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Submitted to Contest #223
Teddy sat in the university auditorium with his study partner, Suman. They were psyched. Two weeks of studying together for this biology exam made them well prepared. They expected perfect scores. After all they were both ace students. Suman’s parents were both revered academics in India who had been educated in Canada at the university of Toronto and Suman was following in their footsteps. He had always been the top of his class in India and since his arrival in Toronto stood first or second in his class. His competition was Teddy. It seeme...
Submitted to Contest #222
He glided through the hospital hallway as if he was walking on air. Brimming with enthusiasm and confidence, it was the first day of his fellowship. Ronny Livingston had accumulated awards and accolades everywhere he went. Through college, medical school, internship and residency, he had shone. It was his destiny to excel, be the best. His parents, grandparents, uncles and aunts told him so. You could tell just looking at him that he was something special. He was tall, had a high forehead, a Roman nose, upturned mouth and those penetrating d...
Submitted to Contest #221
Son, I read your letters every day. Keep them coming. I know there are skeptics out there that don’t believe that we are in contact with the living but trust me, we are. I am always with you and follow you in your daily life. I can see dangers before you do and can travel far and wide. It’s actually freeing to be extracorporeal. The sky’s the limit takes on new meaning when you’re dead. I watched the fires devastate your beautiful town and take away your family. I’m sure you felt my tears and sorrow. Dad and I wanted so much to hug and comfo...
Submitted to Contest #220
He was looking at the map Mat left him and couldn’t believe this pile of dirt was the spot. It was under a tall palm tree several yards from the bay. It was hard not to be distracted by the crystal-clear blue water. Jack had travelled all the way from Oregon to Ras Mohammed National Park in Egypt in search of clues. What happened to Mat? He left Jack a cryptic text before his disappearance then several more two months later. There was a photo of a handmade map with an X on the spot where he buried some sort of clue. Ironically, many yea...
Submitted to Contest #219
I was kicked out of more classes than most people attended. It was always “Benny, normal people don’t do that” or “Benny, go wash your mouth out with soap. Foul language is not allowed in this classroom!” I couldn’t help it. I was missing some sort of filter. The words would just spontaneously fall out of my mouth. They seemed natural. I didn’t mean to offend anyone when I grabbed my crotch. It was an involuntary spasm, just like my blinking and grimacing. The kids in grade school were brutal. They just didn’t understand. I probably m...
Submitted to Contest #218
I’ve got a hole in my soul It’s getting bigger and bigger Don’t push me babe, I’ll pull the trigger Did I hear those lyrics correctly? The acoustics in the airport are terrible. The crowd around the Springsteen wannabe makes it difficult to get any closer. I’ve just arrived at Sea Tac in Seattle from Vancouver. The young Busker has set up at the end of a long corridor in front of an empty store front. He is wearing a black blazer, white shirt, tight jeans and has a Springsteenesque soul patch. His electric guitar must be connected by ...
Submitted to Contest #217
“I don’t what you’re talking about fella.” The truth was not only did I know what he was talking about, but I did hear his thoughts. “This guy is bullshitting me. His sister said he would deny it and I can see it in his eyes.” I’ve never heard that one before. My eyes? Yeah, they may be the window to my soul, but I always thought they were blank. Someone in my family must have told this jerk off about my curse or what they call ‘my special ability’. I don’t know if they realize the noise volume or cacophony of sound I endure. That’s why I al...
Submitted to Contest #216
I stepped off the ferry to Crete and kissed the ground. I looked around me. All I could see was the azure water and white houses, snaking up the hills. I raised my hands and yelled “I’m free!” Some of the disembarking passengers turned and smiled, some shook their heads. My divorce was final, the kids were off my dime and financially independent and I had quit my job. Thirty years working for the same corporation was enough. The drudgery of doing their accounting year after year had been too much. The board pressured me to find ways to escap...
Submitted to Contest #215
Hey Beelzebub, let’s make a deal!” It wasn’t Tom’s first trip on the river Styx. He had made many pilgrimages there since his daddy turned over the real estate business to him decades ago. At first, he didn’t believe it existed. Those stories of his father’s canoe trips on the river had to be bullshit. He remembered his dad’s long absences during his childhood. He’d always return with a new scheme, a bag of money and a red glow to his eyes. Failed business ventures would suddenly be successful and business partners and adversaries would myst...
Submitted to Contest #213
“You’re going to be as good as new or better. Before you know it, you’ll be running sub five-minute miles again.” I had to encourage Lydia. She was an Olympic athlete with a wonky heart. Who would have thought that a 23-year-old athlete would develop a heart problem. I guess it was genetic. She said her grandmother had a similar problem at an early age. I didn’t know she had contacted her birth parents. The terms the doctors used were beyond my comprehension, but I understood rhythm abnormality and heart block. “Yes, but it’s my heart. ...
Submitted to Contest #212
Dear Mom: I hope you and dad are well. I sit here in a large tent with five families contemplating my life and future. Sarah and the kids are somewhere out there, I hope. We are the victims of the new set of Oregon wildfires. It’s Tuesday morning and I still see particles of smoke in the air. My throat is tight, and my lungs burn. I spent most of the night trying to get to my house and contact Sarah, but I had no luck. Earlier this morning I was directed by someone from search and rescue to a large lot at the edge of the city. Ther...
Submitted to Contest #211
It was Christmas morning, my girlfriend Sandy and I were spooning and in a deep sleep. We spent Christmas eve at her house. A very noisy ruckus disturbed my bliss. I sat bold upright and for a few seconds was totally disoriented. What was that large doll doing on the chair across from my bed? Since when was my room painted pink? My girlfriend’s hug and kiss reoriented me but what was that horrendous noise? It sounded like someone was dying or being murdered. “It’s my cats and dog. It sounds like it’s coming from the garage. They must h...
Submitted to Contest #200
I always loved the G0 Gos. Their song Our Lips are Sealed became my mantra or at least a modified version of it. I hated gossip so when anyone asked me for dirt about an acquaintance, I’d answer with my lips are sealed. I loved that the song became a big hit in the eighties. The Go Gos were considered the first real girl group because they sang, and they played their own instruments. I always wanted to dispute that claim. What about the Runaways? The girl groups of the sixties were also special. Yeah, the Supremes, the Shirelles, the Ch...
Submitted to Contest #198
It was September 1974 and the dean of the medical school was addressing my class on its inaugural day. I was already slightly intimidated by my classmates who, on average, were two years younger and star science students. I was an English major with minimal science background. I figured I charmed my way into medical school with the help of the dean of arts and science who wrote my recommendation letter. I was a novelty. I looked around the auditorium, which was modern for that time. The medical school was a relatively new building. The ...
Submitted to Contest #194
It was the eighties and I was searching for that Heart of Gold. Living near the ocean in Manhattan Beach was nirvana. The blue skies, the ocean and miles of sand inspired me daily. Still, there was nothing like the strand where the beautiful people ran, walked their dogs or just congregated. The houses along the strand were tailor made for exhibitionists and voyeurs. At night, I’d run along strand peering into the lit bay windows. People sat in their living rooms, staring back at me. A few were jumping on trampolines, some were cooking in th...
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