Bracy Ratcliff

“Is it really healthy? HEALTHIER?” by Bracy Ratcliff

As I neared the bottom of the stairs, I heard this vaguely familiar whistling sound coming from the kitchen. I turned, walked a little faster, and a couple seconds later, there it was, our old, old kettle, on the stove, clearly announcing that the water inside was boiling. “What on earth are you doing,” I asked my sweet, beautiful wife? I wasn't being confrontational, I was just curious.“I’m making a pot of tea, would you like some?”“Really?” I was truly surprised; I didn’t drink tea. “You know I don’t like tea, especiall...

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“Thank you Henry!” by Bracy Ratcliff

Submitted to Contest #276

Any other night, Dad was at the table waiting for us, his four sons, when Mom called us in for supper. Tonight, Dad was on the phone so as we walked into the kitchen, Mom did that “shhh” thing with her finger in front of her lips. We quickly quieted down and found our seats at the table. We could hear Dad talk, but he wasn’t saying much, “Ok, sure, I understand. Ok, I’ll let them know. Ok, thanks.” He untangled the stretchy phone cord and hung the handset back in its cradle on the wall. He quickly settled i...

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“Magic Typewriter” by Bracy Ratcliff

Submitted to Contest #266

It was a typically troublesome day at work. Grumpy clients, uncooperative employees, late vendors, and typical tech problems, all just making me wonder, “Is it worth it?” I finally got it all sorted out, tidied up my desk and my desktop, the physical and the digital, and headed for the door. I never looked forward to my commute home, knowing that it was always at least 45 minutes of anxiety, stopping, starting, asking Siri if there was a faster route. Finally pulled into my driveway, parked, headed toward the front door, ...

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“"Do You?"” by Bracy Ratcliff

Submitted to Contest #264

CAUTION: Contains discussion on controverial political and human rights issues.Do You?“I do,” is a widely used, very simple affirmation. I use it all the time, I do. I do like my pepperoni pizza on Friday nights. I do enjoy driving my loud, fast muscle car, and I do get annoyed easily by . . . certain public speakers. On the other hand, that simple phrase, in certain scenarios, is a powerful statement of commitment to what we hope will be a life-long, mutually respectful relationship. a relationship where parties agree to...

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“Thank you Henry!” by Bracy Ratcliff

Submitted to Contest #261

Any other night, Dad was at the table waiting for us, his four sons, when Mom called us in for supper. Tonight, Dad was on the phone so as we walked into the kitchen, Mom did that “shhh” thing with her finger in front of her lips. We quickly quieted down and found our seats at the table. We could hear Dad talk, but he wasn’t saying much, “Ok, sure, I understand. Ok, I’ll let them know. Ok, thanks.” He untangled the stretchy phone cord and hung the handset back in its cradle on the wall. He quickly settled i...

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“A Lull” by Bracy Ratcliff

Submitted to Contest #243

Living on Mars wasn’t so bad. Wearing an oxygen tank and a mask every time you stepped outside was a chore, but you got used to it. Most of the day-to-day stuff stayed the same as Earth, you get up, you go to work, come home, visit with family and friends, fool around with hobbies, watch TV—of course, the family was a long way away and there were no TV stations on the planet, yet, but we had a huge collection of movies on our hard-drives and we could get the nightly news from Earth, just a little later. The only really tough t...

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“Be Bold, Be Brave” by Bracy Ratcliff

Submitted to Contest #231

It would be disrespectful to say it's my favorite holiday, but I enjoy and appreciate the significance of a New Year's Day celebration. It represents HOPE, a new opportunity, a start-over day and time for things that are important to us. When you share the day, and those leading up to 1/1, with family it gives you some valuable insight into what's going on with them.  When I was a boy, my family followed some rules about New Year's Resolutions, and I've maintained them throughout my life. We ‘hope’ our dreams come tr...

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“A New Level of Clarity and COURAGE” by Bracy Ratcliff

Submitted to Contest #230

The first day of school is just loaded with emotion, joy to see friends that weren’t around all summer, curiosity about the couple of new kids in the class. Stanley and his classmates entering Junior High were now in a completely new building, meeting new teachers they’d never seen before, and would soon be taking on new classes that generated anxiety for all. Stanley quickly connected with his two best buddies, Mike and Harry. They were thrilled to have the same schedule, they would have lockers close together, and would star...

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“A Night in the Swamps” by Bracy Ratcliff

Submitted to Contest #221

Nights in the swamps could render the bravest souls paralyzed with fear. Some nights were better than others, when the moon was full and bright the shadows didn’t dance so much from the distant lights of ships in the channel. But this night was particularly bad. He walked almost a mile down the narrow asphalt road, per the directions from a welder working with him on the ship refit. For the first hundred yards or so his shadow was on the ground in front of him, but gradually as he moved away from the ship and its lights h...

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“The Hees of Messier” by Bracy Ratcliff

Submitted to Contest #210

THE HEES FROM MESSIER “From out here, it looks like any old flea market back home. Maybe a little neater, cleaner, and more organized.” The four Earthlings, with their two Andromeda hosts, paused at the entrance to the market. The crew from DS 9, the United States Space Agency’s first intergalactic venture, were big guys. The Commander, Air Force Colonel Bill Means, was 6’2” and 2 inches shorter than his #2, Navy Lt. Commander, Wallace Bean, but both were a head shorter than any of the Hees, the residents of Messier, the ...

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