While I usually write science fiction and fantasy, sometimes I like to experiment with other genres. In this collection of very short stories, I wrote realistic stories, most of them set in the present day. These stories could be found on my twitter account, @TheWiseSerpent, usually on the hashtag #vss365.
Vacation
"We have to leave," Mommy said. "Right now."
"Are we going on vacation?"
"Yes, to Mexico! For a long time, maybe forever. Won't that be fun?" She wiped blood away from her mouth and threw clothes in a bag.
"Is daddy coming?"
"No." She left her ring on the counter.
Victories
Jeremy's nurse smiled, a rare sight. His mother sat quietly beside him. He did not turn to look at her, but his hand touched her face, gentle this time.
"Mama."
His mother wiped a tear from her eye. "A great victory," she said, softly. "The first of many."
Fine
Everything seemed fine, great even. Her sister smiled and laughed, lovingly touched her fiance's arm. But there was something off about the cadence of her voice, something strained. Mel wondered how she could find a way for them to be alone together before the wedding.
Diver
The bodies settle deep in the aphotic part of the lake. He adjusts his regulator and shines his flashlight on the dark sediments. Is that a skeletal hand he sees? Or the crooked fingers of a broken branch? He swims closer, heart pounding. The bones are so small.
Lies
She blinked back tears as she read the texts on the phone he'd kept hidden.
"Just be patient. She's rich, and once we're married..."
"Of course you're the one I really love..."
And the pictures. Everything about him, their relationship, was just a chimera.
She left.
