idea what secrets it holds. A quiet moment becomes the start of something far more unusual in this atmospheric tale of mystery and memory.
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🚨 Book Launch Alert! 🚨
I’m thrilled to share that my new book, Stories, Anecdotes, and Real Life, is now live on Amazon through Kindle Direct Publishing (KDP)! 🎉📚 This collection brings together heartfelt stories, personal experiences, and reflections that speak to everyday life — the funny, the meaningful, and the unexpectedly profound moments we all share. Publishing through KDP…
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The Funeral of Nickolas Gather
“How would you describe Nick Gather?” Father John Jacobs, a Catholic priest stood in front of the pulpit in the viewing room, the guests, visitors, and family far exceeding the room’s maximum capacity. It was warm for the second day in May in Missouri. The central air conditioner unit barely kept the room cool enough…
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Cham Shows Up
“Brrr!” Sandy exclaimed, voice quivering. Rubbing her arms vigorously, she did her best, chasing goosebumps erupting like tiny mountains on her pale white arms. Skin-to-skin friction didn’t seem to help much. “What, brrr, Sandy?” Trent asked, lowering his sunglasses just enough to peer at his girlfriend. His expression of concern and amusement flickered across his…
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Snoring at Sysoden Data
“He’s snoring,” Jared complained. “Like loud snoring.” “Wait,” Kent asked. “Don’t the two of you share an office?” “What of it? It’s not like he gives a crap about the job. It’s almost as if he’s hoping they fire him. Can’t figure it out to save my life.” “What do you guys do over there…
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Andrews New Club – ’87
(A segment of Bullets and Frozen Bananas) Yawning, Cami stretched and rolled over, kissing me, welcoming me into her world. I was working on drinking my second cup of coffee, so I offered to get her one. Rubbing the sleep out of her eyes, she smiled. “That would be amazing.” We met a few weeks…
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The Fire at Shady Grove
Genny had oversized p.j.’s with yellow smiley faces plastered everywhere and black thongs on her feet, her long brown hair piled loosely on her head held in place with a Spongebob pencil she snatched from Isabell’s nightstand. Ten years ago, a car accident put Genny in the hospital with no recollection of who she was…
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Invisible
Having zero expectations? That’s super easy being invisible. No one expects anything from you, plus you don’t have to worry about what you do or if it’s right or wrong. You fill up space in just the right way. There is no perfect occasion to wear an appropriate outfit. Jeans? Sure. Leggings? Absolutely. Unfortunate shorts,…
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Tabitha’s School Board Fundraiser
Marcus didn’t drink, preferring to keep his wits instead of losing control like his college friends used to. Rare occasions found him sipping a glass of Pinot Noir after learning red wine neutralizes garlic’s acidity, the reason he had heartburn after ingesting any alfredo dish. Fettuccini alfredo with white clam sauce was served at Tabitha’s…
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Upsetting A Small Town
She didn’t like the attention. Nor did she like how the other girls looked at her, staring at her new eyebrow piercing. Amber Hubbard was the first girl at Fairchild High School in the small town of Macon to have it done. So many questions. And so much unwanted attention from all the girls, from…
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Kathy Tells It All
Floyd sat and listened. For the first time in his life, he was silent, hanging on every word. Kathy talked about the EPA and Jim’s cattle ranch, talking about some kind of contamination in the water. And if they didn’t catch it fast enough? It would taint over a million acres of farmland, cattle ranches,…
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Moloski Returns to Plastics
After parking the Lexus in a secured parking garage close to the Burnside Bridge, both men got out. A few minutes later, they were at the spot where Jim Barton met Gerald Moloski. Sitting between two homeless men, Gerald passed his bottle. On Gerald’s left sat Miguel, and Edward on his left. Miguel had Parkinson’s…
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Check-In with Floyd
“You know somethin’ Jim,” Doc said, rolling down his window halfway, “the ladies is right. Somethin’ ain’t right ‘bout Floyd not being in the diner for a week. I sure hope we ain’t goin’ to find him holed up inside the house, windows locked tight, shotgun in hand, ready to shoot whoever decides to come…
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Janice’s Pancakes
Waking up early was never a problem for Floyd. He’d been waking up before 4 A.M. since he was twenty. He greeted the morning with a cup of black coffee, stopping chores just long enough to appreciate the simplicity of his life. Work. Eat. Sleep. Nothing complicated about it. Doc asked him at Janice’s Diner…
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U.S. Bankcorp Tower
“Growing up in a small town farming community? It gives you a different outlook on life, family, hell, everything.” “Save it, Penrose. This ain’t Iowa, and it ain’t Middle America. And you, kid? You got mail to deliver, son.” James Penrose worked in a mid-level business office for one of the many Fortune 500 companies…
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The Harrow Club (cont.)
Six minutes later . . . “Good afternoon, Mr. Barton.” “Good afternoon, Jasper.” “Right this way, sir.” Jasper led him through the dining room, seating him very close to James Penrose and two other business partners. Jim didn’t recognize the other two men. Based on their attire, he assumed they were angel investors looking to…
