Bettina Karpathian

“The Orphan” by Bettina Karpathian

Submitted to Contest #116

     The flickering light of the coachman's lantern barely pierced the darkness as Janey clambered down from the carriage. The gusting wind snatched at her hood as she tried to cover up against the driving rain. As the coach rumbled off into the night, she was relieved to see a sliver of light in the dark bulk of the house in front of her.     “Don’t just stand there on a nasty night like this,” said a voice. “Come in so I can shut the door.”     Janey was yanked out ...

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“The Bake Sale” by Bettina Karpathian

⭐️ Shortlisted for Contest #114

  I meant well when I invited Melanie to our church’s Ladies’ Social Group. She and her husband Paul had moved in next door to us. He sold insurance which involved lots of travel. She worked online from home. Small-town rural life was alien to her, as she confided to me over the fence one day, and she was lonely.    “It’s not that people are unfriendly,” she said to me when I invited her for coffee. “It’s just that the conversations feel like an interrogation. How long have we been married? Do we have children? ...

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“Appearances” by Bettina Karpathian

Submitted to Contest #105

No disrespect to all the cleaners out there, but house cleaning wasn’t exactly my intended career path. Hey, life happens. It paid the bills while I got back on my feet. Most of my clients forgot my name. I was just the Merrie Maid girl to them, basically invisible. I exacted revenge by giving them all nicknames in my mind and fantasizing about their reactions if I were ever to write a book about all their quirks. For example, there was Ms. Hoarder. She had only accepted cleaning services out of fear of her daughter who had threatened h...

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“The Hostess” by Bettina Karpathian

Submitted to Contest #104

"Are you coming tonight?” trilled a voice. "We'll be starting shortly."Verity grimaced and held the phone away from her ear. She really did have to get the hang of this caller ID and let people like her neighbor Monica go to voice mail, although on second thoughts, that might prompt Monica to come round in person. She had almost given old Mr. Davis a heart attack last year by calling the police to check on him after he didn’t answer the phone or hear her knocking on his door.           &...

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“Sisters” by Bettina Karpathian

Submitted to Contest #103

The girls hustled off to the pub to celebrate Ruth’s engagement, more giddy than usual for a Friday afternoon. There was much laughter as Ruth waved her hand like an orchestra conductor and they pretended to be dazzled by her ring. They happily discussed wedding plans and listened to Ruth’s description of the little flat that her fiancé Jim was painting and decorating. Jim was a very ordinary young man, and the ring a modest design of diamond chips, but even the girls who secretly thought they could do a lot better envied Ruth’s opportunity ...

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“Reflections” by Bettina Karpathian

Submitted to Contest #101

Kevin, full of beer-fueled bravado, had decided they should explore the abandoned cottage he had spotted from the trail.     “Urban exploration, that’s what they call it,” he said. “There are guys who make a living filming this kind of stuff and putting it on YouTube.”Moira tried to talk him out of it. They had been longer in the pub for lunch than they planned, and she had no wish to be hiking in the dark. The hiking trail wound through high, brooding hills and dusk came early at this time of year. She had also noti...

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“Snapped” by Bettina Karpathian

Submitted to Contest #100

  As anyone could tell from the raucous laughter, the mimosas had been flowing freely at the ladies’ monthly Sunday potluck brunch. Bella broke off in the middle of the punchline of her joke about the bishop and the pole dancer as the doorbell rang.      “That must be Phyllis,” said Lucille, the hostess. “I was beginning to worry. She’s never late.”   Sure enough, when she opened the door, Phyllis was standing there clutching her signature quiche. She was trembling and seemed in danger o...

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“A New Day Dawns” by Bettina Karpathian

Submitted to Contest #99

    Susanna opened her eyes slowly and gazed around. The sky was beginning to glow with morning light, silhouetting the large trees outside her bedroom window. Birds were stirring and chirping with the promise of a lovely summer day. Her heart lifted for a happy moment before plunging as she remembered. She was in that awfully expensive prison they called a retirement community. She got out of bed carefully as her legs were still not entirely trustworthy. At that moment, her front doorbell rang. She pulled on her robe and...

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“Fred the Bear” by Bettina Karpathian

Submitted to Contest #98

“Grandma, tell me the story about Allegra and the bear,” the little voice whined. Mollie still felt hot, and her face was blotchy red. Just a virus, the doctor said. Nothing to do but treat the symptoms and wait it out. Her parents had to work, so that meant Grandma time whenever she couldn't go to school. I sighed and tried to get comfortable on the bed beside her.   “Again? You’ve heard this story so often that you could probably tell it to me. Allegra was my best friend at boarding school.”"It's my favorite story," Mollie s...

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“A Window on Life” by Bettina Karpathian

Submitted to Contest #97

   Since Sadie had not gone out in the two weeks since Harold’s funeral, she had almost forgotten what whole people looked like. From their basement flat, the former servants’ quarters of a once elegant Edwardian townhouse, she could see only legs from the knee down passing the window. She had never paid attention to how low and gloomy the flat was when Harold was alive. He was gregarious and funny, and they had always been going somewhere and doing something, even if it was just a short walk in the park. Then he had dropped d...

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“Next Time” by Bettina Karpathian

Submitted to Contest #89

Stella was almost ready. She gave her eyelashes a last little flick with the mascara wand, cursing under her breath as she missed and almost poked herself in the eye. A tear trickled down her cheek through a runnel of mascara and foundation. Blinking and dabbing at her eye, she jumped as she heard a little giggle behind her.    “You look funny, mommy. One eye looks like a raccoon.”     “Ceci, what are you doing? You’re supposed to be in bed. Linda will be here any moment now to read you a story.”C...

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“Pixie Led” by Bettina Karpathian

Submitted to Contest #87

    You probably haven’t thought of pixies since you saw pictures of cute little creatures in pointed hats and shoes dancing around a ring of toadstools in your childhood story book. That's how we've been illustrated on cereal boxes, cookie boxes and all kinds of tacky souvenirs and posters for years. It’s very annoying to see the way we’re depicted in popular culture. Humans are not the only one who get tired of being stereotyped. Allow me to explain. We are but one of many types of supernatural beings from the fami...

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“Echoes From The Past” by Bettina Karpathian

Submitted to Contest #85

     Sara looked around the ivy-draped walls, between the fallen floor joists and up at the clouds which scudded across the sky where the roof had been. A small sapling protruded from the chimney, waving gently in the breeze. Clumps of ferns and other weeds poked out of crevices in the walls where the plaster was gone. Small fireplaces in the upper levels of the walls looked like cavities in a tooth. She picked her way cautiously towards the ornate marble fireplace, the only recognizable object left in this large roo...

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“The Kelpie” by Bettina Karpathian

Submitted to Contest #83

    Eileen dropped her suitcase at her feet and surveyed the hotel lobby in surprise. It was a modest, moderately priced family hotel. It had a very ordinary bar and dining room with a small patio. There was a nice view of the loch and the looming hills beyond and the castle ruins were picturesque, but that did not account for the number of people milling around in the lobby. She stood up on tiptoe, peering over shoulders, trying without success to attract the attention of the flustered receptionist who, with her eyes glu...

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“The Kelpie” by Bettina Karpathian

    Eileen dropped her suitcase at her feet and surveyed the hotel lobby in surprise. It was a modest, moderately priced family hotel. It had a very ordinary bar and dining room with a small patio. There was a nice view of the loch and the looming hills beyond and the castle ruins were picturesque, but that did not account for the number of people milling around in the lobby. She stood up on tiptoe, peering over shoulders, trying without success to attract the attention of the flustered receptionist who, with her eyes glu...

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