I'm very fortunate and I know it. By fifth grade, I knew how to play the system to get what I wanted. I found that certain actions by me necessarily resulted in predictable responses by others. So I became very proficient at manipulating people. It's amazing how far a smile from a pretty girl can go. This is not to say that I never studied. I studied hard. B...
My toaster went crazy one Sunday morning. I was sitting at the breakfast table in my bachelor apartment, drinking a cup of caffeinated orange juice and eating a bowl of Plankton Flakes. It was around ten AM and I was just trying to relax, reading the newspaper. According to the front page, the colony on Mars had discovered intelligent crustaceans who tasted...
I had a chance to go to the Kentucky Derby in 1979 with my college girlfriend, Jessica, but I didn't. I regretted not going to America's biggest equine event, but things turned out pretty good, after all. Jessica's best friend and roommate, Cindy, would be driving her new car there and invited me to go along. She was dating my roommate, Steve, and so the fo...
What drives a person to suicide? What motivates a person to take that final journey into the Dark place? Can people become so increasingly trapped in their negative interpretations of life's misfortunes, that they back themselves into a place where suicide becomes the best solution to their pain? Many people think about taking their own lives in a desperate...
The following story is fiction and does not describe any real person or situation in particular. All characters are at least eighteen. This is the opening chapter to a short series based on a very flexible girl in the high school color guard and her college age instructor. Nice or constructive comments are very much appreciated. Rude comments are just mean a...
My new life was about to begin. I started a job in a new veterinary clinic. I just finished med school. I moved to a nearby country club. I thought I could stay in shape. My average built body could slowly develop abs. My girlfriend was going to call later. I tried to get a lay of the land. I visited the local burger place, Beauty Bunz. I got on the comput...
Bob Harlan was in the barn working on his old tractor. The fuel pump was acting up again and it was time to rebuild it. He had it torn apart on the workbench. The sound of a car in the driveway made him look up and then stand up. He was grinning as he walked to the small backdoor of the barn and opened it. The little bright blue car came around the side of...
This is my entry for the Winter Holiday Contest. Please feel free to read, vote, and/or comment. Thank you and Enjoy! * Brynn was sitting with her feet up on the couch. Her golden retriever sat at her feet, the cat lay on the back of the couch, and a mug of hot cocoa in her hand. She gazed out the window at the snow falling softly to the ground, covering i...
*Author's note: I recently met a female veterinarian I took to be around 40 who was not just polite but actually 'sweet' in the best possible way. I also found her very attractive, so the vet in this story 'looks' just like the one I met—short, petite, great smile, and as friendly as could be. I also have a good friend who's a single mom who lives in a deve...
Jimmy Dawkins lay down on his bed wearing the biggest smile anyone had ever worn. He had just come home from making love to the woman of his dreams, and as he tried to drift off to sleep he found her memory to exciting to release from his mind. Her name was Elisa Patterson, and she was the wife of the veterinarian that Jimmy worked for. He had worked as thei...