Paula Dennison

“Just In Time” by Paula Dennison

“Wake up Maggie I got something to say to you”….The clock radio blasted the fresh spring chill in the room rippling time and splitting the dawn from the night. Two teenage girls, each in a twin bed stirred under handmade quilts. Above one bed were teen idols' photos from the Teen Beat magazine tacked up on the wall. Above the other bed were original artwork and magazine cut-outs of famous classic artists such as Monet, Dali, and Wyatt. There was a blacklight poster of Albert Einstein on the side wall. Library books about great artists were s...

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“Dreams of Alpha Centauri” by Paula Dennison

Submitted to Contest #86

“Exploration is in our nature. We began as wanderers, and we are wanderers still. We have lingered long enough on the shores of the cosmic ocean. We are ready at last to set sail for the stars.” –Carl Sagan Over the past few weeks, Bancroft’s team and another group led by Markus Marcoski of the European Southern Observatory (ESO) have been trying to glimpse Alpha Centauri’s putative worlds with the help of two different giant telescopes in Chile and the use of new high-precision starlight-sifting instruments. Jedda Delareaux, graduate o...

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“The City That Kills ” by Paula Dennison

Submitted to Contest #85

  “That’s the thing about this city, you gotta’ stand up too it yah hear me?” “It will chew you up and spit you out into tiny pieces like that recycling plant.” Not realizing he was almost yelling Jimmy Armado said this to the young man walking with him as part warning and part prediction. Although he himself didn’t know what a prediction it would be. Jimmy gestured with his thumb jutting out his fist over his shoulder to the recycling plant that was billowing thick grey and black clouds of smoke from the incinerator. Nathan shuffled a...

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“A Day at Work in the Year 2070: PANDEMIC” by Paula Dennison

Submitted to Contest #84

Susan thought she heard her name being called as she briskly walked down the street. Thick condensation was coming from a gap in her mask that was covering her mouth and nose. It was very cold this Saint Paul Monday morning. Single digits and dropping was what the weather man said. Susan heard her name being called “Susan… wait up!” Susan smiled under mask as it was her best friend Angie who worked at Friends Fidelity Insurance with her. Angie was running in her wolfish looking mukluk boots. No dainty tap, tap, tap of girlish flats was ...

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“Sea Spirits Save Manatees” by Paula Dennison

Submitted to Contest #83

The Florida Manatee, a subspecies of the West Indian manatee, is a large, slow-moving marine mammal with an elongated, round body and paddle-shaped flippers and tail. Manatees are herbivores, feeding solely on sea grass, algae and other vegetation in freshwater and estuarine systems in the southeastern United States. Florida manatees can be found as far west as Texas and as far north as Massachusetts during summer months, but during the winter, manatees congregate in Florida, as they require warm-water habitats to survive. The tour guid...

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“Paradox in Paradise” by Paula Dennison

Submitted to Contest #83

Sandra Harris sat in the hospital cafeteria reading the resort brochure that she had read the umpteenth time by now. “Come get away from those cold weather blues to our blue skies and water just waiting for you to lay back and take it all in. Hear nothing but the waves of the gulf washing softly upon the shores of the white sand beach.” The brochure went on to describe the many amenities of the Grand White Shores Beach Resort. Sandra looked across the cafeteria and her eyes were assaulted by a bright streak of sun glancing off three feet of ...

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“One of the Family” by Paula Dennison

Submitted to Contest #82

Sally-123 sat at the breakfast table across from one of her controllers, Myrna, the mother of the Samuels family. Myrna had been keyed or programmed into Sally’s data matrix to have complete control of Sally’s numerous and optimal operational systems as Sally-123 was the Platinum android model for homes of the Samuels’ status. She had the most human-like emotional core as well as most highly functional technological features in which she was able to discuss anything from ancient literature to Quantum Physics. These days she acted as tutor fo...

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“"Father of Computers" ” by Paula Dennison

Submitted to Contest #82

Tracy walked up the numerous steps past the bronze statue of Charles Babbage founder of The Babbage Institute of Computer Technology into a building supported by massive roman columns and plate glass windows. She opened the brass plated doors and the climate controlled air conditioning hushed past her. The ceiling was 20 foot high adorned with multiple crystal tiered chandeliers. This part of the building had been built in the early 1900s and housed exhibits of Babbage’s various computers and computational machines. Tracy had not the time t...

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“The Guest” by Paula Dennison

Submitted to Contest #79

I sat not knowing whether to move, breathe, cough, scratch my nose, look away, get up and leave or talk. My sister and I sat on straight back chairs that had been brought in from the kitchen table. I felt perched and laden on the chair. I clung with my hangs to the bottom of the seat. I felt too big for the chair, the room, my sister and the people I sat across from. The walls and gold colored brocade drapes seemed to be breathing in and out. Grandmother flitted about in the kitchen making sweet iced tea for the guests. I could tell she was ...

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“Memories Are You” by Paula Dennison

Submitted to Contest #62

The acrid odor of explosives permeated the air and thick black billowing clouds of smoke encased the immediate area where Dustin lay. The last thing Dustin remembered were these men pulling him out of a burning HUMVEE. They were intent on moving him farther away from the smoldering wreckage fearing another detonation. Someone said grab his leg. Dustin looked down and his right leg was gone below the knee and it was spurting out blood profusely. Although he was in tremendous pain all over his body it felt like his leg was still there. A ...

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“Baghdad; A Soldier's Memoirs” by Paula Dennison

Submitted to Contest #59

The roar of the C-130 military aircraft’s engines made it virtually impossible for conversation to occur. Some soldiers unlike PFC Corey Hunter slept. Others read paperbacks while other told war stories of previous deployments. Eighteen year old Corey was the youngest and newest member in his squad and he had to endure the endless and heartless banter of being the newbie as his initiation like those before him. Corey was excited. It was his first deployment to Iraq and his first time every being on a C-130. He thought of the plastic model of...

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“"Charlie's Homecoming" ” by Paula Dennison

Submitted to Contest #57

The headline read "Navajo Nation Judge Orders Widow to Return Body to Arizona." Jean Olson Whitehorse read the newspaper and her heart palpitated erratically because the article was about to exploit her life as it exists at this time. Charlie Whitehorse, Jean's husband passed yesterday and things have happened so quickly that Jean had little time to reckon with her feelings of grief. Charlie had been sick for a while and they had both thoroughly discussed and planned his funeral which would be in the tradition of her family; military honors,...

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“The Diner of Secrets” by Paula Dennison

Submitted to Contest #55

The crystal pure sun radiated through the plate glass windows of Dale's Diner as Deana for the upteenth time it seemed wiped the faded laminate counter. Her turquoise uniform was faded as well. Dale the owner was proud when he gave the waitresses their uniforms some years ago when he remodeled the diner in the tropical colors of peach and turquoise. Perfect for a Florida diner at that time. Deana never cared for the color of her uniform as it did not go well with her slightly olive skin tone. He had palm trees painted on the walls too that ...

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“Tulsa Time ” by Paula Dennison

Submitted to Contest #53

The radio's alarm on the nightstand blasted loudly "Man it's a hot one. Like seven inches from the midday sun..." Carlos Santana's music spilled into the room and into Tulsa's brain like jagged rocks. The DJ announced, "People it's going to be another hot one . Expect temperatures to rise to 107 degrees today". Tulsa groaned and hit the off button on the radio. What did people expect? This was late summer in frickin' southern Arizona. Tulsa's eyes felt raw from the lack of sleep and she was annoyed. Annoyed that she had forgotten ...

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“The Heart of the Matter” by Paula Dennison

Submitted to Contest #51

Sandra stood in the shade of the ancient oak that was covering the walk up to the dilapidated victorian era house. A house that once stood proud but now chipped and gray. The old oak served as guardian to untold generation of children who played under it's bows. Sandra and her sister Tessa and brother Charles unfolded a magical imaginary world among the gorged and entwined roots of the great oak. The loamy soil of Georgia was perfect for Charles to dig in and had enough sparkle to stand in for fairy dust whenever Sandra and Tessa needed i...

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