A slice-of-life short story about the challenging realities of trying to change other people through one's own actions, and no matter how charitable, it's no always enough...
Category: Stories
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The Flying Flapper (or The East River’s Forgotten Far-Fetched Flight)
A little-remembered, early twentieth-century female pilot strives for the privilege of being the first woman to fly across the Atlantic Ocean but was ultimately edged out by a much more famous name that’s made its way into practically every classroom history book, despite her competition’s better aerial maneuvering skills and experience…
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Rays (Slice of Life)
This slice-of-life short story depicts a family vacation and a little boy’s experience with bright rays of sunshine, baseball, and stinging fish…
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Vindication on Broad Street
A late-nineteenth-century physician, formally trained as an obstetrician who dabbled in many other areas of science, puts his experience and keen sense of detection to work, solving one of the biggest mystery killer’s origins of his time, eventually convincing his skeptical colleagues of the deadly disease’s true source…
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The Dark Side of Artificial Light (or 10,000 Failures and the Desperate Invention of Vaporware)
A high-profile and very popular figure, dubbed by the press as a contemporary wizard, conducts gruesome experiments to discredit his chief rival - a troubled genius who ultimately wins a heated public battle for a nation’s and civilization’s rise to modernity…
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The Two Greatest Words Ever Uttered by a Human (Slice of Life)
A senior dog experiences many things while waiting in a local animal shelter for a new owner and a new home...
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The First American’s Final Battle
After eight bloody years of unconventional warfare, a controversial and transformative figure must fight one of the most important battles of his military career and this confrontation will pit him, not against his sworn enemy, but against his very own ranks…
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Two Tunics (Slice of Life)
“Two Tunics” is a slice-of-life that tells the story of a single mom who is forced to make an emotional sacrifice in order to provide for her little boy…
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Weare White Pines Grow Free!
In 1772, American colonists struggle to build a new life, fighting desperately against nature and tyranny, as King George III continues to issue destructive orders from thousands of miles away, one man leads a small opposition group in a historical confrontation that helps pave the way toward an independent nation…
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At Bat (Slice of Life)
A nervous neophyte experiences the expectation to deliver a stellar performance, and must find the courage within himself…
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The Death of Legend Ludd at Huddersfield
Roger Johns is deeply committed to his cause, waging a war pitting laborers against manufacturers and merchants but the grass-roots movement will not adequately stop the revolution of industry and innovation will prove too great a force to overcome as the world moves forthright into modernity, leaving its antiquated past behind…
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A Wayward Physician’s Guide to Ending Consumption
A late 19th-century physician seeks a cure for tuberculosis at a time when the disease is killing nearly 14 percent of the population in the United States and Europe. He must rely on the rudimentary tools and knowledge of his time to fight back against a growing pandemic that continues to indiscriminately infect and claim victim after victim…
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101 Miles to Padborg
American soldier Buford “Doc” Fry is stranded deep in Nazi Germany in early May of 1945. As the only remaining survivor of his platoon, he must sneak to safety from Hamburg to just beyond the border of Denmark where he can find the Danish Resistance, slightly over 101 miles away. During his escape, he happens upon a very unlikely ally, a young German, Rolf Shultz. As a team, they encounter many obstacles and dangers along their journey to Padborg…
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Grave Escape
For Naill Donnely, this would prove the toughest case he ever had to crack – very few clues, and worse yet, no viable suspect whatsoever. Unfortunately, the crime itself was all too familiar. The latest victim, a young girl, her life choked out of her by some psychopath. But, it was the circumstances that left him perplexed – practically nothing about it made sense. What’s more, he had an eerie feeling this case would end with him losing the only semblance of humanity he had left…
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The Simple Pleasure of Pecan Pie
A young immigrant woman flees her over-domineering family and a pre-arranged marriage in hopes of living a life of independence. But the cultural divide shock and making it on her own proves more than challenging — until she unexpectedly meets a man who could be the right one…
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The Wristband
A pre-teen boy experiences many uneasy and awkward moments as new feelings for a special girl begin to arise, but they’re at odds with his embarrassing predisposition to avoid revealing his secret…
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New Perspective (Slice of Life)
A new, young professional experiences a chaotic morning that threatens to completely upend her career with a potential new employer…
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The Light on the Other Side of the Graveyard
In a remote, small town, residents are fearful and suspicious of an eerie light that dimly shines from the edge of the cemetery every night. Legend has it the light comes from a ghost of a former resident, long ago killed in a tragic accident, who patrols the gravesites. When a young man passes through, he befriends the village’s only orphan, a boy who lives on the margins of the community’s society. With the help of his new friend, the young man unravels the mystery behind the light…
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The Great Birdbath Debate
A grandfather recounts his freshman high school debate club experience that pitted him against the smartest girl in the class. He tells his granddaughter about the face-off and how it changed his entire life. She learns a valuable lesson, which neatly applies to a set of circumstances she’s currently going through, and resolves a very pressing personal issue…
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The Biggest Difference between ‘Want’ and ‘Need’ is Often Contentment
An elementary school boy learns a valuable lesson about the difference between asking for something he wants and getting what he needs…
