Daryl Oliver

“Timing is Everything” by Daryl Oliver

He would watch her from behind a street post. He would watch her from the backseat of his car. He would watch her from the bench in the park when she would stroll right by, so close that he could smell a cashmere musk that pushes through the cherry-rose scent of her perfume. He was obsessed. And like many a man before him, a woman would be his undoing. There was nothing healthy by the way Colby would commit so much time to a person and not even garner the strength to talk to her. She was several leagues above him on the social ladder and he ...

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“Love is a Stand Still” by Daryl Oliver

Submitted to Contest #81

I saw her standing inside the store. Her hair perfectly quaffed. Her skin smooth and delicate like a porcelain doll. She was dressed in the latest fashion and it fit her beautifully. She was mine at one time, but I haven’t seen her since I left two years ago. Today was my first day back to this part of town, and as fate would have it, I find her in the same store the two of us both worked at a few years ago. Our love was true and fast. I knew from the moment I first saw Vanessa that this was something special. I looked at her and when our e...

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“Nothing Unites Like Hatred” by Daryl Oliver

Submitted to Contest #80

Donald was noble as he stood on the platform and looked out at the myriad of people. Ever since he was a child he feared this day. As a child, Donald never imagined that he would be where he was today. He never wanted to talk to a group of people and tell them about himself. Donald would have been happy to stay a child forever. But that was all changing on this day.Now he was only seconds away from making the most important action of his life. From the television in the previous room, he knew that the entire world was watching and he would b...

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“Birds of a Feather” by Daryl Oliver

Submitted to Contest #79

Sometimes telling someone else’s story is impossible to get right. Details fade into the background and the perspective of voyeurs see angles that may blend the black and white facts into a slur of greys. There are things that may be important to one person which has no value to anyone else. So, take these things into account when reading. This is not my story. Lisa moved to town when she was in the ninth grade. Her father had a job opportunity which he couldn’t refuse and he took nothing into account when he made the decision to take h...

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“Charlotte Sometimes” by Daryl Oliver

Submitted to Contest #78

“Parapsychology and Christianity are basically the same thing. Well, parapsychology and any religion are more alike than you could imagine. This might even be why they call it the “Holy Ghost’.” Cullen was energetic in his delivery of his newest hobby. He swore that this was more than a hobby. It was a passion. A passion that he spent six hundred dollars and the better part of a year to get a supposed degree from Thomas Francis University, including a certification in Paranormal Investigations. And he had been my best friend since second gra...

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“Downhill Fast” by Daryl Oliver

Submitted to Contest #77

The man at the top of the run told you that twenty miles an hour was as fast as you would end up going. Now you and your best friend were flying down the mountainside at what felt like more than that. Every second, you could feel a bounce from the uneven ground. You haven’t been on a sled since you were single digits in age. Looking down past your friend, you realize that the ride had just started. “Do you want to stop?” Your friend’s shout was barely audible with so much wind darting past your ears. You shake your head, trying to say that...

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“The Death of George Elliott” by Daryl Oliver

Submitted to Contest #77

This was the day that George Elliot dies. He is a survivor in many ways. He was in Special Forces in the military. He did undercover work for the FBI. He was now a freelance real estate agent and part time investigator for the local police. The investigator bit gave him access to locations and information, while the real estate job was more of the bill payer. But all this training would not help him avoid his fate. Instead, it would help him reach it. It took George three hours of nonstop driving to reach the cabin. It was a little purchase...

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“That's What He Said (he thinks)” by Daryl Oliver

Submitted to Contest #76

Inside his mind, Gerald was a hero. He was the kind of man that everyone wanted to be. Everyone wanted to be his friend and to him they all were. Gerald had the ability to charm any woman and make priests blush. He was the guy that everyone else wanted to be. At least he was in his mind. Gerald Lemon stared aimlessly into the waste receptacle that was part of his cart. It wasn’t uncommon for him to be seen wasting time doing things which were not part of his job description. When washing windows, he would look out into the distance. At other...

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“Look Away” by Daryl Oliver

Submitted to Contest #76

“It’s impossible to tickle yourself.” “Billy, you know the weirdest crap.” “It’s a gift.” “If you say so. I’d say it’s more of an annoyance.” “Well, I’m sorry that you don’t appreciate my knowledge. One day, this information may help save your life. Then we’ll see what’s annoying.” “If knowing I can’t tickle myself is gonna save my life, then I’d deserve to be dead. And if you keep saying this kind ofcrap, then you might deserve to be dead too.” “Damn, Soph, that’s a little harsh, isn’t it?” “You might think so, but when someone chops your h...

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“Faithful Father” by Daryl Oliver

Submitted to Contest #76

A priest walked into a bar. The bartender asked, “what can I get for ya?” The priest paused for a second and answered, “Unless you have an alter boy behind the counter, I’ll just have a whiskey, neat.” The bartender stared with puzzlement, shook her head, and grabbed the whiskey. She flipped the high ball glass onto the bar and poured a heavy single. The priest looked up at her and twitched his fingers in a circle, as if he wanted to tell her a secret. She poured to almost the rim. This had the priest place his hands together as he muttered...

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“Memories” by Daryl Oliver

Submitted to Contest #75

Scott Francis had just spent the past nine hours on a plane and was trying to figure out the information that was in his possession. He remembered some of the previous day. He remembered the man who dropped him off at the airport. There was the room that was barred shut. Then there were flashes of pictures that were like grey shadows. When Scott tried to recall anything else about himself, there was a dull pain and a lot of blank space. The packet of papers that he had in his possession were very basic things. It was a birth certificate, a ...

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“New Day, New You” by Daryl Oliver

Submitted to Contest #75

The card read, “Marcus Mitchell, Relocation Specialist, Dark Water Corporation.” There was no address or phone number on the card. The man who gave Wes the card was standing with no expression on his face. He wore a black three-piece suit with a red tie. His shoes were shiny as was his har that slid back and matched the suit in tone. And the one feature that stood out the most to Wes was the gold-framed aviator sunglasses which the man wore even though it was dark in the alley where they were meeting. “So, you are the person that’s gonna h...

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“Time Flies” by Daryl Oliver

Submitted to Contest #74

Ten. There was absolute freedom that Charlotte felt of which she had never felt before and it all started with one step. It wasn’t that long ago when the entire world felt overwhelming and nothing Charlotte tried to do could pull herself out of the dank dark sludge that made up her life. But with that one step, she was finally free of the shadowy stress which she was feeling just a second earlier. Nine. With her eyes closed, Charlotte envisioned when all of these issues first came to fruition. It was the year after she graduated high schoo...

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“Five Swollen Things” by Daryl Oliver

Submitted to Contest #73

Marjory spent most of her life believing in fairy tales and happiness. She dreamed of having a prince save her from some horrible fate and believed that everyone had good in them. After fifteen years as a party planner, she had seen many apparent happy endings. None of them were hers. She had experienced many first dates. It was the second or third dates that eluded her. Some of the issues that lead to lack of a follow-up was the other person’s fault. But most of the issues were Marjory’s. There wasn’t any single thing that caused her to b...

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“How the Cookie Rumbles” by Daryl Oliver

Submitted to Contest #71

Thumbprint, chocolate mint, pfeffemusse, petri salju, spritzgeback, speculaas, cuccidati, and other cookies were part of the exchange. It was an amazing spread of shapes and colors. And the gathering of people from Dave’s office building were equally as diverse. This was the first time that Dave had decided to host such an event, and he couldn’t wait for it to be all over. He wasn’t a good baker or even a baker at all. But his wife was very excited for Dave to go outside of his comfort zone and organize such a large get together. There were...

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