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A Short Story published every other Saturday
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Maybe Ella's Ghost by Bryan Costales posted 2010/07/24 (1 of 63) Robert descended beneath the level of gulls and into a cold wet darkness where only the sound of twin diesels fled. His cheeks puffed, a need of pure habit as he... view more |
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David One by Bryan Costales posted 2010/07/10 (2 of 63) Johnny Saturday never felt a hangover kick so viciously before. It hammered vivid spikes into is brain. Lightening bolts and steam and the raw pounding of machinery. He opened his eyes and looked.... view more |
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Squeaky Wheel by Bryan Costales posted 2010/06/26 (3 of 63) Homeless Joe finds a present that was dropped by a man using an umbrella as a cane. Whose birthday is it or will it turn out to... view more |
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Monster In The Toilet by Bryan Costales posted 2010/06/12 (4 of 63) A growth on Steve's back turned out to be far stranger then either he or his wife June could imagine. A horror story by Bryan... view more |
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Ten Minute Bus by Bryan Costales posted 2010/05/29 (5 of 63) Sally waited for her drunk husband to pick her up at a bus stop. The digital display in the bus stop made her think of... view more |
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Aben by Bryan Costales posted 2010/05/15 (6 of 63) In the near future, Ben's wife Eva dies of the sickness. We see his world as the end of wheat farming caused by the sky falling in the form of birds. Kansas as it was and as it may become if global... view more |
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By A Laundromat by Bryan Costales posted 2010/05/01 (7 of 63) April goes to a laundromat to dry her clothes because her dryer is broken. While there, a prior lover tries to fix her up with a blind date with unexpected... view more |
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Boot Hill by Bryan Costales posted 2010/04/17 (8 of 63) A young boy finds a way to escape and saves the People from a horrible death. His rebirth does not save his brother, however, who suffers from too much... view more |
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Luciana Bell Unrung by Bryan Costales posted 2010/04/03 (9 of 63) The interviewer discovers that the old man being interviewed was the pilot who flew the poet Juan Bola to safety. During the interview we find out about the love and loss of Juan and how his life... view more |
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First Day by Bryan Costales posted 2010/03/20 (10 of 63) Two children are raised and taught by a wall and a bust of George Washington. Their world ends as foretold by a clown's balloon but not before their parents were reabsorbed into the Never... view more |
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Not Fishing by Bryan Costales posted 2010/03/06 (11 of 63) A city man visits an old friend in Oklahoma. He tries to reconnect to his most distant and least good and only remaining friend. Too bad his friend has... view more |
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Billy Remembered by Bryan Costales posted 2010/02/20 (12 of 63) Darcy is pursued by two drunk New York punks through the streets of Key West, all the while remembering the death of her brother Billy at the hands of her... view more |
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Ugly Stick by Bryan Costales posted 2010/02/06 (13 of 63) Ugly Stick , © 2010 Bryan... view more |
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Birthday Puppy by Bryan Costales posted 2010/01/23 (14 of 63) Christi imbibes absinthe on her 30th birthday. Then, she and two friends hitchhike to an art opening and party. Along the way, her sense of time becomes discarded on the cutting room floor, she... view more |
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Alpha Card by Bryan Costales posted 2010/01/09 (15 of 63) Linda shows Jim a new card that allows him to view and interact with the dead. Linda uses it to visit her dead father. Jim finds that the card has... view more |
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The Whale by Bryan Costales posted 2009/12/26 (16 of 63) A shy overweight man on treadmill in a gym wants to date the slim girl on the stairmaster. The twist is that this is an epic story of mythic... view more |
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Half Inch North by Bryan Costales posted 2009/12/19 (17 of 63) Don and Sendora drive into the desert to find a treasure. Along the way we discover their differences and why the treasure effects them... view more |
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Tunnel Cruise by Bryan Costales posted 2009/12/12 (18 of 63) Old man Duff wonders how he can leave the retirement home to go on a cruise. He dances with Ellen who is clumsy and leaves him on the sofa where he comes to an important... view more |
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Number Five by Bryan Costales posted 2009/12/05 (19 of 63) Jerry bunts accidentally just as he forgot his name. During an afternoon softball game he runs the bases in search of his name and while running discovers his... view more |
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The Pit by Bryan Costales posted 2009/11/28 (20 of 63) Tina chokes on a plum pit. That leads to good and bad luck over breakfast. She struggles to make sense of a shooting and a suicidal... view more |
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Drips by Bryan Costales posted 2009/11/21 (21 of 63) Water spilled over the edge of the tub but young Fran didn't notice. Her reflection suggested her eyebrows were off and she was trying to pluck them into... view more |
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Ham Sandwich by Bryan Costales posted 2009/11/14 (22 of 63) Bob Fandele returned home late from work to find the ham sandwich still on that small white plate in the center of the kitchen table. "Damn," he said and picked... view more |
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Break Up by Bryan Costales posted 2009/11/07 (23 of 63) The coffee was tepid and thin and weak enough to require mercy. Not a manly cup of coffee, that was for certain, not a cup with any muscle at all. Dan carried... view more |
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Coming Storm by Bryan Costales posted 2009/10/31 (24 of 63) Sandra dreamed an uncoiling ribbon scaled and rough like asphalt yet sadly tired, bored with the flat feeling of all that had never ever happened. Her mind... view more |
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Jack Be Nimble by Bryan Costales posted 2009/10/24 (25 of 63) I saw Dad jump over the house and the next day his legs were sore. He didn't know I watched, of course. I had just gotten home from a rough football practice... view more |
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Previously-Lost Mother by Bryan Costales posted 2009/10/17 (26 of 63) My mother ran away with a fortune teller. Or at least that's how Dad told it. I was seven at the time and my brother Sam was five. My name's Harry and we were... view more |
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Cry Lion by Bryan Costales posted 2009/10/10 (27 of 63) "A lion escaped from the zoo and ate my homework." That was the excuse used by young Marvin Gamely when he arrived at class without his books that morning. He... view more |
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Half Empty by Bryan Costales posted 2009/10/03 (28 of 63) Brad Cheque insisted his last name be pronounced "Chay quay." But Lieutenant Harkness always pronounced it "Check." The Lieutenant had once told Brad, "I ain't... view more |
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Outbound Train by Bryan Costales posted 2009/09/26 (29 of 63) George Olman descended treacherous stairs to the outbound platform just as a K train pulled away. Walking down had proved difficult because he had just left... view more |
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The Note by Bryan Costales posted 2009/09/19 (30 of 63) Ellen Brandville lifted their welcome mat in preparation for Halloween. She intended to replace the mat with a comic Halloween one that howled like a wolf when... view more |
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World's End by Bryan Costales posted 2009/09/12 (31 of 63) Crystal Muz swore she'd stop smoking any day now. But came the early hours of the morning and she still felt that old ache. She threw on what she could find, a... view more |
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Outside Lands by Bryan Costales posted 2009/09/05 (32 of 63) Carl sat across from Tucker in the other of a pair black sofas on either side of a coffee table. The coffee table twinkling with LEDs randomly firing on its... view more |
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Damn Rehab by Bryan Costales posted 2009/08/29 (33 of 63) Jake Butteruth lay sprawled on their old sofa, a can of cheap beer in one hand and a lit, unfiltered camel cigarette in the other. "Day five," he said to his... view more |
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Chicago Loop by Bryan Costales posted 2009/08/22 (34 of 63) Sally was superstitious about her purse. An ex-boyfriend once told her, "Put your money in your pocket." She didn't remember but she must have asked why. "You... view more |
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The Cure by Bryan Costales posted 2009/08/15 (35 of 63) Sally was worried, puzzled, and a little relieved when Tony returned from his cruise on the Amazon and couldn't speak. Normally Tony talked too much. Too much... view more |
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Tiny Cupcake by Bryan Costales posted 2009/08/08 (36 of 63) Times were bad in the valley. A black fungus had begun to kill the corn. Breezy Wah held an old corn cob doll tight to her chest while she watched the men, her... view more |
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Face Painting by Bryan Costales posted 2009/08/01 (37 of 63) She remembered the first time she had her face painted at a carnival. How old had she been? Ten or eleven, maybe eight? Dora Winsten sat in front of her tiny... view more |
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Two Pennies by Bryan Costales posted 2009/07/25 (38 of 63) Frank Dubcheck rolled his electric wheelchair onto the concrete landing where Montogery Street ended above Green. The landing began a long set of steps... view more |
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Twenty Dollars Killed A Kid by Bryan Costales posted 2009/07/18 (39 of 63) Rats crawled around her brain, black rats like those that roamed the damp alley behind the local bar. Or maybe it was spiders, big hairy spiders like the ones... view more |
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View From A Ladder by Bryan Costales posted 2009/07/11 (40 of 63) Norman Fellows sat atop a tall wooden A-frame ladder and screwed a new flagpole holder to the eve of their porch. His wife Vera had announced just the day... view more |
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Remembered Stitches by Bryan Costales posted 2009/07/04 (41 of 63) Lola gazed at six small stitches across the tip of her left index finger. She remembered herself as a teenager so many years before. Over dinner at the old... view more |
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Poems by Bryan Costales posted 2009/06/27 (42 of 63) The floor of the factory was brightly lit but deserted because, for just the second time in her life, Zeta Upsilon had arrived to work extra early. She hurried,... view more |
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Strike Three by Bryan Costales posted 2009/06/20 (43 of 63) Walter Burns sat in the bleachers behind the outfield, perhaps the furthest away from home plate that one could sit. He brought his hunting binoculars up to his... view more |
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New Phone by Bryan Costales posted 2009/06/13 (44 of 63) Jam Juanson walked the sidewalk with big steps to miss the cracks. He was only a kid yet had gotten his first phone for his birthday just that morning. As soon... view more |
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Already Told Cats by Bryan Costales posted 2009/06/06 (45 of 63) Henry Stutzman was a middle aged widower again invited five years later to his late wife's family's annual camping trip. Rather than feel odd-man-out, Henry... view more |
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Parisian Water by Bryan Costales posted 2009/05/30 (46 of 63) The failure of water to quench his thirst bothered his wife more than it did Bob. "You drank beer all the time," she complained at him. "It's about time you... view more |
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Jack Shit by Bryan Costales posted 2009/05/23 (47 of 63) Sarah Marks felt as if she could explode. She was so frustrated with her life she knew she would someday become pure fireworks for the amusement of... view more |
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The Box by Bryan Costales posted 2009/05/16 (48 of 63) Tom Middler stood on the corner of 2nd at Howard holding a bag of freshly purchased red onions in a plastic sack. He bought them so his wife could make quiche... view more |
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Diet Coke by Bryan Costales posted 2009/05/09 (49 of 63) Young Wendy, still in grammar school, was puzzled by the lunch lady's question. "Jumping Jehosphat girl, where's you get this dollar?" The lunch lady was a... view more |
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Gummy Bears by Bryan Costales posted 2009/05/02 (50 of 63) Blaze's husband Jack was a tall thin man like the beanstalk. He was the practical extension of herself. She sometimes thought that if she could just tie a rope... view more |
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Hair Cut Day by Bryan Costales posted 2009/04/25 (51 of 63) Mandy Rails hated hair-cut day more than any other day of the week. Her mother made her and her two brothers line up in the kitchen every Saturday morning after... view more |
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Find A Penny by Bryan Costales posted 2009/03/28 (52 of 63) Joy Lutuski loitered for just a moment on the sidewalk outside the vet's office. The weather outside was drizzly and overcast but not raining yet. Gray like a... view more |
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Sucker Punched by Bryan Costales posted 2009/03/21 (53 of 63) Joe Hathay watched his boss Ned Mac sip cognac directly from a $150 bottle. They sat at opposite ends of a bus stop bench in bright sunlight. Joe was still... view more |
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The Necklace by Bryan Costales posted 2009/03/14 (54 of 63) Marsha Donnelly squeaked open the front door and entered Donnelly's Bar in a wash of daylight. She found the wait-person Elle already putting wooden chairs... view more |
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Warm Bath by Bryan Costales posted 2009/03/07 (55 of 63) I greeted the young couple and noticed a smell about them that reminded me of animals and dirt roads. I said, "A room, no doubt, and for a small fee I can... view more |
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Multiply Man by Bryan Costales posted 2009/02/28 (56 of 63) Thomas's son Blake sat at the other end of their old dining room table. It was still set with already eaten breakfast of eggs and waffles. His son looked more... view more |
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Walter On Water by Bryan Costales posted 2009/02/21 (57 of 63) At fifty-eight years of age, Fran Samuelson's husband Walter still worked, still managed mens-wear sales for Macys. An ambulance had taken him to Kaiser, the... view more |
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Critical Mass by Bryan Costales posted 2009/02/14 (58 of 63) Henry Dales stood at the edge of Justin Herman Plaza holding up his new Pauseaux carbon-fiber bicycle. He had arrived early on the last Friday of the month for... view more |
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God Heads by Bryan Costales posted 2009/02/07 (59 of 63) On her eighty-fifth birthday, Glenda Jones was down to just one friend, the man who brought her food twice a day. She sat at the kitchen table, like she always... view more |
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Nap by Bryan Costales posted 2009/01/31 (60 of 63) The taste of rice, beans and salsa lingered in Luis Escabon's mouth from lunch. He idly licked the last of delicious taste from his lips and swallowed one... view more |
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Garlic by Bryan Costales posted 2009/01/24 (61 of 63) Wanda Willow had dated Carl twice before. She found him bordering on harmless but mature, interesting and fun, but not fascinating, definitely not fascinating.... view more |
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Moron by Bryan Costales posted 2009/01/17 (62 of 63) The pistol in his jacket pocket was heavy from waiting and heavy from worry but not heavy from size. He'd found it in his wife's underwear drawer, a tiny pistol... view more |
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Da Nada by Bryan Costales posted 2009/01/10 (63 of 63) Linda Chilless sat alone at a small table for two on the upper level of the El Aviõn Restaurant in Costa Rica. She sipped rum mixed with coconut-milk... view more |
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