Jenne Gentry

“Out of Darkness” by Jenne Gentry

Submitted to Contest #92

The sun sets over Lake Washington, providing residents from the city of Seattle with an awe-inspiring view. It's a Saturday night like any other, except for the graduates of the class of 2011. For this special group of Garfield High alumni, tonight marks their 10-year reunion. A much-anticipated event for all involved, except, perhaps, a small group of misfits who credit their survival solely upon each other. Many discussions have been had by the still close-knit group in recent days, as they try to decide how best to celebrate the occasion....

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“Mother's Garden” by Jenne Gentry

Submitted to Contest #90

Mother Nature is calling. Are you ready to be part of the solution, rather than part of the problem? It's easier than you think. Paradise is possible. Come to Mother's Garden @ The Katsip Nature Center Earth Day, 2021 at 8:00 AM Rosalie folds the flyer in half and sets it back where she found it. The small Formica table in the break room on the fourth floor is always scattered with flyers and brochures on just about everything you can think of. This one, however, is out of the ordin...

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“Prey” by Jenne Gentry

Submitted to Contest #89

Sophia sits in the hospital bed, shaking. Though the danger has passed, she remains rigid and on high alert. Nurses file in and out of the small room, performing tests and checking the readings of various medical machines, but she barely notices. Traumatized, she is locked in her mind, reliving the events of the day over and over, with no power to stop it. Her doctor thinks he is out of earshot when he whispers to a nurse, “they just found the animal and put it down. It was banged up pretty bad, she's stronger than she looks,” he nods at Sop...

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“The Red Fox” by Jenne Gentry

Submitted to Contest #88

 A small red fox travels tirelessly through miles of thick forest in search of a new home. It shouldn't be more than a half-day journey before she reaches the lake that sits beside a patch of Sitka spruce trees. It's a well-known spot in the forest and is said to be a haven for animals with nowhere else to go. As the fox gets closer, her excitement starts to fade as her fears rise and taunt her. It doesn't matter where you go, no one is ever going to like you. You have nothing to offer, you just aren't good enough. The small fox hadn't ...

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“A Trick for a Trickster” by Jenne Gentry

Dimnos comes to stand before the immense glass doors and hesitates. He can't help but wonder why he has been summoned so suddenly. It's completely out of the ordinary and not a good sign of things to come. Laomedon, one of the highest-ranking gods within the Pantheon of Ojal, turns to see Dimnos standing at the door and gestures for the young god to enter. Dimnos stows his emotions and moves to stand before Laomedon, stone-faced. “It's Lugh. He's escaped.” Laomedon announces, getting right to the point. “Shit, not him,” Dimnos curses, th...

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“Spring Beginnings” by Jenne Gentry

Submitted to Contest #86

“The beautiful spring came, and when nature resumes her loveliness, the human soul is apt to revive also.” -Harriet Ann Jacobs The sun peeks in through small crevices in the thick, out-dated curtains, refusing to be ignored. “It's time,” Lucy announces to the empty bedroom. She's been holed up for months in the quaint little house that she'd bought, sight unseen, in a desperate attempt to escape from a bad situation. An aftershock, of sorts, she'd shut down entirely and spent her days hiding under the covers. It was as though she'd forgo...

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“The Magic of the Mist” by Jenne Gentry

Submitted to Contest #83

On a quiet morning, before dawn's first light, a young boy named Loto and his older brother, Hamuera, shuffle out of their home and head out into the darkness, following the path that leads through three miles of deep woods to the ocean. It is Saturday; they fish today. Their household is one of only a handful of residents on the small island of Fetuilelagi, and they have the task of providing their family with enough fish to last the week. They walk down the small trail that was worn by the feet of their ancestors, in silence. It is too ear...

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“Like a Sore Thumb” by Jenne Gentry

Submitted to Contest #82

The lights flicker from the storm. Zenais freezes in place until they return to normal. This is bad timing for a thunderstorm. She stands in her small, cramped bathroom, bare on top, with a soldering iron in her hand. The access panel in her chest is open, putting on display the shiny steel parts hidden below her synthetic skin. She's making some adjustments to her control center, located in the middle of her chest where her heart would be if she were human. She hates to do it during a thunderstorm but doesn't have much choice; she's set to ...

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“A Second Chance” by Jenne Gentry

Submitted to Contest #81

Hazel shivers from the cold and reaches across the console to turn up the heat. She's stuck waiting at the too-long light at 5th and Pine Street. She hates this one. She always seems to catch it at just the wrong time. Shifting in her seat uncomfortably, she wonders what it's going to be like to go back to the house after all these months. The only home she's ever known, she was terrified to see it in its current state: a bare, lifeless skeleton of what it had been. Her stomach turns at the thought of the emotions that are sure to come rushi...

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“Generations” by Jenne Gentry

Submitted to Contest #80

 The mallards quack and flap their wings excitedly before diving their heads down into the long green grass to search for the freshly spread birdseed. Esme smiles and looks over at her young granddaughter, Aubrey, who is watching the animals gobble up the treats. The small girl reaches into the brown paper bag in her grandmother's hand for another handful of seeds before turning, and, with a glowing smile upon her face, flings the seeds up into the air. They all watch as the seeds rain down onto the grass and then the ducks break into t...

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“Scars” by Jenne Gentry

Submitted to Contest #79

 “Family is important,” her voice comes through the speakers of my cell phone in the same tone that used to send a chill up my spine as a child. I didn't need to have her in front of me to see her disapproving glare. A wave of disbelief passes over me at her choice of words and I can't help but note that family wasn't important to her when I needed it to be. Clearly, this is a recent development. Too little too late if you ask me, but she won't- ask me, that is. She never does. I turn my gaze out the window, hoping to steal some peace f...

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“Beware Abchanchu” by Jenne Gentry

Submitted to Contest #77

 Nikki Reeves was startled by a loud noise just outside of the small, rustic cabin she rented with a few of her friends. She hurried to the window to investigate. False alarm, it was just a branch breaking under the weight of the snow. She let out the breath she didn't realize she had been holding and went back to stand in front of the fireplace. The fire was starting to die down. It's crazy how fast fire burned through the wood. A city girl, Nikki's apartment had an electric fireplace. She had no experience with the real thing and it d...

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“If They Only Knew” by Jenne Gentry

Submitted to Contest #75

I wake up in a bed that is too firm. The sheets are rough to match. My head is pounding, my thoughts foggy, as I look around to see that I am in a hospital room. Large medical machines are emitting a sporadic high-pitched beeping that makes my head throb even harder. “W—wh—what happened,” I wonder aloud to the empty room. It is a struggle to get the words out. My lips and mouth are painfully dry. How long have I been here? I shift in my bed and am instantly overcome with a searing pain that shoots across my body. It radiates from somewhere w...

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“Seven Waves” by Jenne Gentry

Submitted to Contest #74

Lucy sped down the street with tears flowing, sending her mascara down her cheeks. A new song comes on the radio that instantly elicits her revulsion. It is her and her now ex-boyfriend's song and feels like a knife to her heart. She shuts it off and then cuts the left at the next intersection, completely ignoring the red light. Luckily there is no cross traffic, the entire town is already at the New Years' Eve festival on the beach; which also happened to be her destination. The beach, that is, not the festival. She had something she needed...

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“Home for the Holidays” by Jenne Gentry

Submitted to Contest #73

I hobble along the curved sidewalk that leads from the driveway to my parent's house, my crutches have turned the familiar path into one that feels awkward and daunting. Sure enough, I misplace one into a crack and almost fall on my face. I'm able to save myself from crashing to the ground but feel a sharp pain in my ankle. My slightly older brother sticks his head out the front door and calls to me, “Hurry up, Delly, Mom's serving her famous cinnamon rolls! It's first come first serve and I brought home a friend!” He then disappears inside ...

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