She stepped out of the car and filled her lungs with fresh, country air. They expanded gratefully as her eyes took in the little white house framed by an endless sky. She was home, at long last, and she felt her body relax under the Iowa sky. Her Mama would be inside doing the requisiteContinue reading “Coming Home”
Tag Archives: short story
The Shop
“No one comes in here,” he shook his head sadly, “People can’t afford quality goods anymore and I can’t afford to lower my prices. I’ll be forced to close soon.” He took a dirty rag from his pocket and swiped it quickly across his face but he was a little too late. Amy had alreadyContinue reading “The Shop”
For the First Time
I saw you clearly for the first time on the day of your mother’s funeral. I mean, maybe it’s unfair to judge a person on their worst, most horrible day but how could I ever forget the horror of finding you in the kitchen with the funeral directors apprentice bent over a chair. We wereContinue reading “For the First Time”
The Heartbreak
She stood alone on the sidewalk, her broken heart too feeble to beat properly, too shattered to function… His words had hit her like a punch to the gut and when he walked away, her shredded ego followed him in a bloody trail. Why couldn’t she have needed him less? Why did she have toContinue reading “The Heartbreak”
You Should Be Here
Today of all days… You should be here. If I’m being honest, I never expected you wouldn’t be… I hadn’t planned for this eventuality. I’m trying to enjoy myself. There’s music and dancing, family and friends… And our girl. You would have been so proud of her choices, her bravery. She would have loved toContinue reading “You Should Be Here”
The Imprisoned
The bull spent his lonely days in his pasture bordering a quiet country road. His heart longed to be free, but at every turn were clear boundaries. The memory of each one was burned into his flesh. There was no escape. Stray too far afield and… Pain. When he saw her then, walking along outsideContinue reading “The Imprisoned”
Pills
The pills clouded her brain but then so did the illness on its worst days. She sighed and tried to resolve herself to a life of feeling tired. She was too exhausted to go out, too exhausted to work, too exhausted to have fun. When she dared to look in the mirror, a tired lookingContinue reading “Pills”
The Decision
He screamed down at me, though tears of rage and jealously, “I thought you loved me!” Numbly I looked around the room through my swollen eyes. I took in its abysmal state… The things he had broken, my blood on the counter where he had smashed my face, my grandmother’s watch, irreplaceable and now brokenContinue reading “The Decision”
The Waiting
I’ve waited for you… All the long days you’ve been gone but in my dreams we’re still running. Together we leave the little house, emerging into the early morning air. Together we run though the grassy marshes, trot easily along the boardwalk with it’s mouth watering scents and meander the beach, the delicious cool salineContinue reading “The Waiting”
The Way You Look at Me
I tried not to look at you. I really did. I knew somehow the force of your wrath would burn my retinas… But it was like trying not to look at the storm raging outside your window… I had to take a peek. As expected, your glare was a force to behold. I felt itContinue reading “The Way You Look at Me”