Viga Boland

Author on Reedsy Prompts since Apr, 2022

Stories (15)

15 Stories

987 karma pts

?

“Molestation Magnet” by Viga Boland

**please note story begins in 1953. Molestation and rape mentioned.** When the first of the molestations begins, I am 7 years old. I attend St. Vincent’s Catholic School. The school is located a few miles from the now infamous Kings Cross, a part of downtown Sydney, Australia. My molester is a 13-year-old student in Grade 6…a girl. Because I’m new at the school and think my classm...

Read story

“AN INCOMPARABLE MENTOR” by Viga Boland

**small mention of physical abuse**So, here we are…a gaggle of gushing old geese fibbing to each other about how fabulous we all look, and how we haven’t changed in 50 years. As if! Okay. Maybe that’s a bit harsh, but I know what I see every morning when I look in the mirror: that reflection speaks a truth this reunion of excited, twittering ladies doesn’t. Oh, I know, I know! I need to be less critical of both them and myself. I’m such an old grouch these days it’s a wonder I get any comp...

Read story

“TIME FOR SOME NONSENSE!” by Viga Boland

**In case you’ve missed them, or just need some nonsense, the Bickering Banters are back. **“Martha, you’ve got that look on your face”“How do you know what look I have on my face? You’re not even looking at me.”“I don’t have to. You’re standing 2 feet away from me and staring at me, waiting for me to look up from the paper. I can sense it.”“Extrasensory perception, Matthew? In 50 years of marriage, I have never found you particularly perceptive when it comes...

Read story

“THE SIDEKICK” by Viga Boland

The smiling MC waits politely for the applause to die down as the silver-haired ventriloquist and his large-mouthed Goofy dummy exit stage right behind him. “Weren’t they just wonderful folks?” He asks, coaxing another short round of applause from the mixed audience that ranges in age from seniors to youngsters.“Looks like all the performers brought their families out tonight,” I whisper to Andy. I take a deep breath, let out a tense sigh, and continue whispering:“I can just pictu...

Read story

“HOPSCOTCH” by Viga Boland

***Trigger warning: violence; child sexual abuse, mental health***“Life is a game of hopscotch,” she tells Emily, her 20-year-old granddaughter. Emily is ebullient, bursting with excitement over landing her first job. Grandma’s thrilled for her, but the pain in her back is so severe she’s struggling to keep smiling. Visits from her daughters or Emily, or whoever’s left of her diminishing circle of friends are so few and far between these days that she really needs Emily’s youthful exuberance to bri...

Read story

“The Thoughts that Count” by Viga Boland

***For those of you who love the Banters, they’re back chattering about the thoughts that count. BTW, the word “drongo” is Australian slang for a fool or simpleton. Enjoy! ***“Matthew, do you remember what you gave me as a birthday present three months after we met and you had already proposed?”“Oh Geez, Martha, that was over 52 years ago. What do you think I am? A hyperthymesiac?”“A what?? How do you even spell that? Hyper-thyme…Oh, I get it! Someone who gets hyper...

Read story

“The Red and Black Boa” by Viga Boland

The red and black boa startled me. I gasped in surprise. I never thought I'd find this! It was exactly what I needed for that feathery costume I wanted to make for my 6-year-old grand-daughter. But who had put the boa in this old basement trunk? My mother? When would she have worn it? And why? Though mom had often dreamed of being on stage, I knew she’d had never stepped foot on one. Yet, this red and black boa was just the kind of thing a dancer or performer would wear. For a second, I closed my eyes env...

Read story

“T.G.I.F.” by Viga Boland

T.G.I.F. Not because it’s the end of my work week. I retired a decade ago. T.G.I.F. Not because I’m heading south for a week of surf and sunshine. No chance of that. My only income is old age pension and some pennies I’m paid for reviewing books. But T.G.I.F., because that’s the day that Reedsy teases me with 5 new writing prompts and I feel myself coming ...

Read story

“DOLORES-DELILAH” by Viga Boland

Dolores sealed the last box of her mother's memorabilia and shoved it into the corner of the bedroom. All the furniture had been sold off weeks earlier. Now, at last, mother's knick-knacks, photos, hymnals, holy cards, and sets of rosary beads were neatly buried in the boxes. Packing up these religious treasures made Dolores feel guilty, but Delilah, her rebellious alter-ego didn’t."Just do it!" Delilah coaxed. "There's no point keeping this stuff. My plans for the future don't include reminders of the past. They're good...

Read story

“SPEAK NOW!” by Viga Boland

***Are you ready for more bickering between that loving couple, The Banters? Well here they go again!***“Ok. Speak now…”SILENCE“Martha? Are you there? I need you to speak now.”“Oh, sorry. I was reading.”“You’re bleeding?”“No, READING!”“You don’t have to shout!”“Yes, I do or you don’t hear me. What did you want anyway?”“Well, I’m trying to adjust my hearing aid and I just...

Read story

“The Shaman’s Apprentice” by Viga Boland

It was another glorious day at the Revitalizus Resort in sunny Barbados. The shaman’s young apprentice took his time trimming the bougainvillea bushes in the lush gardens surrounding the resort’s sparkling “adults only” pool. There was no need to rush. Islanders conserved their energy especially when it was well past noon. It was too hot to work fast.The apprentice worked slowly. He liked to listen to the tourists to learn their language. Perhaps one day he might go to North America. It would be wise to be able to speak ...

Read story

“CAT-BRAINED” by Viga Boland

***Please note: this humorous story was born of frustration in trying to come up with something for contest #187 cat prompts. It is submitted here for my followers’ enjoyment, rather than as a contest entry, since I simply couldn’t just come up with a way to START the story with a stray cat leading a character somewhere LOL. ***A CAT-BRAINED TALE“Good evening folks. It’s time for another episode of Life with the Banters, your Seniors Storytime radio show coming to you live ...

Read story

“UNTASTY PASTIES” by Viga Boland

***Please note: “In case there’s any confusion caused by the title, “Pasties” are also a food item eaten in the UK and Australia.***——————————————————“Matthew, you have to see this!”“What is it now, Martha?”“Well, can you get your nose out of the paper long enough to take a look?”“Is it important? I’m reading an interesting editorial on climate control. Can it wait?”“Matthew, if I wait for you to finish reading the paper, all those ar...

Read story

“There’s Always Tomorrow” by Viga Boland

“Am I a hoarder?” my darling 81-year-old husband, Ralph, asks me. I know this is one of those Do or Die moments i.e. I’m damned if I do, and damned if I don’t answer him honestly. With over 50 years of marriage behind us, I know how sensitive he is and I don’t want to ruffle his drooping feathers. He’s always told me he likes me to be honest, but when I am, most of the time he doesn’t like my honest answe...

Read story

“Life is what happens when things go awry” by Viga Boland

I smiled, but inwardly, I was seething.“Is there any chance you could put those phones away while we share our first dinner together since Covid?” I asked my two adult daughters and son-in-law. “Surely this is more important than whoever’s on the other side of that screen.”“Sure mom,” replied Brynn. “Was just checking the pet camera to see where Misha is. She’s curled up on the couch as usual…”As if I cared where the darn cat w...

Read story

Author bio

Author of 7 books…the first earned a gold medal from Readers Favorite. Still wondering if that was because it was good or judges decided anyone who could write a memoir about incest deserved it 😂. Since leaving my first job as a high-school English teacher after 7 years, I’ve worn so many hats I need a new hat-rack. Now, in my retirement, I’ve coached memoir writers in live workshops but currently spend most of my time doing paid book reviews for 2 reputable online websites. I love encouraging other writers in their aspirations, and now, thanks to Reedsy Prompts, I am finally writing again after a 7-year hiatus. What is it about me and 7 year cycles? 🤔 About time I found the courage to do what I tell others to do i.e. just write! At 77 years of age, I hope I have 7 years left to do that! By the way, though I am a book reviewer, I do not take on reviewing books by friends or writers I meet here. That’s an uncomfortable undertaking, plus it requires time I don’t have. So please don’t ask me to review your books. Let me just enjoy your wonderful short stories on Reedsy. Thanks for understanding 😉 http://www.vigaboland.com http://www.facebook.com/vigaland Instagram: viga_boland