Gran never left the house. Which is why Jacqueline climbed the rickety front porch and batted cobwebs as she made her way towards the front door. While most of the neighborhood was attempting to make cotton look like a realistic web, her grandmother had the real thing. Wind gusted momentarily, and a low branch whined as it swayed. A spider scuttled across a grimy window, and shuddering, Jacqueline used her shoulder to heave the door open. It sprang to life,…
It was too late. Liz hesitated in the doorway for a beat too long before returning the way she’d come. Of course, Joe spotted her, excusing himself from whatever woman he was fawning over. Liz slipped into the bathroom while he begged her to wait a minute. She ignored him and hurried towards a mirror to touch up her perfectly applied lipstick. “Come on, Liz, let me explain.” It was Joe, voice pleading as he pounded on the door. Well,…
Dear Reader, Today I’m diverging from the path of flash fiction to talk about National Novel Writing Month. Many writers used to join NaNoWriMo for this occasion, but they’ve closed up shop for a variety of reasons. I know that as a long-time participant and former ML with NaNo, I felt an odd sense of emptiness last year without the typical chaos of cheering others on while simultaneously attempting to hash out my story. I missed hearing about what others…
Jack wouldn’t tell anyone about this. Not because he didn’t love the tradition, but because he suspected others would mock him. He appreciated the effort his father made, getting up early to make a special breakfast, and his insistence on taking photos. Sure it was sappy, but after losing Mom a few years back, Jack knew Dad wanted to commemorate big life events as she had. And he’d patiently indulged his father over the years, from photos with Santa to Easter…