Dried up and brittle

April 16, 2012January 5, 2015 ~ Tara R. ~ 17 Comments

Cicadas buzzed around her head, her feeble arms and gnarled hands unable to rise high enough to shoo them away. Pistol, younger than his sister by only 10 months, had the vital chore of waving a thin cardboard fan from Heston's Funeral Home to keep the pests at bay. His shock of ginger hair stood … Continue reading Dried up and brittle

Dear First

April 13, 2012January 6, 2015 ~ Tara R. ~ 20 Comments

12, Never 2012 First Born King of Everything Frozen Hell Blvd High Horse, TN 04161 Dear First, Our estrangement is undoubtedly my fault and deserves an apology. I'm sorry you're an arrogant and judgmental prick, and apologize our familial relationship precludes addressing you as "motherfucker" or "son of a bitch." Sincerely, The Other One The … Continue reading Dear First

Blacksheep

April 10, 2012January 5, 2015 ~ Tara R. ~ 20 Comments

"She had to know she'd cause a scandal," Ralf paced across the porch, stopping occasionally to peel chips of paint from the dilapidated railing. "The Family couldn't allow it." Hilda, Ralf's common-law wife, was on the porch swing, a bowl of estate jewelry in her lap, meticulously prying gems out of their settings with a … Continue reading Blacksheep

White noise voices

March 30, 2012January 6, 2015 ~ Tara R. ~ 12 Comments

Pale faces at my window, alien and distorted, paralyze me with fear. I shake my head, trying to dispel white noise voices that buzz inside my brain. I can't escape from these aberrations. This weekend's Trifextra challenge is to,"Write a horror story in 33 words, without the words blood, scream, died, death, knife, gun, or … Continue reading White noise voices

A little give and take

March 28, 2012January 5, 2015 ~ Tara R. ~ 17 Comments

We sat on opposite sides of the conference table. Her attorney, his tortoise-shell reading glasses precariously perched on the tip of his nose, was reading off a list of our belongings. "Assets" he called them. We were divvying them up like little kids sorting through Halloween candy. She was keen on getting all the choice … Continue reading A little give and take

In reverse

March 20, 2012January 5, 2015 ~ Tara R. ~ 20 Comments

After the initial determination, I read everything I could find. All that did was to scare me even more. One dire prognosis after another, stripping away every strand of hope from my grasp. Since then, it's been a book you read in reverse, so you understand less as the pages turn. At first, other than … Continue reading In reverse