Marcia H.

“Friends Wine and Envy” by Marcia H.

Alicia sat down at her small desk in the corner of her house. She positioned the desk by the window so she could see the birds and the squirrels when she was writing. Today was her 80th birthday.  She didn’t want a big celebration. She just wanted her family to come over for dinner and some cake. Alicia loved to cook and bake and was thankful that she still could. The pot of collard greens was simmering on the stove and the ham was in the oven baking. This gave Alicia just enough time to write. Today she was going to write something spe...

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“Bayton Max Hills” by Marcia H.

 Death didn’t mean much to Bayton Max Hills. Life didn’t mean much to him either.  He woke up, showered, dressed, ate his breakfast, packed his lunch, always an apple, orange, ham or salami sandwich and a small juice drink. He walked to work the same way every day at the same time every day. He did the same work, talked to the same three people whom he could tolerate in the office, and ignored the rest. He was the boss so he had that option of ignoring people that he didn’t need to interact with, the ones who were like him and came...

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“Car Crushing Canines ” by Marcia H.

Submitted to Contest #154

“We’re running out of time!”  Lee screamed as she grabbed her friend, Addy’s hand.  The two young women ran as fast as they could through the city streets not looking behind them. They knew what was ahead of them and behind them. The morning air was full of what was happening and what was going to happen.  In one day the world that they lived in changed. The air was thicker, the tree leaves were browner, the grass was wetter. People were running and screaming in the streets. There was a new enemy that nobody ever saw coming....

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“The Four Loves of Miss Jane Pickles” by Marcia H.

Submitted to Contest #153

Jane spread out the fifty or so wedding invitations across her dining room table and looked at each and every one carefully. The last batch had mistakes and she had to send them back. She hoped that she didn’t have a problem with this batch. So far so good. She nodded her head and smiled.  “You are invited to the wedding of Miss Jane Anne Pickles and Mr. Hunter Kyle Alexander on Saturday, July 17th, 2023 at the lovely home of Mr. and Mrs. Ira Handcock. The ceremony will be held in the garden at 222 Main Street. Port Charles, NY. Pleas...

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“Torn Souls” by Marcia H.

Submitted to Contest #151

This particular December morning was the kind of cold which made your teeth chatter and your breath freeze. It was not usual for December nor was it unusual for Emma to be sitting in her blue and white car which could have come straight out of a nursery rhyme. Emma was waiting for a familiar face to appear in front of the cafe where she sat on the one way street. She knew that sooner or later that face would appear and she would do what she always did on any other given day. Emma didn’t have to wait too long. Twenty minutes later there he wa...

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“A Ghostly Friend” by Marcia H.

Genia sat on her red antique sofa in her living room. The lights had already flickered and she knew that only one thing would happen.   And she was ready. Milo, her cat, got up from the sofa, looked at Genia and then ran into the bedroom.  Genia scooted over on the sofa to make room. She held out her hand and she felt  the warmness of someone touching her. It felt like a warm hug but in her one hand. Genia could see the ghostly figure of her friend, Nora. She and Nora had grown up together in a peaceful middle class neighbor...

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“Futurerama” by Marcia H.

Submitted to Contest #146

Dear Future Self: It’s me Journey. I am sitting here in the present looking out of my living room window at the blanket of black crows which have gathered on my front lawn. They are making noise talking to each other and eating my seeds I put on the lawn so the lawn would grow. I knew that was a mistake as soon as I looked out of the window this morning. But, nonetheless, there they are and here I am.  I wish that sometimes I had a crystal ball. I would look into it from time to time to see what the future held and if I didn’t like ...

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“The Tin Man's Clothes” by Marcia H.

Submitted to Contest #145

Bryon wiped the sleep out of his eyes and looked around the room that he had no idea how he got there. He yawned and rubbed his hands together. Before he could gather his thoughts someone came into the room he didn’t recognize. A tall thin man with wavy black hair accented with gray and horn-rimmed glasses was standing in front of him. Byron dangled his legs over the floor as he sat up on the bed. His eyes met the strange man’s eyes and before he could say a word the man spoke. “How are you feeling?” The man asked. Bryon paused and scoot...

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“Campfire Confessions” by Marcia H.

Submitted to Contest #143

There was always something freeing about being in the woods with nature surrounded by tall trees which looked like they reached to the heavens. I had taken many trips to the woods alone when I needed to think and reconnect with myself. My trips were usually taken after bad breakups, job endings, job beginnings, new beginnings and just because. My best friend, Reese, was going through some things that life throws at you all at once. She had to face a lot of hard balls coming at her all at once. In a time span of a few months her mom died sudd...

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“The Last Box” by Marcia H.

Submitted to Contest #139

The box was sitting in the corner of the loft. It was by itself now. The rest of the loft was empty. This was the last box. It looked lonely just sitting there. The lid had not been taped closed as on previous boxes. The handwriting on the outside was mine. In huge black, bold letters were the words, “ J’s Old Clothes.” The clothes inside were not really old. They were just too small. Jackson was born too small. They said at the hospital he was going to be small because he was going to be born early. It took me a long time to get used to the...

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“Kate's Song” by Marcia H.

Submitted to Contest #138

They say there is nothing like a woman scorned. This woman was well beyond scorned. Kate waited outside of a ugly dull brown apartment building in her car. She had turned off the motor and was in disguise somewhat. She had on a blonde wig that looked like it was ready for Halloween and some dark sunglasses. She hoped that nobody she knew would notice her or recognize her, especially her soon to be ex-husband, Don, if she was right. She sat there for about an hour just waiting. People came and went in and out of the building. She saw little k...

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“The Night Rhythm ” by Marcia H.

Submitted to Contest #137

Some things  that  go bump in the night aren’t always a  bad thing.  I learned that the day I moved into my house two years ago. The winding staircase in the middle of the living room was always my favorite place to sit and think and wait. I sat there on this cold December day  three days before Christmas and thought of all the things that I needed to do. I would like to think that I had gotten used to death but I would be lying to myself. Death is something that I will never get used to. And the aftermath of Gram-Gr...

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“When Doves Try ” by Marcia H.

Submitted to Contest #136

My husband, Sinclair, looked like a black lumberjack. He bounced into our room and took out my yellow suitcase and dragged it across the hardwood floor leaving stuff marks along the way. I sat on the edge of the bed and watched him piling his clothes inside. I knew that he was going to ask me if I wanted to go to the convention with him and he knew that my answer was going to be the same as it had been the ten hundred other times he had asked.  “Do you want to go with me to the convention?” He asked me to fold his white tee shirt and...

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“Disappearing In Plain Sight” by Marcia H.

Calla couldn’t believe what she was seeing out of her telescope. This couldn’t be right. She gasped and looked again. But, it was right. Right across from her building she saw a man tied up in a house gagged and blindfolded. He was alone in the room. The only furniture in the room was the chair he was tied up on and a small lamp on the floor.  There were open green curtains on the one window in the room. The man's hair was dripping wet and so was his face. He was wearing some old torn jeans and a very wet white tee shirt. Calla didn’t k...

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“Wouldn't Take Nothing For My Journey” by Marcia H.

Submitted to Contest #132

Are you there God? It's me, Hortece. It’s been a while since we have actually had a sit down conversation. You know I rarely go to church anymore and my grandma, Nana, is probably rolling in her grave on that one. She took us to church, me and my sister every Sunday that she could and sometimes even my bad cousins who couldn’t keep still to save their necks. She was always pinching one of them to sit still and of course they wouldn’t. Their mother blamed it on the fact that they were boys but we knew better. Them being boys had nothing to do...

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