Shalon Atwood

“The Golden Girls” by Shalon Atwood

I can smell the intruder before he comes into view. Earthy bark of the ash tree and buttery acorns permeate my nostrils. I stand as still as possible, I barely breathe. And then a flash of gray zooms across my vision and I dart toward the beast. Together we zip through the green grass, weaving around bushes and trees, a scattering of brown leaves crunch beneath my paws. My legs are moving as fast as they can, kicking up clumps of lawn behind me and suddenly, there he is. The squirrel and his fluffy gray tail, twitching as he races me. He’s s...

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“So This is Love” by Shalon Atwood

Submitted to Contest #152

With eyes half lidded and his body anesthetized with a generous layer of whiskey, Eric bounced off the crowd of party goers like a pinball. The sea of people had swallowed his friends what felt like ages ago, but had probably only been mere minutes, he couldn’t be sure. He had thrown back his sense of time along with that last Jagerbomb. The sounds of jazz permeated the streets and his eardrums were blasted with the blaring of trumpets and the low strum of bass. Bourbon Street was often littered with partiers of all ages, and tonight wa...

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“The Dresser” by Shalon Atwood

Submitted to Contest #150

10:45am Every nerve in my body is still humming on my way home. From my super sexy coffee date or all the caffeine I kept nervously pouring down my throat to keep my mouth from leaking stupid words, we’ll never know. My date, Ruby, teaches 1st grade. She has a loud, carefree laugh that can fill a room. Oh, and she is beautiful! With deep brown skin, a bright easy smile, and wavy mahogany hair that just kisses her collarbone. Oh my god, her collarbone. I want to kiss her collarbone! In fact, just shrink me down so I can live in that hollow sp...

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“It'll Be Alright” by Shalon Atwood

The beast rose from its protective crouch in front of apartment 1A, its back arching up as the hissing grew more intense. The hall light began to snap and start to wink out, setting off a strobe-like effect and giving Willow the impression that she had just moved into a house of horrors. A long wave of coppery hair had escaped the messy bun on the top of her head and the emerald green sweater that matched her eyes was crumpled and dusted with grime after a day of hauling boxes. She blew a breath out of the corner of her mouth to move the hai...

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“Not a Teenage Rom-Com” by Shalon Atwood

“I don’t think this is a good idea,” Sam said, concern etched on his face as he huddled his large frame under an umbrella, scanning the street for their Uber. Unaffected by the chilly spring rain, Jason was frantically pacing back and forth on the sidewalk like a feral cat that hadn’t eaten in days. His bony frame poked out from under his soaked Led Zeppelin t-shirt. “You don’t have to come, man,” Jason said anxiously, “but I just have to tell her. I mean, if I don’t tell her, then she’ll leave and then I’ll regret it forever!” He nervousl...

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“We're OK Now” by Shalon Atwood

Submitted to Contest #146

Hi. It’s me. Again.  We turn 30 this week. Whaaaaat? I know, I know, where does the time go?  They say it flies when you’re… working, paying bills and trying to figure out what the fuck is wrong with you, right? No, that can’t be it. As you know, it obviously hasn’t been all sunshine and roses, but lately it hasn’t been a complete pile of dog shit either. So, progress? For starters, I drove a car for the first time in 10 years. OK, that one time that mom cut off her finger chopping potatoes does not count. I was certainly havin...

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“The Color of Grief” by Shalon Atwood

Submitted to Contest #138

Content Note: This story deals with death, loss and grief. Gina’s body felt crushed down into her mattress by a thousand bricks. Every inch of her felt as heavy as stone. Her blonde hair clung to her sweaty forehead, stringy and unwashed. Peeling her eyes open to check the time required fierce determination and sheer will, but it was necessary. If she hadn’t feared losing her job for missing yet another day, she would have stayed in here, her leaden body unmoving until the end of time. But bereavement leave lasted only so long. With all of...

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