Hello, Nice Lady

by Nick di Carlo

Folks tell me you take in strays — one-eyed cat, three-legged dog, baby squirrel. So, when I see you leave the park, I follow. Struggle to keep up. Ain’t no spring chicken no more. And the limp’s real.

At last — reaching your back door, I drop onto your stoop.

Woof?

Meeeoooow?

━━━━⊱༒︎ • ༒︎⊰━━━━
Nick Di Carlo, erstwhile poet and inveterate story writer, has been knocking about this planet for seven decades and a bit. He’s taught writing and literature in universities on east and west coasts, in prisons and wilderness areas. Read his work in Muleskinner Journal, Flash Fiction Magazine, Guilty Crime Story.

 

The Near-Perfect Timeline

by T.A. Young

When Heinrich did not die at the apex of his actuarial bell curve, he felt intense relief; blessed. He loved his world as he never had; he felt the breeze as he sat on his deck overlooking the mountains; he squeezed the hand of his spouse for one sublime second.

━━━━⊱༒︎ • ༒︎⊰━━━━
T.A. Young is an author and a poet who lives and writes in New York City. He likes nothing better than to be mistaken for one of his fictional characters. His books can be found HERE.

Credit: This story was first published in 50 Words Magazine in 2018.

 

Flagstaff Incognito

by Clyde Liffey

My foppish dress and effete manner are only a disguise, he assured her soon after they met. I’ve crossed the Mafia, major gangs including MS-13, even the NYPD.

She liked his hands.

After thirty years of marriage, he died in their bed. He never suspected that she didn’t believe him.

━━━━⊱༒︎ • ༒︎⊰━━━━
Clyde Liffey lives near the water.

Shades

by Nick Young

Cool? Ha! You think you're cool? You've got nothin' on me, man. Whether chillin' at the beach or cruisin' with the top dropped, he's got me down and wrapped, you dig? No sun? No sweat. I'm ridin' high on his head. Top o' the world, the coolest of the cool.

━━━━⊱༒︎ • ༒︎⊰━━━━
Nick Young is a retired award-winning CBS News Correspondent. His writing has appeared in dozens of reviews, journals and anthologies. His first novel, "Deadline," was published in 2023. He can be found on Bluesky @youngnick.bsky.social. He lives outside Chicago.

 

25 Words or Less

by R.K. West

These were written in response to a challenge to tell a story in 25 words or less.

For Better or - What?
Belching at the dinner table. Shoes on the bedspread. Weird bathroom noises. Really, really dirty laundry. Newlywed Laura began to rethink marriage.

SWAK
I sent you a thousand love letters but they all came back marked "postage due".

It Sounded Like Fun
He thought sexual variety meant another girl. She thought it meant another location. Boy, were they surprised.

━━━━⊱༒︎ • ༒︎⊰━━━━
R.K. West is a former ESL teacher and travel blogger, currently living in the Pacific Northwest and posting on Bluesky at @ithinkiwrite.bluesky.social.