50 Word Stories

Lucy manically gnawed the plastic chew toy. She was a destructive chewer. My Louboutins were her latest victims. It was a massacre. But it was my fault. I knew what she was capable of and I left them in harms’ way. The shoes were buried next to my Adidas sneakers.

*****

She was a woman of style, grace, and sophistication. A model citizen. She cared for others and would give anyone the coat off her back. But here we sat. In a courtroom. She stood before a jury of her peers. The forewoman reads the verdict. “Guilty.” My mother…condemned to death.

*****

“Last chance for love,” he said.

Miranda quickly glanced at him. Was he serious? They had spoken briefly. He was fit for the cover of Vagabond Weekly. He was her last chance at finding true love. After the war, men were few and unfortunately, he was available.

“Uh…sure. Why not?”

*****

He strained to hear her whispers. She giggled. He hadn’t heard a word. He wanted to know the joke. She walked away satisfied. He shrugged, turned in the opposite direction and headed home. She knew he heard nothing. Her secret love for him still safe. He longed for her companionship.

*****

“Why am I fired?”

Lilac had toiled in those vineyards for more than 20 years.

“We are shutting down permanently,” said the owner.

Lilac was devastated. The landowner handed her a check. She opened it and fainted. The $500,000 check would take care of her family. Her life forever changed.