BRUCE MARTIN

“THE BTRK KILLER” by BRUCE MARTIN

WARNING: This story involves an onslaught of violence, sexual torture and gore. If you are squeamish, stop right here. I had just come home from my usual workout at the gym when the alarm at my house was sounding and I noticed a window in the back of the house had been pried open. This was a very frightening finding since everyone was on edge due to the activity of a serial killer in our town.  News reports described this serial killer by a self-proclaimed acronym: the BTRK Killer. BTRK apparently stood for Bind, Torture, Rape and ...

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“A MOTHER'S LOVE” by BRUCE MARTIN

Submitted to Contest #181

If you have a moment, I would like to tell you about a good friend of mine. His name is Jonathan Ackerman. He is a wonderful man with a beautiful family and loving wife. But something happened in his life that was really remarkable.I first met Jonathan more than 30 years ago when we were in college together. He was studying psychology at the time, expressing a desire to become a clinical psychologist, but ultimately did not go into that field. Instead, upon finishing his studies, he decided to pursue a business venture by opening a carwash a...

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“THE OSTRICH” by BRUCE MARTIN

Submitted to Contest #180

When Butch McHaferty told Jim Danker about the ostrich, he just as well might have given him a million dollars. Jim had waited all his life for such an opportunity, one that would have made his father proud. “Well, don’t that just tear the rag off the bush!” proclaimed Jim. “I don’t believe it. You have got to be ridin’ me a good one!” “I swear as I stand before the Good Lord himself,” stammered Butch. “I didn’t believe it myself when I first heard about it. But Jake down at the post office heard about it, too. He and the Cranshaw boys a...

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“LET IT RIDE!” by BRUCE MARTIN

Submitted to Contest #179

Poetry is a beloved literary genre that utilizes the hidden beauty of language to express certain prosaic truths and morals. From Wikipedia, poetry is “a form of literature that evokes a concentrated imaginative awareness of experience or a specific emotional response through language chosen and arranged for its meaning, sound and rhythm.” Although poetry has existed since prehistoric times and has been cherished by many, it is not everyone’s cup of tea (if you would allow the poetic license). Some people find poetry rather silly. And then...

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“YOU COULD BET YOUR LIFE ON IT” by BRUCE MARTIN

Submitted to Contest #179

Bucky McKeever was sick and tired of not having it all. Everywhere he looked, he saw men living large; high on the hog, if you will. As a low-level manager at a large investment firm, he was surrounded by the high-voltage energy of day-trading and financial wheelings and dealings. His boss, Mr. Jonathan Stevens, a man of only 35, was already a multi-millionaire; a graduate of Wharton Business School and a mergers and acquisitions expert, he could earn more in one deal than Bucky made in a lifetime.  As the New Year approached, Bu...

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“A DESIRE TO DIE” by BRUCE MARTIN

Submitted to Contest #177

I remember the first time I wanted to die. I was nine years old and we were visiting my grandparents. After dinner, my grandfather said he didn’t feel well and had to lie down in bed. They called for an ambulance. I sat on the window sill of his room and watched him while he lay there moaning. And I thought, “I guess this is what it looks like as death approaches.” And it seemed very pleasant and exciting. Later on, when I started medical school, I found that I was fascinated by the cadavers in the anatomy lab. They all seemed so peace...

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“THE CHINESE DELEGATION VISITS THE WHITE HOUSE” by BRUCE MARTIN

Submitted to Contest #177

(With Acknowledgement to Abbott and Costello)The Chinese contingent visiting the White House, made up of current and past leaders:Xi Jinping (Paramount Leader)Hu Jintao (Paramount Leader 2004-2013)Wen Jiabao (Premier)Hou Guofeng Wat Lien ChanYu Kuo-hwa He Zhao ZiyangThe American president is given a thorough briefing prior to such a high-level meeting to acquaint him with the very important attendees.American President: “Bob, what’s on the agenda this afternoon?”Advisor to the President: “Sir, you have a very important meeting with...

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“THE CAPTIVES” by BRUCE MARTIN

Submitted to Contest #176

I have been a prisoner in this camp for more than one year. Many of us have died, mostly at the hands of our captors, but some from disease and trauma. Somehow, I have survived, but it hasn’t been easy.They beat us mercilessly today with leather straps. At least four men surrounded us and whipped us. They yelled at us, “Move, you stinking beasts!” They made us run into a wooden structure, then locked us in. I was afraid they would light the structure on fire with us locked inside.But whipping is not the worst. One of the men used a red hot i...

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“HONESTY PAYS” by BRUCE MARTIN

Submitted to Contest #175

Isidore Beckerman relished sitting down with a good book on the weekend. He had always loved reading, favoring detective mysteries and adventures, with the occasional how-to manual or inspirational text a close second choice. Following his usual Saturday morning breakfast of oatmeal with maple syrup and a banana cut in, Isidore made himself a nice, steaming cup of coffee and ambled over to his bookshelf to peruse his extensive collection and select his next read. As he shuffled through the spines of the books, his eyes suddenly focused on...

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“DEATH AT THE GRAND CANYON” by BRUCE MARTIN

Submitted to Contest #174

There are individuals in this world whose success is predetermined. Hailing from wealthy families and spawned of experienced and wise parents, their paths in life and the trappings of their existence are paved in gold. Their only requirement to achieve success is simply to show up.Then, there is another type of individual. This is the self-made variety, those who had to work and strive for every advantage, to scrape bottom and endure hardship, power through life’s difficulties, and reach the pinnacle of success on their own.Charles Cameron w...

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“RATFACE OF THE ELDERLY” by BRUCE MARTIN

Submitted to Contest #174

Mickey Murinian hated the reality of getting older. It wasn’t the aches and pains that caused him such angst. It wasn’t the difficulty playing tennis or inability to run with his grandkids that he disliked so much. It wasn’t even the fear of his own inevitable mortality that gripped his psyche. Mickey Murinian was extremely vain. And whenever he looked in the mirror, he was witness to the ravages of age. Once a fairly handsome young man, now his face was changing rapidly. He first noticed some sagging of the neck. But the neck was not ...

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“INNER BEAUTY” by BRUCE MARTIN

Submitted to Contest #172

John Stenheimer wanted to kill someone. And not just anyone. He wanted to kill a Black man or a Jew. Either one would do; it didn’t really matter. As the leader of a local neo-Nazi group in a Southern state, he had to set a certain example for his followers. He had just earlier given a powerful, riveting speech to his acolytes, leading them in the chant, “Blood and soil! Blood and soil! Jews and Negros will not replace us!” John Stenheimer had all the visible requisites of a neo-Nazi. His blond hair was styled in a crewcut. He had the ...

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“A MAN'S LIFE” by BRUCE MARTIN

Submitted to Contest #172

As the horticulturist could predict the type of defective flower emanating from a diseased and desiccated seed, the life course of a man could be equally reckoned by observing his beginnings. Jim Tomlinson, a wreck of a man, had chosen the wrong parents, and thereby suffered the consequences. His father was a capricious and jealous old goat, prone to sudden explosions of violence and abuse, with alcohol often the accelerant. His mother was a broken woman, having long ago abandoned any thought of a normal, good life. Her greatest pleasures no...

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“A LAST MEAL” by BRUCE MARTIN

Submitted to Contest #170

A LAST MEAL Sentenced to hang for the murder of his wife, Frank Stemmer had not for one moment stopped proclaiming his innocence. The trial was fairly straightforward. Circumstantial evidence all pointed in his direction. Three eyewitnesses saw a man who fit Frank’s description running from the murder scene, and all three identified him in a police lineup. A smudged fingerprint on the murder weapon was a partial match. Prosecuting attorneys detailed the crime in exquisite detail, and laid out the motive quite eloquently. According to...

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