Creature Comforts of Home

The night after his mother’s funeral, as Allen lay in the darkened bedroom heartbroken and feeling alone, a wisp of her perfume wafted by and a soft voice whispered, “Don’t cry baby boy for mother is here.”
Startled, he switched on the bedstand light, only to find his wild-eyed stepbrother, wearing lipstick and his mother’s favorite dress meeting Allen’s forehead with a wood axe.

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Rating: 7.4/10 (9 votes cast)

Love’s Labours Lost

There were times, when she would catch the faintest whiff of fresh air, that she could remember with startling clarity the nights spent out on the lake, riding around on the boat, Maura’s hand clasped in her own as they looked up at the stars from their pallets on deck.

But the lake was gone, along with the boat, Maura was as good as gone, with no idea what had been done to keep her safe, and the only memories she had to look forward to making now were how far they could torture her with hard labor and hard blows before she merely phased out of existence.

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Rating: 8.1/10 (8 votes cast)

Casualties

Attention is a click of heels, perfect creases, heads lifted, jaws set, and chests filled proudly with the hope of doing something good and right.
Four months later, heels click again, heads lift and jaws set as we wait for the gun salute in much shorter lines.

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Rating: 8.2/10 (5 votes cast)