• Category Archives Fiction
  • Things I want to share.

  • A Simple Mission

    “Just a simple mission,” they’d said, like what they wanted wasn’t at all unusual.

    Another chance to serve my country by removing an obstacle to social progress. Despite the euphemisms, I knew exactly what they really wanted. They called it an execution. Told me it had been approved by the courts after a proper trial and everything.

    But what court doesn’t even tell someone they’re on trial? What execution involves slithering into someone’s house while they sleep?

    I shouldn’t have listened. Should have known better. About the guilt. About how from then on I would always see the blood on my hands no matter how often I washed them. If that was it, perhaps I could have gotten over it. Found a way to live with myself.

    Only it wasn’t.

    Now, barely a day goes by without that familiar prickle running down my spine when I least expect it. Sometimes its in the mirror. Sometimes out of the corner of my eye. Once, even at my daughter’s school.

    I’ll be minding my own business only to look over, and there he’ll be. Standing there. Watching. Smiling at me like he doesn’t mind the bullet hole in the middle of his forehead.


  • 100 Words: Ocean

    Canvas billowed out once it caught the air, pulling the sleek vessel along. White spray kicked up as the bow cut through the ocean, and once the ship cleared the harbor it swung sharply to the east to avoid the coming storm while the crew gradually released more sail.

    The captain watched his crew work from the forecastle while he sipped his morning coffee, one wary eye on the dark clouds looming in the distance. Even with the head start there was a chance the squall would overtake them. Hopefully, if that happened, they would already be in open waters.


  • Childhood Stories

    When I was younger I spent a lot of time camping with the Boy Scouts. We went roughly once a month, and during the trips I would listen to the adults share stories they’d gathered over their lives. Of course, being a young teenage boy the ones about stuff that happened in the military always caught my attention.

    I cannot say for sure if any of this actually happened, and if it did I have almost certainly gotten details wrong. Because of that I’m calling this a work of fiction, but I hope you enjoy the story. I have tried to write exactly as I remember it being told.

    Continue reading  Post ID 1119


  • 100 Word Story: Prove

    Pick a skill—any skill. Now imagine you want to get better at it, so you go to some club dedicated to those who enjoy whatever it is you have in mind. Who do you ask for help?

    Is it the loud, obnoxious guy bragging about his natural talent? Probably not. Someone like that often belittles those seeking help. More likely you’ll find the best help form one of the older members. They tend to be quieter, more reserved, and willing to help anyone who asks.

    The loud mouths are rarely the most skilled. Insecurity is loud. Competence? That’s quiet.


  • 100 Word Story: Hazy

    In the last, long minutes before morning, Jeremiah noticed the first hints of an orange glow on the horizon. He turned north, confused, and strained his eyes against the murkiness of night. Then, to his left, the sky grew lighter with the coming sunrise.

    Now he could see the thick plumes of smoke rising in the distance, billowing out from their source in a sooty haze. In a panic, he rushed to break camp as the sun finally began its slow climb into the sky. Questions bombarded him, but he ignored them. There wasn’t any time.

    The city was burning.


  • 100 Word Story: Gridlocked

    Brooke stared at the chess board, trying to make sense of the position while he searched for the right move. He wasn’t familiar with this line which was never a good sign. He knew it was unlikely that he’d be able to solve his problems over the board, but in this instance his opponent seemed just as confused as he was.

    Both sides had to deal with pinned pieces, and most others were too busy protecting vital squares to be moved anyway. Something would have to give soon, it was simply a matter of who ran out of moves first.


  • 100 Word Story: Engraving

    The first law decreed by the new Emperor simply stated that no kingdom under his rule could contradict his laws. Each King was free to oversee his demesne as he saw fit, however he wouldn’t have the authority to thwart the Emperor’s wishes. This first tenant of our budding society established the notion of Imperial Primacy.

    To ensure compliance with the first law, the Emperor then made a second decree: Henceforth every Kingdom was required to maintain a record of the Imperial Laws within its capital, available for public viewing, engraved upon slabs of granite. Refusal to comply was treason.