The Lesson – A Short Story
The following is a short story I wrote for a timed-writing contest this past February (2022). The required character, setting, and object were a hypochondriac, the future, and a stained baby blanket. Although Polly learns her lesson in the afterlife, we all know that our lessons are learned prior to the afterlife. There is a […]
A Revealing Routine
The routine is the same. Every. Single. Day. I sit in my recliner with my sanity steaming in the cup beside me so I can turn on the news and prepare myself for what I’m about to see and hear. Then enters Harper, my canine friend who allows me to live in her house. She […]
Help! I’ve Fallen and . . .
Help! I’ve fallen and I can’t get up! I tried everything to prevent a fall like this, but somehow, it happened just the same. You see, I was just strolling through life being a shy baby of the family, and then suddenly, I was being handed a high school diploma. The next four years filled […]
Consider the Cottage Cheese
The discussion was lively, and the food was making its rounds as we sat at my parents’ oval kitchen table. My four-year-old nephew was usually the center of attention, but today for some reason, everyone was involved in a conversation that had nothing to do with him. In fact, no one was paying attention to […]
On Becoming a Giant
This is a short story I wrote for a contest. I had 24 hours to write using a farm, a horseshoe, and a giant. I have not received feedback, but I am aware of the weak points of my story. Still, I enjoyed writing this piece. On Becoming a Giant “Here comes that cranky wife […]
Piper’s Pocket
The combination of children and Christmas decorations always results in excitement, and this year was no different for the Noble children. Mom and dad assembled the tree, and the children began hanging ornaments before the last section of the tree was in place. While everyone was busy with the tree, Piper Grace was eyeing the […]
The Crime Before Christmas
I am no Sherlock Holmes, but I was able to piece together the details of the crime. The perpetrators had even left the weapon behind. The timing for such a destructive event was horrible: a few days before our annual Christmas Open House. I had been so excited to show off my beautiful English tea […]
A Line in the Sand
A line had been drawn in the sand. As dramatic as that sounds, the line was simply a piece of pink yarn leftover from one of my mother’s knitting projects taped to the bedroom floor. My sister and I shared a room, but we did not share the same sense of tidiness. We had been […]
Don’t Hold Your Applause!
My early morning minutes are usually spent silently correcting everyone’s grammar on Facebook and not so silently correcting news anchors’ grammar on television. Quite a bit of eye rolling occurs during those times with only Harper as my witness. Eye-rolling is all I have left of my teaching career, so I was thrilled when I […]
Cape Power
Whether it is Egyptian or Turkish cotton, linen, rayon, terry cloth, 300 or 900 GSM (grams per square meter), a towel has the power to transform a child into a superhero. The common boring adult sees an adorable four-year-old running around the house with a towel flapping in the breeze, but the towel-wearing child sees […]