Fiction : A Short Story

Billy sat at the table for a little longer, and then he began to feel a little funny, the world around him as spinning, and he no longer had the desire to leave. After what Billy thought to be many hours of him sitting at the table- he wasn’t quite sure as there were no clocks in the home- the landlady was still chopping chopping the beets until the countertop was as red as

The dusty woven curtains at the end of the hall flapped halfheartedly in the breeze. The window was open, letting in any random bug that happened to pass by, since it had no screen. Margery’s doing, probably. She was Queen of the Hot Flashes. Stopping in front of her apartment, I was annoyed to see ketchup smeared under the brass numeral two.

“When you got to the table you couldn 't go right to eating, but you had to wait for the widow to tuck down her head and grumble a little over the victuals, though there warn 't really anything the matter with them, -- that is, nothing only everything was cooked by itself. In a barrel of odds and ends it is different; things get mixed up, and the juice kind of swaps around, and the things go better.” (Twain, 1)

Sarah slugged through the early morning work and realized-too soon- that she needed to make a trip to the house. She made her way, clasping her arms around her for warmth in the cold November morning. Painted Girl’s borrowed sweater did not help dissipate the cold air, and neither did the lingering whiskey in her system. A light shone in the window illuminating Grandfather and Dingle, who sat at the table together eating pie. She watched as Dingle grabbed a juicy strawberry from Grandfather’s pie and nibbled at it greedily. Grandfather must have finished his hunt early, Sarah realized. She had hoped to avoid Grandfather today but nature called. There was no choice, either the woods or the house. Sarah did an about turn and went for the

“In the kitchen, he stirred the coals in the old Home Comfort wood range. The coffee in the black percolator on the side of the range was still hot. He had made it by lamplight before going out. He poured a mug of the strong brew and sipped it as he took a heavy cast iron skillet from a hook on the wall and placed it on the range top. He set the coffee down and dropped a tablespoon full of soft butter into the warming skillet and broke two eggs into it, lightly salted them and sipped his coffee until they began to whiten around the edge.”

The smell of fresh herbs filled the air around her as the sun shone down on her back, a sense of tranquility fell upon her in the lush, backyard garden. A soft tune could be heard from inside the house where the radio played. Tante Lou hummed along to the music while she snipped off sprigs of parsley to use in the meal she is preparing for her nephew, Grant, and his guest. Today was a special day. It’s the first time Tante Lou is meeting her nephew’s girlfriend, Vivian, and she wants to make a wonderful dinner for them all to enjoy while getting to know each other.

Hannah plunged a large spoon into a saucepan and added a spice. I could smell the rich tang of apples with a tinge of nutmeg. As she stirred, Mr. Shaw came into the

Make yourselves at home. I'll cook something for us all," he said as he stepped inside. The apartment was nice. Lots of brick and open masonry, with roughly hewn timber rafters and open piping in the roof. His furniture seemed brand new, even though it was nearly four years old. The only area of the house that seemed to be dusted properly was the kitchen, or some might see it more of a distillery. Four large glass containers held varying liquids in shades from light yellow to pink to an odd sort of green. At the top were all things varying from pine needles to berry mixes. Each had a spout and a mug next to

Veronica walked into the kitchen, fresh, clean, and free from the dream of earlier. She wore only a casual outfit of jeans and camisole top. No need to dress up if she had the evening off. She brewed a pot of extremely strong coffee and ate a slice of dry toast as she waited. She never was a huge breakfast eater. She saw an open box of cereal with loose cereal pieces on the counter. She rolled her eyes as she cleaned up the mess and put the box away. The open box was one of her biggest pet peeves.

He pushed himself off of the couch, the cushions slowly expanding to how they were before he had laid down the previous night. He made his way over to the kitchen where Ludwig was more than busy preparing breakfast. There was toast was peeking out of the toaster, waiting to be plated while he was busy making sure the eggs wouldn't burn. Gilbert walked over and grabbed two plates from out of a cupboard, trying to prevent them from clashing together as much as he could. He then placed two slices of toast on each of their plates, assuming that was how Ludwig wanted it, and placed them near

John finishes unpacking his belongings and when he is done, he takes a seat right next to Josie. “Are you excited for the market tomorrow? Josie asks. “I’m ready for the food.” John says with a smirk. After that they both share countless amount of laughter, as the sun goes down, and the temperature in the house begins to diminish. They decide it would be nice to have a fire to get the home nice and toasty. John gets up and fetches some fire wood that is piled up perfectly against the home. He comes back into the house and sparks the fire. As he is doing so he feels a tap on his shoulder. “Here I made us some coffee.” Josie says with a smile. As they begin to relax they put throw their feet up they really begin to know each other. John can’t seem to get enough of Josie. Every little thing she says he seems he will remember forever. John cannot seem to stop throwing questions left and right at Josie as he wants to know every little detail about her.

Jeanne woke to the smell of beans scorching. Carefully, she worked her way from bed and hobbled into the other room. Using a wooden spoon, she stirred the beans, making sure not to scrape the bottom. The room was chilly, and she added another log to the fire. Not taking the time to find a bowl, she ate from the pot, looking around guiltily. If Henri were here, he would have teased her for standing in her bare feet and dirty gown, eating from the kettle. But she was alone.

“It’s as if the whole damned world has turned to muck,” the brown haired woman said, as her remaining black leather boot lodged in the near-liquid underfoot. “‘Wet earth’

Eva answers the door and invites me in. I follow her to the kitchen where we sit at the kitchen table. She insists on pouring me a cup of her favorite tea. The steam from the kettle is screaming, “I’m ready!” Eva is able to navigate her cozy kitchen by supporting her balance chair to counter to stove, stove to chair to tea cup. The tremor that was apparent as she scooped the loose tea into the pot, gives way to the steadiness needed to poor the boiling water. She returns the kettle to the stove and tells me we are three minutes away from the perfect cup of Earl Gray.

“When the cook {told} [her everything] {was} ready [she] {went} into [the women's] room and began {to pull} the [big bell] (#21, loose/cumulative complex sentence). In a few minutes [the women] began {to come} in by twos and threes, {wiping} [their steaming hands] in [their petticoats] and {pulling down} [the sleeves of their blouses] over {their}[red steaming arms] (#34, _____). [They] {settled down} before [their huge mugs] which [the cook and the dummy] {filled up} with hot tea, already {mixed} with milk and sugar in [huge tin cans] (#28, _____). [Maria] {superintended} the distribution of [the barmbrack] and saw that [every woman] {got} her [four slices] (#16, loose/cululative complex sentence). There {was} a great deal of laughing and joking during the meal (#12, ___). [Lizzie Fleming] {said} [Maria] was sure {to get} [the ring] and, though [Fleming] had {said} that for so many Hallow Eves, [Maria] {had to laugh and say} she didn't want any [ring or man] either; and when [she] {laughed} her [grey-green eyes] {sparkled} with disappointed shyness and the tip of her nose nearly met the tip of her chin (#71, _____).