Fourteen-50 word short story
Fourteen
Under the plum tree I gorged on pomegranate seeds that stained my lips. The alleyway was forbidden, so I pressed my ear against my grandparents’ pine fence and listened to the clamor of teenage boys and peeked as they sweated under basketball hoops. I tingled and ate kumquats.
published by Vine Leaves Press in their 50 Give or Take series
Love this, Maria!
I looked up from my book and watched my boy run after the dog. As they ran, he tripped and scraped his knee. He got back up and chased the dog. No crying, not bothered.
“Are you okay?”
“Yes, I’m okay!”
He ran fast and far. Then his wings spread and he flew back home. He likes to spend time with me even if he’s not here.
And there he was, so fragile yet so strong. He had little reserves left in his pure soul, so they took him to suffuse his body with nutrients. Now his numbers jump from highs to lows, falling victim to yet another complication. His eyes widened, the tubes entangled, we pray.
A Tuba crackles thru the air. The crowd’s screams fill the hall. I glaze to my right and lock eyes with her. I deliberately approach her. Extending my hand I ask her to dance, she accepts. As I pull her in close to me we moved as one. Soul mates
The sun shined in my face, as a bird like creature rapidly flying behind me scratched my check. Noticeably starring were a pair of glowing eyes that peaked in distance. I stepped back as a gesture of peace. I woke up from my dream right after falling down the cliff.
Savoring her favorite fruit, she is quiet, calm, sitting on the bench and enjoying a delicious, juicy slide of watermelon. The Alzheimer blocked the name of the fruit, the time, where she is, but not the love of her eyes when she looks at us, those are my mom’s eyes.
A solitary seed was stuck on a burning cliff, its shell scorched and peeled. A bird swooped down to eat the seed but the seed fell from the rock face due to the powerful wind. The seed found refuge in the humid soil and said “I am alive.”
She broke one morning and a piece fell on top of a head. Little hands start grasping these pieces and super gluing them together. These pieces were sloppy but in shape.
The head looks up and smiles. Those little hands pasted with dried-up glue shed and say, “You’re welcome mommy”.
The Lost Women
The sun gleaming in the tall man’s eyes as he walks down the dirt path. He spots a small lost dog in the corner of his eye and goes to approach it.
The dog runs off into the distance and the man decides to chase after him at a dead end.
“Is this your dog?” He asks the women
Awakening
Across the room an alarm sounds breaking up the silence. It drags life into a new day; one we once thought was lost. Nurses swarm in as he gasps for breath. Eyes open, machines hum, anxious electricity blankets the growing crowd. His mother held at bay, uncertainty weighs her soul.
The man and his son sit at a seat in a coffee shop. The father has some news to tell his son, but he is too distracted by his phone. Then the father gasps for air and collapses to the ground. The son frantically tries to wake his father, all while thinking of what the news could have been.
An Angel in my Dreams
She stretches her hand and says “This might be selfish but I live in a peaceful pain-free place, you’re welcome here if you need to rest.” Four tears roll down my cheek and splash on my blue hospital wristband. Will it remain, or will my name begin to fade away?
I have never been much of a gambler, a scratcher or lottery ticket now and again. Purchasing houses to switching multiple jobs and vehicles. Experiencing heartbreak, success, and love. I’m a poker player in life’s casino and I’m playing against the house. The house always wins, I nervously yell all-in!
Lockdown. Again.
I’ve disinfected everything, painted the whole house even the baseboards, and the garden looks stunning. I’ve watched so much Netflix, read a book a week, and taken long walks. I’ve been schoolwork monitor and playmate for my kids. Working from home has been challenging. This new way of life has been an adjustment in every aspect of life.
Lost
She ran off not being able to look back to see what happened. It was dark and no one was around, she did not know where she was. Finally she found a place where she can catch her breath. And then suddenly she heard a noise coming from behind her.
The man and his friend sit on the porch. Screams across the street unsettle them. Running sounds awake them, and they are not relaxed anymore. Looming up and seeing a family playing baseball. The man says, “I sure love baseball.” The other man agrees, “So do I.” They get their families out for a game of baseball.
Tittle: Success or Failure
With time going at a fast rate it seemed as there wasn’t enough. Could we get to our destination in time? We need to make it if we don’t ,more disasters will occur. We’ve been betrayed and lost so many already. Without their help we are hopeless, what to do.
Time
I spend my days looking at blurry photos and thinking of the moments from when we were together. Even though I got to see you for a short time before you left, I still miss your presence. Now, I sit here wondering when is the next time we’ll meet again.
Title: Mom
“Oh how you’ve grown.”
That’s all I can think as I watch you walk away from me.
I raised you and watched you slowly leave me.
My sun rises and falls every day for you,
But you’ll soon leave me.
Soon, all I’ll have is a number in my phone.
-TM
My Mom Eyes
Savoring her favorite fruit, she is quiet, calm, sitting on the bench and enjoying a delicious, juicy slide of watermelon. The Alzheimer blocked the name of the fruit, the time, where she is, but not the love of her eyes when she looks at us, those are my mom’s eyes.