KT George

“The Hawthorne House Mirror” by KT George

Submitted to Contest #251

Evelyn Harper stood in the middle of her new, old house, hands on her hips, surveying the chaos around her. Dust motes danced in the rays of the late afternoon sun that filtered through the grimy windows of Hawthorne House, a crumbling brick 150-year-old Tudor-style home she saved from demolition a month ago. Like her, it had seen better days—weathered by time and neglect but still standing, resilient. The house was a reflection of her current state: aged, weathered, but not without hope for restoration. Recently divorced after 25 years of m...

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“The Silence Between Us” by KT George

Submitted to Contest #250

“Don’t close the blinds all the way, Sarah; they'll know we're hiding something. Just leave them, okay?”“Are you sure you’re not being just a tad bit paranoid, Nathan? I mean, this is our house. Naturally, we’d open and close the blinds throughout the day. I always do when the sun hits the front side in the afternoon. It makes the room unbearably hot otherwise. If I don’t close them, I think that will draw more attention, especially if they have been watching us for—what did you say? Five days now? What are you not telling me?”“Trust me. It'...

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“Platitudes for those Left Behind” by KT George

Submitted to Contest #193

Trigger warning: Grief, death of a loved one. Profanity. “It’s been sixteen hours and twenty-two days since I held her in my arms,” Sisely told her therapist.           “Have you been able to cry?”           Sisely shook her head no.           “How about your sleep?”           Sisely shrugged and quirked her mouth into a frow...

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“The Divine Intervention of the Molly Maguires” by KT George

Submitted to Contest #192

For three months out of the year, antiques and art lovers all over the United States gather to share their beloved treasures at designated roadshow locations. The hunters and gathers, the collectors, and even the hoarders come together in one place to seek out the advice of experts and estimators to see if the stuff they have is worth any money. Sometimes they earn a history lesson while also learning they’ve got an unexpected fortune on their hands. Most times, those lessons fall on deaf ears because they’ve learned what many already suspec...

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“The Vaduz Wallet Brigade” by KT George

Submitted to Contest #192

Have you ever lost your wallet while on vacation in a foreign country and thought, “Welp, I hope whoever finds it has a gas! Now, where is the local consulate office?” Yeah, me neither. I mean, I did lose my wallet on vacation in a foreign country, but the words coming from my mouth were not those of hope for the persons who discovered it. They were more like phrases that would make a sailor blush, mixed in with some sobbing and uncontrolled bouts of hysteria.  Twenty years ago, I took a gap year in college and decided that backpacking...

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“Copperfield Must Die” by KT George

Note #1: Strong language in English and Spanish. Brief mention of torture. Note #2: This is best read in sequential order from The Copperfield of Tax Accountants, then Copperfield’s Descent into a Dark Dark Wood, then this. ------------------------------------------------------------- Ninety cinderblocks made up the shortest wall of the federal prisoner’s cell and one hundred and eighty on the longest side. Twenty-seven cracks appeared in the beige paint covering those cinderblocks, and forty-two chips revealed the seven layers of the s...

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“Copperfield's Descent into a Dark Dark Wood” by KT George

Note: The characters David Fields and Dora first appeared in the short story The Copperfield of Tax Accountants. Also, March 25th is Dante Day or Dantedì in Italy, so this story and its prompt were timely! Forty-five minutes after David left her apartment, Dora was dead, and his life’s trajectory changed forever. Or maybe it was changed the minute he answered her text. The one that subtly invited him to her place after a disastrous moment the night before had been caught on video. It could’ve even been traced to the minute he spotted...

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“The Copperfield of Tax Accountants” by KT George

Submitted to Contest #188

There was too much food and wine and not enough good company. At least, that was the sober opinion of the evening's honorary guest. When surrounded by dozens of strangers celebrating you, you don't get much time to think things through. Your job is to show up early, make a conscious effort to connect with everyone in attendance, then make a speech proving you deserve the honor bestowed upon you.  David Fields was a prodigious tax accountant with the reputation of being gifted with analysis and computations. Many thought him a magician...

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“Did You Hear the One About the Woman Who Hates Cats?” by KT George

Submitted to Contest #187

      Jenn’s thirty-two-year-old husband, Jaret, passed away three months ago from throat cancer. It shocked everyone, for no one knew he was sick. Especially Jaret, who had gone to the dentist for his annual checkup when the doctor noticed unusual growths on his enlarged tonsils. A trip to an Ear, Nose, and Throat doctor and an oncologist confirmed the professionals’ opinions. From there, it went all downhill.       Jenn was understandably devasted that at twenty-nine, she was a wi...

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“It's A Steve Harvey Kinda Day” by KT George

Submitted to Contest #186

“I love my wife. She won’t be mad. I love my wife. She will be reasonable. I love my wife. Please, God. Don’t let her divorce me. Huh. Isn’t that where I left you this morning?” “They call it a Living Room for a reason. I’m living. And it’s Bon Bon hour. Why are you home so early?”“Why are you so flushed?”“The sugar rush, and Steve Harvey. He makes me laugh. He makes me cry. Anyway, another jerk at work got you down?”“Something like that.”“Sit. I’ll go make you a drink. It’s 5 o’clock somewhere, and Steve’s about to crack another joke. ...

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“The Quiet Struggle of Squirreling” by KT George

Submitted to Contest #185

My mother doesn’t know how to let anything go. And I mean anything: objects, people, animals, even thoughts and feelings. When I first noticed this condition, I was six years old. I had a new friend over after school, and as soon as he entered our house, I knew something was off. “It smells like my great-aunt Sarah’s house. Old,” he said, stretching out the ‘L’ sound while wrinkling his nose. “I smelled it on your clothes, but only a little, so it didn’t bother me. But this is icky,” he continued, walking through the house, ...

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“Blown Fuse” by KT George

Submitted to Contest #184

Be bold. Be brave. Be unafraid.  Don't dream your life. Live your dream. It's not about finding yourself. It's about creating yourself. Donovan had these sayings and more plastered all around his house, office, and even his Toyota Corolla's bumper. That's where the habit formed. He'd accidentally backed into a light pole, scuffing the plastic and paint. He didn't want to turn the damage into his insurance for fear they would raise his rates. Later that day, he saw his first life quotes sticker at a convenience store and decided it...

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“The Zeitgeist of Big Pharma” by KT George

Submitted to Contest #183

Lollie was terrified of men starting with the OB/GYN who delivered her. Calathea was co-dependent, always needing a friend to do just about anything, even going to the bathroom. Butters, nicknamed after the South Park character, had just escaped an abusive relationship. Beau was on the autism spectrum and had ADHD. Evie had a brain tumor that caused her to have seizures. Estelle was terminally ill with a rare form of cancer. Tony was so overweight that he couldn't even get gastric bypass surgery until he lost a hundred pounds. Helen, also kn...

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“Going Ghost” by KT George

Submitted to Contest #182

The unemployment rate in the United States hovers around 10 percent. It's not the highest it has ever been, but many people are out of work, short on cash, and limited with their options. There's a sense of hopelessness in the country, and it's bleeding into every corner of the world. The television news pundits are all predicting more of the same. It's a recession, and the government is out of moves to control the downward spiral. To make matters worse, a war in Eastern Europe has spilled out into neighboring countries, threatening not ju...

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“Hike of Shame” by KT George

Submitted to Contest #181

The skin of his forehead had deep set rivulets that reminded me of the valleys melting glaciers leave behind on a mountainside. I wondered if I could stick pennies in between their folds. Would they stay? How many could I fit across the great expansion of his neanderthal-like skull? “There’s obviously the problem of induction, among other things…” the man droned on. I watched with rapt fascination as a single loose piece of flesh dangled off his top lip. I bet whether it would drop into his mouth or fly across the room towards me the way hi...

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