 [photo courtesy of 100wordstory.org] 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? Lisa H. Owens November 2022 100-word story photo prompt
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 (Paranormal) The pre-flight briefing predicted smooth sailing to Bermuda, but a mysterious disturbance had the jet bucking and beverage cart careening. Flight attendants struggled to wrestle the cart through the aisle without maiming terrified passengers—to reach the aft-galley and stow the beast. Co-pilot Wilson slammed back the cockpit door. Roared, “Don your life-vests. NOW!" The cart secured; flight attendants buckled in. Shouted, "Heads down! Grab ankles! Stay low!" Then they braced and prayed the gatekeeper of the Bermuda Triangle might spare them—their prayers unanswered as the sea swallowed the aircraft in one mighty gulp and licked its salty lips. Lisa H. Owens November 2022 - Globe Soup Microfiction Monthly Contest Theme: Paranormal  (A Finalist) Bob reminisced while sipping two-fingers of watered-down house whiskey. Hell, who was he to complain? It was free, meant to loosen purse strings. The problem was the purse had been empty for years. In-side-out and shaken empty. Bob swallowed, pulling a face, the taste barely tolerable. Barely. He stared at his nemesis, its screen a mess of mismatched numbers and fruit. Dirty bastard. He tipped his head back. Felt the whiskey burn—down to his ulcer. This was his night. He felt it in his bones. He shook hands with the devil, yet again. Cherries and Sevens set in motion. Lisa H. Owens A Finalist - Top 13 October 2022 - Globe Soup Micro-fiction Challenge Theme: Luck  [photo courtesy of www.100wordstory.org] 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] 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 bottle 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 100wordstory.org] Camilla left work by 11:30 a.m. on Taco-Tuesdays. She replaced her meticulously ironed Skydeck Tours button-down with a Chuy’s Tacos tee before clocking out to take the glass elevator 103 floors to the ground level of Willis Tower. She stuffed her laminated green card and a few dollars in her fanny-pack, leaving everything else in her employee locker before jogging two blocks to the family food truck. She could see the line already snaking around the block and smiled. Taco-Tuesdays were the family’s bread and butter, and Camilla was the star. Papa would be happy to see her, La Cocinera. By Lisa H. Owens Just 100 Words 100 Word Stories - August 2022 Photo Prompt  [photo courtesy of www.100wordstory.org] The girl was glad she had a window seat. The lunatic had been storming up and down the aisle with a makeshift bomb strapped to his chest long enough that he was surely tuckering out. The flight attendants were huddled in the rear galley speaking in hushed whispers while the plane banked right, pitching the lunatic sideways, and the jet left the city in its wake. The explosion and crash that would follow would be less devastating in the burbs. She looked down, her eyes focusing on the bouncy house and kids' party at the end of a winding driveway. By Lisa H. Owens Just 100 Words 100 Word Stories - July 2022 Photo Prompt  [photo courtesy of www.100wordstory.net] Sue didn’t know anything about tarot cards or reading tea leaves or crystal balls. She just knew the lady who did her nails was gone and her replacement told Sue she had a dark aura. She added a tiny protection sigil to her pinky saying to visit Old Nan on Blyth Street…immediately.
Upon entering, a bleary-eyed crone beckoned her to the only vacant chair at the lopsided table. Sue sat, joining the ancient one and five youthful women. "Let us now begin,” Old Nan whispered. “Hail Satan…” they chanted and Sue noticed they all shared a black pinky pentagram. Lisa H. Owens Just 100 Words 100-Word Stories - June, 2022  [photo courtesy of www.100wordstory.org] Great-Gran told the story at virtual family gatherings, always when the Young Ones wanted to hear about the ancient ways. Great-Gran removed the worn family album, an heirloom created centuries earlier when people used Polaroids, from the vault, as real books were priceless. It automatically fell open to a smiling couple—holding hands—using what was called public transportation. “Once upon a time,” she began “before teleportation,” she clarified, “Great-great-great-Gran met Great-great-great-Gramps riding on a train to an office—before holographic workspaces,” further clarification, “when human contact was still allowed, and people still smiled. ‘Twas an instant molecular binding…” Lisa H. Owens Just 100 Words 100-Word Stories - May 2022 Published on The Drabble - August 30, 2022  [photo courtesy of 100wordstory.org] I could almost feel the rain on my skin. Big bloopy raindrops soaking my dusty hair and quenching a constant deep dark thirst. I stopped the car, turning off the windshield wipers to press parched lips to the droplets as they collected on the glass. It was a tease akin to a desert oasis. Water, so close yet so far away. Slender pines swayed, bare branches mocking their excesses as they cast off the rain in wide sheets. My need was so intense. I threw open the door and stepped out, head thrown back—mouth open wide—greedily slurping the clouds’ offerings. Lisa H. Owens Just 100 Words 100-Word Stories - April 2022  [photo courtesy of 100wordstory.org] The couple considered themselves modern-day nomads. Adventurously, they cracked open a yellowing atlas to blindly dot fingers on random cities, where they'd park outside city limits, then shrug on laden backpacks to fearlessly explore the outskirts. Or, they might point Old Rusty's headlights toward the North Star, clunking along until his gas tank neared empty before stopping to hike whichever way the wind blew. Under a reddening sky, they'd once pitched tents—precariously perched on the edge of a crater—and slurped bitter coffee out of black speckled mugs on Mars. They scanned the night sky, wistfully seeking planet Earth. Lisa H. Owens Just 100 Words 100-Word Stories - March 2022  [photo courtesy of 100wordstory.org] It was rumored, Bob Smith, the newest resident of Pleasant Street, was a mobster-turned-state’s-witness. Attempting to blend in, he traded his Cadillac for a Prius, wore Sansabelt slacks, pastel Polo Shirts and Sperry boat shoes. Upon meeting the neighbors, Bob talked about pleasant things like golf and the weather. Shortly after move-in day, Vinny’s Fences and Watches showed up with a team of goons who erected an impenetrable wall, neatly enclosing the three-bedroom suburban home on its postage-stamp sized lot while Vinny sold new Rolexes that had “fallen off a truck” out of the back of a windowless panel van. By Lisa H. Owens Just 100 Words 100 Word Stories - February, 2022 First Publication: The World of Myth Magazine March/April 2022 Edition  [photo courtesy of 100wordstory.org] The view of the Ferris Wheel was spectacular from the rooftop, especially when watching through his telescope. Sometimes it was quick and sometimes it could take months; but one thing was certain, he’d always find his next love interest. He’d focused on the girl with the yellow braids for a while. She was terrified of heights, it was evident, yet there she was again—white-knuckling the safety bar—screaming as her friend laughingly kicked her feet, causing the car to rock maniacally. He enjoyed her silent screams. Mime-trapped-on-a-hellish-wheel screams. Soon, he would bring her home where she would truly understand fear. Lisa H. Owens Just 100 Words 100-Word Stories - January, 2022  [photo courtesy of 100wordstory.org] It was a fucking travesty. A race to see who would finish first. There was never enough deliciousness to go around. One per person with that oddball roll left hanging in the balance. It was survival of the fittest at its finest—a game she played with them once a month—twice if she was feeling extra vicious. Mother nibbled slowly waiting for the showdown. Father versus daughter, choking like savages. Daughter’s hand shot in like a rocket. She was quick but couldn’t hide the conflict on her face. Father wondered why they didn’t just split the roll into thirds. By Lisa H. Owens Just 100 Words 100 Word Stories - December, 2021  [photo courtesy of 100wordstory.org] It was Come-to-Jesus time. Pastor Bob shouted salvation while The Lamb of God dutifully pounded out a head-banging version of Rock of Ages—strobe lights pulsing. The congregation cried, "Hallelujah! Praise the Lord! Glory! Get thee behind me Satan!" James Satan complied. He crept up behind distracted worshipers, helping himself to fat Gucci wallets and skinny Chanel handbags. Souls would be saved, and the evangelical team would share the wealth. Satan tearfully made his way to the altar where he fell to his knees, giving his dad, Pastor Bob, a covert victory sign. The choir joyfully pealed, "There's Victory in Jesus." Lisa H. Owens Just 100 Words 100 Word Stories - November, 2021  [photo courtesy of 100wordstory.org] There's a saying that goes something like this: Give a man an egg, and he'll eat breakfast. Give a man a hen, and he'll build a chicken-coop, nurture his hen’s hatchlings—fending off predators with his new shotgun. Incubate the baby chicks with heat lamps, ensuring they have high-end feed and spring-water. Repair the coop, keep the run spotless—naming the hens as they mature—the roosters becoming roasted Sunday Suppers. He’ll jump for joy once the hens start laying—rising early to gingerly collect the eggs. By then, he'll be broke, exhausted—sick of eggs—choosing cereal for breakfast. By Lisa H. Owens Just 100 Words 100 Word Stories - October 2021 Photo Prompt Published in the humor section of The Drabble - August 2, 2022  [photo courtesy of 100wordstory.org] The squealing of hogs was enough to make his ears bleed. He’d driven all night...Rig’s Full’O Pigs. He liked the sound of that. What he didn’t like the sound of was 130 decibels, second only to the roar of a jet engine, bouncing around inside his brain. He needed a cup of coffee. He’d take a break at the next rest stop. Get out and stretch his legs and give his ears a rest. Else he might drive this bitch right off the bridge, pigs and all. Leave em Achin’ for Some Bacon. He liked the sound of that. By Lisa H. Owens Just 100 Words 100 Word Stories - September 2021 Photo Prompt Published December 27, 2021 on www.100wordstory.org  [photo courtesy of 100wordstory.org] Aah…the dog days of summer! Playing Marco Polo and screaming “FISH OUTTA WATER!” Hearing, “NEVER,” while a cheating brother tiptoed across the deck to spring off the diving board, landing a graceless belly-flop. The surprise attack half-drowning whoever was “it.” “It” getting mad at the sneaky belly-flopper, accusing, “You were outta water, you big fat liar!” “Am not!” “Am so! MOM!” The childish game ending too soon when the tattler caught Mom being belly-flopped by the pool boy. Dad taking the kids to the Howard-Johnson Motel, where they learned the perfect cannonball while Mom packed and moved out. Aaaaah… By Lisa H. Owens Just 100 Words 100-Word Stories - August 2021 Photo Prompt  [photo courtesy of 100wordstory.org] I caught a glimpse of her flowing white nightgown—sheer—not really covering glossy brown skin. Easily recognizable, as she haunted my every move. “Revenge,” she’d promised with her dying breath. She’d find me anywhere. A flowing white nightgown and brown skin, swollen with the tell-tale bloat of death. A shallow grave and those finger-shaped bruises, a hideous blemish on her delicate throat. I sat on a mossy boulder, visiting her final resting place, hidden deep in a forest of pine trees and twisted vines. She floated in front of me with icy fingers gripping my neck. I never knew her name. By Lisa H. Owens Just 100 Words 100 Word Stories - July 2021 Photo Prompt  [photo courtesy of 100wordstory.org] It’s a girl! It’s a girl! We’d been born seconds apart. We shared everything: clothes, books, boys... Boys never knew the difference. Besides a heart shaped mole, we were identical—the mole a mirror image. Mine on the right shoulder, her’s on the left. In the mirror, I saw a weaker version of my sister. She destroyed boys, chewing them up and spitting them out. I envied her callousness. I changed my fate. One hour in Ray’s Tattoos. A heart on my left shoulder, a dap of concealer on my right. When I left Ray, he was chewed and broken. By Lisa H. Owens Just 100 Words 100 Word Stories - June 2021 Photo Prompt  [photo courtesy of 100wordstory.org] I remember, as a child, using a rusty trowel to dig down to China. It was on the exact opposite side of the world from my weed-laden backyard. I'd shovel my way through dirt and rocks, pausing to say "Hellooooo" in passing to the Chinese kid, who like me, was digging to the opposite side of the world to escape. Digging side by side for a while. Casting an echoey "Goooodbyeeee / 再见 " over shoulders. I thought how fun it'd be to stand upside-down on the earth's bottom, looking up (which was really down) at the sky from that kid's weed-laden backyard. By Lisa H. Owens Just 100 Words 100 Word Stories - May 2021 Photo Prompt Publication in "Journeys Anthology" available on Amazon  [photo courtesy of 100wordstory.org] A slew of disappearances around Pleasantville-Children's Park had local police scratching their heads. Unusual cases, indeed. Cadaver-dogs along with their handlers searched the premises with little to no success, periodically turning up scraps of clothing and various items belonging to the victims. A gold Rolex, a leather purse strap, a paisley sock (just the one sock), and a set of keys. Oddly enough, children were not targeted. The strange little girl with the Mona Lisa smile had a secret. The clumsy children who had a habit of bumping into things, those with blackened eyes and bruises, paid her in Sweetarts. By Lisa H. Owens Just 100 Words 100 Word Stories - April 2021 Photo Prompt  [photo courtesy of 100wordstory.org] The neighbors call us White Trash. They judge us by our cover, something society should never do. Sure, we collect cars (for parts) and store troves of treasures—knee-deep—around our single-wide; but we have something else. Kindness and empathy in spades. Just ask Smooch, the three-legged dog, saved from certain death at the kill shelter. Or Edgar, an injured crow, set free once he healed. He still pays a visit each morning, leaving trinkets on the back stoop. It’s lucky that Lucky-the-Bunny, starving in a hutch as Papa weed-eated The Rich Folks' yards, made it to the wrong-side of the tracks. By Lisa H. Owens Just 100 Words 100 Word Stories - March 2021 Photo Prompt  [photo courtesy of 100wordstory.org] What I remember that day: Riding in his Ford pick-up with the heat blasting. My Girl playing on the radio. An egress into a cattle lease—not really a road, but two tire-tracks of compressed grass—the feeling of anticipation as we neared an ice-cube pond, parking on a slope near the marsh. Him shifting to neutral and stamping down the parking brake, the engine still running. Be My Baby playing with intermittent bursts of static as his fingers tweaked the tuner to hone the station. Us laughing at grackles sharing an ice-bath with ducks. Our hands intertwined and a first kiss. By Lisa H. Owens Just 100 Words 100 Word Stories - February 2021 Photo Prompt  [photo courtesy of 100wordstory.org] I have a reoccurring dream of flying. I glide above a lifeless landscape—sunrise above a destitute city. Morning traffic gridlocked, the cars haphazardly abandoned and silence only pierced by a blaring horn. Coffee cups on a bench. A lone glove on the ground. Two dogs sniffing an oily sack turning on each other with a vengeance in anticipation of a morsel. A campus lawn. A rolling tumbleweed of masks propelled by wind and laptops left open on scattered blankets. I hover over a glass-topped building spying a face—illuminated—as fingers fly over a keyboard searching for an answer. By Lisa H. Owens Just 100 Words 100 Word Stories - January 2021 Photo Prompt |
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