Category: Fiction

THE DINNER SHOW

~ B.G. Smith

by B.G. Smith

Marcia smiles at the line of customers waiting to enter Marcia’s Murder Mysteries Dinner Show. Enthusiastic reviews exclaimed, “Very realistic show!” and “Delicious stew!” But before her recent idea, Marcia struggled to keep the lights on.

Today, business is booming. Besides, Marcia figures she’s providing a valuable service to the community. After all, New York City has the largest homeless population in the United States, according to HUD. Billing six shows Friday through Sunday, years could pass before she ran out of fresh bodies. Not to mention, her customers weren’t the only ones acquiring a taste for the savory stew.

DRAMA IN ONE ACT

~ B.G. Smith

by John Sheirer

A 1950s pickup approached four ornate dining chairs alongside a rural road. Red velvet cushions accented elaborately carved legs. But the backs were too skinny, the seats too wide. The wood was stained slightly too dark, dulling the red fabric. A drizzle began as the chairs loitered along the road instead of gracing the fine dining room they seemed meant to inhabit. A block-letter sign leaned against the chairs: “FREE” in foot-high red marker. How long had they waited? Tomorrow morning when the sun rises, they would begin to smell and rot. The truck’s brake lights flickered, then sped away.

EXPEDIENT DEMENTIA

~ B.G. Smith

by B.G. Smith

Ant wheeled his oxygen tank into the recreation room of the Palm Valley Assisted Living Facility. A television blared from the wall, “Human remains were found in Lake Mead this morning. Police believe the remains are that of a man who died from a gunshot wound in the mid-1970s.” He chuckled, recalling how difficult it was to get Vincenzo’s legs to fit into the 55-gallon drum. An orderly appeared in the doorway with a dark-haired woman.

“Mr. Russo, your daughter is here to see you.”

As he’d done since the lake started to recede, Ant pretended not to recognize Sofia.