I am grateful to the editor, Sammi Cox, of Whispers and Echoes for publishing this story, “Rights”.
Category: Prose
Short prose
Elastic Truth – Six Sentence Story
“We engage them with intimidation and bait them with lies to trip them up and trap them in emotional and costly accusations.”
“That sounds, however, like something they could avoid.”
“Some of them can, but we have successfully undermined – made elastic – the ethical foundations of others so much so that we are able to keep a significant part of their population fearful and gullible about anything their media gives us the opportunities to tell them.”
“What backup is there if this doesn’t work?”
“As backup we have compromised key politicians, officials and professional leadership who can be blackmailed if need be to act in our interests and we’ve manipulated their radicalized stooges to foment social unrest – and, don’t forget, our scientists have now proven that they can engineer targeted and deadly viruses.”
“So, if what you’re telling me is true, as long as they keep shooting themselves in the foot, we have a chance to get our hands around their throats.”
Linked to Six Sentence Story where Denise offers the prompt word “elastic” which must appear somewhere in a story of only six sentences.
Kettle – Six Sentence Story
George and his wife escaped from their burning apartment. Local politicians, some of whom he voted for, and reporters, labeled the rioting a peaceful protest, but he couldn’t see anything peaceful about the looting of his small store while the police were told to stand down. It would take years for them to recover from this toxic self-righteousness.
Standing apart from the rioters in an alley George tried to identify the mistakes they made that led to their decision to settle in this city three decades ago. He couldn’t think of anything fundamentally wrong with their decisions. He might still be wondering how they could have done things differently were it not for a large kettle containing fluids that exploded, scalding him and his wife, bringing them to their knees and then laying them on the ground.
Linked to Six Sentence Stories where Denise offers the word “kettle” to use in a story having six sentences.
Songs One Can’t Forget – Flash Fiction
“I hope the kids don’t remember that song you used to sing to them about the bird and the word.”
“I didn’t sing it for long. When they got older, I pretended to be the voice of their doll, Sweetie Baby.”
“You know, we still have that doll in case they ever want it.”
“It’s good to keep stuff like that. Actually some of those old songs aren’t any goofier than the ones they sing today. No wonder we’re all messed up.”
“At least the grand kids don’t know the song.”
“Unfortunately I sang it to them as well.”
Linked to Carrot Ranch’s September 10th Flash Fiction Challenge. Charli Mills offers the prompt to use something heard on the radio now or in the past.
Gallery – A Six Sentence Story
“All those tiny people in the gallery don’t know it but they’re at the center of the universe,” Mark asserted.
George protested, “The universe doesn’t have a center.”
And so the claims and counter-claims of George and Mark came and went, often nowhere. Where would one want them to go? Should they flutter to the whatchamacallit radio source at Sagittarius A*?
“And,” Mark continued, “if those tiny people in the gallery are at the center of the universe they’re right smack dab where they ought to be.”
Linked to Six Sentence Story where Denise offers the challenge word “gallery”.
High Winds – Flash Fiction
The only high winds were Windy, the wolf, so Straw, the pig, built a house of straw. Brick overbuilt with bricks. Stick used what was lying around, sticks. Both annoyed Straw. “It’s not fair!” Straw complained to Windy. He wanted all three houses.
Windy went to Stick’s home and blew it down. Chomp! He ate Stick. Then he went to Brick’s home. Brick gave Straw a key. Straw lent it to Windy. Chomp!
When Windy returned Straw squealed, “Perfect!” Windy, mind-blown as ever, thought: yummy. Chomp! He (gasp!) ate Straw.
Moral: Some high winds can take your breath away.
Linked to Carrot Ranch’s September 3rd Flash Fiction Challenge where Charli Mills offers the theme of “high winds” for these 99-word stories.
Lemon Queens – Flash Fiction
They call themselves the Lemon Queens, bitter as a lemon and twice as nasty. Don’t get me wrong. I love lemons. I even eat the rind. But those two with their cursing, spitting and hostility give lemons a bad name.
I have no intention of kneeling to these queens to pacify them. That’s just what they want. That’s just what they’re not going to get.
We arrested them last night. They hurled a trash can through a store window. Their lawyer insisted they were peaceful protesters. Then someone bailed them out. Now someone will have to arrest them again.
Linked to Carrot Ranch’s August 27 Flash Fiction Challenge where Charli Mills offers the theme of “Lemon Queens” for these 99-word stories.
Bend – A Six Sentence Story
We didn’t care that Jim was short on brains. We all liked him.
However, a few weeks ago he must have taken the wrong turn at a bend in some alley. He stopped clubbing and fooling around with us when we chased stuff that didn’t want to be chased. He even refused to help us tip dumpsters.
We couldn’t figure out what was wrong with him, but we all knew he was a certified idiot when he finally told us that he had smartened up.
Linked to the Six Sentence Story challenge at GirlieOnTheEdge where Denise offers the prompt word “bend”.
Station
I was at my station on Tower 5 overlooking Green Plains. We hadn’t seen a dragon in two months nor did we expect an attack from that side and since we were short of technicians they left me to guard the position alone.
When the sensors picked up the heads of more than fifty approaching, I confirmed the attack and fired the missiles which scrambled the jets. There was nothing left for me to do except wait sitting on the S10 as a last defense.
I can still hear the screeching of those who made it past our defenses. I didn’t expect to survive, especially when the tower dropped, but I hoped at least when I joined my family our city would.
Linked to GirlieOnTheEdge’s Six Sentence Story with the prompt word being “station”.
First Flight
The interviewer wanted to know whether Bird was scared when he jumped out of the nest for the first time.
Bird said, “Technically I didn’t ‘jump’. I flew. My wings moved. Soon the nest was far below me. I don’t know how it happened. It’s not like jumping. There’s a difference.”
The interviewer wondered, “Really? What’s the difference?”
He clarified, “You see, any monkey can jump out of a nest. You know as well as I do what will happen. I’m not going to go there. But birds, well – how do I put this? We don’t jump. We fly.”
Linked to Carrot Ranch August 13 Flash Fiction Challenge where Charli Mills offers the theme of “first flight” for these 99-word stories.
Poetry, Short Prose and Walking 