LeighAnne Ferreol

“Pompeii” by LeighAnne Ferreol

Submitted to Contest #55

I glanced up as I heard the faint clanking of my plates knocking against each other. That was strange. Why were they doing that? A horse cart passed by my house suddenly. Ah, of course. I shook my head. I didn’t know why I was worrying about something so stupid. I had bigger things to worry about. Calix. As if the Gods had read my mind, I saw him pass by my window at that moment. My heart raced just from catching a glimpse of him. A man truly worthy of his name. I couldn’t even count how many times I had visited Venus’ temple to beg for her...

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“Garden” by LeighAnne Ferreol

Submitted to Contest #55

Pulling weeds in the middle of the night. Not the most common thing in the world, but what else did I have to do? I sighed softly. How many nights had it been now? It was silent tonight. All I could hear was the chirping of crickets and the faint humming of the back porch light I was using to see. Which is why it was easy to hear the cab pull in front of the house. I heard some faint, slurred mumbling. He'd been drinking again. My loneliness quickly turned to rage. I started to rip the weeds up viciously. How therapeutic. I was actually ...

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“Second Chances” by LeighAnne Ferreol

Submitted to Contest #54

[Opening Applause] Hello, everyone! Welcome to Second Chances, the game show that never knows when to quit. As always, I'm your host Charon!  [Audience Cheering] Thank you, thank you! For those of you new to the program: why so late to the party? [Audience Laughing] Just kidding, of course. Now, in this game, contestants are taken through some of the biggest moments of their lives and given the option: if you could do it again, what would you do? Based on their responses, we will see the results of what could have been. At the end,...

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“Never Too Late” by LeighAnne Ferreol

Submitted to Contest #54

I tried to remain hopeful as the bubbly sorority girl bounced my way, but I had a horrible feeling of foreboding deep in my stomach. “Hello, Professor,” she said cheerfully. “I know you’ll probably cover this later, but I was wondering if we’d be receiving our syllabus today.” I knew it. I wanted to crawl into a hole by this point. Instead, I forced a sheepish smile. “Actually, I’m a student too,” I explained to her. “Oh,” she said, turning deep red. “Well, I guess you don’t know either then.” She couldn’t get away from me fast enough. ...

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“Prodigy” by LeighAnne Ferreol

Submitted to Contest #54

A shriek like that of a tortured cat echoed around the room. Mrs. Lane covered her ears and scrunched up her face. “Stop!” She shouted over the screeching notes. “Sweetie, you don’t have to press the bow against the strings like that. Light pressure will do.” I looked down at the violin in my hands. I thought I was using light pressure. Would it even make a sound if I played any lighter? She sighed at the obvious confusion on my face. “Sweetie, are you sure you want to do this?” She asked cautiously. “Learning the violin isn’t easy, and I...

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“Burned” by LeighAnne Ferreol

Submitted to Contest #53

A bead of sweat slid down my nose slowly. I heard a resounding plop as it joined the growing puddle beneath me. I glanced over at the electric fan sitting in the corner of the room, the plug too warped from the heat to plug into the socket. God, I really wish I hadn’t left it by the window that day.  Not that it mattered. It was dangerous to plug in electronics nowadays. Tile floors were usually so cooling, that’s why I tried laying on it. It did less than nothing. I don’t know what I expected though. I doubt even a glacier could help ...

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“Trapped” by LeighAnne Ferreol

Submitted to Contest #52

Using the flashlight batteries for the remote didn't seem like a big deal at the time. However, now that I was driving fifteen miles per hour at midnight in a blizzard because my power went out and my flashlight didn’t work, maybe it wasn’t the brightest idea. I couldn’t help breathing a sigh of relief as the supermarket’s sign glowed in the distance. I crept my car into the parking lot, I couldn’t even tell where the lines were to park. Not that it mattered, it looked like no one was there. I parked near the front but still had to scurry t...

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“You Loved Me Once” by LeighAnne Ferreol

Submitted to Contest #51

Construction on Collins Street. Why the hell was there construction on Collins Street? More than that, why couldn’t they just let me walk past it? It wasn’t like they were doing the entire street. I could walk on the other side if they were concerned about my safety or something. The supervisor refused though. So now I had to go through the old park. There was nothing wrong with the old park necessarily. Ever since the city invested in cleaning up the larger park uptown, this one just got abandoned. Only a few old people stuck in their ways...

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“Flying” by LeighAnne Ferreol

Submitted to Contest #51

Danny ducked through the hole in the old chainlink fence. He remembered how he used to sneak in the same way as a kid, carefully wriggling his way through so the guard wouldn’t hear the fence rattle. The hole was so big now he just had to walk right through. Didn't matter though, the place had long since been abandoned. It was crazy how time had changed things. The once colorful amusement park sign had faded to the point of being nearly illegible, the old food stands were overtaken by weeds and field mice, and the rides had all rusted ...

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“Hunted” by LeighAnne Ferreol

Submitted to Contest #50

Deer sniffed the air timidly. He didn’t sense any predators. Slowly, he emerged from the forest, still glancing around cautiously. After a moment he felt safe enough to lower his head and chew on the tender grass of the field. The air was crisp, Deer used his hoof to brush away some of the dead leaves that covered the grass. Winter would be here soon. He and his herd would have to find warmer shelter. Deer was thinking about places in the forest that could shelter them when he heard a twig snap near the treeline. He whipped his head around ...

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“Settle” by LeighAnne Ferreol

Submitted to Contest #50

Liam stared down at his spaghetti. He shoved the noodles around with his fork. They were good enough, he just didn’t have much of an appetite. He knew the reason why. “Is it okay?” Danny asked. Liam looked up at him and forced a smile. “It’s great, Babe. I’m just not very hungry.” “Are you sick?” Danny said, leaning across the table to feel Liam’s forehead. Liam brushed his hand away gently. “No, no. I’m just not very hungry. I promise.” Danny still seemed a little worried, but he nodded and went back to eating. Liam looked down at his ...

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“Light Bulb” by LeighAnne Ferreol

Submitted to Contest #50

Jenny felt around in the darkness, looking for the bathroom switch. Her fingers finally brushed against it. Click. The room stayed dark. She tried again. Click. Nothing. Click. Click.  “You’re gonna break that thing if you keep flipping it like that,” Greg commented. “It would have to work first before I could break it, Greg,” she snapped. “I told you, the switch is fine. I just need to replace the light bulb,” he sighed. “Then why don’t you change the light bulb, Greg?!” She asked angrily. “Hey, calm your ass down. I’ll get to it...

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“The 9:15 ” by LeighAnne Ferreol

Submitted to Contest #49

Mark turned his head as he heard a soft thud next to him. Another man nodded to him briefly before sitting down. Silence quickly filled the air. It was late. The station was between busy periods. Long past the time the nine-to-fivers would need it, but not quite late enough for the late shifters to need it. Mark broke the silence first. “Waiting on the 9:15?” He asked, turning towards the man. The other man nodded but didn’t say anything else. The silence quickly filled the air again. This was no good. It was one thing if he was alone, but...

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“Simplicity” by LeighAnne Ferreol

Submitted to Contest #49

This isn't a joke or a test. I know this isn’t exactly the most romantic way to do things, but I figured you’d appreciate something simple more than some flashy event. I love you, Julie. Will you marry me? Tyler stared as the words on his phone screen glowed out from the darkness. It was short, simple, but sweet enough. He felt like he had properly conveyed himself, even over a text. That wasn’t what bothered him. What bothered him was what he saw right below that message. Seen Yesterday 11:46 PM She hadn’t replied yet. He tried to ration...

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“Editing” by LeighAnne Ferreol

G looked around at the others as they glanced over his draft. Finally, one of them lowered the pages to his lap. G waited expectantly. Slowly, the others did too. No one said anything. He sat there nervously. The silence was overwhelming, he couldn’t take it anymore. “Well?” He asked. “What did you all think?” Most of them avoided eye contact. A couple shifted uncomfortably in their chairs. Pete broke the silence with a defeated sigh. He ran his hand through his hair and turned to G. “Look, I guess I’ll be the one to say it,” Pete started...

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