"Rattler" a short story by Craig Zimmerman

It was late afternoon, and Colin Hays was walking home from school through the desert that surrounded his parent's ranch in eastern Washington state when he heard the rattle. 

Without moving, Colin searched the sage and rocks for the snake. Rattlesnakes generally stayed away from humans but there were occasional attacks.

Not seeing anything, Colin slowly moved forward. The rattling sound came again louder than before, and Colin stopped in his tracks.

 Colin looked at his watch. His father would be mad if he didn't get home before dinner and all because of an ornery snake.

Colin once again checked all of the places a snake might be and then decided to make a run for it.

Bracing his legs, he raced down the trail and stopped about a half mile from where he heard the rattle. Laughing at his fear and trying to catch his breath, Colin didn't notice the large rattlesnake that emerged from the rocks and slithered toward his leg.

"The Library Kiss" a short story by Craig Zimmerman

Danny Marshall was working on a page-long equation in the library when he noticed Julia Sauter heading for his table.

  "Could you help me with my homework?" She asked Danny with exaggerated sweetness.

"You know I will, but I want something in return this time." Danny replied.

 "And what would that be?" Julia asked.

   "A kiss"

   "A kiss?"

Danny nodded, blushing furiously.

    Julia thought of all of the times that Danny had helped her with schoolwork. A kiss seemed like a small enough reward.

She glanced around the library. All of the tables were filled and some of her friends were watching.

Julia then took Danny by the hand and gave him the best smooch she was capable of.

Mrs. Foster, the librarian frowned, a few kids laughed, but everyone else stood and applauded.

For Danny, it was the most glorious day of his life.

 

    

 

"Old man in the rain"" a short story by Craig Zimmerman

Brian Meadows was near the end of his shift when the old man approached him from out of the drizzling rain.

"Please help me" the old man said as he clutched Brian's arm. 

"What is it? What's wrong?" he asked the old man.

"Someone is after me." the old man said as he trembled with fear.

Brian looked around but couldn't see much through the miserable weather.

The old man was clearly terrified of something so Brian let him come into his office until he calmed down.

Over the course of about thirty minutes, the man gradually relaxed and Brian walked him to the edge of the property.

The old man walked away into the early morning mist and gradually disappeared.

Brian was closing up the office when he heard a loud scream. He rushed to the source of the sound but there was nothing there.

The old man may have been right. Something was after him.

 

"Suzie's Friend" a short story by Craig Zimmerman

Sometime in the middle of the night, Suzie heard her father stumble through the door of their trailer.

Muttering and cursing, Suzie's father stomped down the short hallway to her room and started banging on the door.

Suzie couldn't take another beating like the last time-so she hastily put on some clothes and escaped out the window.

With nowhere to go, Suzie ran to the abandoned cemetery across the street from the trailer park.

Sobbing uncontrollably, Suzie lay down in the cool grass at the foot of one of the old graves and eventually fell asleep.

A gentle nudging awakened Suzie and she looked into the concerned face of a beautiful woman and two police officers.

"Suzie, my name is Ms. Bryant and I'm a social worker with the city. Your father has been taken to a place where he can get some help. In the meantime, I have found a home for you with a nice family here in town." The young woman said.

Suzie was a little confused. "How did you find me?" she asked Ms. Bryant.

"A friend of yours told me you were here. I think he said his name was Johnny."

Suzie didn't know anyone named Johnny, but with a sudden urge she looked up at the old tombstone where she had slept. It said:

                            Our Beloved Son

                            Johnny Hanson

                              1920-1935

"Scream of the Fly" a short story by Craig Zimmerman

 Jessica Carson was excited about moving away from home for the first time, but her new apartment left much to be desired.

Her bedroom badly needed paint, and there was a big black spider in the windowsill.

Jessica had always been afraid of spiders, but the creature wasn't harming anything, so she let it be.

In the weeks that followed, Jessica was so busy with work and school that she didn't notice that a man in the neighborhood was watching her and making plans.

One moonless night when Jessica was sound asleep the man quietly forced open her bedroom window and began to climb inside.

The would-be rapist did not see the glittering black eyes of the spider until it was too late.

Jessica was awakened by a high-pitched whining coming from the window. She assumed that her arachnid friend had trapped another insect, and so she went back to sleep.

"Landfill" a short story by Craig Zimmerman

Far beneath the surface of the county landfill, the combination of a hundred chemicals and other substances created a dark new lifeform.

After several years of growth, the new creature was capable of movement, and it slowly undulated towards the surface.

Upon emerging from underground, the creature felt the warmth of the sun, but its crude eyes could only see shadows.

Compared to the quiet of the underground the surface was full of the vibrations of life.

The creature longed to communicate with the other lifeforms that it sensed, but there was no way to do so.

As the sun went down, the creature realized that it had no place on the surface, and it slowly returned to the cold familiarity of the underground.

"Summer's End" a short story by Craig Zimmerman

In his 13th year, Paul Carter first met Holly as she wandered through the north pasture of his family's farm picking flowers.

They stayed in the pasture for hours making up silly stories about the milk cows that surrounded them and eating blackberries.

Holly returned the next day, and the young couple hiked into the hills that the bordered Paul's home.

At a small waterfall, Holly took off her shoes and soaked her feet in the cold water.

"Where do you come from Holly?" Paul asked suddenly as he watched the sunshine stream through her hair.

Holly shrugged. "A lot of places, I guess. It's easy to make friends on the road."

For the rest of the Summer, the young couple spent almost every day together, but as August rolled around, Paul noticed that Holly was becoming anxious, and he wasn't surprised when she told him she was leaving.

On a hot Saturday afternoon, Paul watched Holly walk away forever through the same field where they first met.