Itay Frenkel

“Photograph” by Itay Frenkel

Submitted to Contest #261

I’m grateful to Linda for being there for me after her mom died. It probably should have been the other way around but I had loved her mom too. Besides, I was the last one to see her alive. We had a big art project coming up and most of the kids stayed back since Linda’s mom offered extra help after school. She was our art teacher. Linda herself went home early, saying that art was half talent and half pain and that it was a pain to stay back after school. Linda was a natural; her mind could see things clearly and her hands portrayed th...

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“Diner” by Itay Frenkel

Submitted to Contest #105

“Do you think some people are meant to stay in your life forever?” “We’ve really run out of things to talk about, haven’t we?” He said.  “That’s not true, I just don’t wanna talk about the past anymore. Please, what do you think, are there people meant to stay in your life forever?” “I hope so, but what do I know?” “You’re the one who said that to me, when we were kids.” He let his face relax into a smile and nodded. I looked into his brown eyes, like two mud puddles. They were the only thing about him that had remained the same. When...

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“Cat in the Rain” by Itay Frenkel

Submitted to Contest #95

“Would you go back in time?” She asked him.Finals had finished a week ago and the results came that day. They had promised to meet here and share the news. They sat in the corner of a loud bar, facing each other in a booth, the bright afternoon sun shining through the mostly glass walls and killing the bars’ cozy atmosphere. She cracked a pistachio nut and threw it into the air to try and catch it in her mouth. The boy watched with a bemused smile as it fell to the dirty table instead. He brushed it to the floor before she could pick it up a...

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“The Neighbour's Garden ” by Itay Frenkel

Submitted to Contest #94

“So, you’re gonna lay down here and cross your arms like this and I’m gonna use this shovel to bury you.” “Won’t mom be mad?” “Can’t be mad at a dead person, right?”  Laying there in the little hole they spent all afternoon digging, looking up at his big brother who’s head was now invisible because of the intense sun that hung over everything and cast a disorienting heat, the little boy considered this notion. He didn’t know any dead people, not personally at least.  “What about someone really terrible? Can you be mad at someon...

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“Clipped Wings” by Itay Frenkel

Submitted to Contest #73

I stood in the kitchen next to my mother, helping her put the finishing touches on dinner. I could hear my father laughing his hearty laugh in the kitchen, everyone else was silent...he must have told one of his jokes. I carried the casserole and the asparagus, and my mother took the chicken. We had to make several trips. People were smiling and talking and being friendly. I could see my dad going around graciously filling everyone’s glasses. The more they drank, the funnier he got. The last dish we carried to the table was red jello.&nbsp...

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“The Last Stage” by Itay Frenkel

Submitted to Contest #69

“Why is there an extra chair?” Mildred asked. I didn’t like Mildred, she was loud. Sometimes when I tried talking to her she would change the topic really quickly. When we were little, she took my toys before I could finish playing with them. It was like living with an alien.  “That’s where mom used to sit,” I said.  “Oh,” Mildred said, “then we don’t need that seat anymore.” “Yes, but we’re going to leave it there for a little while, alright sweetie?” My dad said. “Sure, I guess there’s nothing else to do with it anyway,” she ...

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“Belated Eulogy” by Itay Frenkel

Submitted to Contest #68

“So, It all started one day when my father took me into the bank, to make a withdrawal. He typed in his pin, covering my eyes with his hand so that I wouldn’t see the password. It was obviously a joke, but at the time I thought he was dead serious. To this day I make sure to cover my eyes any time somebody is typing in a password. The atm was just outside the bank, but I went in to use the washroom. That’s when I saw it;  a bowl of candy, just begging to be plundered. One per customer. I stuffed two into my pocket. The security guard sa...

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“A Night to Forget” by Itay Frenkel

Submitted to Contest #67

Millie Shore believed in life after death, but she didn’t count on it. It sounded like an oxymoron to her, and besides, how much more tragic would her death turn out if she was waiting to get somewhere, but didn’t end up there? It’s a lot like taking a trip to Disneyland; reasonable enough to believe you’ll have a good time, but you shouldn’t count on it. Long lines and little kids, food-poisoning and rollercoasters, too many contradictions. Life after death, it just doesn’t make sense. Millie woke up in the evening, still drowsy from t...

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“Circus Life” by Itay Frenkel

Submitted to Contest #65

Looney the clown was too dependent on his environment to survive in the outside world, like an animal kept in captivity its whole life. Tooney watched Looney’s grave like it was a blinding sunset. Tears stung his eyes, falling to the ground and welling in a sea of shame. Tooney was the proverbial clown nobody wanted to see cry.  * Looney’s palms were sweaty, stomach twisted in knots, heart beating against his ribcage. He forced himself to yawn, loosening up his jaw. Performed jumping jacks to get his blood going. Raised his shoulder...

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“Avion for Men” by Itay Frenkel

Submitted to Contest #64

Michael Mulgrave saved his wife from the fire. They had met thirty years ago when he was a cologne salesman. “Hi there sir, would you like to try some avion for men?”It was cold outside on that day, with enough snow to put Siberia to shame. She was wearing a thick jacket, with her hood pulled over her head.“Sure, I’ll try some,” she said, removing her hood and blowing a strand of blonde hair out of her face.“Oh, um, I’m sorry,” he said. “Don’t apologize, spray,” she replied. “Yes sir, um, I mean ma’am. You’re probably the firs...

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“Heading Up” by Itay Frenkel

Submitted to Contest #62

***Author's note*** This short story was originally supposed to relate to the prompt, but it didn't quite turn out the way I intended it to. It doesn't relate to the prompt much if at all, but I hope you enjoy it anyway. ***Author's note***“Guess what? I got a job at your office, but don’t worry, it’s not going to be awkward. If anything, it kind of makes this sexier, don’t you think? One day we’ll run the place, like a power-couple or something,” Max said. Clarissa smiled but didn’t say anything.A week later, she said this: “I’m sorry ...

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“On the Way” by Itay Frenkel

Submitted to Contest #62

Some people read to find themselves, others to lose themselves. You can replace ‘read’ with any other verb and the statement will still hold up.  The night sky grew darker, the street lights brighter. I shoved my hands into my pockets.  “Hello,” a woman said. She was walking with a friend in the opposite direction. “Hey,” I answered in a hoarse voice. That’s what happens when you try to talk after you’ve been quiet for a very long time.  I was late learning to speak, but when I did start, I talked all the time. When that...

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“Rat King” by Itay Frenkel

Submitted to Contest #60

Stanford Log entered the room like a little child lost in the woods. He looked around at the panoramic window. The psychologist motioned to a grey couch. Stanford twitched his nose like a rat and tried running out of the room. He was caught in the hallway and dragged back by two men in white uniforms. He sat on the couch, defeated. “Fine, I’ll tell you my story, because a good story deserves to be told,” Stanford said. He lay on the couch, head propped up against one of the armrests, hands folded across his chest like a corpse. The psyc...

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“Mr. Hoover's Nephew” by Itay Frenkel

Submitted to Contest #60

Ron Hoover’s love of classical music didn’t fit well with his rough-around-the-edges persona, but he didn’t care. He woke up early in a dark room on the second floor. Waddled out to the hallway, past the empty guest bedroom, into the bathroom. Turned the light on, groaned in pain as his eyes shrunk to raisins. Why do they sell such damn bright light-bulbs? He brushed his teeth, shaved, and went back to his room. Got dressed in the dark, always a plain t-shirt and jeans. Skipped breakfast, it didn’t fit well with his lanky figure, then headed...

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“Elevator Shrink” by Itay Frenkel

You never know how much blood you have in you until it starts pouring out.  Take a full bottle of ketchup, remove the lid, tip it over, that’s how much blood there is, and probably more. I’m not some weirdo, by the way, I’m only this comfortable talking about blood because I want to be a doctor.  That morning I had left the house in a bad mood. I got in the elevator and hit the basement button, planning on going to the gym to release some anger. The elevator here is messed up, instead of going down it went up and picked up anothe...

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