I SAT HUDDLED beneath a blanket in the cockpit of a small sailboat with a single mast. It was tethered to a bustling pier used primarily by large working vessels on a puny stopover port of an island. Around dusk the night prior, a sturdy passenger ship called The Maribel had sunk in a violent … Continue reading Mermaid Purses
I occasionally free write fiction when I have the urge to write but also have a mental/creative block that prevents me from getting any further on my current projects. Below is a free write that began as a random character pair up of a strong man/enforcer and a college student/barista in a place where their … Continue reading Free Writing – April 2021
In the garden center of a home improvement store, two young women browsed an assortment of fruit trees. One stopped to pick up a quaint banana tree in a black grower’s pot. “Another tree?” Her brunette friend laughed. “Dude, soon you’re gonna have a whole grove.” The woman with the tree shrugged. “Growing herbs and … Continue reading Arbor Dog
Rory Moss reached the high point in the wooded mountain trail, winded from covering 5km of uneven terrain in record time, however he hardly noticed the weight of the pack on his back or burn in his legs as he glared ahead at a group of five hikers, four of whom were armed and wore … Continue reading Along the Trail
The End Note: I was doodling in my sketchpad today just for practice and the above sequence happened. It took maybe a hour (maybe) from start to finish --- from pencil doodles, to stupidly laughing at self (because it's probably not all that funny, but I found it hilarious), and then pouncing on my art … Continue reading Minced Words!
Prologue PRINTED ALONG subtle edges of certain food packages are dates. Some dates advise sellers, others advise consumers. The most important dates are determined and issued by The National Public Health Authority in conjunction with The Secret Department for Interdimensional Research and Defense, a government agency partly funded by the Expired Perishables Council, in effort … Continue reading Milk Carton Universe
Flanked by two hardback wheeled suitcases at either ankle, Gaston waited on the curb, watching the families from the surrounding low income area enjoy the sunbathed park across the narrow street. Behind him loomed an aged apartment complex---a concrete eyesore---which had been his home for the past ten years while he worked, attended university, and … Continue reading First Day of Summer
Two nights before Halloween I went with my sister and her kids to a pumpkin patch hosted by a local high school softball team. After browsing a color-coded fruit labyrinth, we each chose one and returned to my sister's house where we sat in the driveway, listening to Michael Jackson's "Thriller," and carved. My pumpkin … Continue reading The Late Mr. Pumpkin
Among a sparse but sprawling bed of wispy cirrus clouds, a pair of sky people attended a power box protruding from a bulbous grey tuft of water vapor. One wore a toolbelt and unfastened the box's door; the other stood behind him, scribbling on a clipboard. Both wore blazing white uniforms of pressed collared shirts … Continue reading The Other Side of the Clouds
Oh man, I am so far behind on PagesOfFiction's prompts (It's December already?!!). Recently I've been working on short story gifts to family, and then was somehow distracted by my paranormal private investigator series, and by Villainy. But, on to the remainder of this past month's prompts. The Last Ones! Write about the autumn leaves. … Continue reading The Last Prompts from November
Duri Rolvsson 