Posted on by Justin Deming

Grandpa Al ~ Short Fiction

Photo by Rushina Morrison on Unsplash

Grandpa Al radioed coordinates during the Korean War.

He was quiet, loved his Yankees, and sipped O’Doul’s in the summertime.

He had a fake leg and owned a ukulele, too –

A sweet, beautiful instrument boxed up in his basement.

I can see him now.

He’s smiling. Sipping. Strumming and plucking.

“Grandpa Al” was originally published in Fifty Word Stories. Click here to see the original publication.

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Posted on by Justin Deming

The Woeful Farmer ~ Short Fiction

Photo by Leon Contreras on Unsplash

When the lightning danced across the sky and the deep thrum of thunder carried out across the plains for the fifth night in a row, he knew the end had come.

Torrents of rain and softball-sized hail pounded all around him, devastating his crops, ripping through them like swinging scythes.

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Thanks for reading! Please consider signing up for my Substack newsletter, Along the Hudson, if you enjoyed this story. You’ll receive a blend of fiction, creative nonfiction, and writing prompts delivered twice a week to your inbox.

Posted on by Justin Deming

Purgatory ~ Short Fiction

Photo by Jordan Connor on Unsplash

Purgatory was different for everyone.

When John entered, he was thrust back into his old world, forced to live out his new life firmly rooted in the ground.

See — John became a tree.

As he aged, he understood tranquility. He became home to animals and insects alike.

He still stands.

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Thanks for reading! If you enjoyed this story, please consider signing up for my Substack newsletter, Along the Hudson. You’ll receive a blend of fiction, creative nonfiction, and writing prompts delivered twice a week to your inbox.

Posted on by Justin Deming

Inhaling Her ~ Short Fiction

Photo by Mari Partyka on Unsplash

Blaise watched his wife from the cabana. She was ankle-deep in the Caribbean, collecting seashells – a perfect memory.

When he gulped the thin mountain air, trapped in an icy crevasse, he inhaled her. Hypothermic, somewhere above Camp 4, he’d surely die. But the summer breeze would take him home.

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Thanks for reading! If you enjoyed this story, please consider signing up for my Substack newsletter, Along the Hudson. You’ll receive a blend of fiction, creative nonfiction, and writing prompts delivered twice a week to your inbox.