Short Stories and Stuff

Bits and pieces that do not fit anywhere else

Pentecost

It is hard to remember my life before Pentecost. There are specific things I remember well, like when I broke my nose playing jump rope, the D my third grade teacher gave me for cursive writing, and the merciless teasing we submitted my fourth grade...

Certifiable

An exercise using observation The sun shines brightly but the air is cold here on the terrace where all the tables are full.  The wait staff bustles quietly and the low hum of traffic in the background drowns out the voices from the other patrons....

Into the Past

As we enter the car, we prepare for a journey into a historical time.  As we travel our car changes into a buggy powered by two horses.  The streets are no longer paved and a path of packed dirt lies before us.  Many of the...

Remembering

An exercise conveying nostalgia. “Hello, Hello,” I say, impatiently, into the phone.  I hear cries and sobs.  I pull the phone away from my head to check the caller ID.  It’s my mom, my heart pounds and my breath quickens when I realize those heart-wrenching...

The Way Back Home

(This is an exercise in describing a location without actually telling the location) Still as a statute I stand gazing across the bay.  The ferry moves so slowly I can barely feel any motion at all. This moment is historical, at least to me. I...

Customer Service

Her naiveté is enticing.  She sees each day with new promise, never remembering yesterday’s problems.  Her face holds no guile.  Many of the customers come into the store because of her rather than any real need to purchase cellular products.  She gives a genuine smile...

Welcome to My World

A parody written for creative writing. Enjoy! Nicole Richie is right; there is an entire world out there I know nothing about.  At most, I can see the very bottom layer, but there is so much more there I can’t grasp; at least not comfortably or...

Aa, Bb, Cc, Dd …

This is a short story (up to 1500 words) for a creative writing class.  This is also the story I re-vamped for the previously posted screenplay Everybody Leaves.  I hope you enjoyed!   The tension is palpable in the car. You feel it deep within...

Everybody Leaves

  FADE IN: INT. CHURCH – DAY From congregation POV, the REV BURNS preaches a rousing message of hell fire and redemption. He is very active, kicking his leg out and punching his arm in the air for emphasize while shouting his message. REV BURNS...

Cut It Off

A true short story I wrote in creative writing back in 1989.   Cut It Off   The room was quiet as a classroom can be on a Wednesday afternoon.  The rustle of papers shuffling, feet tapping, and deep sighing were the only noises heard...

Poetic License

I found a collection of things I wrote during a college creative writing class in 1988 for various assignments. Here are some of the excerpts from the poetry exercises. OH GOD Cold, unfeeling words spoken Gut-rending agony Hot gushing tears Unending emptiness Through a haze...

Blue Eyes Smiling

She was such a small child, feisty and barely big enough to play in her walker. Yet, play she did. Bouncing up and down and making cute baby sounds. Huge cornflower blue eyes would crinkle up in smiles or brighten with shiny tears as the...

Meeting Mara

The Garland County Library’s Great Arkansas Read summer reading program hosted a viewing of Paradise Lost:  The Child Murders at Robin Hood Hills.  After the movie/documentary, Mara Leveritt, author of ‘Devil’s Knot’ spoke about the book, the Paradise Lost movies and the West Memphis Three...

Linda Edwards

Who Killed Linda Edwards?

Many of you have asked or heard about Toby’s mom. I started writing a fiction piece sometime ago based on his and her stories…..Feel free to leave any constructive criticism. You can view the actual facts of the case that he has on his site....

looking back

In Retrospect…

Looking back at the year 2011 clearly presents an argument for the old saying “hindsight is 20/20.” There were some things I wish I had reacted to differently and others that couldn’t have played out any better. It was a short year, of course, since...