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Onbeperkte toegang tot een oneindige bibliotheek vol verhalen - allemaal in 1 app. 

Luisteren én lezen

J. R. Kruze

S. H. Marpel

When the hamburgers all disappeared, along with the buns I was warming, I thought I was seeing things.

But when my spatula went through the cast-iron grill top—I had to let it go out of reflex. No way was I going after it—I'd been burned too many times.

It wasn't like I had a choice after that. Because the grill itself dropped out through the bottom of the rolling coach we were cooking out of that summer.

I looked up at Ham, my order-taker, partner, and lover - only to see her fall through the floor as well. A look of shock and trying to say something, but frozen in time.

Then the coach disappeared, and I fell with it—but only as far as the pavement it used to be parked on. I could see the asphalt beneath my feet at least.

Until it turned to some sort of foamy waves lapping on a beach I'd never seen before. Green hard-packed sand. Green water. And a long white line that went down this beach like it was some sort of dual-lane highway.

In the distance, this shimmery circle thing. Down that "highway".

Oh, what the hell. Nothing else out here but sand and water. Might as wellcheck it out…

Excerpt:

No matter who I thought of through that pendant, no one was answering. Not Hami, not Jean, not any of the Lazurai, and no one at the Library. I couldn't get anyone to contact me, let alone come to help me with this scene.

I was almost up to that shimmery circle now. It looked like something out of a Sci-Fi movie. Or maybe out of one of those Virtual Reality games where you ported to some other section of the game.

It just stood there, tempting me. Taunting me.

The bottom third of its gray metal edge was sunk into the green sand. Somehow, the water covered its edges on each side, so just maybe it could be "dialed" in from somewhere else. But for now, it was stuck in its shimmery mode, just beckoning me to take a trip through it.

Not so fast.

Looking around, I found a smallish green pebble and chucked it through with a sidearm pitch. And not too soon after had to duck as it came zinging back through.

So I just stood there and waited. If that was automatic, then there was no sense stepping into it. If someone through it back, then I'd get something else coming through any time now.

Which prompted me to step to the side. My flat-bottomed white boat-shoe tennies were already soaked, so standing in ankle deep water was nothing. At least the water was cool - but not cold. This was some sort of sub-tropic scene. Like maybe San Diego or something.

Still, it was darkening now. And no place to lay down to sleep tonight unless I wanted to wake up looking like a prune tomorrow from the water that lay over almost everything here.

Didn't have to wait long. Some note inside a plastic bag, attached to a weight of some sort arrived. Landing just barely beyond the edge of the circle's shimmer.

I slowly stepped toward it. Not wanting someone or something to grab me from beyond the short distance from the bag to that mystery beyond. Bent down, crouched, and managed to grab it before scooting a dozen feet away. Just out of reach, I hoped.

Then opened up the plastic bag. It had been wired on to some sort of small wooden chunk, kinda rounded off like it had been weathered. A piece of walnut or something.

As I pulled out the note and began unfolding it, I was only hoping I could read whatever language it was written in.

And my eyes opened wide when I found I could…

Midwest Journal Press SL

Short Fiction Clean Romance Cozy Mystery Fantasy

A World Gone Reverse

C. C. Brower

Finding out you're immortal as a teenager can set your world on fire.

But finding out at the same time that just getting angry could kill everyone around you can dampen that pretty quickly.

Who wants to live forever if you can't get close enough to someone that they can piss you off and live to see the next sunrise with you?

Meaning - it was time to take a road trip to sort things out.

When my uncle offered a summer gig cooking out of his food truck for a big-city contract, I jumped at it.

But when he stopped to pick up another helper down the road, I was bummed. She was a looker, a great cook, but I didn't know if I could trust myself with her - in every way…

Excerpt:

They were waiting for us before dawn.

Hungry people. Lots of them. Jean nudged my feet and I sat up, rubbing my eyes.

"No rest for the wicked."

I rolled up our sleeping gear and stowed it while Jean went inside to make sure Hami was up - she was. And he came back out with a wad of her sleeping bag and pad for me to roll up and stow. Jean then went around back to start the generator. I heard Hami firing up the grill and soon got all the smells of it. Meanwhile, I unfolded the chairs again and set out the small condiments table. Hami opened up the screen window and passed out the napkins, salt/pepper packages, and plastic-ware.

Everyone was pretty orderly and started forming into lines. I heard some coughing, some sneezing, but nothing really serious. Of course, in the dark, it was hard to tell much beyond the yellow glow under our awning. I did see some white nurses and doctor's outfits in the line out there.

The guys in front of the line just smiled at me when I gave them any attention. And I smiled back. Our work was cut out for us, but they were honestly happy to see us.

Jean was inside, doing a final check to see everything was in place. I pulled up a trash can and put a liner in it, one of many I could see filling today.

Then I headed inside the van to get started.

- - - -

The day rolled through with just enough breaks that we got our own meals in between. Jean showed up regularly, often riding up with someone's delivery truck with more supplies.

Both of us got frazzled from working in the humid heat. And I had to take my "quick-counts" for "centering" myself often – just keep going on an even keel. Hami seemed to deal better with it than me. But she got to smile at the customers and seeing them smile back. Of course, I was focused right on the hot grill, while my bandanna kept my brow sweat wicked to the side and out of my eyes.

All I could see most of the time was the next order and the last one going out.

And Hami's cute backside every now and then.

But mostly my mind had to stay on what I was cooking and my supply of hamburger and cheese. For our menu was simple. It had burgers and cheese in different combinations. And we never had any complaints.

By the lines, we didn't have much competition, either. Jean had understated how much we were needed…

Midwest Journal Press

Ham & Chaz