Ralph Aldrich

“Oscar and Dolores vs The In-Laws” by Ralph Aldrich

Submitted to Contest #226

Dolores blots her ruby red lipstick in front of the bathroom mirror. “Are you almost ready to go to mother’s, Oscar?” she bellows.“Am I almost ready? I’ve been ready for the past hour!”“Then come in here and let me have a look at you.” Dolores can hear Oscar grumbling as he approaches. Eyes wide enough to pop out of her head, she fumes. “Oscar! Did you really think wearing a shirt missing the top button to my mother’s Christmas dinner would be all right? Seriously!” Shrugging, Oscar strolls into the ba...

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“Mirror Mirror” by Ralph Aldrich

Submitted to Contest #225

I stumble out of “Pete’s Blue Bird Bar and Grill,” where I’ve had my usual nightly meal along with two pitchers of beer.  Swaying slightly on the sidewalk, I light a cigarette. A cool wind whips around me. I shiver and flip up my collar. I exhale a stream of smoke into a starless sky, for they are hidden behind a wall of rain clouds. “I think I’d better hurry home to my empty apartment before it rains on my empty life.” I chuckle. Raising my finger, I pronounce, “But first, to the package store for my favor...

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“The Comtemptuos Competition of Burger vs Pringle” by Ralph Aldrich

Submitted to Contest #223

Two professors who despised one another taught at the quaint but prestigious ivy-covered Brighton University in Cheddar, Scotland- Professors Hamilton Burger and Pennelopy Pringle. Their hatred for one another started the day they were first introduced. When Professor Pringle asked Professor Burger about his studies, she smirked when he replied, “The study of Historical Artifacts and their Effect on History.” Loathing filled his eyes and heart. He vowed never to speak to her again. Professor Burger is a lanky fellow with an ...

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“Benny Freedom” by Ralph Aldrich

Submitted to Contest #222

Let me tell you why I’m running away. My old man ran off with another woman and refused to pay child support. That means my mother has to work two low-paying jobs to make ends meet.  She hasn’t any time to cook or clean, and especially none for me. I have two twin brothers who are four years older than me and are supposed to help Ma by keeping the house clean and watching out for me, but instead, I have to do all the work while they sit around smoking dope.  I saved up some money to buy a Fender Stratocaster k...

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“Oscar and Dolores” by Ralph Aldrich

Submitted to Contest #221

The fall air is crisp, and the sky is crystal clear. Dolores ambles up her front walkway, still unable to understand how the world can be so cheerful after what has happened to her.  Having returned from Oscar’s funeral, she stops before her doorway and sighs. The funeral was held with just her son, Bill, and herself because she knew Oscar wouldn’t want it any other way. That’s just the way he was. Turning the key in the lock, Dolores bites her lower lip, takes a deep breath, and steps inside.  She freezes ...

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“Everyone Calls Me Granny” by Ralph Aldrich

Submitted to Contest #220

I A hunter has become lost in the ancient forest on a cold autumn day. After wandering for hours, the sun has set, and the only light is the full moon streaming through leafless branches. He sees a faint glow shining in the distance and approaches it cautiously. Even from a distance of a few feet, he can smell the aroma of cinnamon and cloves. The bright moon emerges from behind a dark cloud to illuminate the ancient cottage before him. With narrowed eyes and short, quick breaths, a shiver runs up his spine, and he s...

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“The Cell” by Ralph Aldrich

Submitted to Contest #219

In a dimly lit room, a man sits with his back pressed against the cold, damp wall. His eyes dart around, tracing the cracks in the peeling paint as though they hold secret information he needs to know.  He is convinced he is in a prison cell, a place of confinement.  Overhead, the flickering fluorescent light feels like a spotlight, intensifying his paranoia. They leave no shadows in which to hide.  He clutches the thin, scratchy blanket tightly around his shoulders, wrapping himself in an imaginary sanctuary of prot...

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“Yuck!” by Ralph Aldrich

Submitted to Contest #218

“You’ve just got to try this place, Walter. I’m tellin ya I’ve never tasted a better burger in all my life! It’s out on Highway fifty-one going west. I think it might be a truck stop but, at any rate, it’s darn good!” So were the praises of my neighbor, Dave. I should have taken them with no more than a grain of salt. Dave is an alcoholic and a survivor of a car accident that destroyed his sense of taste and smell. But it still seems as though he can taste a little something. The food must be very spicy. &...

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“A Snap of the Fingers” by Ralph Aldrich

Submitted to Contest #217

With his hands firmly planted on his hips and wearing a sneer that would make Elvis envious, Jim the Mighty scoffs at Minotaur, the beast who would rule the world. Minotaur thrusts his two coconut-sized fists toward the heavens and bellows, “I will destroy you, puny human!” He lowers his massive head and glares at Jim the Mighty with eyes that burn like two hot coals, steam blowing out his nostrils. While casually examining his fingernails, Jim the Mighty chuckles, “You don’t scare me, you old cow.” A fully enraged&nbsp...

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“Woodstock-1830” by Ralph Aldrich

Vermont’s cold winter wind whistles and howls through the cracks and crevasses of Jubal Craven’s farmhouse windows. His brother, Jethro, places another log on the fire, but Jubal shivers and quakes. He has an extremely high fever and coughs up blood. He has consumption. After a week of diligent care, Jubal passes away at sixty-eight.   In 1830, there is no medical cure for this disease.  The undertaker informs Jethro that he won’t be able to bury Jubal until spring due to frozen ground. Jethro nods hi...

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“The Barber” by Ralph Aldrich

Submitted to Contest #213

Avery is a quiet man with a gentle sense of humor and an honest heart. He owns the dry-cleaning business in town. People like him. The store was originally his father’s, and Avery took it over when his father passed away. And why not? He has worked there since he was old enough to push a broom. Avery’s father took the time and patience to teach Avery everything there was to know about the dry cleaning business. Everything from the chemicals and how to use them to keeping excellent and accurate books from in...

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“You Have Won” by Ralph Aldrich

Submitted to Contest #212

It’s been a month since the cell phone incident, and Oscar and Dolores have returned to their usual selves. That is to say, she nags him, and he ignores her. Oscar is sitting in his favorite overstuffed easy chair when he sits straight up and looks toward the front window. He begins slipping on his slippers and gets out of the chair. Dolores’s head snaps up. “Where are you going?” “The mailman just came. I’m going out to get the mail.” “Dressed like that!” “Slippers? You’re going out just wearing slippers!” ...

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“Louie Lesak” by Ralph Aldrich

Submitted to Contest #211

When I was five, my family moved from Whitinsville, Massachusetts, to the nearby town of Uxbridge. I always thought it funny that we moved from one Oak Street to another. Oak Street in Uxbridge ran from Mendon Street to a fork in the road, where it split to the left and became Granite Street.  The right fork ran up over a small hill where my father bought a small parcel of land. Here he built our home. In the middle of the fork was a World War II memorial with a flag pole that displayed a large American flag. F...

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“Lysar's Report” by Ralph Aldrich

Submitted to Contest #210

It has been thirty-five years since the Pulverteains invaded and attempted to wipe out the whole human race. Their attack was swift and precise. Their reason for doing so was based on observations over the centuries of watching them evolve and concluding that humans were too violent and destructive to indulge in space travel.  So the Pulverteains decided to stop them from ever leaving the planet. The Pulverteains resembled humans in many ways, except for some internal organs and outward appearances. They tend to be v...

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“The Valentine” by Ralph Aldrich

Submitted to Contest #208

I hate people. I’ve been made fun of and picked on my whole life. And why? Because I look different, that’s why.            I was born with some defects. None of them were life-threatening, just imperfections in the way I look. But those imperfections were enough to cause me pain for the rest of my life. My skull narrows at the top, and my forehead slopes back. My right ear sticks straight out, and I’m deaf in it. My mouth was too small for all the te...

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