Stories by penman, by newest first

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  • Flash Photography
    Zed Gretson hated waiting for anything. His life always seemed to be about being forced to wait on something. What griped him the most was that the more he wanted something the
    by penman 2000 words, 9 comments, on Mar 25 11:20 PM 2006. In 200-1500 lines, Fantasy
  • Sunshine
    A man in his thirties who is wearing a long, black silk robe with a large gold smiling sun on the chest strolls across the desert.  The blistering hot sand doesn’t seem to both
    by penman 2300 words, 7 comments, on Mar 25 11:16 PM 2006. In <200 paragraphs, Fantasy
  • Baubles
    The gathering of white puffy clouds that resembles a giant, bald-headed old man’s wrinkled face drifts lazily across the desert morning sky. It isn’t the first time they’ve app
    by penman 1900 words, 3 comments, on Mar 24 11:42 AM 2006. In <200 lines, Fantasy
  • The Mind Hanger
    For me this will always be one of life's experiences you can't talk about for fear people will think your insane. Being a writer only makes telling it seem less credible. But I
    by penman 1500 words, 6 comments, on Mar 14 1:03 PM 2006. In <200 lines, Other
  • The Octopus
    “Did you try Pluto yet?”
    “Pluto? Why would anyone want to choose Pluto? It such a drab and boring planet?”
    by penman 2000 words, 4 comments, on Mar 13 7:15 PM 2006. In <200 lines, Fantasy
  • The Pain Killer
    Hillary lied on the bed and rubbed her stomach as if it was going to make the white hot coals burning in her gut suddenly cool. This just didn’t make any sense. She had been to
    by penman 2000 words, 10 comments, on Mar 5 12:31 AM 2006. In 200-1500 lines, Horror
  • Miss. Delaney
    “Oooh, this is going to be so perfect,” Lauren Delaney cooed as she caressed the small box in her hand.  To the casual observer it would appear to be some kind of remote contro
    by penman 2200 words, 3 comments, on Feb 19 12:57 AM 2006. In 200-1500 lines, Fantasy
  • Recess
    Edith Nader sits at her desk and double checks her wristwatch.  Ten minutes left.  It only takes five minutes to get to the shelter.  There is still more than enough time to ma
    by penman 2000 words, 5 comments, on Feb 18 11:07 PM 2006. In <200 lines, Fantasy
  • Darkness
    Hagleshu's radiant and glorious form stands at his chamber window.  He stares out like he was a God carefully watching over his creation.  It wasn’t a surprising or unusual app
    by penman 2100 words, 6 comments, on Feb 17 12:50 PM 2006. In <200 lines, Other
  • Flags
    “I’ll take Houston.”
    “You can have it.  I want Denver.”
    by penman 2000 words, 8 comments, on Feb 16 1:24 PM 2006. In 200-1500 lines, Other
  • Gazes
    The smell along the apartment complex's walkway was getting worse.  It was the kind of odor that burnt the nostrils and made a person cringe since you knew in your gut only som
    by penman 2500 words, 8 comments, on Feb 14 1:43 PM 2006. In 200-1500 lines, Other
  • Spoken
    The terminal is exceptionally crowded for a Tuesday.  All the lines leading to the check in counter have at twenty people in the lines leading to them.  Behind the check in the
    by penman 2000 words, 4 comments, on Feb 11 11:59 PM 2006. In 200-1500 lines, Fantasy
  • The new roof
    “How about the ocean floor?”
    “No way.  You know I don’t like the sea.  The idea of being on the ocean floor just creeps me out and always makes me feel like I need to hold m
    by penman 1600 words, 4 comments, on Feb 9 12:27 PM 2006. In 200-1500 lines
  • Satisfaction
    “Revenge is an ugly word,” the pastor observed from his pulpit during his Sunday morning sermon.  “We must try when we feel wounded to remember that God has said vengeance is m
    by penman 2600 words, 4 comments, on Feb 2 6:29 PM 2006. In 200-1500 lines, Other
  • Utopia
    A young woman with a look of complete panic on her face races down the sidewalk of the city street.  Normally in the middle of the day it should be crowded.  That was back when
    by penman 2100 words, 6 comments, on Jan 28 12:03 AM 2006. In 200-1500 lines, Other
  • The Shooting Gallery
    “This sure doesn’t seem to make sense to me.”
    “Quit your squawking, they know what they are doing.  Besides this is the Army and you know what they say about doing and dying
    by penman 1900 words, 6 comments, on Jan 26 4:48 PM 2006. In 200-1500 lines, Fantasy
  • Living on Borrowed Time
    “Squish!  I stepped on the fallen strawberries.  Its cold, grainy and wet feeling irked me as my blank future irritated me.  As a child I loved eating chilled strawberries with
    by penman 2600 words, 8 comments, on Jan 25 6:47 PM 2006. In 200-1500 lines, Fantasy
  • Bad Medicine
    Two somber faced and haggard nurses struggle to wheel a hospital bed down the long corridor towards an elevator.  The patient is an eighty year-old woman who is barely consciou
    by penman 2300 words, on Jan 24 5:45 PM 2006. In <200 lines
  • The new shirt
    The sound of the small bell tinkling lets the clerk know that a customer has entered his store.  He presumes it is a serious customer since they seldom get people in their stor
    by penman 2200 words, 2 comments, on Jan 19 11:28 PM 2006. In 200-1500 lines, Other
  • Prophet and loss
    “Um what about that one?”
    “Oh that is definitely an excellent choice sir.  That is the model known as the Forecast 1000.”
    by penman 2100 words, 2 comments, on Jan 16 6:21 PM 2006. In 200-1500 lines, Fantasy
  • Calories
    Helen Maitland opened her eyes and felt confused.  She was sitting at a table with places for twelve people, complete with all the silverware and china.  It looked very elegant
    by penman 2200 words, 4 comments, on Jan 14 11:46 PM 2006. In 200-1500 lines
  • On top
    The lights of the football stadium were incredibly bright and created an impressive hue of yellow illumination that completely covers the o
    by penman 2900 words, 2 comments, on Jan 9 7:12 PM 2006. In 200-1500 lines, Fantasy
  • Strangers
    The morning sun strikes James directly in the eyes as it filters in through the slit between the bottom of his blind and the ledge of his hotel window.  He opens his eyes and l
    by penman 2500 words, 10 comments, on Jan 4 6:51 PM 2006. In 200-1500 lines, Other
  • The sweet shop
    I was a sickly child.  Small, frail and never in good health.  The doctor said it was a condition that I would grow out of by the time I became an adult.
    For a while in my y
    by penman 1400 words, 2 comments, on Jan 2 3:46 PM 2006. In <200 lines
  • The whole truth part 2
    “Those things are going to kill you some day,” Jason says while standing in the doorway of his paper’s managing editor.
    Walter Chase takes the cigar out of his mouth and put
    by penman 1800 words, 2 comments, on Jan 1 11:15 PM 2006. In 200-1500 lines, Other
  • Euphoria
    “Yes you can!  Say it over and over till it is the only thought you have.  Doubt never accomplished anything.  Life never gets better by using the word ‘can’t,’” the man in the
    by penman 2100 words, 6 comments, on Dec 29 1:10 PM 2005. In 200-1500 lines, Fantasy
  • By the numbers
    “Yes, yes, ah, that’s right.  Come on baby give it too me,” the man sitting at the desk in his cubicle moans to himself as he mercilessly pounds the keys of his computer’s keyb
    by penman 2300 words, 2 comments, on Dec 24 11:56 PM 2005. In 200-1500 lines, Other
  • The fun zone
    The hospital room is dark and cold.  Near the bed the heart monitor machine beeps regularly and faithfully, but every once and a while there is a second when it skips a tone or
    by penman 2200 words, on Dec 17 11:10 PM 2005. In 200-1500 lines, Fantasy
  • Eclipsing smiles
    Interoffice Memo
    From: Janis, Supervisor Of Illusions, Miracles and Gossip
    by penman 1600 words, 7 comments, on Dec 5 5:26 PM 2005. In 200-1500 lines, Fantasy
  • Obedience
    All the lights on the control panel are blinking red.  The needles on all the meters also forecast nothing, but bad news.
    Katar reaches over and flips a switch to turn off t
    by penman 2000 words, 6 comments, on Dec 3 5:16 AM 2005. In <200 lines, Fantasy
  • The forest for the trees
    As long as I recall the dream has haunted me.  I’ve always wished it would stop coming into my night on such a regular basis.  After all it is so absurd.  The idea of talking t
    by penman 2200 words, 4 comments, on Nov 24 8:28 PM 2005. In 200-1500 lines, Other
  • Rewards
    Nick Reston looks at his wristwatch and then snorts with an instinctive smirk of resignation.  It was about two hours till sundown.  Then would come the night without any chanc
    by penman 2300 words, 5 comments, on Nov 3 4:22 PM 2005. In <200 lines, Other
  • A repast of echoes
    My mind clicks on the seconds.  It’s three thirty by my inner accounting of ticks.  There is only five minutes remaining before the gathering.  I wish we had lon
    by penman 1600 words, on Oct 14 10:35 PM 2005. In <200 lines, Fantasy
  • Happiness
    “This sucks.  We ought to have been done already.”
    “Watch what you say Carl, remember they can hear every word we say as Mission Control.”
    by penman 1600 words, 6 comments, on Oct 13 6:04 PM 2005. In 200-1500 lines, Fantasy
  • The gust of scribbles
    Perhaps today another leaf shall fall and another secret will die.  Mother Nature is a master at practical jokes.  She laughs while humans cry, well she chuckles a bi
    by penman 1300 words, 1 comment, on Oct 4 11:47 PM 2005. In <200 lines, Fantasy
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