short story

He Shook His Head! by Bruce Arbuckle

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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

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Bruce Arbuckle (felt.buzz)

Trust, by Bruce Arbuckle

Bruce humpbuckletales , , , , , , , , , , ,

Hilda nudges me. Her eyes pull mine in the direction of the tall thin woman talking to Frank. “Big Machine,” she hisses. Meaning Gerda is Government and therefore not a friend. Noting my husband’s amatory moon-eyed gaze, I realise Gerda is not the only untrustworthy person in the room.

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

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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)

Woolly Mammoth, by Bruce Arbuckle

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The elephant has been in the room so long it’s evolved. Thick wiry hair covers its huge mass. If we acknowledged it we might agree it’s woolly now because the heats gone out of our relationship. But we never discuss it. The mammoth simply sits between us growing every day.

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

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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)

Zoo, by Bruce Arbuckle

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The Human Zoo is the last stop on the Earth Sightseeing Tour. The creatures were once dangerous, but enclosed in their special cages they seem pretty harmless. They are very ugly but in a funny – rather than scary – way. Daddy says not to tap on the glass. It agitates them.

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

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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)

Moving Out, by Bruce Arbuckle

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The suitcase sits by the front  door, her raincoat drapped neatly over the handle.

I’d always assumed it would be me: an overly dramatic door slamming exit at the tail end of a fierce argument.

Our goodbye is surprisingly amicable.

“This is it,” she says. We hug and she leaves.

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A 50-word story written by Bruce Arbuckle, inspired by a random word prompt “moving”

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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

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Bruce Arbuckle (felt.buzz)

Stain, by Bruce Arbuckle

Bruce humpbuckletales , , , , , , , , , , ,

In the cupboard under the stairs, behind the packet of emergency loo rolls and the almost empty paint tins, lurks the carpet cleaner. Purchased after that party, I’d  hoped sucking the stain from the fibres would somehow eradicate the memory of that night. But you said it made everything worse.

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

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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)

Secret Recipe, by Bruce Arbuckle

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I mix the ground bones and ashes with a little blood, before adding the chocolate power, sugar and hot milk.

“Here,” I say.

The Other quivers with pleasure as you take a sip.

“What’s your secret ingredient?” you ask.

“If I told you I’d have to kill you.”

We laugh.

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A 50-word story written by Bruce Arbuckle, inspired by the Freewriters Writing Prompt on Hive, “bone and ashes”

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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)

Worry, by Bruce Arbuckle

Bruce humpbuckletales , , , , , , , , , ,

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“Don’t worry,” he says.

He means well. He doesn’t know I’m entirely constructed from molecules of angst.

“Sit down,” he says.

I’m an anxiety shark swimming in an ocean of disquietude. I have to keep moving, or I’ll drown.

“Breath,” he says.

I see my panic reflected in his eyes.

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A 50-word story written by Bruce Arbuckle, inspired by the Freewriters Writing Prompt on Hive, “don’t worry”

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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)

Swim, by Bruce Arbuckle

Bruce humpbuckletales , , , , , , , , , , ,

“Can you swim?” she asks, randomly, on their first date.

Six months later, on the second day of their honeymoon, she smiles at him from the boat, waving goodbye, as his head disappears under the sea.

Perhaps, he thinks, water filling his lungs, her question wasn’t without purpose after all.

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A 50-word story written by Bruce Arbuckle, inspired by the Freewriters writing prompt on Hive, “can you swim”

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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)

Risk, by Bruce Arbuckle

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Night shift over, he takes the bus to his second job.

He reads a crumpled newspaper, discarded in disgust by a fellow passenger.

Another bank failure, another bailout.

It’s easy to be a risk taker, he reflects, if you have money and there are no real consequences for bad decisions.

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This 50-word story was written by Bruce Arbuckle, inspired by the Freewriters writing prompt on Hive, “Bank failure”

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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)