Tag: Fiction
-
Faim
Once upon a time, in a small German hamlet, a young French kid held up four locals with a 9mm pistol. “Give me all your fucking food!” He yelled. The German villagers pointed and laughed at the child. The old man laughs, and so does his wife, their neighbour’s wife laughs, and her husband drops…
-
Deliberate authenticity – Flash Fiction
Deliberate authenticity, I pour Pepsi into my coffee. Since I was a child, I’ve ingested river water and only had the shits like twice. An atomic bomb could drop in my internal acids and see itself neutralise. Rolled in fields sheep inhabited, didn’t question the gritty mud. Had cats use my arms as scratching posts,…
-
Flash Fiction – Chase
Indisciplined play crowds the park. A Hound flees over picnics and small talk, a boy follows with a leash. His smile sours businessmen’s moods, their lunch break peace shattered. Unemployed socialites laugh at the misfortune; grass-route youth groups cheer as the dog dodges. The field, open to the midday sun, gives way to a forest. White birch shadows…
-
Flash Fiction – Change
It’s hard to say what’s different today. Maybe nothing has changed. The air does have that kind of feel to it—the type of feel that causes people to do things they wouldn’t usually do. I wonder if anyone knows what I mean. I may be the only one who notices, that when the air changes they follow. No, I’m…
-
Archaeological Dig
Vegetation grows out of the cracks, a twenty-five foot stone man long forgotten by the people who made him. A bold smile painted white, nostrils home to many birds, ears lost to time, bright eyes carved to shine. He stood at the entrance to his city, protector of their values and watcher of the road.…
-
Birthday
Calamity has struck, red wine spilt by serpents mouth. An unhinged jaw sucks the energy out of the room, and cancerous call-outs spike the air. Collection of coats hurried while whispers of previous nightmare like affairs flood the hall. A tall brunette, a short black dress. She likes to dance, and people love to watch.…
-
Meadow
A butterfly quilt surrounds the embrace. A pair of lovers hide from the sun. Arms intertwined come undone. The meadow sweetens the air. Limbs fall from within their cocoon; legs find placement on the wild flowers. “Forever is that way,” says a sleepy man. He points into the meadow. A man at the back of…
-
Grapes on the vine
He paces. Stone weeps at the beat of his leathery feet. Overwhelmed by a single thought. All furniture moved against the walls—no obstacles for his mind. Grapes grow on the vine; such tender fruit tempts the man. He lays his cardigan on the window sill. An extended arm reaches out the window. A handful of…
-
The boy across the street
The boy across the street is standing at the edge of his roof. The heavens fall onto his shoulders. He wails into the storm. The first scream he aims at the sky—the second into his own hands. The cockerels doom call wakes the street. Bedroom lights turn on. Some men walk out of their homes…
-
Clear Skies
A lively rain pours over the upstairs neighbour’s balcony. Half drawn curtains obscure the light. A half-dressed man lays on a mattress on the floor. His head falls in the centre of the room. No furniture obscures his vision down the hall. Possessive droplets drip of a ginger-haired woman. He watches through the pane of…
Conor Cartmell 