Donor: Part 11

Continued from Parts 1-10
Amanda glanced at the back seat. Michael’s face had some color back, and he took deep, even breaths. She looked back to the road before her. Although the rain had stopped, the pavement remained wet with puddles glaring in her headlights.
She double-checked the directions Doc had supplied before helping her stuff the [...]

Green Patches: Part 1 of 2

She carried green patches everywhere she went. My friends and I used to stare at her between classes, watching the slow roll of her hips, the sway of her waist-length hair. All she needed was a tie-dye shirt and open-toed sandals.
The strange thing about Lily was that she didn’t care what we thought. As far [...]

The Assassin’s Resolution

Warm light flickered from the fireplace as she paged through the thin composition book. Neatly penned lettering filled the lines with observations and grievances. This client tried to shortchange her after the job was done. That client didn’t have the dates right. The year’s loose ends were tied tighter than a monofilament noose.
Except one. The [...]

Signs of Were: Part 4 (Conclusion)

Note: Some mild adult content. I’d rate it at PG-13
* * * * *

There’s no answer. I look around the room now that my eyes have adjusted to the different, wider view. Next to the wall, close to the door, I see a slumped form. Carson looks like he’s human still, but he’s in pain. [...]

Signs of Were: Part 3

***NOTE: There is some swearing in this excerpt.***

☼
Carson clutches his chest, gasps.
“Dad!”
He looks back to the boathouse pyre. I see a tear escape down his cheek, reflecting orange and red. He swings his fist in a wide arc. At first, I think he’s going to hit me. I flinch, but his hand swings past my [...]

Signs of Were: Part 2

… continued from Part 1
* * * * *
Mom falls to the floor, screaming and pulling her hair. I drop to my knees and try to hold her. She shakes me off.
“JAKE!!!” she howls. “No, no, no, no. Jake!”
Jake is my dad’s name.
“Mom. Mom! What is it?”
She’s incoherent. I’ve never seen her like this. Never.
“Marcella.” [...]

Signs of Were: Part 1

My folks always told me they were playing cards with friends. The babysitter would plop in front of the television while my brother and I worked up mischief in remote corners of the house. We’d wander to bed untucked, unkissed, and wonder why our parents never took us with them.
Tonight is different. It’s my twenty-first [...]

Knuckleballer: Art

I created this image to go with my story “Knuckleballer.” If this goes through to publication, I’ll do a better-quality version.

Riley Miller: Fictional Major League Baseball Knuckleballer

Links to the story:

Knuckleballer, Part 1
Knuckleballer, Part 2
Knuckleballer, Part 3
Knuckleballer, Part 4
Knuckleballer, Part 5 (end)

*Do not copy this without the permission of MJ Twain.*

Bloodstone Introduction

I’ll add more to this post later, but I felt the need to throw it in…
Bloodstone is a novella, perhaps a novel. It is not complete, and I will post 2-4 pages at a time. I’ll continue to post other short and flash fiction, so no worries there, but I thought it would be nice [...]

The Technicals, Part 4: Conclusion

The Technicals were done returning all the absorbed beings to the Gathering.
“Give back. Give back.”
Their chant went on as they began to pull random components from their bodies. Gadgets and their associated odds and ends grew in two piles.
To everyone’s astonishment, one pile—consisting of plastic, glass, metal, and wood—turned to streams of mist. The streams [...]