Cold-Eyed Triage Nurses In High-Heeled Boots by Angel Obregon Forced into a Lesbian encounter in the fitting room. [Rated R] [2,527 words]
The Way To Bet by Angel Obregon The horrible result of reading a book called The Pleasures of Probability by Richard Isaac. [1,035 words]
...And Everything Goes Black by Darcy K Metz A nightmarish story about a young man, two taxi drivers, and one unforgettable wom... [2,517 words]
The Winds Of Change by Darcy K Metz This is the first short story I wrote based on characters in a novel I tried writing when I... [7,246 words]
The Trouble With Carla by Darcy K Metz This story follows a previous one, "The Winds of Change." This story is more of a horror... [4,905 words]
A Jennifer Love-Affair by Darcy K Metz A completely false story of a treeplanter from Vancouver who meets and falls in love wit... [3,869 words]
The Wicked Witch Of Creative Writing by Gary Donnelly Non-fiction/fiction. [1,418 words]
Dark Rebirth by Kerry L. Schofield Dark Rebirth is the story of a man named Senwick, who inherits on the death of his mysterious aged... [7,117 words]
Satan Smiled by Albert Davis - [3,737 words]
The Fourth Floor Landing by J. Michael Kearney A young firefighter recounts how a pompous Captain finally got his wish. [6,364 words]
Forever And Always by Virginia A. Sheppard A young woman is tormented by a decision she must make. Her four year old daughter lies help... [1,567 words]
Spring Break by Arlene Mason Another adventure for Keith Richardson, Private Investigator. This time his vacation is interupte... [4,784 words]
Hidden Reality by Lisamarie Jones Christina's lunch-break is not quite as it seems. [736 words]
Autumn Wind by Dorothy Getchell About an old man who must learn to deal with his wife's death. A very sad but moving story, if I m... [1,461 words]
Art Lovers by M J Martino A Guardian Angel's simple manipulation of fate allows two soulmates to meet for the very first, and ... [2,481 words]
There Be Dragons by Scott Jones A young couple on an afternoon jaunt get more than they bargained for. [1,809 words]
The Empty Bay by Alex Empire [461 words]
On The Other Side by Lisamarie Jones This is a story about a young girl who is tired of being pushed around. She takes matters int... [1,134 words]
The Witness by Thomas J Misuraca A Kafka-esque story in which a man finds himself and his loved ones in danger if he reveals informa... [2,244 words]
The Perfect Kiss by A Shockley A teenager wonders about the word "Love." She begins to believe that what she has heard about... [1,959 words]
The Running Man by Eric Allen Written for freshman English class, to explore the concept, meaning, and definition of heroism.... [1,091 words]
Come Back, Mr. Mojo Risin' by Noel Dolan Kennedy James lost her beloved brother in the Vietnam War. A year later she sees leg... [4,245 words]
God's Messenger by Tom Di Roma About the influence an elderly gentleman has on the patrons of the diner where he has been froz... [5,970 words]
The Good Gun by Russ Bauer A lone women prepares to leave a city falling into chaos. She also has to protect herself from som... [1,564 words]
A Day In Dell by Barbara Villarreal Old west setting... good vs evil. [1,969 words]
My Boy's Best Friend by Melissa Allen About a girl who can't stand her boyfriend's bestfriend and then one day she finds out she... [4,020 words]
Music To My Ear by Melissa Allen About a girl who cannot stand a guy and then she has to sing with him in her band and realizes ...
It's A Wonderful Life by Jennifer M Haynes The story of a man surviving (and wishing he hadn't) a nuclear war. What happened before ... [1,950 words]
The Jigsaw Puzzle by Jennifer M Haynes A teenager tries to free himself from the sickenly perfect town he lives in, to make it into ... [1,084 words]
A Teen's Diary Entry by Rachel Elaine Reeves A teenager writes a diary entry after driving drunk and killing four people. Her chilling... [295 words]
Sticks by Charmaine L. Glass With the help of an overweight classmate, an underweight girl finds her hidden courage to overcome teasi... [877 words]
Always With You, A Collection by Toni Jaquay Lynch Always With You - It's a story of undying love. [514 words] I Will Feel It - It's... [149 words]
The Big Bang by Darcy K Metz A short short about a man who meets himself. [196 words]
Escape To Samsun by J A Melody A tale of three comrades, chartering their epic path to freedom, and to escape the horror that... [2,450 words]
Haul Out The Holly by Jennifer L O'callaghan This is a holiday story I wrote for a writing class, inspired by what my sisters and I call... [2,087 words]
Warriors' Mired Blades by Daniel A. Souers A true medieval and inspiring masterpiece that brings the reader within the mind of a gr... [1,799 words]
Fake Reality by Erin D. Traynum Covers the thoughts and influences of a gold digger at the moment when she commits suicide. [1,034 words]
Through The Window by Erin D. Traynum This story is about a nine year old girl who is being sexually abused. [1,211 words]
Florence by Gérard Ducasse A rather banal love story. [762 words]
Deposit Three Billion Dollars For The Next Two Minutes by Angel Obregon This is the horrible result of watching 3 X-FILES re-run... [2,931 words]
Quarter Of A Century by Drexler McStyles This short story is an obscene tale of insanity and excessive drug use set in Las Vegas. [4,084 words, Rated R]
Destroy The Link by Jennifer M Haynes Story of a girl who comes home from school to find things are wrong, and then realizes that sh... [3,333 words]
Packed With Peanuts
Bovinza by Duane A Wood/Caveman A 12 year old boy has a peculiar, reoccuring dream about, of all things, a cow. To discover its meaning... [898 words]
Shear Trouble by Addison Gast A short story. [514 words]
Blues In The Closet by Victoria King Angel Obregon submitted this for Victoria King who is operating without the Net in mor... [3,998 words]
Checkout Time by Louise Friedman It's a tale of too young, self destructive, certifiable girl who married a slug and allowed him t... [1,664 words]
A Quarrel In The Forest by Darcy K Metz An argument between a cedar tree and a stone resolves itself after much time. [161 words]
Remember The Bubbles by Dana Drew The story of an elderly man rekindling his youth with the help of a playful child. [623 words]
The Mistake by Kavan Tate drama of a boy's decision gone wrong [504 words]
Mike and Sadie Mae by Judith Z Marrs Short story. [4,038 words]
A Work of Art by Roy L Pickering Jr The tale of man who feels trapped in the merely serviceable existence he believes he has settled ... [3,944 words]
Elizabeth by Christine Dorothea-Maris A short mystery story about a widow, taken in by her late family's husband in the late 1890's, who ha... [255 words]
Home by Matt Matics This short story (or possible beginning to a longer piece) is ostensibly "about" a boy returning home from... [3,299 words]
Cold Wind by David H. Paniagua The short story of three soldiers who've deserted the battlefield of WWI, only to discover they've be... [1,345 words]
The Fortune Teller by Michael J McGrath A group of friends encounter a mysterious fortune teller who changes lives. [975 words]
Transition by Oliver Thomas Coles Brackenbury A man trapped between two great fears of the unknown, one which he has left behind and one which mus... [916 words]
Yasha Tafipolsky by S Lichtenstein A story of the Russian Revolution, its effect on the people, and the struggles of the Tafipols... [8,644 words]
Twenties by Larry D. Griffin Flash Fiction [668 words]
Tiki's Revenge by Edward L Wier A short-story of a lesser god's dwindling popularity in the spirit world. The Christians and t... [8,078 words]
Outlaws by M H Doty It is a irreverent piece about falling in lust in a beautiful tropical town with an outlaw-type guy! [2,500 words]
The Cake in His Pocket by M Betette A dark comedy about a very disfunctional and very happy family. [850 words]
Blue Dog Days by W Delaney This short story is about an ex-politician turned political writer named John Gerrick. The story ... [2,000 words]
The Doona Drag, A Collection by S Lichtenstein The Doona Drag - A humorous look at the plight of modern middle-aged man, coping w... [650 words]
The Girl in the Ocean by Edward D Adams Two women are dead and only one man cares about finding out who did it. In catching the ... [4,300 words, Mystery]
(Un)Faithful by P D Woo How do you forgive someone you love? What if you'd betrayed them before and they'd forgiven you? W... [1,050 words]
Leaving by Murray Evans Leaving home for not just a new country, but a new world. [4,050 words]
The Perfect Joke by J A Young A dark and funny slice of life detailing a boy's search for perfection. [1,800 word]
Bazaar by W I B R Smith This story was inspired (very) loosely by an incident which happened to me in college, back in 1991, whe... [5,500 words]
Age Before Beauty by Mary Ann Savage Women get bored and restless in some of these apartment complexes. Even old ladies. Let the g... [1,900 words]
Weeds by Mary Ann Savage This is not really about flowers, not really about love. [1,350 words]
Adult Bookstore by Sal Morano Experiencing frustration and stress, a reformed porno junkie comes face to face with the urge t... [4,500 words]
The Magic Ball
The Beast
Pfarfenagle
The Sheriff
The Alien
Vampires
Jealousy
Corrine and Victoria
Destiny
The Death Reader
Early One Morning
Lost Four Words
Lavender Moon
Sweet Angela
Iridescent Imagery
Christmas Shopping
It's Been There...
Burnt Out
Stolen
Tinfoil Memories
A Pang of Pity
The Way It Ends
Miss America
Don't Ask
Obsession
Tales from the Altar
Waves
In the Cards
Billy
Looking At Me
The Gift
Suspension of Disbelief
Bingo Blood
The Belief
Aunt Rose's Revenge
Lytle Creek Trek
Utter Untruths
Protect and Serve
The Figure
The Last Tenant
Into the Knight
Salugi at Starbucks
The Parent Hunt
The Last Laugh
Mother's Day
The Cop
The Red Eagle
The Grand Old Party
Lacy and the Bear
Locusts
Unconfessed Sins
Rules of Civil Procedure
Do Unto Others
A Stranger Dressed Black
Strike Force - The Reckoning
The Doorway
Coping
Sniper Hunt, A Collection
The Slayer
Some days you're the pigeon...
Go to page: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40 41 42 43 44 45 46 47 48 49 [50]
| |
TITLE (EDIT)
Packed With Peanuts |
DESCRIPTION
This is a flash fiction piece I wrote for a writing class about an attempted late night snack.
[731 words] |
AUTHOR
Jennifer L O'callaghan |
ABOUT
THE AUTHOR
-
[November 2001] |
AUTHOR'S E-MAIL ADDRESS
baby_fish_mouth@hotmail.com |
AUTHOR'S OTHER TITLES (5)
Haul Out The Holly (Short Stories) This is a holiday story I wrote for a writing class, inspired by what my sisters and I call "The House of Tacky" in our neighborhood. [2,087 words]
Make Him Crave You (Short Stories) When bad dating advice happens to clueless women. [1,674 words] [Humor]
My Mother, The Halloweenie (Essays) Reflections on my favorite holiday and how it has changed. [1,460 words] [Humor]
Not Necessarily Cancer (Short Stories) A young woman's reaction to her abnormal Pap smear. [1,920 words] [Literary Fiction]
Remembering Jamie (Essays) Thoughts following the unexpected death of an old friend [793 words]
|
Packed With Peanuts
Jennifer L O'callaghan
Marilyn stifled a yawn with her fist and squinted at the clock, which blinked 2:30 a.m. with red digital urgency. A familiar grumble from her stomach nagged her to get out of bed. She swung her legs out from beneath the covers and stepped onto the cold tile floor. She knew what she had to do.
In the pile of laundry squatting on her closet floor, Marilyn found a dollar crumpled in the pocket of a pair of Levi's. Like everything else in her closet the jeans were just a bit too snug to remind her (or so her mother said) of how much better her life would be if she could just lose a few pounds.
From across the room her roommate stirred, but did not wake. Marilyn tiptoed over to the door and eased it open. She peered down the empty hall, littered with empty beer bottles and boxes of cold pizza. Her gaze fell on a figure shrouded in a halo of fluorescence, beckoning her to come, come to the light. Her stomach gurgled a response and she stole down the hallway to pay her nightly homage to the Phoenix Vending gods.
A choir of pretzels and chips sang hosannas of monosodium glutamate to her from behind the glass. As if to test her will, the machine at first rejected her offering, spitting the dollar out in a disgusted buzz. She knelt on the carpeting and pressed the bill flat between her palms. On her second attempt, the Phoenix accepted the dollar. She punched E-4 and waited while the silver coil around the waist of the Snickers retreated to the back of the machine. Marilyn closed her eyes to listen to the thunk of candy hitting the tray below the rows of Juju Bees, lifesavers and Slim Jim twinpacks, but the thunk never came. The machine burped out forty cents and then fell silent.
For a moment she stared at the empty tray in disbelief, willing the missing candy to appear. She looked again at the Snickers coil, which now sat empty and brooding. And then she spied her missing treat, stopped in mid-swan dive by a bag of M&M’s, just inches away from its destination.
Marilyn felt heat rising to her cheeks. In a burst of adrenaline, she heaved the machine from side to side. The Snickers did not budge, but she did manage to knock a three-pack of condoms free. She sighed and blew her bangs from her eyes, aware that at any moment one of her hallmates could emerge from their rooms and catch her battle at the vending machine. She looked down at the remaining three coins that had melded themselves into the crease of her palms. Maybe there was still hope.
The Fritos, she noticed, were positioned almost directly above where the Snickers' flight had stalled. She nodded at the lead bag and then fed the machine a second time. When she pushed G-4, the Fritos rocketed towards the Snickers, but glanced off the candy bar and bounced harmlessly into the tray.
Marilyn’s stomach growled again, as if to say that although they were much easier to reach, Fritos would not make a suitable substitute for the snack that really satisfies. She could almost feel the tendrils of caramel stroking her chin and taste the nougat squishing between her teeth.
She studied the machine carefully and estimated that the Snickers was really only about six inches from its destination. She pushed up her sweatshirt sleeves and crouched next to the Phoenix. Her arm snaked up past the row of sugar-free gum until her fingers brushed the wrapper fringe. The Snickers bar swayed for a moment and then tumbled into her outstretched hand. Marilyn yelped in delight. Her joy fizzled, however, when she realized that the vending machine had a tight grip on her arm. She pulled and twisted to no avail. Marilyn was stuck.
Five hours later a team of firemen, summoned by her hallmates, arrived on the scene to extract her from the Phoenix’s embrace. Through a suppressed smile, her resident assistant lectured Marilyn about the hidden hazards of vending machines and then issued her a vandalism ticket to pay for the damages inflicted during her rescue.
The hall emptied suddenly as her hallmates rushed off to class. Marilyn gazed for a moment at the darkened vending machine. Then she shuffled down the hall to her room, still clutching the Snickers bar.
|
READER'S REVIEWS (4)
DISCLAIMER: STORYMANIA DOES NOT PROVIDE AND IS NOT RESPONSIBLE FOR REVIEWS. ALL REVIEWS ARE PROVIDED BY NON-ASSOCIATED VISITORS, REGARDLESS OF THE WAY THEY CALL THEMSELVES.
"Well....I don't understand what you mean by "looking for your voice." You have a great way with description and you "show" rather than "tell" what is happening, which is where most writers miss the boat. The best advice I can give you is....Keep it up! You have a real talent." -- Gary Gordon (a.k.a. Lo Phat Ham), Phoenix, Arizona.
"Ummm, I like the name of the title, but I honestly don't believe the title and the shory story are a perfect match." -- Amanda Castro-Socci, Washington, DC.
"Packed with peanuts: Snickers satisfies. I know the feeling. :-)" -- R. Bennett Okerstrom.
"Finally! After sorting through an amazing amount of sadism, sorcery, evil, death, mayhem, social evils and personal stories of distress and failure, I find a decent interesting story written in a finely crafted manner. A short story that moves me to think about a snack! Very nicely done!" -- Dohn Gayne.
TO DELETE UNWANTED REVIEWS CLICK HERE! (SELECT "MANAGE TITLE REVIEWS" ACTION) |
|
Submit Your Review for Packed With Peanuts
Required fields are marked with (*).
Your e-mail address will not be displayed.
|
|
Submit Your Rating for Packed With Peanuts
|
COPYRIGHT NOTICE
© 1999 Jennifer L O'callaghan |
STORYMANIA PUBLICATION DATE
November 1999 |
NUMBER OF TIMES TITLE VIEWED
2386
|
|
