No Words, by Bruce Arbuckle

June 2, 2023 Bruce humpbuckletales dribble, fiction, fiftywordfiction, fiftywordstory, flash fiction, flashfiction, flashfictionfriday, fridayflashfiction, Humpbuckle-on-Sea, humpbuckletales, microfiction, short story, Stories, story, Tales, writingcommunity, zapfic, zapfic50

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He knows she’s happy by the crunch of the gravel as she skips up the path, how the key dances in the lock, the clap of the swinging door. He utters no words when she enters, his expression tells all. Her smile falls from her face and he hugs her.

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A 50-word story written by Bruce Arbuckle, inspired by the Freewriters Writing Prompt on Hive, “important information”

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My Humpbuckle Tales are always published first on Hive

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_{All my stories are my own. I do not (nor have I ever, nor will I ever) used any AI program to write my stories. I am personally against the use of AI to write (for me the whole point of writing is to use my own brain: that is the joy of writing for me). The screenshot is of a word counter app that I use when writing my stories to check that my Humpbuckle Tales are precisely 50 words long. I am human,}_#NOTaRobot

Bruce Arbuckle (felt.buzz)

Prison, by Bruce Arbuckle

May 26, 2023 Bruce humpbuckletales dribble, fiction, fiftywordfiction, fiftywordstory, flash fiction, flashfiction, flashfictionfriday, fridayflashfiction, Humpbuckle-on-Sea, humpbuckletales, microfiction, short story, Stories, story, Tales, writingcommunity, zapfic50

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She spends her whole life trying to escape, but whenever she thinks she’s in the clear, another door clangs shut, and she finds herself locked in the same windowless room in her head with the raving cellmate shouting insults, telling her she’ll never break free from this cruel, relentless, sentence.

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A 50-word story written by Bruce Arbuckle, inspired by the Freewriters Writing Prompt on Hive, “long sentence”

Find me (as HumpbuckleTales ) on Mastodon

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My Humpbuckle Tales are always published first on Hive

Bruce Arbuckle (felt.buzz)

Sinking, by Bruce Arbuckle

May 19, 2023 Bruce humpbuckletales dribble, fiction, fiftywordfiction, fiftywordstory, flash fiction, flashfiction, flashfictionfriday, fridayflashfiction, Humpbuckle-on-Sea, humpbuckletales, microfiction, short story, story, Tales, zapfic, zapfic50

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Your old row boat is barely visible, now, its shape only discernable if you know where to look. Like my memories of you, it lurks just below the surface. Knowing it’s there is enough, I don’t need to see it. Gradually sinking, the dark green water devours the rotting carcass.

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A 50-word story written by Bruce Arbuckle, inspired by the Freewriters Writing Prompt on Hive, “row boat”

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Find me (as HumpbuckleTales ) on Mastodon

Read my daily 50 word stories every day here or on Hive or on Facebook

My Humpbuckle Tales are always published first on Hive

Bruce Arbuckle (felt.buzz)

Curfew’s Call, by Bruce Arbuckle

May 12, 2023May 12, 2023 Bruce humpbuckletales dribble, fiction, fiftywordfiction, fiftywordstory, flash fiction, flashfiction, flashfictionfriday, fridayflashfiction, humpbuckletales, microfiction, sci-fi, short story, Stories, story, Tales, zapfic, zapfic50

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Just after the curfew’s call, we run into a Sentinel. We lie in the sodden ditch, shivering with cold and fear, listening to the metalic clang of its approach, then the quiet hum as it searches for signs of life. I suppress a gasp as it steps over our heads.

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A 50-word story written by Bruce Arbuckle, inspired by the Freewriters Writing Prompt on Hive, “a very close shave”

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Find me (as HumpbuckleTales ) on Mastodon

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My Humpbuckle Tales are always published first on Hive

Bruce Arbuckle (felt.buzz)

Waiting For Halibut, by Bruce Arbuckle

May 5, 2023 Bruce humpbuckletales dribble, fiction, fiftywordfiction, fiftywordstory, flash fiction, flashfiction, flashfictionfriday, fridayflashfiction, humpbuckletales, microfiction, short story, Stories, story, Tales, zapfic, zapfic50

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We knew something was wrong when the hairdresser called to say she’d missed her appointment. Two things Mum couldn’t abide: tardiness and unruly hair. Minutes later, announcing their arrival with officious raps on the door, two awkward policemen told us Mum had collapsed and died at the supermarket fish counter.

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A 50-word story written by Bruce Arbuckle, inspired by the Freewriters Writing Prompt on Hive, “missed appointment”

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Find me (as HumpbuckleTales ) on Mastodon

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My Humpbuckle Tales are always published first on Hive

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Bruce Arbuckle (felt.buzz)

Approval, by Bruce Arbuckle

April 21, 2023April 22, 2023 Bruce humpbuckletales dribble, fiction, fiftywordfiction, fiftywordstory, flash fiction, flashfiction, flashfictionfriday, fridayflashfiction, humpbuckletales, microfiction, short story, Stories, story, Tales, zapfic50

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A blast of cold air announces her arrival. I shiver.

“Are you alright?”

Awkward. Do you tell your date your dead wife has materialised to check her out? I usually don’t, but tonight feels different. Taking a chance, I explain.

“Does she approve?”

Phantom lips touch mine, then she leaves.

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A 50-word story written by Bruce Arbuckle, inspired by the Freewriters Writing Prompt on Hive, “a blast of cold air”

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Find me (as HumpbuckleTales ) on Mastodon

Read my daily 50 word stories every day here or on Hive or on Facebook

My Humpbuckle Tales are always published first on Hive

Find my 100 word tales on Drabble.Club

Bruce Arbuckle (felt.buzz)

Knot Up, by Bruce Arbuckle

April 14, 2023 Bruce humpbuckletales dribble, fiction, fiftywordfiction, fiftywordstory, flash fiction, flashfiction, flashfictionfriday, fridayflashfiction, humpbuckletales, microfiction, short story, Stories, story, Tales, zapfic50

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Some days, the bed won’t release him until the icy knot in his stomach thaws. The duvet hugs his face, shutting out morning light. Bubbles meows, scratching at the covers until he emerges, a zombie rising from the grave. He scrapes food into her bowl and crawls back into darkness.

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A 50-word story written by Bruce Arbuckle, inspired by the Freewriters Writing Prompt on Hive, “knot in the stomach”

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Find me (as HumpbuckleTales ) on Mastodon

Read my daily 50 word stories every day here or on Hive or on Facebook

My Humpbuckle Tales are always published first on Hive

Find my 100 word tales on Drabble.Club

Bruce Arbuckle (felt.buzz)

A Dish Best Served Baked, by Bruce Arbuckle

April 7, 2023 Bruce humpbuckletales dribble, fiction, fiftywordfiction, fiftywordstory, flash fiction, flashfiction, flashfictionfriday, fridayflashfiction, humpbuckletales, microfiction, short story, Stories, story, Tales, zapfic50

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The cookies smell good. Janice packs them into a tin. A housewarming present. A little late? Perhaps. The newcomer wasn’t welcomed correctly. But Peggy overstepped. Janice organises things in this community. There’s no room for competition. The empty rat poison bottle is binned and Janice takes her gift next door.

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A 50-word story written by Bruce Arbuckle, inspired by the Freewriters Writing Prompt on Hive, “community organizer”

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Find me (as HumpbuckleTales ) on Mastodon

Read my daily 50 word stories every day here or on Hive or on Facebook

My Humpbuckle Tales are always published first on Hive

Find my 100 word tales on Drabble.Club

Bruce Arbuckle (felt.buzz)

He Shook His Head! by Bruce Arbuckle

March 31, 2023March 31, 2023 Bruce humpbuckletales dribble, fiftywordfiction, fiftywordstory, flash fiction, flashfiction, flashfictionfriday, fridayflashfiction, humpbuckletales, microfiction, short story, Stories, story, Tales, zapfic50

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The King is a psychopath with a keen sense of poetic justice. A watchman caught cheating at the gaming tables is swiftly decapitated, dice fitted in scraped out eye sockets. The laughing king shakes the head, taking bets from his nervous subjects on the outcome of the rattling spinning cubes.

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A 50-word story written by Bruce Arbuckle, inspired by the Freewriters Writing Prompt on Hive, “he shook his head”

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Find me (as HumpbuckleTales ) on Mastodon

Read my daily 50 word stories every day here or on Hive or on Facebook

My Humpbuckle Tales are always published first on Hive

Find my 100 word tales on Drabble.Club

Bruce Arbuckle (felt.buzz)