Short Fiction

There is a life, and a way of life, that few understand -- but for those few, the horizon is endless, and the present full of riches ...

Maybe Norm should factor in the cost of fleeing the country as well ...

The trick is to know when enough is enough -- and then have the sense to stop...

There wasn't so much wrong with Annie -- she was just a little different ... maybe she was a bit smarter than most, and could find her own solutions ...

Does it mean that we don't have to bother trying to go to work any more? The date is coming up in less than two weeks, so there's just enough time to empty the savings and visit the Caribbean, right? Or should you invest your capital and prepare to sell garments that say, "The End of the World Came and All I Got Was this Dopey T-shirt"?

No matter how many hours you've spent chatting, emailing, posting ... there is one point that looms terrifyingly in the future ...

Heaven is full of joy, Hell is full of the opposite, but what do you call it when you feel nothing?

It was about this time of year that Uncle Edgar stopped by with one of the stories that led to the publication of "The Memoirs of Edgar McCassar." Maybe Edgar was prone to the sampling of his father's still as a child ...

Even though you know it's coming, nothing can prepare you for that sudden great loss ...

An atheist will tell you that there isn't any such thing as "Pearly Gates" -- so why be wary of what's on the other side of any door?

Five different stories, one constant in all of them -- a mystery that begs to be solved ... will the memories come clear enough for justice to be served?

The economy is iffy, and people have forgotten that there is only so much money to go around. Maybe it is high time we all looked at our gardens differently...

Here's a story about a dark and stormy night, about a lesson to be learned, about what you have in your hands even now ...

<p>Pete Armetta is a writer of Flash Fiction, Poetry, Short Stories and Essays. With a style that's been called accessible and broad, unpredictable and matter-of-fact, Pete is a genuine, self-taught outsider. His stories and poetry fend off conventionality and he's never easy to pigeonhole. <p>He doesn't wanna be.

Conclusion. "...she finds it puzzling when people think she is demanding; she never asks anyone for anything" -- except ...

Now he knows how the Native Americans felt when the ships began to land on their quiet, perfect beaches ...

Everyone has secret places in their souls, and everyone understands that that they do. What many don't perceive, however, is how deep those secrets can run ...

A professor of English and pedagogy, Salma Ruth is a second generation American with an interest in the literature and linguistics of immigrants. She loves her sweet and thoughtful children, traveling abroad, passionate readers and writers, the theater of complex and interesting playwrights, the music of good listeners.

Contrition, Confession, Penance ... just old-fashioned words from an old-fashioned religion -- not real words for real people. Or are they?

Robert A. Vella is a former computer programmer/analyst who is now pursuing his lifelong passion for writing and storytelling. Science fiction is his primary focus, but he also writes non-fiction essays on political, cultural, historical, and environmental issues. As a product of the idealistic and tumultuous Sixties, his work generally expresses themes of progressivism and secular morality.

From the bottom, a dozen miles seems like a thousand, and the time it takes to traverse them an eternity ... does that mean you shouldn't even bother with the first step?

There was a time of brightness, of music, of romance, the sounds of life and happiness ... and now?

Come visit the idyllic island of Boca Loca, where the natives are friendly, the weather is sublime ... and the seafood is to die for ...

Life as June Cleaver or a "challenging career with top employers"? Susan Abernathy is a typical modern woman: 4 year degree, three kids, and too many options -- none of which are exactly what she's looking for. A strange epiphany in the waiting room of a temp agency helps her find her way to happiness.

Tomatoes for the summer, potatoes for the winter ... the neighbors may laugh now, but the financial crisis is peeking over the horizon, and Mary Lou sees a lot less of it behind the hedge of her plants.

When the creatures get to this stage, they definitely no longer pose a threat to humans ... and safety is what we want, right?

What happens at Wild Pony Ranch is almost magical at times ... and yet that kind of magic is accessible in many places, as long as people are willing to reach deeply within ...

An alien invader shows up on the doorstep in time for a cup of tea. The battle to comprehend one another is arduous, the prize as fleeting as any other moment.

Water and air are separate environments -- unless some creature is willing to brave the surface tension between them ...

As time wears on, some of the painful broken edges wear down, until something interesting can slide into a heart ...