Mel Marcik

“To receive a bagel from heaven” by Mel Marcik

"He's driving me mad! I'll end up in hell, if things continue like this!" Gabe looked up from his paperwork and shocked at Kim. "Everything alright, boss?" "No. Yes. I mean, hmmpff!" Frustrated Kim leapt from her throne and paced through the room. Gabe took a deep breath and looked back at his paperwork. Prayers, sins, desires and temptations. A lot of temptations. "I wish he would give into temptation." Kim exclaimed, sensing Gabe's thoughts. "I'm giving him so many, so many temptations. I set out a life that isn't boring. And he ju...

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“Fire” by Mel Marcik

"Tell me again how we got here?" I’m struggling to make a fire so we can cook some coffee. And Kim definitely needs some coffee. And as a result, so do I. "You wanted to do something we both wouldn't like. To get out of our comfort zones. Well, and here we are, at great lake Titicaca. But not at a tropical resort, oh no. We're in Bolivia right?" "I think so, yeah." I mumble, trying to focus on the fire but failing spectacularly. Yes, this was my idea and my idea alone. I knew Kim wanted to see the world, and I wanted to show them the w...

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“The Inspirator” by Mel Marcik

I stare at the blank page in front of me. Just like I did the day before and the day before that. The first two days I wasn't that stressed out. I write best under pressure anyway. And I like to keep my opinions fairly recent. No one likes to read my thoughts on the prime minister that was serving a week ago, when by the time my opinion piece is published, a new one is in office. But ideas are not coming to me. I get up and make myself a cup of tea. It won't help, but at least I'm not staring at my screen. I don't get it, the circumstan...

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“Orange light over the castle” by Mel Marcik

I lost count of how many days we are down here. I also lost count of the fights that have been ever since we're here. The struggle for food is something I've grown used to by now. I've come to appreciate the music made by a couple of people, even when the guitar isn't tuned anymore. I've even come to appreciate Kevin's beard. What I haven't come to understand is his indestructible optimism. Or, how he calls it, his determination. He doesn't accept our faith. He appreciates it for the time being, but he won't accept that this is our life now....

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“An unexpected conversation with God” by Mel Marcik

"Are you there, God? It's me... Well, that doesn't bring us any further, does it? Because you don't know me. Or, I think you don't. I don't know. I don't know anything anymore. But what I know is that I'm here now, talking to you. I've never done this before."  I open my eyes for a moment. Instantly, the bleeping of the life support machines are back. Kevin is still there, fighting for his life. If he could, he would pray right now. But he can't. So I decided to do it for him. A hell of a task, pardon my language. I've never prayed be...

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“Queen of Andromeda” by Mel Marcik

I feel like I'm drifting on a cloud. Softly shaking and feeling very light. I like this feeling. It’s like floating in a sea of happiness, I don’t want this to end. Suddenly it's gone and a jolt of pain shoots through my body. I feel heavy, uneasy, and I'm ready to scream. I can already hear someone screaming. The scream is freaking me out. It’s me who is screaming.   I compose myself, and try to open my eyes, but they feel glued shut. And yet, I can see how light is trying to penetrate my eyes. Now I don't want to open my eyes a...

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“With a bang” by Mel Marcik

Submitted to Contest #127

From the moment I met her, I knew there was something about her. I know, everyone says that about the person they love, but this was different. And everyone says that too. It wasn't in the way she talked, or in the way she walked. Actually, my friends raised a few eyebrows when I introduced her as my girlfriend. She wasn't my type, they said. Not what they expected me to date. And yes, sure, I lean more to a certain type of girl than to another. She fell under the 'another' category. But there simply was something about her that interested m...

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“Happy New Year” by Mel Marcik

“Happy New Year!” The people around us are cheering and clapping. Yet another rotten year is over, I think bitterly. I look around and see how people are hugging each other. People are smiling. People are happy. I’m not. And neither is he. He looks at me and sighs deeply. I just raise my shoulders. I didn't even want to be here. His friends invited us. 'This year will be different!' they said. 'We need to celebrate!' they also said. My perfect idea of celebrating New Year's Eve is sitting at home, listening to music, and wait for t...

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“The cost of rushing” by Mel Marcik

"Last call for all passengers, flight KL6008 to Amsterdam, please go to your gate immediately." Oh, come on, hurry. I make a few jumps as if that would make the sale in front of me any quicker. Besides, there's a man in line before me and heaven knows how long he will take to... I try to look what the man in front me holds in his hands. A newspaper, a magazine, maybe some candy? Way too much anyway. Oh hell, fuck it. I step out of the line and dramatically place the book I had in my hands on the top 10 non-fiction display and run o...

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“The customer is always right” by Mel Marcik

"Sir? Sir? We're closing." "I just need a minute. A minute in which to safe my life!" I look up and see how this man runs inside the store and makes his way directly to me. Oh great, some lazy boyfriend who forgot Christmas is tomorrow. I just wanted to close the cash register. My manager nods at the direction of the man and signals I should serve him anyway. The man looks desperate, he will probably spend a lot of money. I understand, take a deep breath and put on my 'the customer is always right' smile. He indeed stops at my departme...

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“A lesson to learn” by Mel Marcik

"Well, that was dramatic." As quickly as the encouraging applause started, as quickly it died down again. I could hear an inaudible gasp going through the room. Eyes looking at me, then looking at her and straight back to me. Waiting for my reaction. And all I was able to do was stare at her, and that's exactly what I did. The truth of the matter is, it was rather dramatic. I tripped over a wire. That wire is there ever since we moved into this office. And since that day we meant to tuck it away. It doesn't just look unprofessional, it's...

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“The leather jacket lovesong” by Mel Marcik

I close my laptop and look straight into the living area. I'm done for today. My work is sent to my employer, and I'm not going to get my head crazy about whether it’s good enough or not. It's done and I can relax now. I take a deep breath while I look into the room. It's a lot spacier than my old place. Who am I kidding, this place is luxurious! And you know what? I will finally do what she has told me I should do for the past week now. Use the bubble bath. With all the bath lights on. Yes, that's what I'm going to do. While the water ...

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“The house by the sea” by Mel Marcik

(tw talking about depression)"How many times do I have to tell you that I don't want to go camping?""We're not going camping.""You're right about that, because I'm not going."I take a deep breath. I know that when I continue this conversation, he will launch his anti-camping campaign. It's not that I don't understand his campaign and why he hates camping. I used to go camping when I was younger, simply because of economic reasons. When I was able to afford hotel rooms, I never went camping again. Also, camping in Europe sounds a lot less adv...

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“Small Encounters” by Mel Marcik

The sun is shining this beautiful fall morning. I love walking in the morning, waking up and sharpening my senses. I watch the leaves fall down the trees. The colors are wonderful. Underneath a tree I stop and look down. There is this big yellow and red leaf, and it looks just stunning. I go through my knees and reach out to pick it up. I want to get up and look at the leaf, but something on the ground catches my eye. Something is moving. It looks metallic, so it's not ants. It's shimmering in the sunlight. Wait, are that tiny men running ...

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“Running again” by Mel Marcik

I know it's a good thing that I picked up running again. Sure, I like it and I know it’s worth it. Especially now I’m getting older, I can’t take my body for granted any more either. I feel accomplished when I'm back home after the run. I take my shower and have a cup of tea and a bowl of cereals. That’s all nice. But getting out of bed, putting on my running gear and leaving the house, that's a whole different story. I'm not a fan of that.But here I am, running in the park. It's still early. And yet, there's business people going to their j...

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