zapfic50

Worry, by Bruce Arbuckle

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

…

“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.

…

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

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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.

…

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

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

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.

…

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)

Happier, by Bruce Arbuckle

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

…

She looked happier.

Momma used to say my sister wore her mood like a big black coat in a rain storm. Always covered up, hunched over. Protecting, or hiding, herself from the world. Or something in it.

Her smile seemed out of place at a funeral. But it suited her.

…

This 50-word story was written by Bruce Arbuckle, inspired by the Freewriters writing prompt on Hive “she looked happier”.

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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)

Cylinder, by Bruce Arbuckle

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


He builds The Ark, a huge silver cylindrical monstrosity, at the end of the garden.

Our lifesaver, he says. When the apocalypse comes.

It’s a deathtrap, she says. A metal coffin. If the ventilators stop working you’ll suffocate.

Later, when he’s inside, she unplugs the solar panels. Proving her point.

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A fifty-word story written by Bruce Arbuckle, inspired by the random word prompt “cylinder”

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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)

Discovered, by Bruce Arbuckle

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

In 1992 workmen “discovered” the Humpbuckle Caves, falling into them while digging up the road outside the library.

Paintings, initially thought to have made by prehistoric man, were later revealed to have been drawn by two school boys who’d found an entrance in the old chalk pit two years earlier.

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A fifty-word story written by Bruce Arbuckle, inspired by the Freewriters writing prompt on Hive, “cave drawings”

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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)

Coffintime, by Bruce Arbuckle

Bruce humpbuckletales , , , , , , , , ,

“Open your coffin, son. It’s time.”

“Can’t I stay up, watch the sunrise? Just once?”

Head shake.

“Will you read me another coffintime story?”

“You’re almost two hundred years old,” Dad sighs. “When you gonna grow up? “

“Never,” I remind him. “Kinda your fault for coming home thirsty that time.”

…

A fifty-word story written by Bruce Arbuckle, inspired by the Freewriters writing prompt on Hive, “open your coffin”

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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)

Ginger Tea, by Bruce Arbuckle

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

Her lips tasted like ginger tea. Hot, spicy, tingling. Afterwards, we lay in each other’s arms, enveloped in a warm glow, and a thick blanket.

“I should go,” she said, suddenly.

I wanted to say, “No! Stay! Please!”

Instead, I watched her dress in silence. She left without another word.

…

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

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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)

Pen Knife, by Bruce Arbuckle

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

I run my fingers over the back of the church pew where we used to sit. Your initials, smoothed with the passage of time, are still there.

“You’re chicken. Too scared to live,” you said.

Now, as they carry your coffin down the aisle, I carve mine next to yours.

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A fifty-word story written by Bruce Arbuckle, inspired by the Freewriters writing prompt on Hive, “pen knife”

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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)

Not A Good Day, by Bruce Arbuckle

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

Helen loves her job although on occasion she needs reminding why she became a teacher in the first place.

Most days come with little victories helping her feel she serves a purpose.

Today, she reflects, as an angry parent spits vitriolic words into her face, is not a good day.

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A fifty-word story written by Bruce Arbuckle, inspired by the Freewriters writing prompt on Hive, “education is a right”

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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)