MCM's Blog, page 41

Screw Up

Tuesday night was sex night, and every second Tuesday was Jeremy's night to find a prop.  If he were in the habit of telling the truth, he'd have admitted he hated the prop idea, and hated the scheduling even more… but Jeremy didn't usually say what was on his mind.

Because of the long weekend, he'd totally forgotten it was Tuesday at all, and when Ashley came in in her slinky nightgown, paused by the lamp like she always did, he had a jolt of realization: he was fucked.  And not in a good...

On the Plan

Matt was playing with his food when Chandra came back home, dropping her bag by the door and herself into the chair opposite him.  He pushed the salad to the side, turned down the video screen, and took her hands in his.

"How did it go?" he asked, soft and kind.

She just shook her head.  He sighed, and they sat in silence for a moment, the awful emptiness between them.

"Are you okay?" he asked.

She sniffled, wiped tears from her cheek, and nodded.

"Still no luck," she said, her voice creaking. ...

Cannibalism in Publishing

I think the publishing industry has serious psychological problems.  At first I thought the agents, editors and authors on the "inside" were just jealously guarding their status against the self-published hordes, which explained why they over-reacted to every perceived slight to their creative superiority.  The vitriol was childish and absurd at times, but at least you could see why they did it.  They wanted to feel special, and you can't feel special on a level playing field.

But now we have ...

Erskine Lummox

After all was said and done, the Erskine Lummox was a strange thing to behold. Beastly yet graceful, quick yet contemplative, they strode through the hills near Glasgow, their three curved horns both a wonder and warning to those nearby.

Centuries before, they were hunted for their pelts, horns mounted on helmets of the bravest of soldiers, heroes of the day.  During the Restoration, attitudes shifted, and the Erskine Lummox became a sacred beast, something to praise and respect from afar...

Ofanlanzibar

It was the summer of the year dear Queen Vic made her way down to Matlock Bath that the four downtrodden friends found the tiara.  Now, being from Bath as they were, they weren't totally oblivious to the finer things in life, but all the same, it took them a solid day to realize the tiara was indeed what it seemed.

There was some debate as to their next course of action.  Wiggle, always this way and that in matters of importance, thought the Queen had lost it from her carriage trunk, and they ...

Measure of Confidence

They stopped the jeep at the side of the road, already two miles off the main highway, a cloud of dust around them, unwilling or unable to settle again.  The fields were parched, the sky a pale blue canvas on which nothing was drawn.  A tree sat in the distance, and behind it, a winding row of bushes, marking the edge of the property.

Marvin shifted the cigar to the other side of his mouth, swung the bag over his shoulder, and stomped down the embankment, shovel dragging behind him.  The...

4:30AM on a Tuesday

He saw her by the fading light of the old refrigerator, standing against the door frame, light t-shirt clinging her to moist skin.  She was watching him, the quietest thing in the room, bare feet soaking up the cold from the tile floor.

"You're up," he said, voice croaking, but left the door open.  He needed the cool air.

"I heard you leave," she said. "Are you hungry?"

He smiled, swung the fridge open more to get a better look at his options.  Nothing seemed right.  Milk, beer, yoghurt.

"I...

The Last Piece

Raw canvas lay across the floor, shredded and mangled with muddy footprints.  The sink had been left on, drain clogged, and the floor was a long, imperfect mirror, showing the wreckage left of the studio.  Amber sunk down in a crouch, cocktail dress dipping in the water, and ran her hands through her hair, trying not to cry.

"The police will be here soon," said Peter, turning off the tap.  "They told us not to touch anything."

"What's left to touch?" asked Amber, looking at the cracked frames, ...

Summer Train

It was a game they played, down by the shoreline in southern Louisiana.  Sentence trains, stretching off through lazy, humid afternoons.  Thick, ancient oak trees blocking the sun, her red-and-white dress spread out around her, next to him, as she watched the clouds pass.

"Something was hidden in the darkness," she said, resting a hand on her forehead, watching her fingers dance in the breeze.

"Darkness hides things that shouldn't be seen by men," he said, turning away, at the tree instead...

Wrong Place

The gunshot made the baby kick, and while everyone else pushed themselves closer to the floor, Daisy could only sit against the counter, cradling her belly and trying not to cry.

"Open the damn safe!" shouted the tallest robber, pistol aimed at the bank manager, fumbling with keys.  He dropped them, bent to pick them up, when a bullet ended his life.  "You!" snapped the robber. "Get the keys and do what I say!"

Ethan slid closer to Daisy, grabbed her hand and squeezed.

"Are you hurt?" he...