Shaneka Murphy

“Guilty” by Shaneka Murphy

Submitted to Contest #29

Not guilty. Not guilty. Not guilty. Not . Not guilty. Not guilty. Not guilty. Not guilty. Not guilty. Not guilty. Not guilty...... Guilty. "Oh, come on! Guilty again!?" shouted Juror 8, gripping the edges of the table, rising partially from his seat, peering over the top of his gold rimmed glasses, his forehead knotted and wrinkled, likened to a prune, bearing the pangs of frustration. His plaid shirt clung tightly to his large, round belly that hung slightly over the leather belt that held up his tattered blue jeans. By now he was...

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“The Twelve in the Room” by Shaneka Murphy

Not guilty. Not guilty. Not guilty. Not guilty. Not guilty. Not guilty. Not guilty. Not guilty. Not guilty. Not guilty. Not guilty...... Guilty. "Oh, come on! Guilty again!?" shouted Juror 8, gripping the edges of the table, rising partially from his seat, peering over the top of his gold rimmed glasses, his forehead knotted and wrinkled, likened to a prune, bearing the pangs of frustration. His plaid shirt clung tightly to his large, round belly that hung slightly over the leather belt that held up his tattered blue jeans. By now ...

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“My Heart's Song” by Shaneka Murphy

Alone in the middle of the stage with the microphone I stood, fingers clenched tightly around it as if I were hanging onto it to avoid some terrible fall. The crowd cheered wildly. Their encouraging screams swelled into one loud boisterous noise that partially deafened me, causing their collective chants to have a reverse crescendo effect as I slowly began to have an out-of-body experience. "SING! SING! SING!" But my lips were dumb. The floor began to rise, the ceiling began to lower, and the walls began creep toward me a...

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“For Better, Not Worse” by Shaneka Murphy

Submitted to Contest #25

January 1, 2019She took out the black gel pen from her desk drawer along with her 2019 planner. Year after year, she'd write the same unfulfilled New Year's resolution. Time and time again, she'd tell herself that this year would be different, but things always stayed the same. "Not this time," her conscience whispered.  She thought about his last words as she walked out the door for work this morning. "You just don't look like you did when we met. Don't you care about yourself anymore?" She thought about t...

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“My Love and I” by Shaneka Murphy

Submitted to Contest #24

We ran as fast as we could through the wooded forest by the sea. Once again, they had returned, the voices. I could hear them as usual, this time louder than ever, but still couldn’t see the source. They had come back to haunt and terrorize us again, my love and I. Try as they may, nothing could separate us, maybe for a moment, but not for eternity. As long as we kept running, they could never catch us. We were always a few steps ahead of them. So we kept running, with the rhythmic beating and pounding of m...

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“In Plain Sight” by Shaneka Murphy

Submitted to Contest #23

She said yes! This is the best day ever! My heart has grown a size and a half since I met Yanah, the love of my life. She came from an abusive relationship with a slime ball named Jake Letterman, alias -- Jake the snake. Tommy is her three-year old son. I’ve accepted him as my own. There’s nothing in the world that I wouldn’t do for either of them. I scooped her up in my arms and spun her around giving her a passionate kiss on the lips. “I love you, Deon!” She hugged me tightly as if she never wan...

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“Younger Than My Daughter” by Shaneka Murphy

Submitted to Contest #22

Three days into a brand new year! So glad to see 2021 and so glad to be back home! Last year was one loooong year! Can't complain though. Forty-one proud years of existence! Life has blessed me with 3 precious children. I keep a picture of them in my wallet to show them off. My baby, twenty, is at the prime of her life, she thinks. My boy, twenty-one, has spent the last year of his life trying to "find himself"! And then there's my eldest, my blue-eyed Margaret! She's a whole century now! The BIG ONE ZERO ZERO! Yes, you heard it right! Don't...

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“The Holiday Intruder” by Shaneka Murphy

Submitted to Contest #21

"Your due date is December 28," said Mr. Jenkins, the town librarian as he handed me the newly checked out book with his rough, worn hands that had their own story to tell. "You'll love this one," he said with a bit of excitement. He stood about 6'-3" with a broad, stately stature that made me wonder why he'd ever considered being a librarian rather than an athlete or a fitness instructor. His hands were covered with scars, some quite a few years old, some much newer. Often I'd wanted to inquire about them, but didn't wan...

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