I'd been roaming the back streets of London's oldest neighborhood for the better part of the morning when I suddenly found myself nearing the end of a small cul-de-sac wedged between two ancient brownstone structures. Somewhat confused, I could not for the life of me recall entering this… Read full post »

This weeks fiction weekend prompt: 

Write a story that takes place in or involves somewhere you lived or knew well as a kid.  

It's funny in an abstract way, how we spend most of our lives thinking about the past. Although the title of my story seems to indicate… Read full post »

This is the story of Old Man Cook and Out on a Limb.

Every neighborhood has one. He's mean, and he's dangerous. Our neighborhood had “Old-Man Cook.” At the time, I was six or seven, so old-man Cook could have been anywhere between forty and eighty years… Read full post »

 This weeks prompt, was to write a story in which a character is missing all or part of a limb, or gets all or part of a limb removed.  I went with flash fiction this week.  100 words that's it.   

Saturday night live, Johnny Carson, the Apollo... Steve had pl… Read full post »

“Valentine’s day is so over rated!”

“Yeah, and over priced too!”

For the past hour, they'd been sitting two bar stools apart, mostly in silence.

“Do I need a special day to tell someone that I love them?”

“Yeah, like if by splurging on a dozen high pric… Read full post »

 This week’s prompt: A person receives a birthday card and a holiday card every year, but from whom? It is never signed and no matter where the receiver moves, these anonymous greetings follow.

I strayed a little from the above.  I hope you enjoy the story.

Melisa could wear a size… Read full post »

 This weeks Weekend Fiction prompt, write a short story about the following:

At work one day, a character finds something troubling in a coworker’s desk drawer. What is it, and what happens?

Lester always had a solution for her problems, that's why Jackie called him her personal 409. Jus… Read full post »

 This week's FW prompt comes from something that actually happened to [Alysa and her] boyfriend this past weekend: On a Metro ride home from the movies, [they] saw a man sitting near the door. He was fairly young - maybe in his late twenties or early thirties - and/… Read full post »

“Let me see if I've got this right, your boss.”

“He was my boss, I was fired today! He's an asshole, and I'm, going to get my revenge I promise.”

“Marylyn, you said yourself, you wanted to sleep with him, no matter what the consequences might be.… Read full post »

Big Tom (War what is it good for, absolutely nothing!)

“I'm telling you as it is, was, John-J. You got no idea unless you were there live, making a personal appearance so to say. I went on tour two times, first in 65' when things were just… Read full post »

 This week’s prompt:  A character enters an old house and finds something under the floorboards. What does he/she find, and what happens next?  I have strayed somewhat from the above, but hope you enjoy my thoughts for this week.

Between the cracks

Have you ever lost something… Read full post »

Natures force had been coughing and spitting rain at my broken window and surrounding loose shutters for more than an hour now. The storm had suddenly changed although, and was now throbbing in an irregular fashion having taken on a life and heartbeat of its own. As the… Read full post »

Smitty carried many distinctions among the 45^th st. regulars. He was by far the youngest, which also meant he had the most hair. He'd also spent the most time locked up! Although, in all fairness, he'd only spent one night in an actual jail. The rest of… Read full post »

Websters definition:

Door (dôr) n. 1. a barrier that swings on hinges or slides for opening or closing a passageway. 2, any means of access, entrance, or exit.

Recently while on vacation in the south of France, I could not help but notice the elegance and… Read full post »

Most people fall into a bad habit; I, on the other hand, intend to walk into one. Literally!

I've seen the inside of almost every kind of bar, beer joint and honky-tonk throughout the south. Or at least thought I had seen them all.

Over the… Read full post »

A CHANGE OF WALL-PAPER

     Victor Hägen woke early, as he did every morning. Still dark outside, the only light penetrating his room from beyond the tattered curtains was a flickering street light one level below. This part of town had been dissolute for many years… Read full post »

“And there's the start! Green Velvet is out of the box first, followed by Thor, then Oakland-Runner with Egyptian Queen in fourth.

It's Green Velvet in the lead by a length. Look at that horse run! Thor is still in second, with Oakland-Runner closing in fast.… Read full post »

 This weeks Wednesday Friction prompt, was to write a story with someone crying, and someone telling a Joke!  I hope you enjoy.

Three strikes and you're out!

“Any idea why she's crying?”

“Not the slightest!”

In her mid thirties, brown hair, brown eyes, jeans, blo… Read full post »

I'd been wedged into my corner booth for the last three hours. This was home, the place I felt more comfort than discomfort. We all have our special place, someplace we enjoy by ourselves, just as much as we do sharing it with others. My special place is… Read full post »

From last weeks post,
 

Big Tom reached into his pocket and retrieved the sealed envelope. He purposely looked each one of us straight in the eye, ending with me. His arm swung out, the sealed testament in his hand. He repeated the words he'd said earlier. “Read… Read full post »

My name is John-J, and although I'm the one telling these stories, they're not exclusively about me. They are about the regulars at the 45^th St. Cafe. We all have our own sagas, comedies and yes tragedies to tell. Stories that are tucked away in our past./… Read full post »

Rob the larger man had ordered a Bud Lite, while the older and much smaller Mr. Skinner had a malt whiskey sitting in front of him. This dimly lit lounge had few regulars. This was precisely the reason it had been picked for their meeting place… Read full post »

Quack, Quack!

Detective Jostline went over every piece of evidence again. He reviewed all the investigation statements, re-visited each of the murder scenes. Nothing fit! There were so many puzzle pieces, yet no two pieces seemed to connect.

At least he had a potential witness… Read full post »

“Guilty on all counts your honor.”

In a dark bar, two men were fighting over a woman. A shinny knife slashes, but misses, his opponents dull, blunt bullet didn’t! A dozen witnesses are questioned, then released. Police take the winner to jail, the coroner gets the… Read full post »

       I've been working at the hospital for over twenty years and have rarely seen a patient in such terrible condition.   A family of four on their way to the beach had been struck from behind by a large moving van. The parents in the front seat had… Read full post »