Shorts

For years, Howardsville was a peaceful town, located near the foot of Putney Mountain forty miles southwest of Charleston, West Virginia in the Allegheny Mountains, with coal mines employing many workers, the town grew and the people prospered. After a negligent accident in which fifty four men were killed, the mines were closed, many people relocated and the mountain became a ghost town. One day, Bert Bishop, manager of The Eastern Auto Parts store was walking across the street from the Star…

As the darkness of the horizon nibbled away the sun, the remaining ember set the sky aflame. Wood chips shot off the resilient trunk, as the silver-plated axe wielded by the bulky arms of the woodchopper dug into the trunk. Now bare and naked, its resilience absent. Drops of sweat tumbled down woodchopper’s side burns, dampening his thick, coarse and choppy beard. Fearful eyes of the forest, witnessing their homes savagely cleaved within the blanket of dense fog. The woodchopper’s rhythm echoed…

and Japes were the rookies to this game, and although they kept from passing out they had no clue how to play the exotic poker games continuously introduced. Shekelhound, like a hawk with his eye on all participants, made certain the pot remained properly anted and that everyone received the correct payout. He hated a cheater and he usually won the most money. The perspective of these professionals, both fascinating and refreshing to Japes, opened his eyes. Highly respected and working with…

Pathway She starts off slow and steady. Her pace is brisk, but this is only her warm-up. But with every step, she doubts herself, knowing this was a stupid mistake. Her shoes are too tight, her headphones are falling out, and she just knows she won’t be able to feel as great as she used to. She rounds a comer of the forested path, and she increases the sound of her music by a notch or two. She keeps on jogging, navigating tree roots and questioning why she even decided to go for a run. As the…

Lukas put down his worn down pencil in between the pages of his most recent journal entry. He carefully shut the journal making sure no pages would unnaturally crease due to recklessness. He lifted himself up from his writing desk slowly. His neck and back aching from being hunched over his journal, scrawling in their history and his opinions. A task worth the pain. He slowly extended his arms and rolled his head in attempt to loosen his stiff joints. He walked out of his cabin, recruits passing…

Guinevere stood on the steps of her ex-boyfriend Arthur’s flat. She took a steadying breath before she walked into the building, wondering how he would receive her when she knocked on his door. They had not seen one another in six months, not since he decided they needed to “take a break.” Although he started contacting her the very next day after their split, begging for a second chance, Gwen ignored him. “I fucked up, Gwen. Please talk to me. Meet me for lunch, coffee, anything. I’ll do…

“But Spinks is evil! What teacher would suggest an educational trip to the Globe Theater for spring break?!” I continued to mope. My mom continued to toss things into my suitcase, considering I was protesting by refusing to pack myself. I decided to press the issue further by adding “A loving mother would take me to Florida with the rest of her children!” With an exasperated sigh, my mom put down the shirt she was folding and turned to me. “Jena,” my mom finally acknowledged me, “you’re…

Summer has just started and Kayla is already bored, she goes downstairs to find her brother watching the television, also looking bored, so she asked him if he wanted to go for a bike ride. As they head outside, they run into their mother sitting at the kitchen table reading a book, so they let her know they are going for a bike ride and will be back before noon. They head over to their bikes by the side of the house, when they get there Kayla realizes her back tire is flat “Great, just what I…

Cassidy Fitch CinderLea This story takes place in space with this beautiful girl named Lea at her home with her mom and dad. Once upon a time there was this beautiful girl named Lea and she lived with her mom and dad. She loved them dearly…

The grandmother had this feeling that she could not shake that she knew this man from somewhere. She began to explain the car accident to the man and told him they flipped twice he corrected her and said just once and that they had seen it happen. The little boy John began to ask this man why he has a gun and what is he going to be using it for the man asked the boys mother if she could call him to sit next to her because he “children make him nervous” (21). The mother called for her son that’s…