lzshortstories

Water

Peter introduced Alice to water. They fell in love at first sight. They met at a party in the Cincinnati suburb of Springdale, where she had lived all her life. In Springdale, there was block after block of ranch three bedroom houses identical except for the color of the shutters. Alice’s life long friend whoContinue reading “Water”

The Yearning

I had not been asleep for long when the phone rang. It was a man’s voice. “Is this Clara?” “Yes.” “Hi. This is Bill. We met in the park yesterday and exchanged numbers. Do you remember me?” “Uh, yes.” “Are you alright? You sound kind of funny.” Who was this guy and what did heContinue reading “The Yearning”

A New England Romance

The answers came: He preferred emotional expressiveness to emotional stability. He preferred casual dress to the latest style. She was bipolar, she dressed in jeans or leggings with t-shirts or sweatshirts with environmental messages on them. He preferred her. She could tell. He didn’t care about pornography either way. She wasn’t into pornography, but someContinue reading “A New England Romance”

Astral Plane

It was Christmas in Rhode Island, 1977, when I was thirteen years old that I went to the Astral Plane. We’d moved to Cranston during the school year, and I hadn’t made any friends. The head guidance counselor gave me an IQ test and placed me in the second to highest academic track. I wasContinue reading “Astral Plane”

In the Clubhouse

Back when I first entered the clubhouse, I didn’t think I’d ever be a published writer. I thought any chance of a career was over for me. On my first day in the clubhouse, a bunch of us were sitting around a large table. After we exchanged names, and I’m not good with names, oneContinue reading “In the Clubhouse”

The Cave

A child crawled into a small cave near her house. The cave looked like it was made of quartz, untouched by dirt. When she came out, the world seemed brighter. Grass was greener, the house she lived in was more ornate. She wondered at the house. Were her parents there or did a different familyContinue reading “The Cave”

Maggots

We met at a country club party. I was new to the neighborhood and had joined for the swimming pool. Living in the country club area and belonging to the club were luxuries I could only recently afford. People were friendly enough, but most of them knew each other well, so I was kind ofContinue reading “Maggots”

Chronic Procrastination

I procrastinate chronically. My husband, Bill, is some kind of saint. We were engaged for three years because I didn’t get around to planning the wedding. He finally bought us tickets to Las Vegas and we eloped. That was my second engagement. My sweetheart from college and I were engaged for a year and aContinue reading “Chronic Procrastination”

In the Forest

Madeline stumbled over some rocks in the path, unable to catch up with her new husband. “Jon, could we stop for a while? I’m all sweaty and out of breath, and I don’t know if I can carry this backpack much further.” Jon turned around, “Madeline, we’ve been on this trail for less than halfContinue reading “In the Forest”

Against the Precepts

We were seated in a diner booth on our first date. As our eyes met, I stroked my chin and found I had five o’clock shadow stubble. I wondered if that would be a turn on or a turn off for Ellen. The diner was in downtown Philadelphia. I live about an hour’s drive fromContinue reading “Against the Precepts”