Texas State Fair [original painting on display in the office of Scott Zashin, M.D. in Dallas, Texas - circa 1970s]
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Featured Stories and Narratives
Video Narratives
The Haunting of a Cracked Window [paranormal]
Happy Halloween!
Day-Six of Creepy Pod Podcast's 31 Days of Horror
(The Haunting of a Cracked Window begins at 18:40)
Day-Six of Creepy Pod Podcast's 31 Days of Horror
(The Haunting of a Cracked Window begins at 18:40)
Christmas in Four Parts [horror]
The Poets Lounge
Production, Narration and Music by: Alan Johnson
Written by: Lisa H. Owens
First publication: "Journeys: the Writers' Journey Blog Anthology"
Read this story along with two others by author Lisa H. Owens in "Journeys"
Till Death Do Us Part
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Her Chair
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A Lover's Kiss
The Poets Lounge
Production, Narration and Music by: Alan Johnson
Written by: Lisa H. Owens
Read Story
The Eyes Have It
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The Gatekeeper
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Twelve Months of 100-Word Photo Prompts
See All 100-Word Prompts here.
A Symbol of Good Fortune [August, 2023 - 100-Words]
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Uncle Ken’s been different since his notorious Lockdown-Meltdown of 2020. He’s a real peach these days. Thoughtful and content. No more rants on misuse of tax dollars or declining work ethics.
This Uncle Ken senses what is not apparent. He freely gives bear-hugs and is in high demand on family outings and holidays. He winks when I snap photos of him, his arm draped over the neck of his everpresent guardian, Haru the Dragon. The grown-ups scoff and roll their eyes, but I know he’s real. Haru tells me he will rain fire on the villains. I whisper their names. By Lisa H. Owens Just 100 Words 100 Word Stories - August 2023 Photo Prompt |
[photo courtesy of www.100wordstory.org]
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Howard's Photo [July, 2023 - 100-Words]
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"Can't think of anything to write?" Howard looked over the author's shoulder, his beak brushing her earlobe—the one with the fake diamond stud.
He’d eaten the real diamond on his last visit. He was tricky that way. Drawn to sparkly things. Lesson learned, the author wore knockoffs when Howard was home. "What's the July prompt?" He snuggled up, delicately pulling at the earring backing. “Well, oddly enough, it’s a photo of you,” she deflected his beak with a light karate chop, “Walter’s Saint Paddy’s Party, I think. You’re wearing green.” “Aaah.... Walter’s party. That night was quackers. There's your story!” By Lisa H. Owens Just 100 Words 100 Word Stories - July 2023 Photo Prompt |
[photo courtesy of www.100wordstory.org]
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The Fourth of July's Actual Grand Finale [June, 2023 - 100-Words]
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The wind awoke as Dad gingerly carried the punk, its firey tip enhancing his coppery hair.
“Light’er up,” we cried. Dad squatted to light the fuse while the breeze caressed and teased his graying sideburns and the low side-part above his ear. “Come on wind,” we urged. The wind billowed—speeding the flame along—to ignite the lift-charge of the Grand-Finale-Rocket. Against a starburst backdrop, a glorious gust disengaged the flap of Dad's hair, sealed into submission by a wad of pomade, and we broke out in song, “It’s a Grand Old Flag…” finally celebrating the release of the combover. By Lisa H. Owens Just 100 Words 100-Word Stories - June 2023 Photo Prompt |
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Clara's Infamous Key Lime Pie [May, 2023 100-Words]
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Clara wasn’t sure how to sign a letter to a dead man. Not because she was at a loss for words; for she had written salutations in the past. It was the mechanics of it. The pencil-lead tip snapped off.
My Dearest Bubba, I hope you enjoyed your last slice of my special key lime pie. I know Roberto, Nico and Bjorn certainly did. They all said it was a pie to die for, may they rest in peace. Here’s wishing you a happy afterlife! Yours Truly, Clara Santiago-Papadopoulos-Jorgensen-Delmont (Please forgive my switch to blue ink at your end.) By Lisa H. Owens Just 100 Words 100 Word Stories - May 2023 Photo Prompt |
[photo courtesy of www.100wordstory.org]
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The Vengeful Murder of Mittens [April, 2023 100-Words]
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Mittens destroyed the kingdom. ‘Twas merely an accident, for though he looked ferocious, he wasn't a vengeful dragon—simply plagued by allergies.
Upon hatching, an approaching thunderstorm induced a sneezing fit, setting every candle wick aflame, and Sally realized she had a problem. Not in keeping a dragon (though it was frowned upon by the council), but in slathering a poultice of aromatic herbs and lard upon Mittens’ ruby throat at the first rumblings of thunder. In a drunken stupor, she was, the night of The Great Storm followed by The Great Burn and fed-up villagers arrived wielding enchanted pitchforks. Lisa H. Owens Just 100 Words 100-Word Stories - April 2023 Photo Prompt |
[photo courtesy of 100wordstory.org]
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County Drive-Thru Testing Site [March, 2023 100-Words]
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The line of cars started alongside the makeshift tents. It snaked through abandoned fair ground concessions—dotted with wayward cups and haphazard propane tanks—and ended miles later beyond the stockyards.
Ben fidgeted in the driver's seat. “This is fuckin’ madness,” he grumbled, “and you hacking up a lung.” I lifted my mask to pop another flavorless lozenge, choking back a cough as dry as the Sahara, and cracked my window. “Roll it up. Smells like shit out there,” Ben shifted his eyes to the adjacent cattle barn. Another cough. Another tear soaking my mask. I hadn’t smelled a thing in days. Lisa H. Owens Just 100 Words 100-Word Stories - March 2023 Photo Prompt |
[photo courtesy of 100wordstory.org]
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The Things She Wanted to Say [February, 2023 100-Words]
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“A penny for your thoughts?” His voice was insistent. The edgy tone he used when he was on the brink.
She thought about the things she wanted to say. How he was too controlling and turned every conversation into a monologue. What was wrong with the world. Wrong with her. How for years she’d dreamt of ways to end his reign of terror. How last month she started adding a special ingredient to his morning coffee—him contemplating why it was this particular brand tasted of almonds. Instead, she said, “I don’t deserve you, darling,” focusing on her cracked teacup. By Lisa H. Owens Just 100 Words 100 Word Stories - February 2023 Photo Prompt |
[photo courtesy of 100wordstory.org]
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A Cozy Blanket of Snow [January, 2023 - 100-Words]
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She prayed each night before laying her head upon her makeshift pillow, thanking the good Lord above for her blessings.
It was the little things: A new start—free from the terror of physical abuse. Food in her belly, a bottle of water in the center console. A crisp new library card and a stack of books by her side. A rare parking space in a No-Tow-Zone and adjacent to a streetlight, to boot, where she could read until her eyelids grew heavy. The soft blanket of snow insulating her temporary home. Kindness of strangers. A new job on Monday. By Lisa H. Owens Just 100 Words 100 Word Stories - January 2023 Photo Prompt |
[photo courtesy of www.100wordstory.org]
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Leftover Dirt [November, 2022 - 100-Words]
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True to his word, Uncle Joe took the key to his grave. One stormy night of the cousins working together, grunting, taking turns sharing shovels and the casket revealed itself. The hole was dank and cavernous.
We drew straws. Which unlucky bastard would do the deed? Open the lid and run hands over old Joe’s decaying corpse, digging through gore encrusted pockets. I was the loser; but also, the winner. I launched out of that hole, smelling of death—key in my pocket—guns ablazing. The conundrum? What to do with the soil displaced by four dead cousins haphazardly astride Uncle Joe? By Lisa H. Owens Just 100 Words 100 Word Stories - November 2022 Photo Prompt |
[photo courtesy of www.100wordstory.org]
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The Evidence [October, 2022 - 100-Words]
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Bob's apartment looked like an explosion. The couch cushions were shredded, the twin mattress stripped and flipped. Every drawer dumped to form one haphazard pile in the center of dank wall-to-wall carpet.
This had Gianelli Thugs written all over it. Bob’s apartment, smaller than his recently vacated prison cell, tossed. He opened the freezer and pulled out a Tony’s Pizza box and felt inside—beneath the shrink-wrapped pepperoni pie. They were still there, sealed in the baggie. He didn’t give two shits about anything else in this wretched hellhole. The hidden negatives were his way out. His ticket to Easy Street. By Lisa H. Owens Just 100 Words 100 Word Stories - October 2022 Photo Prompt |
[photo courtesy of www.100wordstory.org]
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The Cost of Winning [September, 2022 - 100-Words]
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Daddy forgot to lock the door to his office / gaming room … again. The first time it happened, Timmy was only three and ingested a half-dozen Jelly Donuts and a crushed cigarette butt. Mommy called poison control but other than a tummy ache and bout of diarrhea, he went unscathed.
The second (and final) incident, Tim was thirteen. He, along with two neighborhood kids—in order to enhance their Call of Duty: Warzone skills—did a three-way split on Dad’s secret stash of Adderall. Five little orange pills apiece, and they played the best, last game of their lives. By Lisa H. Owens Just 100 Words 100 Word Stories - September 2022 Photo Prompt |
[photo courtesy of www.100wordstory.org]
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Photography By lisa
[A Whole Lotta Texas]
"Big Tex" [State Fair-1988]
"Halloween and Music" [2020]
"Sammy Cement - AKA Chuck"
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"Stairs in Soldier Spring Park"
"Mushroom? on Something?"
"Creature" my painted rock
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"God Bless America"
"Shark Attack at the Stock Show"
"Young Female Cardinal"
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"Cowgirl on a Palomino"
"Oil Pumpjack at Possum Kingdom"
"Concrete-Mixer or Chicken?"
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Rescue, Fred [Chihuahua/Schnauzer mix - 8 years old-2022]
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Rescue, Lucky [English Pointer - RIP], Autumn & Al
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Rescue, Buddy [Terrier mix - 14 years old-2022]
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Neo [Boxer Mix - RIP] & Rescue, Dingo [Shepherd mix - RIP]
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Rescue, Cleo [Basset Hound - RIP]
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Rescue, Henry [Labrador mix - RIP]
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It's not that we are bad pet owners; it's just that we've had many dogs over the years that led post-rescue lives, long lives, filled with kindness. RIP to those we lost. Till we meet again. Someday.
"Side View of 'Heart Tree' with Bluebonnets"