Swimming against the tide 5: A good thing (Humpbuckle Tales 33)

November 8, 2021 Bruce Brian, Festival Pets, Jeff fiction, fiftywordfiction, fiftywordstory, flash fiction, flashfiction, humpbuckletales, microfiction, short story, story, zapfic50

Jeff looks old, tired, thin.

Brian can not believe his beautiful mother ever loved this shell of a man.

“It’s a good thing you are here,” Jeff says to his son. “I appreciate your help.”

Brian steals the keys to the drugs cabinet.

He supplies ketamine to the local dealer.

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This is the thirty-third story in the series of Humpbuckle Tales. Each story is precisely 50 words long. They are meant to be independent stories, but if you read them all you will find each one adds another piece to the puzzle – there is a bigger story that is being told.

This story was first published on my Hive blog (@felt.buzz) and you can find all the stories on the @humbuckletales Hive account – at the time of posting this I have just published Tale number 59. On Hive I publish 12 stories per week (Monday to Saturday one story per day and then six 50-word stories in one post on a Sunday).

If you prefer the drip drip drip approach keep coming back here for one 50-word tale every day!

You can watch the author read the first 22 Humpbuckle Tales on YouTube or you can listen to it as a podcast. The 3rd author reading will be published on 15th November.

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Written by Bruce Arbuckle (@felt.buzz on Hive). Find the latest in the Humpbuckle Tales series on Hive

Swimming against the tide 4: Bird Poop ( Humpbuckle Tales 32)

November 7, 2021 Bruce Brian, Festival Pets, Humpbuckle Places, humpbuckletales, Jeff fiction, fiftywordfiction, fiftywordstory, flash fiction, flashfiction, humpbuckletales, microfiction, short story, story, zapfic50

Brian, now twelve, reluctantly spends every other weekend with his dad.

Sharing his mother’s contempt for his father, he hates working at the veterinary practice.

Brian cleans out the cages and makes drinks for the staff.

He amuses himself by stirring bird shit into his dad’s tea along with sugar.

…

This is the thirty-second story in the series of Humpbuckle Tales. Each story is precisely 50 words long. They are meant to be independent stories, but if you read them all you will find each one adds another piece to the puzzle – there is a bigger story that is being told.

This story was first published on my Hive blog (@felt.buzz) and you can find all the stories on the @humbuckletales Hive account – at the time of posting this I have just published 6 Tales: numbers 53-58. On Hive I publish 12 stories per week (Monday to Saturday one story per day and then six 50-word stories in one post on a Sunday).

If you prefer the drip drip drip approach keep coming back here for one 50-word tale every day!

You can watch the author read the first 22 Humpbuckle Tales on YouTube or you can listen to it as a podcast. The 3rd author reading will be published on 15th November.

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Swimming against the tide 3: Festival (Humpbuckle Tales 31)

November 6, 2021 Bruce Brian, Festival Pets, Helen, Jeff fiction, fiftywordfiction, fiftywordstory, flash fiction, flashfiction, humpbuckletales, microfiction, short story, story

When Brian turns three Helen announces her parents were right: Jeff is a loser.

He’s taken over Festival Pets. Unfortunately, he’s bought the debt that comes with the veterinary practice.

Jeff works very long hours to try to make ends meet.

Helen doesn’t even bother to hide her affairs, anymore.

…

This is the thirty-first story in the series of Humpbuckle Tales. Each story is precisely 50 words long. They are meant to be independent stories, but if you read them all you will find each one adds another piece to the puzzle – there is a bigger story that is being told.

This story was first published on my Hive blog (@felt.buzz) and you can find all the stories on the @humbuckletales Hive account – at the time of posting this I have just published number 52. On Hive I publish 12 stories per week (Monday to Saturday one story per day and then six 50-word stories in one post on a Sunday).

If you prefer the drip drip drip approach keep coming back here for one 50-word tale every day!

You can watch the author read the first 22 Humpbuckle Tales on YouTube or you can listen to it as a podcast. The 3rd author reading will be published on 15th November.

…