Kathryn Gabrielle

“Peppermint Patty” by Kathryn Gabrielle

Submitted to Contest #170

"I've got a plan."Peppermint Patty isn't the cutest girl in fourth grade. Not even close. She is, however, a force to be reckoned with. A "rough and tumble" kind of gal. The schoolyard is her domain and she rules it like a champion. The air is brisk and the leaves are colorful on this bright Autumn day. Charlie Brown and Marcy are her best friends, but there is one girl that stops Peppermint Patty cold. Her name is Lucy. Peppermint Patty wants nothing less than putting Lucy in her place. Can she do it?Charlie Brown is a blockhead. He is nice...

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“Who Done It?” by Kathryn Gabrielle

Submitted to Contest #165

A Brand New Red and Blue Book in the stacks of a local library has only one hour left to live.I live high in these dusty library stacks. I do not know my author. I only know I am a self published book. I doubt any of our Dear Patrons have even tried to crack my binding in humble curiosity of the words inside my pages.There has been a lot of grumbling among the books in these high stacks. The Pages (teen library employees that shelve new and older books) have not dusted any of us in ages. We, the books, have feelings too. The head librarian s...

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“The Intergalactic School For Secretaries” by Kathryn Gabrielle

Submitted to Contest #154

Would you "fit" in this weird and crazy school? Blast off and take this voyage along the Intergalactic highway to this strange school for secretaries!The Intergalactic School for Secretaries.The Year is 2500.The Human Race is now part of the Intergalactic Educational System.If we are to compete in our galaxies, we must be well educated!"Come right on in, Miss Duncan. Have I got a school for you!", my overzealous high school guidance counselor waved me into his office.I rolled my eyes, expecting the same old, same old stuff. You know, Ivy to...

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“Shelving the Books” by Kathryn Gabrielle

Submitted to Contest #146

Coworkers have tantrums too. Mindful escapes into the shelves of a library. Shelving books and stewing about words exchanged between disgruntled coworkers is just plain toxic. I worked with a girl like this for years. She blew hot and cold. I wanted her to like me for some strange reason. She sneers and it makes you wonder what upset her. She abruptly grabs the book cart and deliberately crashes into you. Her destination was always the library book shelves. A journey of mindfulness. Her mindful tantrum lasted for hours, shelving books, one b...

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“Love in the Clouds” by Kathryn Gabrielle

Submitted to Contest #143

Classic movies do indulge in cloud gazing. Lots of dreaming and imagining pictures in the clouds. Big ships. Angels. Faces of loved ones. Good, positive things. The classic movie I am thinking of is the old version of Back Street starring Charles Boyer as Walter Saxel and Margaret Sullivan as Ray Smith.Charles Boyer has a nasty habit of dumping women while they are laying down in a field of hay looking up at the clouds. In Back Street, Walter Saxel is a "cad" who promises to wait for Ray Smith (Margaret Sullivan) at the Riverboat landing. He...

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“Sloppy Joe's Tacos and Stuff Gets A One Star Rating” by Kathryn Gabrielle

Hello, my name is Barbara and I am a waitress at Sloppy Joe's Tacos and Stuff. We have the distinct honor of getting a one star rating! How wonderful! I am keeping track of our daily reviews from our wonderful customers. Keep them coming! We at Sloppy Joe's Tacos and Stuff love our one star rating!BURNT OFFERINGS . I give the scrambled eggs a rating of 1 or even -1 for the following reasons. The eggs were not fresh, they smelled rotten, the milk was sour, the butter was rancid and the cook was angry.TOO MUCH SALSA. I give the taco made for m...

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“Grow Up” by Kathryn Gabrielle

Submitted to Contest #139

"Grow Up."Yeah, it's so easy from where you sit to tell me to "Grow Up"! Who do you think you are?I live a charmed life. I have four brothers and two older sisters. I am the baby of the family. I get out of many unpleasant jobs around the house but there are times I want to help out. I am told, "Don't worry about it. You will be able to help when you grow up".We have a few housekeepers to help out my Mom. They usually start cleaning very early in the morning around seven o'clock in the morning. My Mom would share a coffee and conversation wi...

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“The Bishop Is Coming and I Can't Cook!” by Kathryn Gabrielle

Colleen always loved to watch her Mom bake. She watched from the corner of the kitchen. Maybe one day she will be as good as her Mom but she sighed and knew that she simply could not cook! It would do her heart good to have a challenge and to bake fabulous pies all by herself. Maybe someday her Mom will hand over her cookbook to Colleen. But the only thing that Mom let Colleen do is watch.The single source of joy in Coleen's life is baking. She loves the feel of dough between her fingers. The aroma of pies baking in the oven. She loves to sh...

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“Reflections of Love” by Kathryn Gabrielle

It is Sunday. Not yet dawn. A few peaks of a promising day etch through the darkness of the endless night. A night that sends him into thoughts of her. He tries to escape the lingering memory but no matter. Her presence etched into the very fabric of his being. It's been a month since he seen her and it's like no time at all."Is this madness I feel?", he asks himself as he looks in the mirror, then laughs at his own reflection. Touching his face, it is like he is looking at himself from outside his own body."Am I here?", he thinks to himself...

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“Josephine's Smile” by Kathryn Gabrielle

Submitted to Contest #136

"Roses are red.Violets are blue.Sugar is sweet and so are you."Napoleon’s first wife Josephine was born Marie Josèphe Rose Tascher de la Pagerie in Martinique on June 23, 1763. Like Napoleon himself, Josephine was a study of contrasts. As a child, Josephine grew up on a sugar cane plantation and developed a sweet tooth. As a result, her teeth had turned black at an early age so she learned to talk and smile without showing them. Despite this drawback, she was renowned for her grace and style. Many people in the 1700's had bad teeth. It was n...

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“Demetrius and Glitter” by Kathryn Gabrielle

"You'll never know unless you try".In Ancient Greece, along a humble village by the sea, lived two Proud Unicorns. One was black with a white horn growing out of the middle of his forehead. His name was Demetrius and he was a rather "itchy" young unicorn.The other unicorn was pure white and had a golden horn growing out of the middle of his forehead. His name was Glitter and he is in love with his own reflection.A worthy venture, but just let me start at the beginning. Demetrius and Glitter are great friends. Demetrius is a unicorn. He ...

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“Writer's Block” by Kathryn Gabrielle

Submitted to Contest #136

Jimmy tosses his sweaty orange socks on the floor next to the bed. It had NOT been a good day. When he found the old typewriter at the yard sale he knew he had to buy it. True, the letters were all but worn off, but he loved the smell of it. And, miraculously the carriage still moved. He tried to write for a little while, but nothing worked. Now, he was restless, so restless. Why couldn't his mind just slow down?Crumpled papers litter the floor, making an odd pattern. Jimmy unscrews a burnt out light bulb and throws it across the room in tot...

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“Is Boris Badinov?” by Kathryn Gabrielle

Submitted to Contest #135

Boris is a short guy with a mean streak. He likes to talk alot about how bad he is, but he has a secret.He is afraid of his job.Boris comes from Russia and he has thirteen brothers and fifteen sisters and they all have to work collecting rent money from the shopkeepers and drifters. Boris hears Papa's voice inside his head saying, "Don't feel sorry for them. They will cry, plead, get down on their knees. They will beg for more time! Take out your bat and that is their answer. Work! Collect Rent. Being home bacon to Papa!""Yes, Papa", Boris r...

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“Yellow Town” by Kathryn Gabrielle

Submitted to Contest #135

The town is named "Yellow Town" because there is not one single upstanding citizen within earshot. Dirt streets and tumbleweeds spin yarns of "would of" and "should have been" but never "proud of." Any shaky-kneed varmint that crosses the street will not face up to danger or principle. Courage and friendship are replaced by shaky knees and perspiration. A Sheriff's Star is a symbol of courage but the man behind the star is a paper hero. He looks like a sheriff, walks like a sheriff but when the going gets rough and tumble, you might as well ...

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“Peering Through The "What-If" Telescope” by Kathryn Gabrielle

Submitted to Contest #134

"I spy, through my telescope's eye, something strange and unusual!""What is that supposed to mean?," a swaggering wise guy asks.A meek geek wearing a striped shirt and broken glasses brightens up and starts rambling. "My name is Norman. Tonight is the night of the Full Moon. I peer through my Big Red Telescope and what do I see? Something very strange and unusual! A world where one exists but are polar opposites. Winter here, Summer there. Shy and awkward here, confident and popular there. If you are successful here, a total loser there. Yo...

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