"Knock Softly" a short story by Craig Zimmerman

Susan Long sat on her porch with a cup of tea and watched the sun set behind the distant mountains. Her dog Debbie lay beside her quietly watching the desert that surrounded Susan's home. The dog was usually out chasing a rabbit or a lizard but lately she just lay on the porch surveying the wasteland beyond.

The next day, Susan had to be at work early so she watched a little TV and then hit the sack. Sometime, in the middle of the night, she was awakened by a tremendous crash as if someone was trying to break down her door.

Susan grabbed a shotgun that she kept on a rack and raced to the living room. Debbie was barking furiously while the door buckled from hammer blows. Susan aimed her shotgun and whatever came through was going to get a double dose of buckshot. 

One final blow and the door gave way. Susan was expecting something massive, but the intruder was a small rat-like creature that stared at her with multiple black eyes. Susan pulled the trigger of her 12 gauge, and the heavy pellets disintegrated the horrible thing. 

After the ordeal was over, Susan considered that the creature may have been an alien visitor with no intent to harm, but it wasn't her fault that the beast didn't know how to properly knock on a door.

"Summer of Woodstock" a short story by Craig Zimmerman

Haley was looking at old photos with her grandma Rachel when they came upon the picture of a young girl with a flower garland in her hair. Who's that grandma?" Hayley asked pointing at the photo. 

"That's me at Woodstock" her grandma answered. Hayley's eyes got big. "My history teacher talks about the Woodstock festival all the time." "Now I do feel old" her grandma joked.

 Haley was full of questions, but it was getting late and she had to call her mom in the morning. Haley drifted off to sleep almost immediately and then the honking of a car horn woke her up and instead of a bed she was laying in the grass on the side of a busy road.

Dozens of old-fashioned cars formed a line that seemed to stretch for miles. Haley had no idea what was going on, but a truck painted all sorts of strange colors stopped and motioned for her to get in. Haley hesitated and then accepted the ride.

"Are you going to the festival?" a young woman with a toddler on her lap asked. Haley nodded unsure of what was going on. The woman introduced herself as Felicia, her two kids were George and Wendy and her husband who was driving the truck was Larry.

Felicia made silver jewelry and was hoping to sell some at the music festival where everyone seemed to be going. The line of cars moved slowly, and they arrived in early evening. Haley was shocked at how many people were there. Before Felicia left to set up her booth, she gave Haley a small silver and turquoise ring.

Somewhere in the distance, Haley could see a stage and she walked towards it. A band called "The Who" was playing a song and at the end smashed their instruments. Haley watched a couple of other bands and then started to get tired. She moved through the crowd and for a few seconds she shared a glance with a girl who kind of looked like her and had a flower garland in her hair.

Haley found a place under a tree and gradually went to sleep. She was awakened by her grandmother telling her that breakfast was ready. The festival and all the people she met had been some kind of weird dream, but then she noticed the silver and turquoise ring that was still on her finger.

"The New Tenant" a short story by Craig Zimmerman

Lisa Abbot had to admit that she was a little bit afraid of her new tenant. James Clark was always polite and respectful, but there was something oddly menacing about him.

Before he moved in, Lisa had done a thorough background check on Clark and there wasn't even a hint of trouble. He worked as a remote consultant for a federal agency and spent the rest of his time hiking the Virginia hills that surrounded Lisa's property.

More than once, Lisa thought about asking Mr. Clark to find another place to live, but she really needed the money to pay the mortgage on her ranch. It had been so much different when she was first married. Lisa had been deeply in love with her husband Frank and when they bought the ranch, she thought her happiness would never end.

The changes came gradually; Frank began drinking and became abusive. Lisa tried everything to help him, but the violence became worse and on one terrible night, Frank tried to kill her. The judge sentenced Frank to ten years in prison and Lisa dreaded the thought of him being free.

Over time, Lisa became used to James' somewhat eccentric lifestyle and looked forward to seeing him come back from his excursions into the forest. He smelled of Maple and Pine and there was something of the wilderness in him.

One night while Lisa was at the kitchen table paying bills, she heard a noise outside and assumed it was her dog Plato, but she was shocked to her core when her ex-husband Frank started banging on the door- demanding to be let in.

The door splintered as Lisa reached for her phone and Frank grabbed her by the throat. Lisa tried to fight back but Frank was enormously strong and cruel.

Under the onslaught of blows, Lisa felt herself getting weaker and then it suddenly stopped. From out of nowhere, James stood in front of Lisa-protecting her from Frank's rage. Her ex-husband drew a knife and lunged at James, but her roommate easily evaded the blade and in a blur of motion sent Frank tumbling to the floor.

After the police had taken Frank away, Lisa was curious about something. "How come you came back early from your hike?" she asked James. He looked toward the hills and answered: "I just had a feeling that you needed me."

 

"The Selection" a short story by Craig Zimmerman

Matt Pierce stood with his back against the wall of the gym and watched as the two captains appointed by Mr. Tachuk chose their teams. The best athletes were picked first and then the two team leaders grudgingly accepted the remaining screwballs.

Matt was usually chosen last or next to last. He was well aware that his athletic abilities were lacking but he resented being humiliated just because he wasn't good at sports. On this particular day, the two captains argued about who would be stuck with him.

Mr. Tachuk finally intervened and put him on Ed Carson's squad. The activity of the day was dodgeball, and Matt watched the rest of the class form on the gym floor to start the game. "Let's get moving Pierce" Mr. Tachuk said with a look of irritation, but Matt stayed where he was. 

The gym teacher walked up to Matt. "Is there something wrong? are you sick?" Matt shook his head. "I just don't want to play" Mr. Tachuk looked confused as if he had never heard such a thing before. "This is a physical education class Mr. Pierce and if you aren't sick then you are required to participate."

At one time, Matt would have been intimidated by the gym teacher's order, but something in him had moved and he no longer gave a shit. "I'm not playing" he said finally. Tachuk glared at Matt "We're going to have a little talk once class is over." he said in a low voice.

For the next hour, Matt watched the weaker kids get pummeled with the ball by the stronger kids and realized that was probably what the rest of his life was going to be like, but for today he wanted no part of it.

"Suburban Rituals" a short story by Craig Zimmerman

17-year-old Thomas Brooks was well aware that the country club dance was one of the tribal customs that the upper classes had to endure in order to advance to the next level, but he hated it all and in the middle of the present gala, he grabbed his coat and left. 

Thomas drove aimlessly and tried to understand his restlessness and anger. His family was very wealthy, and he had never wanted for anything. He should be happy, but he wasn't. Without a particular destination in mind, Thomas headed for the beach.

Somewhere near the waterfront, he spotted a girl in front of a mini mart and picked her up. At the same mini mart, he paid an old man to buy him a bottle of wine. Once that was accomplished, he took the girl and the wine to a secluded place on the beach. 

The girl's name was Donna, and she was from Nebraska or some state in the mid-west. The details became a little fuzzy after Thomas consumed some of the fortified wine. After sharing the bottle with Donna, Thomas gradually fell asleep and in the morning the girl and his wallet were gone.

Thomas knew that he didn't have the courage to sustain a long-term rebellion, so he pulled himself up from the sand and tried to figure out what he was going to tell his father.

"Bruno's Pizza" a short story by Craig Zimmerman

Every Friday night, the order came into Bruno's Pizza for a large pepperoni pizza to be delivered to the old Hazelwood mansion. The assignment always fell to new drivers like Robert because the ancient house was notoriously hard to find- even with the aid of GPS.

All the other drivers laughed at Robert as he put the pizza in his car, and headed out of the parking lot. The GPS signal took him to the outskirts of town and then into the dense forest beyond. About ten miles out of town, Robert's cell phone died and he had to figure out which way to go. 

A faded sign pointed the way to the Hazelwood place, but the road soon became impassable with fallen trees. Determined to deliver the pizza, Robert got out of his car and walked down a lonely dark road. Somewhere in the distance, Robert could see a light and he hurried to it.

Robert finally arrived at the mansion around midnight and knocked on a huge oak door. A stunningly beautiful young woman answered. "I'm really sorry it took so long" Robert apologized. The woman smiled. "No need to apologize, you're right on time." Robert looked at his watch and sure enough it had only been twenty minutes since he had left Bruno's, but he was positive that hours had passed.

The young lady whose name was Julia gave him a fifty-dollar tip and her phone number. The other guys were never going to believe this.

"Flaming Springs" a short story by Craig Zimmerman

The only way to get to "Flaming Springs" was 15 miles up a steep and rocky trail. Some brave souls tried biking it, but Michelle Brinks and her boyfriend Dennis were packing everything on their backs and walking the trail.

The couple started the grueling hike early in the morning and had made it about half-way by noon. Michelle was looking forward to soaking her aching legs in the warm water of the springs. 

It was early evening when the pair finally arrived in the meadow that contained several hot pools. Michelle was disappointed to see a tent pitched at the other end of the clearing. She was hoping they had the place to themselves.

After unpacking their gear and setting up a tent, Michelle changed into her swimsuit and stepped into a nearby pool that was lined with smooth rocks. The water was heavenly and she never wanted to leave. Dennis soon joined her and they shared some wine while the sun sank below the horizon. 

The next morning, Michelle made breakfast and wondered about the tent across the meadow. She hadn't seen anyone near the campsite since they got there. Of course, it was possible that the owners were on an extended hike, but it still seemed odd. 

While gathering water for lunch, Michelle noticed strange lights pulsating from the deserted tent and assumed that the owners had returned. Dennis was out in the woods somewhere so Michelle decided to investigate by herself.

The lights became brighter as she walked across the clearing and bizarre mechanical sounds also issued from the tent. Michelle called out several times, but no one came out of the structure. The lights and sound were more intense than ever and she unzipped the opening.

A vast cavern appeared and Michelle stepped into another world. She began walking without and stopped when she noticed something ahead of her. A large table was occupied by dark and strange creatures. One of the beings stood up. "Please have a seat Michelle-we've been expecting you." it said.