Mike Ramsey

“Sailing to the end of the world” by Mike Ramsey

Submitted to Contest #286

Brian heard about the end of the world by chance. The two military officers - one with an eagle pin and the other with some stars - were whispering in a doorway. This was 15 minutes before the hurriedly called press conference in Detroit's city hall. "I already sent my kids to the fallout bunker at Selfridge," the eagle guy said in a hushed voice. "I don't know where else to send them. If I could, I would have taken an APC and just gone to our cabin up north." The star guy shook his head. "Won't matter, I don't think. I don't think any of us...

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“Me and My Matisse” by Mike Ramsey

Submitted to Contest #284

Tim hung the painting from a nail that was already in the wall. It was a rental and he didn’t want to patch it later. Every wall in the apartment was blank white and appeared to have been freshly painted before his arrival two weeks earlier.He’d bought the painting at an estate sale while looking for silverware and dishes. It was probably 48 inches wide and a foot tall and had a chipping blue plastic frame. The artist had recreated Matisse’s La Dance, but instead of five dancers with linked hands going around grass, it had been squashed to f...

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“The tale of the Wilk, the Lemon and the university slumlord ” by Mike Ramsey

Submitted to Contest #223

Ashley Lemon looked at me across the battered desk in her East Quad office with distaste. I couldn't believe how power drunk she had become. This dingy hole -- home to The Post -- had become her throne room. I didn't really care at the time when the staff had voted her to be managing editor over me. I never wanted the extra unpaid hours added to my week anyway. But Lemon had seized her office with relish, and seemed to be cosplaying the managing editor from The Wall Street Journal, issuing commands and icy stares in equal measures. It ...

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“Am I a monster?” by Mike Ramsey

Submitted to Contest #221

Joe could not stop thinking of Angie Sanger. It was strange because he could not remember what Angie Sanger looked like, other than a vague idea that she was taller than the other girls in his fourth-grade class. She wasn’t remarkable or popular. In fourth grade, Joe Banks wasn’t remarkable or popular either. If there had been a ranking of the 20 or so kids in that class, she would have been the one with the fewest friends. Or at least that would have been the guess of the other kids. But Joe had just as many friends as she did, which was to...

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“To catch a catbird” by Mike Ramsey

Submitted to Contest #218

"It's poop," Serene thought to herself as she smelled her palm. Wonderful. The black smear of what she had thought was dirt, gave off the familiar ammonia mixed with earthy, rotten and sweet stench known universally as poop. It hadn't smelled at all before she had put her hand down on that spot and smashed into her skin. The aroma now was quite strong and the black and brown substance covered her palm and even went between her fingers. She resisted the urge to wipe it on her pants and looked around helplessly for a place to get it off. ...

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“The Torch” by Mike Ramsey

Uma looked at the Facebook scroll and there was Brian Hartmann again. He had posted a Christmas photo of his family in front of a fireplace. He looked amazingly similar to how he had looked when he was 17 years old, adding the softening pudge that everyone got after 20 years.Brian's wife, Anna, a girl they had both graduated high school with, seemed even prettier than when they were in school together. She was a few years younger than they were and Uma wasn't even sure if she had known Brian when they were in school.Why does it still bother ...

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“Playground mom” by Mike Ramsey

Submitted to Contest #216

There she is. I am going to make my move now and ask her about the progressive dinner. It's my way in. I walked closer to her. She looked beautiful of course. I wonder if she puts on make up. I should do that maybe. But when? Oh crap, there's yogurt on my shirt. Maybe if I rub it in it won't be visible. Oh no, Alexa, the mom from Ms. Curley's class is talking to her. I am not sure I can break in between them. Well, maybe I can befriend them both. "Hi!" I said. The women jerked their heads up. Did they see the yogurt. I looked down at...

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“The Devil Will See You Now” by Mike Ramsey

Submitted to Contest #215

Dan wasn't sure what to expect when the door opened to the Devil's office, but this wasn't it. First, it wasn't the Devil sitting there, it was an attendant of some kind. And second, the room very much looked like the waiting room for a chiropractor or something. "Uh, I am here for my appointment, with, um, you know, the Devil," Dan sputtered out. "I've been waiting, on and off for months, but most recently a few hours now." The attendant -- secretary? Was that a word that was still used? The administrative assistant looked up from h...

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