Don Hill

“An Unexpected Correspondence” by Don Hill

Ronnie shuffled through the stack of mail on his kitchen table, tossing most of it straight into the trash. As a retired accountant, he had ample free time now, which he enjoyed spending on mundane tasks like sorting through junk mail.  One piece of mail, in particular, caught his eye - his name and address were handwritten in a dignified but shaky cursive, not printed labels. He slid his finger under the seal, assuming it was a sales solicitation made to look personal. But as he unfolded the paper, his eyes widened in surprise. "De...

0 likes 0 comments 0

Read story

“Enlightened Horizons: The Spiritual Journey of Reverend Jeremiah” by Don Hill

In the heart of Louisiana, nestled amidst the towering cypress trees and the hauntingly beautiful bayous, there thrived a Southern Baptist preacher—Reverend Jeremiah Thompson. Born and raised in a devout family stemming from generations of preachers in his paternal lineage, Jeremiah had inherited a deep-rooted reverence for tradition and a fervent love for his faith. For years, he had faithfully followed the teachings of the Southern Baptist Convention, upholding their values and guiding his congregation with unwavering dedication. But as ...

0 likes 0 comments 0

Read story

“Connecting the Dots” by Don Hill

Submitted to Contest #91

Cooter Jones was the sort of character in town everyone knew of, but no one really knew or wanted to know personally. He was generally considered to be a slacker and he was difficult to miss with his frail 6’9” frame, crooked oversized nose, yellowed and missing top side teeth, dark black greasy unkempt straight hair, beard shaped like a “V” down to his chest dispersed with a few gray strands of hair, and hole-filled blue overalls stained with all sorts of nastiness. Heck, you could usually smell his foul odor when the wind blew from the ...

9 likes 0 comments 0

Read story

“The Big Tree” by Don Hill

Submitted to Contest #90

I remember the first time I saw The Big Tree as its commonly known by Texans who pay attention. I was a scrawny pre-teen back at the beginning of the 1980s and my family went to Corpus Christi on vacation. Dad let me be his co-pilot as I was getting really good at reading maps. I asked him to take us on a slight detour so we could witness what is believed to be the state’s oldest and perhaps largest Live Oak tree. Estimated to be around 1,000 years old, more than 45 feet tall, a crown spread of about 90 feet, and 35 feet in circumferen...

13 likes 0 comments 0

Read story

“Born in the Middle of Nowhere” by Don Hill

Submitted to Contest #79

My earliest memory is playing with my big brother Ricky in the backyard. I must’ve been around 3 or 4 years old. His laughter was gruff while pushing me higher and higher on the swing. Alas, I couldn't hold on any longer and let go of the chain setting myself in flight. I must've landed what seemed to be a few miles down the road. I was scared, cried, and yelled out for mama. A few feet of air and distance at that age and it’s the end of the world.Ricky was always mean to me. He’d call me nasty racist names and hit me a lot—hard, too. I figu...

10 likes 0 comments 0

Read story

“Escaping Convenience” by Don Hill

Submitted to Contest #77

Watching the lower right corner of the computer monitor like a hawk eyeing a field mouse, it seemed to take forever for 5 p.m. to roll around. With a mere 8 minutes left, I started packing my laptop messenger bag when Marti craned her neck around and piped up, “John, what are you doing? You can’t start shutting down now.”“It’s almost time to head out. I have to pick up my wife and head to the airport,” I said.“It’s not fair to the taxpayers. You can wait a few more minutes,” Marti said.Oh, how I loathed my clock-watching boss. If it wasn’t b...

4 likes 1 comment 1

Read story

“Winnie and Frank” by Don Hill

Submitted to Contest #76

Winnie Freiberger descended from hard working German stock who rose to local prominence in the dry goods business after arriving to Texas during the Adelsverein migration of 1845. The spirited student was as headstrong and quick-witted as they come. Yet, she could still charm the dew off a honeysuckle while holding her own during debate competition. It so happens, she won quite frequently while working towards a bachelors degree at Southwestern in Georgetown.She was a rarity on the debate circles since Texas was still quite a chauvinistic pl...

10 likes 0 comments 0

Read story

“The Ride” by Don Hill

Submitted to Contest #74

After the morning chores were done, I met Coon for a brief dip in shallow Clear Creek to cool off from the oppressive summer swamp like heat. We got to talking about this, that and the other. We speculated and wondered a lot. Coon claimed I couldn’t last more than two, maybe three seconds at most sitting on top of Triste Noche. Shoot, the way I figure it, Coon knew me better than anyone else but often sold me short on the account of my red-haired temper and smallish stature as I barely weighed over a 90 pounds on a good day. But I figured...

9 likes 5 comments 5

Read story