Fiction – LZ Short Stories

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”

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”

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”

Meditative Society

At the end of his lecture to the graduate psychology class, Professor Al Bloom said, “Several of you have helped with the research on how meditative practices affect personality. Your contributions are deeply appreciated. I’m about to write a journal article on the results. We found that meditating on wishing people well increases empathy, whileContinue reading “Meditative Society”

The Hacked Tattoo

“Does this tattoo parlor give the new high-tech tattoos?” “Sure. We give several kinds. What did you have in mind?” “I heard there was a type of tattoo which could transport me to a vacation spot, like a Bermuda.” “We have a few for vacation spots. The one for a Bermuda beach is the bestContinue reading “The Hacked Tattoo”