Michelle Oliver

“Weather or Not” by Michelle Oliver

Submitted to Contest #239

Shay hummed along to the radio as she drove home from her late-night shift, happy to be heading into a three-day weekend. It had been a long week, exhausting and energy sapping, but TGIF! She had a hot date tonight with a bottle of Pinot Grigno and a hot, steamy Netflix series that she was planning on bingeing. It was the sum total of her dating life at the moment, and although her mother bemoaned her daughter’s single status, Shay had no energy left for the male of the species.The Weather Girls wailed from the speakers a...

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“Butterfly Memory ” by Michelle Oliver

⭐️ Shortlisted for Contest #237

Leonard paused at the door, taking a deep, steadying breath. His hand holding the bouquet of daisies trembled, causing the delicate white and blue petals to flutter like butterflies. He knocked and waited. A gentleman always waited to be invited in, but no invitation was forthcoming, so he cracked open the door a little to peer in. Maybe she was sleeping.Martha was sitting in her chair staring out the window, looking beyond the walled garden, examining an image that was visible only inside her head.“May I come in?” Leonard asked softly, not ...

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“Shooting the Breeze” by Michelle Oliver

“You can’t run forever,” said a metallic voice, and I froze, senses alert. My eyes darted to the entry points in the crowded bar. Front door—two Etruscan warriors, side door—a Nimb and a Fetlian. I’d take the Nimb and Fetlian over the Etruscans. They’re not as fast, nor as deadly accurate with their weapons.A clawed hand grasped my shoulder, and I fought the urge to shrug it off. Better to act as nonchalant as possible.“Hey, Kal. Did Grondo give you the night off, or have you slipped you...

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“At Hampton Court Palace” by Michelle Oliver

Submitted to Contest #235

The brush strokes are indeed amazing capturing my attention and halting my progress down the hallway. The portrait is huge, truly an impressive feat of artistry. A regal gaze stares out of the canvas and I am captured by the familiar face and stance, who would not recognise Henry VIII? His fleshy features surround those piercing eyes. He’s not a nice man. Powerful, proud, arrogant, yes, but not nice, yet the portrait fascinates me.With deep reluctance I move on from the painting to admire the next one. Our tour guide has drawn his ...

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“Dreams of Seventeen ” by Michelle Oliver

Submitted to Contest #234

When Seventeen slipped and fell through the ice, Mumma was nearly hysterical. She begged the elders to send out a rescue team to save the girl, because Seventeen was the only other female of breeding age left in our clan. Mumma had been eagerly awaiting the reprieve from child bearing next year when Seventeen became Eighteen, and therefore old enough to procreate. Life had been hard on Mumma. Breeding every year for the last two decades had nearly broken her, but she, like the rest of us, knew her obligation to the c...

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“Going Rogue” by Michelle Oliver

Submitted to Contest #233

Light harvesting is a dangerous occupation. You have to be fit, fast, and completely fearless—some might even say insane. I never had a choice; it’s all I’ve known.Out here in the Shadow Rim, a place of eternal twilight, you either survive, or you don’t. It’s cold and dark, even during the daytime hours, so we have to farm light. That’s my role. I check the light farms and bring back energy cubes so that we can survive out here on the Rim. Danger lies in the light. When the Light Stalkers invaded our planet a few years ago, they quickly seiz...

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“People of a Dying Sun” by Michelle Oliver

We are the last of the humans; the ones left behind to witness the final throws of a dying sun.The Arc, the behemoth space craft, the life raft designed to save humanity by boldly exploring new places to thrive, left us behind, the unloved, the unheard and the unwanted. They promised to come for us once they found a new home. We knew their promises were empty, yet we lived in hope, but the Light Stalkers found us first.Then we lived in darkness and fear. A dying people, under a dying sun.****The sibilant hiss sends shivers of terror up my sp...

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“We, The Left Behind” by Michelle Oliver

Submitted to Contest #232

We are the left behind, the ones who didn’t make the cut, the unlucky.When The Arc was created, they said the positions on board would be determined by ballot. Funny how that random selection process took one hundred percent of the rich and famous, the billionaires, the influencers, the celebrities and politicians. Oh, they took others too, the unnamed and unknown. Mothers, fathers, sisters, brothers, all randomly selected. Families were torn apart by the horrible choice, either stay together and die, or separate for a chance at life. M...

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“Soulless” by Michelle Oliver

Submitted to Contest #231

A soul was a weighty thing to carry. Florien had never realised how heavy it was until this moment. Sarah Jane looked at him with luminous eyes that were sunken into her pale face, her soul shining through the shadows of pain and exhaustion. An uncomfortable shame churned in his gut. He’d nearly killed her. He’d gone feral, giving in to his primal instinct to hunt, and he’d hunted her.It had taken years, centuries even, to reach the level of clarity that he had today. He could almost pass for human… almost. He drank ‘stil...

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“The Trouble with Resolutions” by Michelle Oliver

Submitted to Contest #231

***Content warning, Adult Themes***One glass1) Lose weight.(You need to make your goals specific and measurable.)(OK, how’s this then?)1a) Join Weight Watchers—Actually follow the program this time.1b) Lose 10 kilos by Christmas, (that’s less than 1 kilo a month, that’s doable right?)1c) Keep the weight off this time.(How are you going to manage that?)(With my second resolution.)2) Join a gym.(Specific and measurable, remember.)(***sigh***)2a) Pay for a year’s membership at Fitness First Gym.2b) Sign up for two classes per week.2c) Sign Kels...

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“Today I Will Wake Up ” by Michelle Oliver

Submitted to Contest #230

“Goal setting is so important, it helps to break the impossible tasks into possibilities. Write them down, have a plan, have a goal. Tick things off the list as you go. You will be surprised at how much you can achieve,” said my therapist to me.“I know.” And I did know, I just never did it. But I will today.Today I will:1) wake up and I will get out of bed. I will do it without groaning or moaning. Nothing will hurt. I will be refreshed and rejuvenated. I will have energy to face the day. It will be a great day.2) get dressed and I will look...

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“Soulmate” by Michelle Oliver

Submitted to Contest #228

Florien felt a deep sense of regret and shame, overlaid with a heart wrenching panic, as he contemplated the gravity of his error. He’d eaten something he shouldn’t have. He’d eaten the artist, Sarah Jane.With self loathing settling in his stomach and the imminent repercussions resounding in his head, he withdrew his fangs from her neck and she slid to the ground in a boneless heap. The panic rose in his dead heart as he staggered to the side table where his phone was on charge, and opened his saved contacts. He only had one number, Mrs...

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“Friday 13 January 1939-Black Friday ” by Michelle Oliver

Submitted to Contest #226

“On [Friday 13 January 1939] it appeared that the whole State [Victoria, Australia] was alight. At midday, in many places, it was dark as night. Men carrying hurricane lamps, worked to make safe their families and belongings. Travellers on the highways were trapped by fires or blazing fallen trees, and perished. Throughout the land there was daytime darkness… Steel girders and machinery were twisted by heat as if they had been of fine wire. Sleepers of heavy durable timber, set in the soil, their upper surfaces flush with the groun...

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“Self Imagery ” by Michelle Oliver

⭐️ Shortlisted for Contest #225

Florien needed to find a real artist. Well, he was a real artist. Centuries of practice had honed his brush strokes to a level that far exceeded proficient. His landscapes were so vivid that you could feel the warm breeze and the soft sun. Or should that be, feel the soft breeze and warm sun? It had been over two hundred years since he’d set foot beyond these castle walls in daylight hours, so he wasn’t quite sure. But today, he needed to find an artist other than Mrs Bedford at the inn who’d painted the most hideous portrait&...

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“Allondial and Remu— a myth ” by Michelle Oliver

Submitted to Contest #224

To hear the stories told by old women over the fire, one would believe the world to be inhabited by ghouls and hobgoblins. This is not true. The world is full of magic for sure, but the magic has been here longer than the old women, longer than humankind and longer indeed than memory can express.In the beginning of time, Allondial was born. Her first breath was a gasp that awakened humankind from the eternal sleep of non-existence. Her smile was gentle as she gazed upon all creation as it woke, and humankind smiled back, enthralled...

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