Entanglement: Familiar Curves
For months after Joaquin Ibañez was posted to Saigon as economic attaché, he had no eyes for Western women. The exotic, humid paradise was swarming with motorbikes, ghosts and tiny Asian sylphs. They possessed none of the attributes he’d grown up thinking of as womanly. No hips, no ass, and tits so small he sometimes […]
Something More Than You
He made of her a thing. Not anything as superficially offensive as a pornographic thing – far worse. Something without even the solidity of image, without even the slippery worm of words. And yet he did not make her nothing because he would not let her go. He would not let go of her hair. […]
On the Cliff of the Moment
And then I knew, Like a resigned nod that prompts the stately closing of massive doors upon some fictive scene. And then I knew that delusions of proximity are like delusions of grandeur, only twice as laughable and five times as distant. And then I knew. despite saying I was cool with all of it, […]
Unmanned – Day Seven of the 10 Days of Flash Challenge
This is Day Seven of Leone Ross’ 10 Days of Flash Challenge, running on her Facebook page. Do go have a look at what’s going on there. Lots of fun. Great for honing your writing skills. Today’s challenge was a super short 55 word flash piece in response to a photograph. There are five to […]
Untitled – Day Six of the 10 Days of Flash Challenge
We’re on Day 6 of Leone Ross‘ very helpful 10 Days of Flash Challenge. Write at least six short flashers – one to ten lines each. The stories all have to be about difficult ‘intimates’ in a single character’s life. Write at least six short flashers – one to ten lines each. It can have […]
My Man’s Hands and Pilar’s Knees – Day Five of the 10 Days of Flash Challenge
If you’re interested in joining the challenge, take yourself over to Leone Ross’ Facebook Page, “like’ the challenge and go for it! Today’s challenge was two short flash pieces of 250 words each, on body parts. One above the waist, and one below it. 1. My Man’s Hands “If you want to love me, baby, […]
Luck and the Truck – Day Four of the 10 Days of Flash Challenge
I’m participating in Leone Ross’ wonderful 10 days of Flash challenge on Facebook. She sets a new, quite difficult challenge each day. Today’s challenge was to take a single event, but vary the setting, the characters, the POV and the tone five ways. Unfortunately, my inability to follow instructions properly is at play, and I […]
A Good Man is Dead.
A good man is dead. And it feels like there should be some mechanism by which I can scream that at the sky loud enough to tear the universe apart. A good man is dead and everything should stop now. No jokes should be told, no flowers should bloom, no wine drunk except in the […]
The Slow Act of Love
Just as the monsoon rains hit Hue, I visited the secret garden of Doctor Minh Khanh Nguyen. I’d heard about it from a couple of students snarfing Cao Lao by the canal and getting smashed on cheap rice vodka. “Oh,” said the girl, “I can’t describe it. It’s just too obscene.” Her student boyfriend elbowed […]
Molly At the Breakwater
Molly at the breakwater. Submitted for