Have Words Will Write
Short stories in a variety of genres
The clock has just struck midnight and creeps toward the early morning hours. Some innocuous tunes play on the jukebox. The only breathing souls in the bar are the bartender, who is doing busy work, and a thirty something woman staring at an empty glass. In walks a man in his forties wearing a denim …
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In one mid-August, I was driving through Ann Morrison Park when a mother duck walked in front of my car and gave me this look. The best way I can describe the look as if she said, “I dare you to run over me.” I stopped just enough to see her over the hood of …
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All other pool playing was suspended until Roger and Jessie played. It had long been argued which one of the two was the best. But the two had never played each other until that day. Everyone made sure they had enough to drink for no one dared to miss what was about to take place. …
Read More “Give me back my money. I know you took it.” “You crazy bitch. Why would I want to take your money?” “My wallet was sitting right here before I went to the restroom. When I came back, it was gone. You have been sitting there the whole time.” “Your drunk. Go home.” Gina Carlson pulls …
Read More “Tell me the truth. Are you going to leave me?” Mark Reynolds stands on the sidewalk on a cool summer morning. Mark’s heart sinks. He stands frozen, wanting Ellen to talk to him.
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I routinely like to sit coffee shops, observe people, and write about what I see in a notebook or on my laptop.. Occasionally, someone will walk up to me and stick up a conversation. On a rarer occasion, I will strike up a conversation with someone who looks interesting. On this one occasion, a stranger …
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In a city close to its’ center resides a neighborhood. A major street runs through the middle of the neighborhood. On the north side of that street stand two buildings.
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This story came to me on a dreary day in late October. I was sitting at a table on the second floor of my local library. I could not help but look out the window and the barren trees. Through gloom and disaster, I wanted to end on a positive note. I wrote this as …
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Jeff puts the key into the lock. He turns it. He walks into the house that was his parents. Entering the security code gets the alarm disabled. He takes off his overcoat and hangs it on a hook. Walking from the foray past the stairs. He enters the large living room. A strange feeling haunts …
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Rays from the morning sun kiss the tallest gravestones first. The warmth of the sun’s rays slowly fills the cemetery. Marble slabs reveal the names of those who lay beneath. The town below stirs. Some head to work at the sawmill, while other head to the schools and shops. For more than a century, …
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