Gabriela D. Martin

“The Neck Bone” by Gabriela D. Martin

Still dressed in their best clothes, the Soare family gathered in the dining room after church and sat down in the usual manner when Grandma was visiting from the country, in tense, somber silence. At the head of the table sat the Greek-Orthodox priest Father Soare, dressed in his black pulpit robe still reeking of incense. At the other end of the table sat his mother, in her traditional peasant attire, looking down her aquiline nose at the rest of the family. A sharp cow manure odor emanated from her embroidered lamb skin vest, apron and s...

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“A Higher Plane” by Gabriela D. Martin

Submitted to Contest #147

I had been riveted by the images on the screen to pay much attention to the man sitting next to me. The initial jolt of our otherworldly encounter had worn off soon after we started watching the narrative of my life on the large white screen – from diaper days to salt-and-pepper adulthood.When the lights came back on, I blinked to readjust my vision to the bright light and, subtly, inched away from the stranger’s elbow. He offered an opaque smile and stepped around the coffee table, making himself comfortable in an armchair across from mine....

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“You Do As I Say” by Gabriela D. Martin

Submitted to Contest #146

“Picture your reader,” was the pithy advice my editor gave me yesterday.Not sure he if meant literally, but I wasn’t going to embarrass myself and ask him to elaborate on it. I am imaginative – I can figure it out on my own.So, tonight, I found a comfortable position in my desk chair and closed my eyes. I got this. Imagining things was my day gig.Lots of faces flashed in my mind’s eye. From all continents. All skin tones, occupations, genders. Various degrees of intelligence and creativity.I singled out a guy sitting in an armchair, reading ...

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“The Daughter I've Never Known I Had” by Gabriela D. Martin

Submitted to Contest #145

You wouldn’t think much of me if you met me at the local café. My insipid appearance has been an excellent façade over the years. Nothing can obscure my special powers better than loose jeans and floral T-shirts. I can’t help but giggle at the eye-rolls and gagging sounds my plastic crocs trigger when I stroll downtown.I no longer wonder why I’ve been entrusted with these powers. Just accept that it’s some type of karmic compensation for the lack of talents in other domains of my life.If looks matter nothing to me, why do I buy left-behind c...

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“The Angel and the Philosopher” by Gabriela D. Martin

Submitted to Contest #143

*** The story also contains controversial themes as lethal injection/death penalty and abortion procedure etc. ***(Joshua name in Hebrew - "God is my salvation"Anne name- “God has favored me”)It may surprise you that a celestial being like me is fascinated by a mere mortal like you. I am not ashamed to admit that often times I roam the earth to observe beings like you. You don't know it, but humans are such riveting creatures, that even us - heavenly entities - leave the presence of God to meet you. To get an eyeful of you.I have seen you be...

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“The Three Pearl Buttons” by Gabriela D. Martin

*** The story also contains physical violence and abuse of a child ***The blizzard shrieks outside, racing from one apartment building to the next, sweeping the snow-clad streets, lugging away a red fringed scarf, unanswered love letters, the sighs and groans of old people, carrying fire wood into their dimly lit kitchens. Frantic prayers are snatched on their way to heavens and hurled against the church steeple. Even the dead, tucked away in their pinewood coffins, shiver in fear, thankful to escape the rage of the snowstorm.Let me in! Let ...

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“Yours truly, Adelaide St. Claire” by Gabriela D. Martin

Submitted to Contest #141

***The story contains occasional coarse language.***"Dear Miss Adelaide, "The confidence and perseverance you've displayed over the years is quite remarkable, yet your short stories keep failing to impress us. In all honesty, our editors would rather eat the paper your story is typed on, including the envelope and the stamp, than read and critique it.We do appreciate your weekly support, but we humbly suggest you save the $5 submission fee and buy yourself a nice pair of shoes, or a dress instead. Your complexion surely could benefit fr...

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“The Inside Pockets” by Gabriela D. Martin

Submitted to Contest #140

The patient sized up the doctor, unsure if to step forward in the office or turn around and run.“Come in and have a seat, the doctor said with a calm, easygoing smile, pointing to the light-blue armchairs in the middle of the room. She sat down herself and crossed her legs at the ankles. Middle-aged, shoulder-length auburn hair, black frame glasses, dressed in a white silk blouse and charcoal grey trousers.The patient, a young woman in her early twenties, short, corpulent followed the doctor in the seating area."Are we waiting for your frien...

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“The Diamond in the Beans” by Gabriela D. Martin

Submitted to Contest #140

I remember the story our grand-grandmother told us about Lady Barclay, her aunt, who once stunned the London society by appearing at a glamorous charity event wearing a diamond as a tooth.My grand-grandmother's memory wasn't quite reliable at 97 years old and was famous for coming up with fraudulent stories at her parties when she had too much to drink.So, I double checked that memory by examining her diary.To my delight - an aspiring story-teller myself - here's what I've found as the last entry: "The Diamond in the Beans" It wa...

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