Bog
The teenagers surround the bog monster. They captured it and tied it to a tree. It’s defenceless as they laugh, poking it with sticks and taking pictures with their cell phones. It cries out as Tim steps closer with his pocketknife and says, “I get the flippers.”
Aug 11, 2021
Nirvana
A patient lies on a gurney, a machine over his head. The woman in white says, “People used to use drugs to focus and experience nirvana.” She touches a button, and a probe sinks into the man’s brain. The woman smiles. “Now, all we need is the right program.”
Aug 10, 2021
Tentacles
I turn around
Tentacles grasping
Sucking limbs flex
Grab my throat
Breath is gone
Memory fading…
Aug 9, 2021
Memory
Bob’s worked in the subways since high school. He knows the ropes and the secrets, but he’s got a bad ticker. A train car comes up from an abandoned passage – it’s glowing ghostly green. He tells the new kid, “Might be best if your memory is fuzzy about a few things.”
Aug 9, 2021
Wicked Grandma
There’s a rumble in the air. Billy grabs his father’s leg. The noise gets louder & birds fly away. Billy starts to cry & just when it seems like the whole world is going to shake apart, his wicked grandma pulls up on her brand new 4 stroke Hog.
Aug 8, 2021
Peak
Go to the mountain peak, where the petrified wood is dark, & there are no stars. Don’t rest or let the annoyance of hunger slow you. Misplace one step, & death is your stalker.
Aug 7, 2021
Caves
Scientists came to investigate the caves, looking for ancient paintings. A geologist went down first & reported hearing drums, seeing firelight. Her radio went dead as she descended further into the shadows, and when they pulled her rope back up, she was gone.
Aug 6, 2021
Innocent
The slaughterhouse worker pushes the release, and a steel bolt slips into the soft spot between the innocent calf’s skull & its spine. The young creature falls to the ground, twitching, and the worker licks his lips. Veal parmesan for dinner tonight.
Aug 5, 2021
Piercings
When I was young, I almost got a nose ring. A friend who wasn’t afraid of piercings had that bit of skin between the thumb & the index done. I think she did it with a needle. When it erupted with green & yellow puss, I changed my mind about the nose thing.
Aug 4, 2021
Century
If you believe in reincarnation & that your loved ones meet you when you die, listen… It’s been a century since great-gran died. What the hell’s she doing at the pearly gates, waiting for you? I think it’s not her. It’s a soul-eater, impersonating her. Careful.
Aug 4, 2021
