neighbors - Stories

Kurtis West’s parents discover he's gay. Who he thinks is his father, really isn't. He's kicked out by his supposed father and after a search aided by the few clues given him by his mother, finds out his real father is in the army. Is a newly promoted Major going to welcome Kurtis?

When Ned agrees to give his neighbour cooking lessons, he finds himself being drawn into the life of ex-con, Garry, and his daughter, Lizzie. Garry is trying to turn his life around, but as Ned finds out, moral support and cooking lessons will only go so far.

Horrified, I jumped off and rode home standing on the pedals, moving like the wind. Mother took one look at me and had me lie on the couch with my shorts and underwear around my ankles. She tried to pull the splinter out, and I screamed bloody murder. Then she wrapped some ice cubes in a facecloth, hoping to numb the area before trying again. Have you ever had an ice cube escape its confinement and pause as if deciding how far it should travel? I now know that water seeks its own level, and ice-cold water is no exception. It found the perfect valley to irrigate.

The poem reflects on how people often feel like the nation is more divided than ever, even though history shows we’ve faced deep disagreements before and found ways through them without falling into conflict. It reminds readers that loud voices aren’t always wise ones, and that passionate words can unintentionally influence vulnerable people. The poem encourages calmer speech, perspective, and a return to the simple hope expressed in the old saying: give peace a chance.

Prompt #265

Write a story that begins with a phone call at three in the morning.

Trevor insisted the house phone be on his side of the bed. There was one problem with that; Trevor was nearly impossible to wake up. One night, the phone rings at three AM. Julius has a hard time waking Trevor, but finally succeeds. Trevor finally answers the phone on the ninth ring. The phone call starts something they never could have expected.

After losing his twin brother in a violent tragedy, a former U.S. Marine returns to his roots in Bangkok, hoping distance might quiet the past that refuses to let go. Haunted by memory, guilt, and a love he was never allowed to name, Kent struggles to rebuild a life that no longer fits the person he used to be.

Across the hall lives Marvin—steady, observant, and patient in ways Kent doesn’t yet trust. What begins as proximity slowly becomes choice, forcing Kent to confront a different kind of fear: not losing the past, but moving forward without it.