Michael Jefferson

“A Heep of Trouble” by Michael Jefferson

Submitted to Contest #231

Catfish Paradise, Arizona 1886 Lindy Drinkwater watches Jackie Diamond continue to fleece the Heep brothers. “What a bunko artist. Jackie should at least lose a few hands.” “When it comes to cards, tin horns always think they’re the top dogs,” Tuck Barnett replies. “Diamond’s makin’ me jittery,” Lindy replies, rubbing his bald head to ease the str...

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“Knocked Into Next Week” by Michael Jefferson

Submitted to Contest #230

Greg Van Fleet drifts in and out of consciousness. “His helmet is split in half,” a voice says. “He’s lucky his head isn’t in the same condition,” Head Coach Steele Stoneman replies. “Guess we’ll get the money for padded goalposts now.” Greg tries to stand but can’t move. He gasps for air. His heart pounds and Greg tries to remember how he wound up flat on his back… Our L...

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“The Queen of Mean Is Here” by Michael Jefferson

Submitted to Contest #229

“Pearls, please.” Hyatt “Hy” Rhodes fastens a string of pearls around his wife’s neck. Lane Rhodes stands back from the mirror. Sucking in her stomach and fluffing her auburn hair, Lane asks, “How do I look?” “Just as beautiful as that pretty freshman cheerleader I brought home to Christmas dinner eleven years ago.” “I looked like a scared rabbit being led to the slaughter back t...

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“It’s Easy, Just Get Cheesy” by Michael Jefferson

Submitted to Contest #228

Loretta Cibo opens her suitcase. “Okay, let’s go over our equipment. Pepto Bismal, Alka-Seltzer, Ex-Lax.” “Check,” Sam, her husband, replies. “I got some barf bags just in case.” “Hide those. I don’t want to look like an amateur.” Sam and Loretta believe their quaint general store in Leap Frog, Idaho is a culinary treasure that needs a unique product or two to become everyone’s favorite food stor...

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“A Priest, A Rabbi, And A Minister Walk Into A Diner” by Michael Jefferson

Submitted to Contest #227

The ground was covered with snow by the time Virgil Vestoff got back to his office from the sales meeting. It was the kind of fender-bending, wet slop that demands the sacrifice of any moving vehicle foolish enough to challenge Mother Nature. “Where’d this stuff come from?” Virgil yells at his friend, Sheldon, who occupies the office next to his. Sheldon halts in front of Virgil’s office, his ca...

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“Click-Clack” by Michael Jefferson

Submitted to Contest #226

Chloride, Arizona 1880 The scorpion crawling over his face brings Dustin Racklin back to consciousness. Wheezing, and hacking up blood, Dustin realizes he’s near death. He recalls being ambushed, shot in the leg, side, and through the lungs by two sidewinders and a boy he called his kin. Dustin had robbed the one o’clock stage out of Jacinto along with D...

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“I’ll Learn How to Bark” by Michael Jefferson

Submitted to Contest #225

The blind man and his collie sit passively, waiting for their flight to be called. Hans Gudeguest grins at the Swiss Air service agent as he pays for his ticket and checks his bags. In a little over eight hours, he’ll be back in his villa in Switzerland when his associates release sarin gas into the New York City subway system. He pauses at a souvenir shop, picking up an “I Love New York” cap. Checking out the f...

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“Living In A Dream” by Michael Jefferson

Submitted to Contest #224

Alec Rutchman jumps up in bed, surveying his surroundings. “Uh… I can’t sleep. Where am I?” The tail of the Felix the Cat clock swishes happily back and forth. The white floral tapestry Angelique worked on for six months hangs on the opposite side of the wall, framing the perfume bottles, lotions, and makeup on her dressing table. Home. He’s home. Angelique reaches down, stroking his hair...

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“If You’re Quoting Me, That’ll Do” by Michael Jefferson

Submitted to Contest #223

For the past three years, California’s Tyson Tigers have been college baseball’s toothless pussy cats, with no wins in fifty-four games. When the Tigers start the current season winning ten in a row, freshman reporter Bertrum Cornell is assigned the task of demystifying the miracle. With a two-week deadline, Bertrum knows his debut article could either propel him to front-page feature writing or condemn him to writing h...

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“Ninety-Five Percent” by Michael Jefferson

Submitted to Contest #222

Dickie Ryder parks his HELP van on the shoulder behind the stranded Mercedes Benz. Pulling his Baltimore Oriole cap down to hide his boyish features, he steps out of the vehicle. Olive Rothchild, a wealthy real estate agent fretting over arriving late for her own dinner party, feels relieved when she sees a scruffy man in an army jacket and work boots ambling toward her. “Thank goodness you came along,” ...

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“The Faithful Dead” by Michael Jefferson

“Pickleball… I can’t believe we’re going to start a war over a game of pickleball,” Prime Minister Grat Dane says. “The Duke of Lorraine embarrassed his majesty,” Corvus, Alsace’s court magician replies. “You know how he gets when he feels someone’s made him look like a fool.” “He’s spoiled, just like his father. Gaylord has been in power for three years, and I never thought I’d say this, but I miss King...

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“Tap Twice for Paradise” by Michael Jefferson

Submitted to Contest #220

Anson “Ace” Allison smiles as he turns over his cards. “Two queens, and a pair of tens.” Monty Moneymaker, Dimples Davidson, and Sid ‘the Shark’ Silverstein let out a trio of groans. “That’s three hands in a row,” the Shark whines in a nasal tone. “Even Wild Bill Hickok wasn’t that lucky.” “Actually, Wild Bill was very unlucky,” Ace points out. Davidson smiles, his dimples enhanci...

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“Presto Chango” by Michael Jefferson

Submitted to Contest #219

“Let me take a body scan for your I.D. card and you’ll be all set,” Rock Reynolds, Captain of Security says. “Hmm. You have a tattoo on your left wrist.” “The Ace of Spades,” Brandon McCarthy answers. “It’s from my days as a Ranger. Our company was known as ‘the Smokin’ Aces.’” Reynolds takes stock of his newest guard. At 6’ 5” with a contoured frame and gym-honed muscles, Brandon resembles a fierce line...

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“The Iron Lady and the Emotional Vampire” by Michael Jefferson

Submitted to Contest #218

The lone guitarist sits on stage in a worn wicker chair, his hair covering his eyes. “Takes a lot of guts to get up there by yourself,” Ciaran Fox says to his friend, Phineas “Finn” Riley. The guitarist sings in a whispery, melancholy tone, but it’s the opening bars of the song that capture Finn’s attention. “That’s ‘By the Colour of Your Dreams,’” Finn says. “It was on everybody’s turntables i...

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“Dynamite Has A Short Fuse, And So Do I” by Michael Jefferson

Submitted to Contest #217

Parnell, Iowa 1885 “I still have half a dozen ponies to break and get to market,” Avery Cooke says. “Besides, Skeeter’s not ready for something like this.” Snuffing out his pungent cigar, Andor Cressy, the rotund owner of the Zenith Mines and the Top Dollar Ranch gives Avery a grim look. Avery corrects himself. “Mister Skeeter.” “And don’t you forget it. You peopl...

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