“Basement Slave”–flash fiction, Difficult People

Basement Slave
 
 
          Maybe evil had a face. Maybe it was the man Cynthia brought to her room, her office on the weekends, the motel—all the “private venues”—where this strange man with a face of shadows had his way with her: sex doll for masturbation aid. She bent over, she lay down, squatted, kneeled, crawled. She [...]

“Loretta’s Poetry Career”–flash fiction, Difficult People

Loretta’s Poetry Career
 
 
          Loretta stepped off the curb. Downtown traffic. Backwards. Not looking. She was killed immediately. The delivery truck trying to make the turn before the red-yellow still, meaning –“go” in Boston—she was gone. That quickly, poor thing. Literally, never knew what hit her. Top of her poetic prose publishing arc. Latest book a [...]

“Castle of Ambiguity”–from Difficult People

Castle of Ambiguity
 
 
          The landlady descended the stair with a heavy tread. Glasses clinked behind a door. Outside, leftovers from Saturday night on a tray. A clear warm sun fell through the window and warmed the casement, chair and bed. Old castle. Damp walls of ancient quarry stone, now snugly insulated. All the modern gadgets. [...]

“Oblivion”–flash fiction, Difficult People

Oblivion
 
 
          The result was much the same. Richard “Dick” Lessing couldn’t change. Philanderer. Divorced at last, past middle age, still almost fit, he was long gone on a conquest of women, young and middle-aged.
          His ex wife Kayla was glad to split the money and so long…Dick Man. With Viagra, health food, steroids, working out, [...]

“I Digress”–flash fiction, Difficult People

I Digress
 
 
Dear Mr. Macadam,
 
          My bride and I are desirous of a comfy cottage in the country. I am getting to that mellow age where in the number of stairs, the slickness of slate walks and damp ample leaves and any obstruction shadowed by my city successful girth…I say, the time of life when quiet [...]

“One More Summer”–flash fiction, Difficult People

One More Summer

(Por Peter Tietjen, Amigo Viejo)
 
 
          The shadows had filled M. Grilot’s study by midday. They were not distinct as with a sun but the vague grays like a sea bottom in winter in a dark narrow cove, the rippled sands, the dull light of turbulent frigid sea water, the black charcoal lumps of [...]

“Dangerous Strangers”–flash fiction, Difficult People

Dangerous Strangers
 
 
          She didn’t like him around that much. She was married, but he fucked really good. They play acted. It got rough sometimes. Sometimes they took chances.
          It all began at work. She had a part-time job, and he was a salesman, in the office two or three times a week. The first time [...]