Matt Render

“Migraine” by Matt Render

Lightning flashed outside Glen’s window, beaming through the blinds and into his eyelids. The crashing of thunder sent rumblings through his skull.  The pattering of rain droplets on his window beat upon his eardrums like a marching band. Glen lay in bed, throbbing from head to toe.  It had been many many years since he’d had a migraine. Ever since a particular rainy day in high school when he had one tremendously bad case, he had been completely migraine free. Glen couldn’t remember that day, aside from waking up to the s...

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“Blind Date” by Matt Render

Submitted to Contest #61

Dear Diary, I’m writing this Saturday night, I’m in The bathroom. I need to make this quick. I couldn’t wait until the morning. As soon as she walked into the bar, I knew I’d hit the jackpot.  She was tall. She was blonde. She had the right red shirt and the red lipstick. She had the coy smile and those “fuck me” eyes as I greeted her.  Usually, Id never end up with such attractive dates.  There was usually something off about the face— a crooked nose, eyes too close together, big forehead, and sometimes all of th...

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“Validation ” by Matt Render

Submitted to Contest #60

Megan felt powerful. She’d never known this feeling before, as she stared down at the phone in her hand. She’d never held power in her hands before like she did then. The feeling was addictive.  Megan smiled as she saw the numbers  rising on her screen— the measure of her success mounting. She smiled and thought back to how she had once been that ugly duckling from the classic, cliche fairy tale. All those years of isolation simply made the taste of her victory that much sweeter. Finally, all her efforts had been validate...

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“Grievance ” by Matt Render

Submitted to Contest #59

Bradley had it all. Money, and fame and an apartment overlooking Central Park. Tailored suits and chiseled abs and a smile that said “I’m better than you, and even you know it.”  He watched himself in all the movies about Wall Street, and his daily life actually closely resembled Hollywood’s fascination and their indirect portrayals of him: Big money, big tits, and big bags of drugs all being chased and used and then disposed of.  Bradley had a difficult time with showing people he cared, mainly because he didn’t. But o...

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“The Ski Trip” by Matt Render

Submitted to Contest #58

There was no reason for them to take two cars. Maria had a five seater, and with each of the four girls only carrying a weekends worth of stuff in their overnight bags, there was plenty of room. The only reason for taking a seperate car was because of Sonia. Sonia had said she wanted to, and that was a good enough reason.  “It’s only a three hour drive.”  Lana said trying to reason with her.  “I’ve driven to Vermont before, I know.”  Said Sonia, smoking a cigarette while on the phone with her. Her pulls on the cig...

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“Infidelity ” by Matt Render

Submitted to Contest #57

Nothing was as sweet as infidelity.   When James had met Marina, he knew she was in love with someone else. That was just part of what made their Romance so exhilarating to him.  Here, in Marina, James had found not just an attractive woman; one who sexually enticed him-- but, he had also found in her a story;  a personal victory which sent him a rush of blood— the self aggrandizement of being chosen, and the adolescent thrill arising from the two of them betraying their mates for one another.   James...

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“Friday Night” by Matt Render

It wasn’t even midnight as Bradley left Jack’s apartment. The pizza was still unfinished, the case of energy drinks not even halfway through, and they hadn’t even made a dent into the usual damage they’d inflict upon the online gaming world on any usual Friday night.  Jack was perplexed by how bad Bradley's aim was with the pistol, and how Bradley had tactically muffed so many of their strategic flanks, and how even over the headset, his usual trash talk was comparatively lamer than it had ever been.  “Dude. What’s going o...

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“Family ” by Matt Render

Submitted to Contest #55

The living room of people is too loud, too bursting with excitement, for anyone to hear me walk into the kitchen, hands clutching everyone's large brown take-out bags for Eli’s big birthday dinner. My whole family is busy reminiscing and jostling eachother as I stealthily tear through the myriad of paper bags with the take-out dishes before I find Eli’s— a juicy hamburger. I peel back the tinfoil wrapping with precision and I slide a tiny microscopic tab of aresenic just beneath the melted glob of cheese.  “Where the fuck is Glen wi...

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“Green Smoothie” by Matt Render

“No. I don’t miss her.” “Not at all?”  Dr Stern is leaning back in his chair and he has an eyebrow raised, signifying that he thinks I’m feeding him bullshit.  “Well, I know you think I’m full of shit.” I say “But no, I don't.” “You don’t think about her?”  He asks leaning forward “Well, I do think about her, I guess.”  “When?”  I swallow back what feels like l a tumour growing in my throat  “All the time. But I don’t miss her.  He’s got both eyebrows raised this time and a ...

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“Vomit” by Matt Render

When you see us two—me (Zoey), and Marlee,  rolling outside the gas station, licking our cherry and orange popsicles as they melt down our arms, your first thought is something like: “What a couple of nice, young girls!” You see our lips darkened from the dyes of the artificial flavourings.  You see our skinny legs extending out from our short-shorts, and we look a lot taller than we actually are on our roller-skates. You see the smiles, innocent as butterflies, the big bright eyes, wide as daises. &nb...

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“Weakness” by Matt Render

Submitted to Contest #52

No matter what anyone else says, I can erase the past.  I can also mould the future. I don’t buy into the weak bullshit everyone else believes in so devoutly. There is no higher power except me; I am my own maker.  Of course, I didn’t always know this. At some point, I was just like you and all the rest. I figured I was just here on the sidelines, resigned to my fate of watching everyone else having all the fun. My friends were the same way. My weak ass father was that way. Most people were.  Most people stood by w...

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“Wolf Moon” by Matt Render

Submitted to Contest #51

I remember the night I was born.  The last pink glare of a summer sunset had been replaced by a sky filled with endless rivers of black gloom.  By midnight, the clouds had all scattered, allowing the glimmer of stars and the erupting light rays from a bountiful full moon.  The island echoed with howls as I was born. I’ve heard many different accounts from people who claim to remember their own births, but they’re all liars.  I, meanwhile, am of a special breed who can with all certainty say, I remember ...

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“Dinner And a Movie ” by Matt Render

Submitted to Contest #50

“Terrible” says Dennis.  “Yet another classic example of someone's overly sentimental, pixilated and simplistic view of American culture....” Here we go, I think Another one of Dennis’ diatribes...  Another dinner and a movie with Dennis. Another Wednesday date night. I feel the frustration building inside me. Why does it always end up this way? The most perturbing part about it all is that somehow, I actually still care. I actually wore my new earrings for this. Nevertheless, I try to maintain my civility. Maybe the ...

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“Poor George” by Matt Render

Submitted to Contest #49

“Sir,”“Sir. “ “Sir... you....”“...you can’t smoke in here.”It only took one glance from Tony behind his lit cigarette for George to realize-- not only could Tony smoke in there, but he would smoke in there. There was a blonde woman sitting across from Tony with a culture magazine on her lap. She was chewing on a massive wad of bubblegum. Her name was Deanna. One of Deanna's sons was crawling along the floor between people's chair legs and climbing up the backs of the leather sofas. “Stop it, would you stop it! Do you know...

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“The Marble ” by Matt Render

Submitted to Contest #48

The whole obsession began with a tiny blue marble.  Roger’s breath grew deep as held the tiny blue marble, one of the only remaining relics which his father had passed down to him. As he thumbed it between his palm, his bones trembled. The blue inside the marble was so deep and intense, Roger felt himself being sucked inside.  Roger was a child without many friends; he didn’t play sports, he wasn’t the most intelligent, and after his older brother had died from a sudden case of pneumonia, Roger was reduced to spending most...

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