Fiction
Short Reads
Dear Vocal readers, What follows is a short compendium of my works that are four minutes or less for your reading pleasure. For all those times that you want to read something, but are short on time. Please be sure to check back, as the list grows. And thank you for following me on this journey.
By Atomic Historian2 years ago in Chapters
The Waltz
Glittering crystal chandeliers hung above the undulating ballroom as a full orchestra played Strauss’s Blue Danube Waltz. Despite her wallflower status, thirty-something Rydun Foss grinned, blood pulsing with energy. She sipped a glass of pinot noir, swaying as she watched her parents dance together with their full attention. They were the Fred Astair and Ginger Rogers of the gathered dance club, only their love was not an act.
By Barbara Steinhauser 2 years ago in Chapters
UNWAVERING TRUST
My journey starts in the humble settings of Edenvale. A small dusty town with closely woven houses and no back yards. Kids running on the street to create their own versions of childhood, and brothers discovering newfound urgency in highly risky experiments. Not the kind that motivate for empowerment and development but the kind that differentiate between making it out of Edenvale and being trapped in the Ferris wheel.
By WaterFlows2 years ago in Chapters
A Techno Carol (with Apologies to Charles Dickens)
Part IV: Jimmy was trying to sleep again…and he was having some success. The dream was all about him and his favourite game. In some plain room he had never seen, he was playing a game on the Benevolt 2.0 system…and he was on fire.
By Kendall Defoe 2 years ago in Chapters
The Sara Chronicles: A Journey of Triumph
Chapter One: Roots in Humility In the quiet, unassuming town of Meadowville, where the sun cast long shadows on the narrow streets and dreams seemed as far away as the distant hills, Sara's story began. Born into a humble family, she knew the cadence of hard work and the rhythm of perseverance from the very beginning. The modest farmhouse, nestled amidst rolling fields, bore witness to the echoes of laughter, but it also bore the weight of unspoken aspirations.
By Abdulrahman Mahmoud2 years ago in Chapters
Fun of the fair
I was a schoolboy at St Paul’s when the incident I’m about to relate occurred. I was one of a small number of boarders – my parents were ‘swingers’ (as we’d now call them). Not that I knew that at the time, of course. They just said they had ‘business to attend to,’ so I was packed off to St Pauls for months at a time. Anyway, it was a quiet Saturday in May, and I’d gone down to the kitchens to fetch some milk for a pot of tea I’d just made. There was Sally, the kitchen maid, with her arms up to her plump elbows in a sink full of washing up. “Hello, Sally, what’s that smell?” I asked. There was an unpleasant odour, not unlike the dreaded boiled cabbage, cooked to death, served up four times a week.Anyway, it was a quiet Saturday in May, and I’d gone down to the kitchens to fetch some milk for a pot of tea I’d just made. There was Sally, the kitchen maid, with her arms up to her plump elbows in a sink full of washing up. “Hello, Sally, what’s that smell?” I asked. There was an unpleasant odour, not unlike the dreaded boiled cabbage, cooked to death, served up four times a week.
By Louis bulley2 years ago in Chapters
