Vickie Riggan

“You Have To Let Me Go” by Vickie Riggan

Submitted to Contest #275

I opened my eyes slowly turning my head to look at the bedside clock, the one with the large, illuminated numerals I bought for the bedroom so I could see the time without fumbling around for my glasses. Instead, I saw a collection of machines with lines running back to me in the bed. My head was pounding. I reached up and felt the bandaging. "Take it easy there, Tiger. You need to go at this kinda slow at first," the voice said. I tried to focus my eyes on the figure shrouded in fog at the foot of my bed until gradually I could see my husba...

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“Billy Evans” by Vickie Riggan

Submitted to Contest #274

Billy Evans          All these years later the images rest clearly in my mind. The winding dirt road leading from the main highway to the old river shack barely wide enough for one car as it cut through tall trees. Deep kudzu vines choking those tall trees, rock bluffs, and anything else in its way. Finally, we spilled out in a clearing on a high bank above the river. Old Jackson lived in what was once the ferryman’s house at the mouth of the Stones and Cumberland Rivers. ...

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“She Who Must Know” by Vickie Riggan

Submitted to Contest #272

Vickie Riggan2461 words                                              She Who Must Know “Who wants to take a ride into town with me?” Madeline Hunter asked in as bright a voice as she could summon. She knew the answers she would get from her grown children and nearly grown grandchildren. Groans from her tw...

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“Adobo” by Vickie Riggan

Submitted to Contest #270

Adobo                                         Vickie Riggan                                           1440 words    &nbsp...

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“Eclipse” by Vickie Riggan

Submitted to Contest #265

EclipseBrooke Aspen was not happy, but she tried to smile and make the best of her circumstances as she stowed her bag in the overhead compartment and took her window seat on the flight to Dallas. “Dallas,” she thought to herself with a groan. Of all the places to visit and things to see on her bucket list not one was even remotely near Texas.  OK, well, maybe Johnson Space Center in Houston. Real science. That’s what she had been hired for, Brooke thought. She had been handed this assignment last minute wh...

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“Sea of Love” by Vickie Riggan

Submitted to Contest #264

Vickie Riggan1586 words Sea of Love Mattie sat in the lobby of the chapel and turned the slick full color brochure over in her hands reading the blurbs, ignoring the posed photos of young, blissful brides in billowing white gowns with veils floating on invisible breezes. “Do you remember the day you met? Of course you do, and you’ll never forget the day you wed at Sea of Love Wedding Chapel.” She thought it sounded kind of cheesy but how many ways can you say, “Come and get married at our wedding chapel as opposed to ...

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“Lightning Strickes” by Vickie Riggan

Submitted to Contest #262

Lightning Strikes “Extreme heat advisory is in effect until 9pm this evening here in the Valley of the Sun. Whenever possible stay indoors. The elderly and those with breathing difficulties should avoid going outdoors if possible. Stay tuned to this station for more advisories.” Gravel crunched under the tires of Freddy Jansen’s tow truck as he pulled up to the office of King’s Auto Parts Yard. He shifted the truck’s transmission into park, took his cell phone out of the front pocket of his work overalls, and dismissed the he...

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“Dear Larry” by Vickie Riggan

Vickie Riggan1078 words A thank you letter to my dead husband.  My Darling Larry,This is a long overdue thank you to the one special man in my life who first made me believe in myself. In loving me you gave me the greatest gift of not only your love but showing me how to love and be loved. That was something I hadn’t ever really known before you.When we first started dating, friends and family thought it was cute, silly, or sometimes embarrassing. You, 52, and me, 32. Impossible, some of my friends would ...

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“Her” by Vickie Riggan

Submitted to Contest #260

Vickie Riggan1332 wordsHer She was just about to reach into the back of the fridge for the orange juice carton when she heard it. A deep, throaty, almost indecipherable growl: “H-h-her.” Grabbing the carton quickly and passing the kitchen island on the way to the hall, she scooped up what at a glance appeared to be a clean glass. Before reaching the bedroom at the back of the house she heard it again, “Her!” This time with more urgency. The stark, clean whiteness of the room was a shock after the cool darkness of the hall...

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“Blanket Party” by Vickie Riggan

Submitted to Contest #259

Blanket Party Vickie Riggan 2895 words “Is no one going to say it?” I asked looking around the room at the curious faces of three of my best friends. “You know you’re all thinking it. Am I the only one willing to state the obvious? Roberta took a long draw on her cigarette hiding her face behind the exhaled smoke. Rhonda focused on the fingernail she had been diligently tending with a worn-out emery board. Mary Jo looked me square in the face and started to giggle. “Sorry about that, but you know I always giggle whe...

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“Mystery of the Old Polaroid” by Vickie Riggan

Submitted to Contest #258

Mystery of The Old PolaroidVickie Riggan2,969 words Dying is easy. One minute you’re breathing and the next you’re not. Poof! Life’s over. You are done. No more worries. But for those of us left behind the hard part is just beginning. Aside from the obvious funeral arrangements, obituary, and even what the deceased will wear in that final appearance, someone must handle so many details that living leaves behind. That someone this time is me. As an only child and the only surviving member of Mother’s...

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“The Tempest” by Vickie Riggan

Submitted to Contest #257

The southern Arizona desert has an unforgiving climate in the summertime. Temperatures hover around 80 at sunrise and in the low 100s all afternoon and well after sunset. And then there are the monsoons – summer storms that pop up out of nowhere and blast through with gusting winds, thunder, lightning, torrential rains, and even sudden walls of dust called haboobs. Locals know to pull off the road and turn off their car’s engine when a haboob passes. Miranda Arden was not a local, so she learned the hard way. She made it ...

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