John Kieffer

“A Man Out of Time” by John Kieffer

Submitted to Contest #239

He lay on the frozen ground, staring at the dark sky. A single star twinkled amidst the infinite shadow of the abyss. No clouds impeded the view, it was merely the only star that remained. He let loose a long sigh as he watch the last remaining shred of light. He was unwavering, unblinking, waiting for the end. Long, long ago, he came into existence. It was so long ago that it was barely a moment in the entirety...

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“Planned Extinction Level Event” by John Kieffer

“Are you telling me…” Petunia trailed off, absolutely gob smacked. “That humans are not alone in the universe, or that you’re being recruited to potentially eliminate another species?” The man across the diner table said very plainly then took a sip of his tea, then smiled while he relished the aroma. “Yes, that is correct. This tea that is green is spectacular.” Petunia stared at him with a most perp...

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“Hiding in the Light” by John Kieffer

The lights flickered the way they always do during the storm on the colonies, and I’m cowering in the one small space where the lights don’t flicker, not even in this rain. Every year this storm comes. It is always starts on the exact same day each year, and always lasts exactly eighty-four hours. I’ve been told the rains of the storm aren’t quite like the rains back on Earth, but having been born on the voyage to get ...

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“Life Goes On” by John Kieffer

I woke up earlier than normal. My wife and child still slept soundly in their sleeping bags, though our mutt had noticed my stirring. I lay there for a time, wondering what had caused me to awaken. There was something, something nagging at the back of my brain like an itch that I couldn’t quite scratch. The itch started to become a need to move, until finally I extricated myself from my sleeping bag and prepared to go ...

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“At the Veil” by John Kieffer

Have you ever found yourself in a situation where you don’t know how you got there? I don’t mean the kind of situation where you didn’t expect to be there, but how it happened is known to you. I mean when you suddenly find yourself in the middle of something and you literally have no idea how you got there, when you got there, or the context of what is happening at the immediate moment. Kind of like when a dream starts...

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“What Happened?” by John Kieffer

I stood in front of my home in Wisconsin after being gone for over two months. I don’t know how or why, all I know is that one night I went to bed at home with my wife after putting our two year old to bed, and when I woke up I was in some strange cave in the middle of a forest. It was so bizarre and disorienting that for the longest time I thought I was in a dream. Then the mosquitoes started biting. They were ...

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“Going Home” by John Kieffer

Submitted to Contest #96

It was a hot day, but not unusually so for the middle of spring. The citizens of the small town of Bael went about the normal routine of their lives. This consisted mostly of farming, hunting in the nearby woods, and generally keeping to themselves. The people of Bael owed allegiance to no matriarch, were part of any kingdom, nor did they have any roads or marked paths to their little town. They simply lived and wanted ...

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“The Meaning.” by John Kieffer

Submitted to Contest #95

Julie was confused. She had gone to bed in her tiny apartment, wearing heavy pajamas, under two heavy comforters, and with her overweight tabby cat curled up at her feet. Where she found herself now was not her tiny apartment. She woke up in a strange room wearing casual mid summer appropriate clothes, with a pillow but no blankets of any kind, and her overweight tabby cat was nowhere to be found. The ro...

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“It Wasn't Her Fault.” by John Kieffer

It always pissed her off that, no matter what, Francine’s younger sister Joan was always right. Their parents always fawned over Joan, and valued her input over Francine’s every time both had a say. Growing up, their friends would always take Joan’s advice, and would take Francine’s with many grains of salt. Everyone Francine grew up with would always shoot her ideas… her beliefs… down, but Joan? Well she always seemed...

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“Caught in the Carnival” by John Kieffer

Submitted to Contest #93

You know, I never really cared for carnivals. Ever. Nothing about them has ever appealed to me. The crowds are annoying, and the noise is a headache. I don’t like the rides, and they feel like they are a loose bolt away from coming apart and killing all of the patrons within them. The food is deep fried nausea. Seriously, I feel like I’m going to get heartburn and some kind of communicable disease just looking at it.

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“Uninvited Guests” by John Kieffer

Submitted to Contest #65

The night sky was fast approaching as two young men sped down the road on horseback. They had been riding hard since midday to escape an angry mob of villagers, and still the villagers pursued them.“Okay, I have to admit Leon… this was fun at first, but now it is growing tiresome.”“It is growing tiresome just now?” Leon asked. “Are you sure Devon? It didn’t grow tiresome hours ago, back when we could still feel our legs?” Anger and annoyance dripped from his words.“Well it was somewhat amusing before.”“You mean...

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“Fiamma” by John Kieffer

Submitted to Contest #64

Phobias are such an odd phenomenon, an irrational fear of one particular thing. My particular fear was pyrophobia, a fear of fire. It’s strange; however, I cannot explain why I am so afraid of fire. Throughout my entire life, I have never been burned, but there was something about fire made my blood run cold. You never really realize how much a phenomenon like fire affects our lives until you have a crippling fe...

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“One Last Trip South” by John Kieffer

Submitted to Contest #63

It is always pleasant to watch as I pass by the trees. Orchards are especially pleasant as there was a rhythmic pattern to their passing in and out of my perspective. They look like a geometric illusion, and it feels like walking past infinite hallways… one after another, after another, and so on. Something about that just helps to calm the nerves of travel. Sadly, there is no orchard going past at this moment. ...

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“The Amazing Mr. Shazzlefop” by John Kieffer

Submitted to Contest #61

Valerie always despised spring-cleaning, and for various reasons too. It was a tedious chore that took too long, more often than not it saw many things she had once cherished end up in the garbage or being sold, and it never seemed to actually occur in the Spring. This year was no different. The spring-cleaning began midway through the summer and was miserably hot inside, even with the air conditioner r...

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“Lost in the Woods” by John Kieffer

Submitted to Contest #60

“Let us in!” Rochelle threw a rock at the gate as she yelled. It made a loud electric pop as it landed. “We need help damnit!” “That’s your problem,” came the muffled voice from the other side of the walls. “The gates aren’t opening, move along.” “You’re sentencing us to death! We need food, water, and shelter from the zombies.” “Yeah, you and everyone else who comes to Greensburg.” Roche...

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