Dutch Harbor (#16)

99/99 - 99 words about 99 things
November 7, 2017

A young man stepped off the boat, walking toward the hills. The crew had gone to the bar, but too young to drink, he had stayed behind. He didn’t mind. There was no privacy on the boat, no quiet, and the mountain had been calling him for days. His only boots were for working the ship, not suited for hiking, but they sufficed. He climbed for hours, unheeding of the…

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Absence (#15)

99/99 - 99 words about 99 things
November 1, 2017

He opened his eyes, exhaling slowly into the dark. The tears had gone, the punishing waves of sorrow and anger ebbed, their vacancy replaced by the aches in his stomach and jaw, exhausted from hours of repeated clenching. He’d lost track of the details – holes in the walls, scratches and bruises, unsilenceable screams. They, like the others of laughter and love, companionship and support, were unraveled threads in a…

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In the hospital (#14)

99/99 - 99 words about 99 things
January 31, 2016

I got the call at 10PM. He had acute appendicitis, she said, and was going into surgery immediately. I got into the car and drove. It took me less than two hours, but I fought panic the entire way. It’ll be fine, I thought. It’s common. But the words didn’t comfort me. I feigned calmness while they showed me to his recovery room. He was sleeping, curled around his pooh bear, an IV running…

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Violence (#13)

99/99 - 99 words about 99 things
January 14, 2016

I climb to the top landing of the stairwell, and freeze. A dirty man sits there, surrounded by bandages, wrapping his bleeding leg. “I’m going to need you to leave,” I say. “I’m not going anywhere,” he says, standing and puffing up. I click my radio, “I’ve got one hostile.” “You’re a liar!” He says, threateningly. I pull my baton, stepping back into a defensive stance. He crouches down, parroting…

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Duri (#12)

99/99 - 99 words about 99 things
June 18, 2015

My friend wrote to me in despair. Sure that my words would help, I replied: “You do have it in you. It’s who you are. Because you have friends, lovers, companions, and even assholes all in your corner, at your back. This isn’t a pep talk. It’s a fucking fact. You’re going to make it because it’s what you do. When shit goes bad, you don’t quit. So don’t fucking…

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Mike (#11)

99/99 - 99 words about 99 things
June 18, 2015

Making the first friend was the hardest. But once it happened, the world was ours. Secret agents communicating via walkie-talkie, and guns blazing through the parking garage. Back to the Future, watched ninety seven times on the big screen. The Professional All Terrain Obstacle Golf Association, where every surface was the green. Nights filled with Talking Heads, Cyndi Lauper, and Friday the 13th. Days filled with Miami Joe Slurpees and…

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Murder (#10)

99/99 - 99 words about 99 things
May 6, 2015

They secured the area when the body I’d killed was found, refusing to let anyone leave. The investigation proceeded, threads unraveling, and I knew that the evidence would eventually damn me. I tried to slip out of sight to discard it, but one person saw and followed. Impulsively, I pulled him close, firing a fatal shot through his chest. Now, I see the others, having heard, come running. I know…

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