Story Time

“Cap and Gown” by Story Time

Submitted to Contest #203

They are very excited to graduate. When the diplomas have been distributed, they will step out onto the sidewalk that stretches far enough to accommodate the audiences that typically pour out of the downtown theater where, once a year, Joseph Silberman High School has their graduation. The sidewalk has seen the tuxedo crowd turn into the shorts-and-a-t-shirt crowd after tours headlined by stars from Broadway became non-equity three-show stays. The sidewalk had opinions about theater, but we have no need to interrogate a sidewalk. We have...

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“Jack and Pops from Brandy Hollow” by Story Time

That tree was nothing but a seedling when first we sized up each other. Running up to me to check my pulse. Egads, the mouse is a man! Nothing to be afraid of, but turquoise flints in my vocabulary. You dared my hand to find yours and away we went. Twice down the long hill, once down the rocks. Stop where you see the sign for Brandy Hollow. Well, I don’t see us going back there anytime soon. Not for me to tell you what age prevents, but we are not a sonic boom. Maybe if they reinvent the way of breath and oxygen. Nickel i...

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“I Wrote This Song for You” by Story Time

Submitted to Contest #201

Dear Sereva, I wanted you to listen To this song I wrote I’ve never written A song in my life Or anything, really In my life Not a poem Not a short story Not unless it was in school And a teacher Was making me do it The thought of paragraphs Terrifies me to this day And so even now I have to break down the lines As I’m typing this out to you I also have to be careful Because the nurses here Love to keep an eye on us As though we’re prisoners Instead of residents here At Farmington Pond My daughter dropped me here On my sixty-nint...

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“Noah's Shark” by Story Time

Submitted to Contest #200

Martha, if I knew more than what I was telling you, I would tell you more. I’m telling you what I know, and all I know is what Gosha told me after Saresha told her after Saresha talked to Noah’s wife Na’amah spoke to her about it and told her to bring the turtles. I don’t know what Noah needs turtles for, but somebody told me--and I can’t say who--that Noah might be building a turtle farm. All turtles moving forward. The occasional salamander, but mostly turtles. Do you believe that? What is he going to do with all those turtles? I asked G...

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“Shapeless” by Story Time

She returned on a Thursday with the ashes of her fling tucked safely under her arm. Placed upon the mantle, the urn looked like a participation trophy from a little league tournament, not a final resting place for a man she’d only met after his untimely demise. Placing one hand on the urn before heading to the bedroom to unpack her suitcase, she whispered “Thank you” and then realized how silly it was to whisper. There was a very good chance she was the only one home. A very good chance, but not a certainty. * * * * * * Mindy Beg...

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“What You're Going to Say Next” by Story Time

Submitted to Contest #198

Principal Alonzo called Stephen Shy into her office at 11:04 on a Tuesday morning to discuss why using robots to write term papers is unacceptable. Stephen walked into her office seemingly unconcerned about why he had been summoned. Most of the sixth graders walked in sheepish--even anxious. Seventh graders tended to walk in providing a kind of false confidence that would fall away as soon as Principal Alonzo picked up the phone and interrupted their parents at work. The eighth graders were the best at appearing calm, but a raised voice an...

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“The Cannonball” by Story Time

Submitted to Contest #197

They would like me to sit at the end of the barrel and wait my turn. First the elephants dance, then the clowns cast their pies, then the lions roar and the tigers hiss and only at the finale, is the fuse lit-- The Cannonball. I stagger my breathing as my body crunches up to fit inside the narrow pipe. No matter how many times I execute my stunt, the sweat still finds me in all the worst places. On the underside of my chin. The back of my ankles. In a small pool tilting upon my right ear. I tell myself that if even a molecule of my own...

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“Kung Pao” by Story Time

Claudia approached me holding a box of kung pao chicken. “Since when do I eat kung pao chicken,” I asked, holding a salad from Bernfield’s and an umbrella to shield my new hairdo from the rain. Claudia lightly scooped her arm through mine with a kind of grace the version of myself I currently am has none of whatsoever, and she guided me into an alley behind a lingerie store. “You need to quit your job,” Other Claudia informed me, as though she were telling me to find a new dentist or replace one of the lightbulbs in my many lava lamps....

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“Sancho Panza's Last Dance” by Story Time

Submitted to Contest #195

I return to avenge my friend in the shadow of a windmill. Charging at it on my trusty steed, I cry a warrior’s cry. “No hay viento en el infierno!” The windmill will not budge. It only turns. I pull back on the reins. My horse makes not a sound. There is no sound to make. It would be captured by the wind. My horse is not a horse. She is a giant caterpillar. She is not a butterfly, but her name is Luna. Luna Panza, my only living friend. All others are ghosts. Ghosts that search the Heavens for my face. “Sigo vivo y no se porque...

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“Frankel and Kelso at the Track” by Story Time

Submitted to Contest #194

“Why did you tell him you’d eat your hat?”“Those were the terms. Joseph Macabee comes in less than third, and I eat my hat.”“But it’s such a nice hat, Frankel.”“I know, Kelso, but those were the terms. You know how these guys are.”“A horse only ever owns two or three nice hats in his life.”“I got at least six good hats back at the stable.”“I’ve never seen six good hats in your stall.”“Well, you shouldn’t be looking around my stall anyway. Mind your business.”“I’m not trying to look around. I just notice how it looks when I come to pick you u...

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“Well Enough Alone” by Story Time

Submitted to Contest #193

Frieda Frasier stirred her tea as her little sister tried solving her murder. “But we know that she went to the convenience store after stopping to get money out of the ATM. If there’s one thing I can tell you about Frieda, it’s that she NEVER went to convenience stores.” Frieda went to convenience stores all the time. Who didn’t? What person was able to avoid going to convenience stores? Where else would somebody buy gum or a scratch ticket or those shareable size bags of Peanut M&M’s? The cat jumped up on her lap and she tenderly...

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“Bobsy's Treasure” by Story Time

Submitted to Contest #192

Larry, so help me God, if you come near me right now, I am going to scream so loud, it’ll shatter every window in this godless convention center. I am so mad. I am so mad I could eat salami, and you know how I feel about salami. I could take one of those big rolls of salami and tear into it like a magpie. That’s how mad I am. I don’t even know what a magpie is. I’ve lost all my knowledge in this moment of my rage and fury. I am nothing but anger at this point, Larry. Nothing but irritation. Imagine me taking Bobsy’s treasure here and t...

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“A Beer Day for Lilies” by Story Time

Submitted to Contest #191

Every time we went for lilies, a letter would disappear.“Ptr tlls m that us that w can’t lav lttrs bhnd whn w go to the flowr shop,” we would say to each other, “H says h knows it’s an honest mistak, but nvrthlss.”Peter is our uncle. Our GREAT-uncle, although not really, because a Great-Uncle is a real thing and not just an uncle you think is great. Peter seems like more than an uncle to us. He’s actually more like a father when you get right down to it. Our Father is lovely, but he’s not around very often and he doesn’t take us on outings. ...

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“Demeter” by Story Time

Submitted to Contest #190

Mother, I just know you’ll love him once you get to know him. Sulfur. My daughter smells of sulfur. Great fires have burned around her. I know this and I know to keep my mouth shut. I clutch my clutch. I avoid biting down on my lip, because I fear getting lipstick on my teeth. Howser should have come with me, but New York City is no place for a dog that wasn’t born here. That wasn’t born smelling the skyscrapers and inhaling constantly the fragrance of streetside hot dogs. Mother, don’t be too hard on him. He’s misunderstood the way all ...

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“Owen in October” by Story Time

Submitted to Contest #189

I had always found Saturday afternoons to be the hardest. Sunday afternoons were for cleaning and Saturday nights were for going out. Sunday nights you unwind and Friday nights you can grab a drink with a friend or see a movie. The Saturday afternoons were what got me. I never knew what to do with them once I was alone. Two days into October, and it felt as though there would be jack-o-lanterns decorating every door until the end of time itself. Kids ran by me in the drugstore to see what they could convince their parents to buy them f...

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