Tag: Flash fiction for aspiring writers

Short Stories

The Ranch..

jacquelineobyikocha17 Comments

Captain Blacky sniffed around the two cars in a peculiar manner; his heightened sense of smell on the alert to pick up any unfriendly aura of its passengers.

“Were these ones’ pleasant folks or would they be like that old mealy-mouthed last prospective buyer who spoke in such an annoying manner so much so that he had wanted to plant a hoof in his backside?”

He hated to see people try to cheat his owners and he felt truly sorry to see his loving owners put up their ranch for sale due to financial hardship. They had struggled for so long to keep things together, but things were just rough and he had heard his master say that the banks’ terms would simply dig them into more hardship.

He really hoped that the new buyers will be good humans, otherwise he would simply incite his fellow animals  on the ranch to riot.

© Jacqueline Oby-Ikocha

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Thank you, Phylor  for the photo and dear Priceless Joy for hosting this charming platform where we unleash our stories:-)

out-of-the-silent-breath 2

I hear the reverberations of the magic that’s hidden within.

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Short Stories

The Harvest…

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Jeremiah wiped beads of sweat from his brows intermittently as he carried on with his garden work…raking, sowing, watering, mulching…

Raised on the acres of his parents’ farmland where they had cultivated all manners of crops for sale and for food, gardening was work that he could do with eyes closed.

However, today, as much as he tried to concentrate, he worried. He worried over the poor harvest of the cropping season; he worried over the weather forecast of heavier rains and the flood that ensued which always affected the crops; he worried about how he would fend for his growing family even as his wife’s painful groans and the encouraging voice of the midwife floated into the backyard.

A baby is a blessing he reminded himself, though he hadn’t been too happy when Ruth broke the news that she was expecting. He had expressly told her to be more careful after they had Gideon their sixth child.

An unmistakable wail of a newborns’ voice rang from the house and his lips curved in a wide smile; his family was certainly growing in numbers.

© Jacqueline Oby-Ikocha

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Thank you, Louise  for the photo and Priceless Joy for hosting this charming platform where we unleash our stories:-)

Below is my first just published Poetry Book “Out of the silent breath” which is available on Amazon and Smashwords.

When you buy my book, you support me in an invaluable manner.

 

‘A Richly Layered and Passionate Read.’ Jan Cliff

Out of the silent breath

If you enjoy my works and would like to do so, you can fuel my creativity with a slice of cake or coffee😉

Short Stories

The Corner…

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Silently, he planned his line of action, driving 6 hours non-stop to catch her unawares at the stroke of ten.

He watched the lights of the diner go off for the day. Knowing that her shift was almost over and she would step out for her brisk walk home, he reached into the glove compartment for the piece and rushed to wait for her at the corner of the street.

June stepped into the chilly night, humming as she strode down the quiet street. Turning the corner to her street she bumped into his hard waiting frame. A quick apology rose to her lips just before his familiar cologne curled up to her nostrils and his warm embrace held her still.

‘Hello sweetheart, I couldn’t wait any longer’ Jed murmured close to her ears. Distance was hard on their relationship and having missed him badly, she simply allowed his presence to envelope her surprised senses.

Reaching for the little box in his coat, Jed went down on one knee…

She squealed her happy acceptance. This corner where they met for the first time when he bumped into her two years ago has become a turning point in her life.

© Jacqueline Oby-Ikocha

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Priceless Joy, please excuse my overshooting the word bounds. I snipped, chopped and tucked in yet I still overshot the runway.

Thank you, Phylor  for the photo and Priceless Joy for hosting this charming platform where we unleash our stories:-)

Below is my first just published Poetry Book “Out of the silent breath” which is available on Amazon and Smashwords.

When you buy my book, you support me in an invaluable manner.

 

‘A Richly Layered and Passionate Read.’ Jan Cliff

Out of the silent breath

If you enjoy my works and would like to do so, you can fuel my creativity with a slice of cake or coffee😉

Short Stories

A Dog’s Desire.

jacquelineobyikocha10 Comments

Max looked longingly at the road. He wanted to be free to run around as he liked but unfortunately, he and Buddy were totally grounded in the yard and he wondered when they will be out on probation.

He had known that it was a bad idea to sneak off to go chase those foxy pooches of the neighbourhood, but he had been unable to resist those big soulful brown eyes of Molly and the swaying swag that Daisy had when she had trotted past him the last time they met at the park.

He had sensed that she was sending out signals, and how could a Dog worth his salt resist such nature’s call to do his best in ensuring that their doggy lineage is kept going strong.

Their human mother was quite mad at the fright and worry that they had caused her by their disappearance and she had thoroughly chastised them about how lucky they were to have been found before a bad person had found them.

He and Buddy tried to explain to her why they had  gone off on an adventure, but it seemed that she failed to understand.

Max calculated on how he could express his desires to Molly and maybe persuade her to stay still the next time.

© Jacqueline Oby-Ikocha

InkLinkz

Thank you Yinglan,  for the photo and Priceless Joy for hosting this charming platform where we unleash our stories:-)

Below is my first just published Poetry Book “Out of the silent breath” which is available on Amazon and Smashwords.

When you buy my book, you support me in an invaluable manner.

 

“Beautiful Poetry of Life and Love.” Amanda

Out of the silent breath

 

Short Stories

Forgotten…

jacquelineobyikocha28 Comments

Excited voice of the children drew Salome’s attention and before she could say hey presto, they burst into the kitchen trailing mud and straw. They were running after the chickens again for fun. Raising her voice to scold them for bringing in dirt, little Jude interrupted her:

“Look what we found Gramma,” he was clutching a strange straw bag.

“Leave it there and let me finish what I’m doing,” thinking it was probably filled with mushrooms or a frog, she continued plucking the cockerel for chicken stew, but their eager faces made her pause to take a peek.

A dumbfounded Salome burst into tears and laughter when she emptied the contents of the bag.

They kids had knocked Bernard’s scarecrow over and in a bid to piece it together, they found the straw bag.

Her late husband Bernard had been a dear man and many times the funny looking scarecrow made her smile in recollection of how much he had been drawn to it as his Dementia got worse.

She had no idea he had hidden lots of coins and forgot where he kept it.

© Jacqueline Oby-Ikocha

InLinkz

Thank you, Louise,  for the photo and Priceless Joy for hosting this charming platform where we unleash our stories:-)

Below is my first just published Poetry Book “Out of the silent breath” which is available on Amazon and Smashwords.

When you buy my book, you support me in an invaluable manner.

Stars, Five Stars, Logo, Icon, Symbol, Five, Rating

A Richly Layered and Passionate Read. Jan Cliff

Out of the silent breath

If you enjoy my works, you can fuel my creativity with a cup of coffee or a slice of cake😉

 

Short Stories

The successor…

jacquelineobyikocha11 Comments

Jack sat in the deep leather armchair to ruminate over the surprising news. His mind dwelling on bittersweet memories as he remembered his dad.

Faint aroma of tobacco from Woolfe’s pipe clung to the room as if unwilling to let go, even though he has been dead for three months now and unbidden tears seeped through Jack’s eyes.

His dad had been his best friend and hero until Suzie happened to them. Suzie was Woolfe’s secretary.

An affair happened, Suzie got pregnant, Jack’s mother got mad, a messy divorce took place that when his mother died a year later in an accident, Jack was sure she had died from a bitter and broken heart. She had driven off the cliff after binge-drinking and life was never the same.

Suzie’s pinched lips and surprised look on her botoxed face expressed displeasure when the Will was read. The reins of the successful firm were meant for her son Woolfe Jnr and possibly a meagre share left to Jack, instead, eighty percent of the holdings went to Jack while they got twenty.

© Jacqueline Oby-Ikocha

InLinkz

Thank you, TJ Paris,  for the photo and Priceless Joy for hosting this charming platform where we unleash our stories:-)

Below is my first just published Poetry Book “Out of the silent breath” which is available on Amazon and Smashwords.

When you buy my book, you support me in an invaluable manner.

Stars, Five Stars, Logo, Icon, Symbol, Five, Rating

‘A Richly Layered and Passionate Read.’ Jan Cliff

Out of the silent breath

If you enjoy my works and would like to do so, you can fuel my creativity with a slice of cake or coffee 😉

Fiction · Short Stories

Intrusion…

jacquelineobyikocha29 Comments

Something was wrong, but Cybil’s mind felt as if a fine-tooth comb had scraped over it.

This was her fifth night on Koala Island, attending the annual conference on human science.

From the onset, something felt out of place with the serene surroundings. Her room always yet felt as if some presence shared the space with her.

She had searched the drawers to satisfy her thoughts that nothing was hiding in there, yet the discomfort stuck.

Now she was beginning to forget what she was saying in the midst of a sentence. It had been totally mortifying to forget her name during an introduction. Thankfully, the program would end in two days.

Sinking into the soft mattress and staring up at the orb-like shaped ceiling with pupils, her focused gaze saw pin dots of lens rotating.

Rising for closer inspection, the orb opened noiselessly and two funny looking humanoids appeared with lightning speed before she could squeak.

Mesmerized, all she felt before sinking into inky oblivion was the touch of a cold object at the base of her neck.

InLinkz

© Jacqueline Oby-Ikocha

Thank you, Nonnaci,  for the photo and Priceless Joy for hosting this charming platform where we unleash our stories:-)

Below is my first just published Poetry Book “Out of the silent breath” which is available on Amazon and Smashwords.

When you buy my book, you support me in an invaluable manner.

‘A Richly Layered and Passionate Read.’ Jan Cliff

Out of the silent breath

Fiction · Short Stories

Across the bridge….

jacquelineobyikocha28 Comments

Maria stared intently across the wide expanse of water she was completely lost in thoughts.

This is the fourteenth anniversary and though everyone thinks that she should move on, her heart was too restless to do so and it was difficult to find any form of closure.

Fourteen years since Theodore took their boy Sam to go fishing and they never came back. Their boat was later found upside down at the other side of the bridge.

The search team and private detective never found anything. No bodies were recovered and she believes that they were still alive.

She believes that Theo had escaped their rural living into the shiny brightness of the big city. He had suddenly acquired a taste for city life and had gone completely off their rural lifestyle which she loved.

Maria could still recall their last heated exchange over selling their home, the day before he left the house with their little boy.

She stared at those highrises twinkling from afar. It’s time to go back and search again.

They have to be there, somewhere.

InLinkz

© Jacqueline Oby-Ikocha

Thank you, Barbara,  for the photo and Priceless Joy for hosting this charming platform where we unleash our stories:-)

Below is my first just published Poetry Book “Out of the silent breath” which is available on Amazon and Smashwords.

When you buy my book, you support me in an invaluable manner.

 

From the very first poem, “Dreams,” this book captivates with passionate and perceptive words. Jacqueline Oby-Ikocha captures a broad expanse of the human experience in this book of richly layered poems.

Out of the silent breath

Short Stories

The Golden Chalice…

jacquelineobyikocha12 Comments

It was a foolproof plan. Drake had it neatly figured out.

He knew the Cathedral like the back of his hand, after all, the years working in the Chaplaincy are not going to waste even though he left his coveted job in a bit of a huff.

Dipping his fingers in the offering coffers for a little helping didn’t seem to agree with the Bishop but no matter, this plan would surely set him up for life.

As he lowered Bob through the ceiling’s vault an unholy gust of air set off the Cathedral chimes and a surprising shrill alarm startled both men so much that the rope slipped from Drake’s hands and they went crashing down into the gallery.

Dodgy Drake and his accomplice were apprehended by the police in short order. Bob was unconscious, while petrified Drake was trying to crawl and hide behind one of the statues of the Saints. His broken limbs made his escape attempt difficult.

Their ambition to rob the Cathedral of the golden Chalice, shiny Madonna and other prized artifacts was nipped in the bud.

InLinkz

Thank you, TJ  for the photo and Priceless Joy for hosting this charming platform where we unleash our stories:-)

Below is my first just published Poetry Book “Out of the silent breath” which is available on Amazon and Smashwords.

When you buy my book, you support me in an invaluable manner.

Out of the silent breath

Fiction · Short Stories

The Hatching Van…

jacquelineobyikocha17 Comments

For weeks, the boys kept disappearing into the backyard to the old truck, surreptitiously sneaking stuff out of the kitchen with them.

Julie didn’t pay them much mind. She believed they were livening up the disused truck that they called ‘their boy cave’ and she was happy to have them out of her hair.

Being a mother to three energetic boys and a toddler daughter underfoot could exhaust a Saint.

Her curiosity only got aroused when Kelly took to mumbling ‘porous, porous‘ and pointing insistently at the door, wanting to follow her brothers.

Kelly’s demands turned to shrill cries that drove her mother to go and find out what was going on.

Loud, shuffling noises came from the closed van and on her persistent knocking, Toby opened it a bit.

Pushing it open, Jill stepped inside, to find a big green monster lying on her soft cushions and peering at her, with several giant eggs under the glow of a bulb, about to hatch.

For several moments she was utterly speechless, then she went berserk.

© Jacqueline Oby-Ikocha

InLinkz

Thank you, Yinglan  for the photo and Priceless Joy for hosting this charming platform where we unleash our stories:-)

Below is my first just published Poetry Book “Out of the silent breath” which is available on Amazon and Smashwords.

When you buy my book, you support me in an invaluable manner.

Out of the silent breath

Enchant me with your expressive eyes, that crinkles in laughter as you speak

that I may find myself ever caught between

the reflections of your pupils and there shall I remain.

*an excerpt of my poem*