Stories for Twitter
Dark - Above everything else, Sara just wants to be loved.
Task - For his whole life, Seth has failed a very important task.
Stories for Blog
Townspeople - It was "good".
Lied - A lie is addicting.
Solo - Who doesn't want fame?
Harbor Grace -A desperate father. A dying son.
Lunch - A 50 word story.
Scab - An inconvenient prostitute. A devious plan.
Paradise - A 50 word "pre-history" themed story.
2014 Creative Project
The End of Eden - A twist on a familiar passage.
The Parable of the Defendant - A pastor accused of heresy.
Finished God - God is done...with us.
Fate - You always have a choice.
Prodigal - A 50 word story.
Tuesday, June 29, 2010
Thursday, June 17, 2010
"Townspeople" (Part 6 of 6)
***Spoiler Alert***
This is the final part of a six part story. Read the beginning by following the links below.
Part 1
Part 2
Part 3
Part 4
Part 5
***Spoiler Alert***
"Townspeople"
by Jason Hart
Part 6 of 6
-Present Day-
Nate used his own key to enter the back door of his house. Should have changed the locks, Lara. Waves of memories came crashing down on him as he made his way through his house. A picture of him and Trey grabbed his attention. He was sitting in a hospital room, hair and clothes disheveled, proudly holding his newborn son. "He has your eyes.", Lara had told him. Nate vigorously shook his head the way one might shake an Etch-a-Sketch to erase the memories, and pressed on through the house. He paused at Trey's bedroom door and listened to Trey's rhythmic breathing, watching as his little chest rose and fell with each breath. He leaned his medium sized frame halfway through Trey's doorway, grabbed the doorknob, and slowly closed the door. It was to be his last humane act of the evening, maybe even his entire life.
He continued on down the hallway towards the master bedroom. Once again, he was caught off guard by a picture - his wedding picture. Any normal man would have had great difficulty looking at his own wedding photo right before murdering his wife - but not Nate. It was like there was a literal connection missing in his brain. He had been in the house now for almost 10 minutes, and now, Nate found himself standing at the threshold of Lara's bedroom door. He paused, then crossed the room and stood beside his sleeping wife. Nate grabbed his gun and gripped it with both hands. He pulled back the hammer, pointed the gun directly at Lara's sleeping body, and squeezed the trigger.
****
-Sometime in the Past-
Abby successfully finished her treatment and returned home somewhat rehabilitated. Paul's love for Abby had deepened while she was away, and when she came home, he had a diamond ring waiting for her. "Hopefully this one won't draw quite as much attention." he quipped, "You can wear it whenever you feel comfortable." She put it on that next week, and even ventured into town a few times on her own. Slowly, things returned to normal for Paul and Abby. Paul continued his fishing business, and Abby became stronger and more emotionally stable with each passing day. Then, totally unexpectedly, something happened that Paul and Abby had always dreamed of - they got pregnant. The pregnancy progressed without incident, and before he knew it, Paul was sitting in a hospital room, hair and clothes disheveled, proudly holding his baby. "It's a boy!", the doctor informed the proud parents.
Once they had gotten settled in at their home, a crowd of friends gathered to offer their congratulations. One of them spoke up to be heard over the small audience that had formed,
"What is his name?" an indeterminate figure called out.
"His name is Nate.", Paul answered, beaming.
And all the townspeople declared, "Paul, this is very, very good."
- THE END
****
Thank you so much for reading, "Townspeople" - I hope you enjoyed it! Stay tuned for "Townspeople: An Analysis" coming early next week.
-Jason
Wednesday, June 16, 2010
"Townspeople" (Part 5 of 6)
"Townspeople"
by Jason Hart
Part 5 of 6
-Present Day-
Nate checked his watch as soon as he saw Lara's bedroom light go out. 20 minutes He thought to himself, then I'm going in. Nate paused and considered what he was about to do. His calm spirit surprised even himself. He pulled a Ziploc bag out of his pocket, plucked each cigarette butt from off the ground, and dropped them one by one into the bag. He sealed the bag and put it back into his pocket. He wasn't a criminal mastermind, but he figured he'd seen enough police shows to know he shouldn't be leaving cigarettes just lying around.
Nate tilted his head slowly from side to side, and shrugged his shoulders. It was time. He reached behind his waist and pulled out a revolver which had been wedged between his pants and the small of his back. He pressed a lever and the six-chambered cylindrical block swung out from underneath the barrel. He dug into his pockets and found the six bullets that he had brought. He gripped them between his thumb and pointer finger and slid each one into it's respective chamber. He pressed the cylinder back underneath the barrel, and slid the gun snugly back into his waistline. Nate took a deep breath, braced himself on the ground with his right hand, and slowly rose to his feet.
****
-Sometime in the Past-
After their "survival" of the train crash, Paul and Abby felt compelled to focus on what was important - and now, a family seemed more important than ever. But the roller coaster of events, not to mention emotions, the past several years started catching up to Abby. Even though a casual observer might have never caught on, inwardly she was falling apart. She never wore any jewelry, hardly ever laughed, and NEVER walked anywhere alone. Even though Paul and Abby made a comfortable living, Abby forced herself to wear simple clothing, and tried her hardest to draw as little attention to herself as possible. After months of quiet suffering, Abby was completely overcome and suffered a complete mental breakdown.
Paul was devastated. In a final act of desperation, he paid for her to receive 6 months of treatment at the best psychiatric hospital in the country, which just so happened to be located 300 miles away. At first Abby wasn't up for it, but after she could bear the pain no longer, she finally agreed to try it. "I guess we'll just have to put our family plans on hold." Paul told her as he was kissing her goodbye, "When you come back, and you WILL come back, I'll be waiting." He wiped away the tears from his eyes, and quickly slipped a pocket watch from inside his jacket. "Here," he explained, "take this, to remember me." And so it was, Paul and Abby, after weathering storms of all stripes were now forced to be separated.
And all the townspeople declared, "Paul, this is bad."
****
...to be continued.
by Jason Hart
Part 5 of 6
-Present Day-
Nate checked his watch as soon as he saw Lara's bedroom light go out. 20 minutes He thought to himself, then I'm going in. Nate paused and considered what he was about to do. His calm spirit surprised even himself. He pulled a Ziploc bag out of his pocket, plucked each cigarette butt from off the ground, and dropped them one by one into the bag. He sealed the bag and put it back into his pocket. He wasn't a criminal mastermind, but he figured he'd seen enough police shows to know he shouldn't be leaving cigarettes just lying around.
Nate tilted his head slowly from side to side, and shrugged his shoulders. It was time. He reached behind his waist and pulled out a revolver which had been wedged between his pants and the small of his back. He pressed a lever and the six-chambered cylindrical block swung out from underneath the barrel. He dug into his pockets and found the six bullets that he had brought. He gripped them between his thumb and pointer finger and slid each one into it's respective chamber. He pressed the cylinder back underneath the barrel, and slid the gun snugly back into his waistline. Nate took a deep breath, braced himself on the ground with his right hand, and slowly rose to his feet.
****
-Sometime in the Past-
After their "survival" of the train crash, Paul and Abby felt compelled to focus on what was important - and now, a family seemed more important than ever. But the roller coaster of events, not to mention emotions, the past several years started catching up to Abby. Even though a casual observer might have never caught on, inwardly she was falling apart. She never wore any jewelry, hardly ever laughed, and NEVER walked anywhere alone. Even though Paul and Abby made a comfortable living, Abby forced herself to wear simple clothing, and tried her hardest to draw as little attention to herself as possible. After months of quiet suffering, Abby was completely overcome and suffered a complete mental breakdown.
Paul was devastated. In a final act of desperation, he paid for her to receive 6 months of treatment at the best psychiatric hospital in the country, which just so happened to be located 300 miles away. At first Abby wasn't up for it, but after she could bear the pain no longer, she finally agreed to try it. "I guess we'll just have to put our family plans on hold." Paul told her as he was kissing her goodbye, "When you come back, and you WILL come back, I'll be waiting." He wiped away the tears from his eyes, and quickly slipped a pocket watch from inside his jacket. "Here," he explained, "take this, to remember me." And so it was, Paul and Abby, after weathering storms of all stripes were now forced to be separated.
And all the townspeople declared, "Paul, this is bad."
****
...to be continued.
Tuesday, June 15, 2010
"Townspeople" (Part 4 of 6)
You can click on the links below to read the beginning of "Townspeople"
Part 1
Part 2
Part 3
"Townspeople"
by Jason Hart
Part 4 of 6
-Present Day-
Lara wandered through her house tidying up. She grabbed a newspaper from off a chair, folded it, and set it down on her coffee table. She straightened the couch cushions, put a few dishes into the sink, and moved some of Trey's things into the hall closet. Lara yawned and tried to rub the fatigue out of her eyes, Time to call it a day. She moved silently through the kitchen, reached back and flipped off the kitchen light, and headed toward her bedroom.
She brushed her teeth, quickly slipped into her night gown, and crawled into bed. Had Nate still been around, she might have brushed her hair, painted her nails, or spritzed on a little perfume - but not tonight. Tonight she couldn't even force herself to look at her unkempt reflection in the mirror. As she lay staring at the ceiling, water built up at the base of her eye, stumbled over the edge of her eyelid, and began journeying down her cheek. Lara smothered her sobs with her pillow, and let the tears purge the dark memories locked up inside of her mind. She began mumbling random words strung together into sentences that only she could interpret.
Suddenly, an unnatural noise from outside her window startled Lara out of her emotionally induced stupor. She sat up abruptly and quickly brushed the tears from off her face. She held her breath as she strained to hear any more noises. Nothing. Lara rolled her eyes, You're losing it, girl. Pull yourself together. Lara eased back onto her pillow, reached across the bed, turned off her lamp, and drifted off into a fitful sleep.
****
-Sometime in the Past-
Paul's patient love and devotion was the fuel that powered the engine of Abby's steady recovery. Despite her improvements, she still wasn't feeling good enough to do any traveling, and they had to make the unfortunate decision to cancel their planned train ride. The week of Paul and Abby's would-be vacation came...and went. During that time they just sat around their house moping as if they were scheduled to die at the end it. The web of confusion weaved by the recent string of events left them feeling trapped, ready for what remained of their lives to just be sucked from their bodies.
But one morning, while reading the newspaper at the breakfast table, a headline commanded Paul's full attention - "NO SURVIVORS IN TRAIN CRASH TRAGEDY". Paul speechlessly handed the newspaper to Abby and simply pointed to the article. The very train that they had originally planned to vacation on had crashed. As the full realization of their decidedly generous fate sank in, they sat stunned, totally overwhelmed by emotion. As they pondered the implications, they began shedding tears of joy - We're alive!
And all the townspeople declared, "Paul, this is good."
****
...to be continued.
Part 1
Part 2
Part 3
"Townspeople"
by Jason Hart
Part 4 of 6
-Present Day-
Lara wandered through her house tidying up. She grabbed a newspaper from off a chair, folded it, and set it down on her coffee table. She straightened the couch cushions, put a few dishes into the sink, and moved some of Trey's things into the hall closet. Lara yawned and tried to rub the fatigue out of her eyes, Time to call it a day. She moved silently through the kitchen, reached back and flipped off the kitchen light, and headed toward her bedroom.
She brushed her teeth, quickly slipped into her night gown, and crawled into bed. Had Nate still been around, she might have brushed her hair, painted her nails, or spritzed on a little perfume - but not tonight. Tonight she couldn't even force herself to look at her unkempt reflection in the mirror. As she lay staring at the ceiling, water built up at the base of her eye, stumbled over the edge of her eyelid, and began journeying down her cheek. Lara smothered her sobs with her pillow, and let the tears purge the dark memories locked up inside of her mind. She began mumbling random words strung together into sentences that only she could interpret.
Suddenly, an unnatural noise from outside her window startled Lara out of her emotionally induced stupor. She sat up abruptly and quickly brushed the tears from off her face. She held her breath as she strained to hear any more noises. Nothing. Lara rolled her eyes, You're losing it, girl. Pull yourself together. Lara eased back onto her pillow, reached across the bed, turned off her lamp, and drifted off into a fitful sleep.
****
-Sometime in the Past-
Paul's patient love and devotion was the fuel that powered the engine of Abby's steady recovery. Despite her improvements, she still wasn't feeling good enough to do any traveling, and they had to make the unfortunate decision to cancel their planned train ride. The week of Paul and Abby's would-be vacation came...and went. During that time they just sat around their house moping as if they were scheduled to die at the end it. The web of confusion weaved by the recent string of events left them feeling trapped, ready for what remained of their lives to just be sucked from their bodies.
But one morning, while reading the newspaper at the breakfast table, a headline commanded Paul's full attention - "NO SURVIVORS IN TRAIN CRASH TRAGEDY". Paul speechlessly handed the newspaper to Abby and simply pointed to the article. The very train that they had originally planned to vacation on had crashed. As the full realization of their decidedly generous fate sank in, they sat stunned, totally overwhelmed by emotion. As they pondered the implications, they began shedding tears of joy - We're alive!
And all the townspeople declared, "Paul, this is good."
****
...to be continued.
Monday, June 14, 2010
"Townspeople" (Part 3 of 6)
"Townspeople"
by Jason Hart
Part 3 of 6
-Present Day-
Nate, lost in the complicated cavern of his mind, hardly noticed the pile of cigarette butts huddled at his feet. As his thoughts carried him step by step into the darkness, it was as if the ground behind him plummeted into a bottomless pit, forcing him to continue his trek inward. Where have you been!? It haunted him like a recurring childhood nightmare. A nagging question from a nagging wife. Where have you been!? He'd heard it dozens of time, and he could hear it now. Playing over and over again like a mouse stuck on a wheel. Where have you been!? He gritted his teeth, his breathing was quicker now, and his heart was pounding. There weren't enough cigarettes in the world to drown out the pain. Where have you been!? Such a controlling question, asked with all the doubt she could muster. And every time Lara asked that same stupid question, he wanted to slap the disrespect right out of her.
Nate paused the train wreck of anger in his mind and let his mind wander back to the beginning. Their marriage had been happy, once. But now, "happy" was just a word. Like a lame punchline at the end of a long joke. The train started rolling again. Where have you been?! He could remember it all. He saw her standing in the kitchen, with her hands on her hips. He could hear her tone of voice. He could see Trey ducking into his room. He could feel the massive weight on his chest, the pain of being hated by his own wife. Where have you been!?
Suddenly, the "Caw! Caw!" of a crow startled Nate as it took flight from a nearby tree. Nate breathed in sharply, his hands trembling, beads of sweat rolling down his forehead. He wiped the sweat from his brow, I'll tell you where I've been. he thought to himself, I'm sitting next to this pile of brick and wood that we used to call home. I'm out here, because you don't want me in there. He broke from his thoughts long enough to light another cigarette, and glance towards Lara's bedroom window. Her light was still on. Nate snorted and shrugged his shoulders, Probably reading her Bible. He leaned back and closed his eyes, "I can wait, I've got all the time in the world." he muttered aloud.
****
-Sometime in the Past-
As for Paul, the fish gods continued to shine on him and his boat. As for Abby, she was never shy about showing off her better-late-than-never ring. A little shyness however might have done her some good, because the ring began catching the wrong type of attention. One day, while taking an afternoon stroll through the town, a man mugged Abby and physically took the ring from off her finger. Abby should have known to just leave it alone, but instead, she let out a scream so violent that any bird within a quarter mile took flight. Her assailant silenced her with a brutal blow to the face, then, in a fit of rage, began hitting Abby over and over as she struggled helplessly on the ground.
Paul was out to sea that day, and when he came home long after the sun had set, his house was empty. After making a few phone calls, and creating quite the ruckus at more than one house, Paul was able to finally find someone who had heard about what happened to Abby. Paul rushed to the hospital, but hadn't adequately prepared himself for seeing Abby battered and bruised, lying motionless on the bed. "She's suffered extensive injuries." the doctor remarked, fully lacking any quota of bedside manner, "She'll live, but she's got a long road ahead of her."
Paul was furious. He cursed his wife's attacker, that gaudy ring, his "lucky" boat, his money, and himself.
And all the townspeople declared, "Paul, this is bad."
****
...to be continued.
by Jason Hart
Part 3 of 6
-Present Day-
Nate, lost in the complicated cavern of his mind, hardly noticed the pile of cigarette butts huddled at his feet. As his thoughts carried him step by step into the darkness, it was as if the ground behind him plummeted into a bottomless pit, forcing him to continue his trek inward. Where have you been!? It haunted him like a recurring childhood nightmare. A nagging question from a nagging wife. Where have you been!? He'd heard it dozens of time, and he could hear it now. Playing over and over again like a mouse stuck on a wheel. Where have you been!? He gritted his teeth, his breathing was quicker now, and his heart was pounding. There weren't enough cigarettes in the world to drown out the pain. Where have you been!? Such a controlling question, asked with all the doubt she could muster. And every time Lara asked that same stupid question, he wanted to slap the disrespect right out of her.
Nate paused the train wreck of anger in his mind and let his mind wander back to the beginning. Their marriage had been happy, once. But now, "happy" was just a word. Like a lame punchline at the end of a long joke. The train started rolling again. Where have you been?! He could remember it all. He saw her standing in the kitchen, with her hands on her hips. He could hear her tone of voice. He could see Trey ducking into his room. He could feel the massive weight on his chest, the pain of being hated by his own wife. Where have you been!?
Suddenly, the "Caw! Caw!" of a crow startled Nate as it took flight from a nearby tree. Nate breathed in sharply, his hands trembling, beads of sweat rolling down his forehead. He wiped the sweat from his brow, I'll tell you where I've been. he thought to himself, I'm sitting next to this pile of brick and wood that we used to call home. I'm out here, because you don't want me in there. He broke from his thoughts long enough to light another cigarette, and glance towards Lara's bedroom window. Her light was still on. Nate snorted and shrugged his shoulders, Probably reading her Bible. He leaned back and closed his eyes, "I can wait, I've got all the time in the world." he muttered aloud.
****
-Sometime in the Past-
As for Paul, the fish gods continued to shine on him and his boat. As for Abby, she was never shy about showing off her better-late-than-never ring. A little shyness however might have done her some good, because the ring began catching the wrong type of attention. One day, while taking an afternoon stroll through the town, a man mugged Abby and physically took the ring from off her finger. Abby should have known to just leave it alone, but instead, she let out a scream so violent that any bird within a quarter mile took flight. Her assailant silenced her with a brutal blow to the face, then, in a fit of rage, began hitting Abby over and over as she struggled helplessly on the ground.
Paul was out to sea that day, and when he came home long after the sun had set, his house was empty. After making a few phone calls, and creating quite the ruckus at more than one house, Paul was able to finally find someone who had heard about what happened to Abby. Paul rushed to the hospital, but hadn't adequately prepared himself for seeing Abby battered and bruised, lying motionless on the bed. "She's suffered extensive injuries." the doctor remarked, fully lacking any quota of bedside manner, "She'll live, but she's got a long road ahead of her."
Paul was furious. He cursed his wife's attacker, that gaudy ring, his "lucky" boat, his money, and himself.
And all the townspeople declared, "Paul, this is bad."
****
...to be continued.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)