William Hargrove

“The Man” by William Hargrove

Part I: Dave’s Diner Pellets of rain pounded on the windows. The constant drumming on the glass was broken only by sporadic claps of thunder. It was dismal and dreary, with barely any life to be found within miles of the solitary diner. A tiled floor of shockingly black and boldly white squares lay beneath the cushioned, crimson seats of the diner’s booths. I sat across from these, at the bar. Dave’s Diner was mostly quiet, beyond the dirty rag being rubbed squeakily along a clean countertop. To my right and left were nothing but empty sto...

0 likes 0 comments 0

Read story

“Mollycoddling” by William Hargrove

Submitted to Contest #101

5:47 AM Golden beams of summer sunlight filtered through the window and splashed all over Deirdre’s bed. Specks of dust were illuminated over her and twinkled like the stars of the night sky. She had awoken to silence, an atypical experience for most new mothers, like herself. She rolled out of bed and glanced over to the baby monitor, sitting silently on her bedside table. She inhaled deeply, and launched herself out of bed. Recently, Deirdre had needed very little motivation to rise on each new dawn. The joy of caring for precious Oriana ...

8 likes 1 comment 1

Read story

“Attached” by William Hargrove

Submitted to Contest #82

Albert was the loneliest man he knew. This was not much of an achievement, since he was too lonely to know all that many people. He was embarrassed about his height, ashamed about his pimples, and devastated by his own voice. Maybe that’s why he always spoke with his thumbs and a glowing screen. He rarely saw human faces, he would spend weeks in a row glued to his computer, only occasionally talking to a friend through his phone or PC. Regardless of his lifestyle choices, Albert despised his own reluctance to engage in social interaction, an...

11 likes 1 comment 1

Read story

“Test! Your! Love!!!” by William Hargrove

Submitted to Contest #67

The flickering lights of Arthur Avenue gave a fittingly ominous atmosphere to Ryan’s current endeavor. He kept his eyes pinned to the sidewalk, staring at his shoelaces as they whipped the ground with each step. Ignoring the discarded needles and empty broken bottles littering his peripheral vision at all times, Ryan approached the corner of the street and was met with the most beautiful sight. Her white skirt was closer in size to a belt than an actual piece of material for covering one’s body. Her hair was curly and dyed funky colors in pe...

9 likes 0 comments 0

Read story

“Table for Four” by William Hargrove

Submitted to Contest #63

His pale, cold fingers were wrapped aimlessly around the steaming hot cup, despite the absurdity of the thought that it could warm his dead hands. The scarlet, viscous liquid frothed ferociously in the Styrofoam cup as steam poured out like noxious gas. Orville inhaled deeply, smelling the sweet scent of human blood. AB+, he thought to himself. Maybe AB-? He took another whiff. Definitely positive. He took a sip of the scalding liquid. As he lifted it to his lips, he could feel his gums stretch and move as a pair of perfectly white fangs for...

8 likes 2 comments 2

Read story

“Not Powerless” by William Hargrove

Submitted to Contest #58

Hour 0 If Rebecca Hawkins had known what she was going to cause, just from the simple act of holding that door, she would have thrown away that moment of prideful politeness in a heartbeat. “Becca, don't!” Rebecca’s friend, Jenny, cried out as Rebecca’s ex-boyfriend, Ron, dashed through the open doors, alongside one of Rebecca’s coworkers.  “Thank you! You’re very kind,” the man said cheerfully, but slightly raggedly as he caught his breath from his sprint down the hallway. He began to rush to the corner, his vibrant red tie flutteri...

9 likes 0 comments 0

Read story

“The Drive Home” by William Hargrove

Submitted to Contest #39

George was not a paranoid man by nature. He wasn't superstitious, he never found himself scared about the worst-case scenario, and he saw himself as quite the rational person. All of that managed to change in a single night. After working hours of overtime and tiring himself out physically and mentally, George couldn't wait to get home, curl up in his warm bed, and fall asleep. He plucked his car keys from his pocket and clambered into his car, sighing in relief that his long day was finally over. He started the engine of his 2007 Buick and ...

6 likes 1 comment 1

Read story

“Writer's Block” by William Hargrove

Submitted to Contest #32

New York City, New York; 6:04 PM “Mr. Greenwood,” the velvety voice of the interviewer began. “There have been numerous delays on the release of your latest novel, A Week In Paradise, and I was wondering, as I assume most of the audience is, too, what can you tell us about its release?” “Well, you see,” Daniel Greenwood began nervously. “This particular story… it’s quite gruesome. The most morbid and foul I’ve yet written, in fact.” The audience, as enamored as ever with his style of gory and vile books, cheered and whistled. Daniel smi...

3 likes 0 comments 0

Read story

“This Beautiful Earth” by William Hargrove

Submitted to Contest #31

Clare’s eyes swung back and forth across the plot of mulch which held her precious plants so tightly. She admired the beautiful things that they were, the gorgeous life-givers her mother had taught her to behold. Clare patted the soil absentmindedly, swirling it in abstract patterns under her palm and letting its soft homely feel seep through her fingers. She thought back to years prior, a simpler time, when she and her mother would garden from light until dark, getting their knees as dirty as the dim night sky, stars restricted from view th...

5 likes 2 comments 2

Read story

“Waking Nightmare” by William Hargrove

Submitted to Contest #30

And then I screamed, begging for it to be over, I wrote furtively in my notebook. After being shaken awake from a nightmare, I had gone straight to my dream journal to document it. My groggy boyfriend watched me curiously. “Did you finish writing your nightmare, Sarah?” he mumbled sleepily. “Yep, just about done,” I told him. “Just one more sentence.” Jordan was sitting upright now, his warm chest pressed against my arm as he looked over my shoulder into my notebook. “Why are you so interested in my nightmare?” I laughed, smiling through tir...

6 likes 0 comments 0

Read story