Mark Nero

“Monte Carlo” by Mark Nero

Submitted to Contest #180

There are many casinos in the world but none that felt as special as ‘le Casino de Monte-Carlo’. The exterior could be described as classically beautiful and palatial, while the interior envelopes you in elegance and sophistication. Being close to the Italian border, it received a fair share of the wealthy patrons from both France and Italia. Not including the international jet-setters or the mega-rich, who moored their sleek yachts in the harbor. Appearing to be part of the scene, I wore an Armani Tuxedo, gold Blancpain watch and, diam...

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“What's New?” by Mark Nero

Submitted to Contest #174

It’s funny how things constantly change. Even if they don’t seem to… For instance, if you place a teacup on a table, go away for a few hours, then return to see if it had moved, you wouldn’t see any change in location. However, as the world had spun around a certain distance on its axis, while revolving around the sun, which itself is spinning around the Milky way, you could say that it had moved! Sorry about that… My head is spinning at the thought of it, but you get the point, and this concept also applies to people. I had grown up in ...

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“Come Fly With Me” by Mark Nero

Submitted to Contest #171

Wow… ‘I can’t believe I’m finally doing this’, I said to myself, while I sat in the cramped window seat of a plane heading to Sydney, Australia! I thought I’d be clever and learn how to say ‘G’day, mate!’ with an Australian accent but the more I tried the worse I sounded. Charleston airport was quieter than I thought it would be, considering all the shenanigans on the news, so it didn’t take long to check my bags, clear customs, and find my seat on the jet. When I told my friends what I was about to do, they thought I was crazy. Especial...

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“The Ballad Of Carlo And Flavia” by Mark Nero

Submitted to Contest #162

They say that smell can unlock forgotten memories of childhood, beautiful holidays or special events and I agree with that, wholeheartedly. Especially when it comes to the smell of food. Growing up in the little town of Indiana Pennsylvania, I experienced a typical American childhood. Even though my parents were originally Italian, I learned to speak Italian at a young age so I could converse with my grandparents who lived with us. Otherwise, I was into American fashion, music, sports, and culture. For instance: When I thought about ‘foot...

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“Where Am I” by Mark Nero

Where am I? It seemed to be a question that I had asked myself a lot lately but in different contexts. One of the last times I had asked myself this question, was while walking out of the Parklea Correctional Center. A.K.A, Parklea Jail. I wanted to know where I was in my own life, because living as a criminal didn’t get me far but at this moment, I wanted to know where I was… ‘geographically’. My old Falcon pickup began overheating as I headed out west so I needed a garage or somewhere I could see what was going on with it. My pickup w...

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“Fake News” by Mark Nero

Submitted to Contest #156

I don’t know… Sometimes, I think that the more society progresses, the further behind we actually retreat. We have so much information at our fingertips, and we have become dumber for it. Growing up in the seventies and eighties, I remember that if I needed to know something for school or whatever, I would refer to the Encyclopedia Britannica or a similar publication to get the answers… the facts. Now, I type a question into my browser or just press the mike button on my phone and within a few seconds am presented with a huge amount of ...

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“A Crack In Time” by Mark Nero

Submitted to Contest #154

Another day… another tax dollar… I thought to myself, as I boarded the cramped train on my way to work. Being an accountant for a law firm was ironic, as I was constantly in control of millions of dollars but none of it was mine. Our offices in the Sydney CBD, were opulently decorated and a very nice place to work in. Especially as we were located on the twentieth floor of an Art Deco building, with amazing views of the Royal Botanical Gardens and Sydney harbor that laid beyond it. By some miracle, I was able to grab a seat for my forty-fi...

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“All In The Family” by Mark Nero

Submitted to Contest #153

Gee, I hate turbulence… Whether it be on a plane or any type of turmoil between people or families, which is ironic considering my occupation. I did what I did, not because I liked it but because I was good at doing it… and it paid a lot. Turbulence is also a great equalizer within planes, as first-class passengers like me, are shaken as hard as those in economy. The last little shake woke me from my nap, but I was surprised that I slept at all, as I hated sleeping on planes. After rubbing my face, I looked around the still dark cabin an...

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“A Knight To Remember” by Mark Nero

Submitted to Contest #151

Birds chirping… Did I leave the sleep soundtrack on all night again? The sound of the wind blowing through the trees… While half asleep, I tried to recall which of my sleep app soundtracks was based on forest sounds. I knew one was by a babbling brook and another had the sound of cicadas but just as I heard the wind again… I felt it. It was cold, humid and it immediately chilled me to the bone, so I pulled up my blanket and rather than grabbing a handful of Egyptian cotton, I felt… course linen? Hemp? It was at that moment that I be...

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“Message In A Bottle” by Mark Nero

Submitted to Contest #146

I’ve never been someone that was appreciative of advice or readily open to suggestions. My friends would say that I gave stubborn people a bad name, but I don’t know why. Friends and family expect this of me and I’m grateful that they still love and tolerate me, anyway. I was thinking about this particular trait, while digging up the driveway of my old family home. My parents still lived there, and they asked if I could help them fix their driveway, as they were both elderly and frail. I’ve had some experience with concrete and cement and ...

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“A Critical Error” by Mark Nero

Submitted to Contest #141

Being a food critic is often a thankless and tedious undertaking and sometimes, I just couldn’t be bothered doing my job. There have been nights when all I wanted to do was sit in front of my TV in my pajamas with a pizza and not an artisanal or authentic pizza, either! I’m talking, Pizza Hut or Domino's or any ‘stuck to the cardboard’, delivered by Uber Eats, cold by the time it gets to me, pizza! Obviously, I would never tell anyone this as it would destroy my career and finding another job didn’t intrigue me. I had always been a good co...

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“The Diary Of Jack Simmons” by Mark Nero

Submitted to Contest #139

01/01/1978         Dear Diary,My name is Jack Simmons, and this is my first entry, ever! I’m not sure what to get out of writing in a diary but my mum gave it to me, and she said it was fun to do. Anyway, I have a few new years resolutions that I’m sure that I’ll deny making later in the year but one of my ‘real’ resolutions, is to make my parents buy me a ten-speed racing bike. Just like my next-door neighbor's. His name is Timmy and he let me ride it. I know that I live on a busy road but I’m go...

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“Regret Is A Four Letter Word” by Mark Nero

Submitted to Contest #137

Regret. Regret is one of those crappy feelings that we could really do without or at least, have it last for only a short period of time, right? Lucille Ball was quoted saying ‘I’d rather regret the things I’ve done than regret the things I haven’t done’. It’s similar to what people say before their pending death, especially when it involves people. Why can’t we see clearly enough to avoid regret or at least quickly rectify it?! Instead, it’s usually something that creeps up on us over the years, when it’s too late to do anything about i...

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“Chocolate Heart” by Mark Nero

Submitted to Contest #133

It’s funny what can be found in old attics when you are a new homeowner and especially in the attics of really old homes. There could be rags or riches… Gold or garbage but what there would always be an abundance of memories. I was recently divorced and had decided to move to the country, in the attempt to leave a horrid part of my past behind. My ex-wife and I didn’t have any children, unless you counted the evil chihuahua that never liked me. They say that dogs are good judges of people, but I think that worked the other way around as w...

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“Snake Eyes And The Colt” by Mark Nero

The year was eighteen eighty-four and I had just ridden out of Bismarck, heading toward Lawrenceville, North Dakota, which was a good day’s ride. I had been appointed sheriff, as their previous one had a heart attack… as a result of it being filled with lead. Actually, there had been a string of attacks on my predecessors and I would be the fifth sheriff in the last two years. My superiors had finally understood the challenges faced by the town, which was why they looked for someone with my skill set. I was very young for a sheriff, barel...

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