Fifty Cent Words

Matthew’s mouth was bloody and disgusting. He was cursed. On the very first day of his life, the doctor gave him to his mother after a hard delivery, and to her surprise, she found he already had a teeny tiny tooth. Her surprise was soon followed by disgust at how very ugly the tooth was. As well as all the others to follow. She made Matthew brush five, sometimes six, times a day. She made him floss and gargle with mouthwash. She routinely plagued the neighborhood dentist with checkups and cleanings. But there was no use. Matthew’s teeth were always crooked and discolored. Always bleeding and infected.  After many years of teasing by others in school, and even more years of study, Matthew graduated from college. He was very talented and quickly rose to the top of his field. Despite his appearance, he found he was very well respected and soon also found himself a very rich man. Still, the shame of his unsightly appearance followed him and he spent most of his days feeling very lonel...

 "My dad told me that if you swing over the bar you'll turn inside out like a sock." "No way! That’s ridiculous." "Yes way! It’s physics. You just have never heard of it happening because it's impossible." "It's not impossible." "It's physically impossible man. No one can do it." "I can do it." “You can’t swing over the bar Cody” “Yes I can. I’ve done it before. Lots of times.” "OK. Prove it.” “I don’t feel like it right now Joel.” “See. You’re just saying that cause you can’t do it.” “I can do it. Just not right now. I've got a stomach ache.” “I dare you to swing over the bar Cody. I double dare you." Cody couldn’t turn down a double dare. He would be ridiculed for chickening out until the end of the school year. He had no choice but to give it his best shot. Hesitantly he walked to the swing set and sat down in the seat. Silently Joel watched the swing climb into the air. Cody's legs shot up...

They don’t make a strong enough coffee to keep you awake on nights like these. The road hypnotizes you. Your eyes get heavy. Next thing you know you’re starring at an 18 wheeler on the wrong side of the road about to turn you into a stain. That normally wakes you up. This time wasn’t like that. This time I woke up safely parked in front of a building with no clue how I got there. I shook off the sleep, pulled a smoke from the glove compartment, and raised my head to light it when I saw him in the rear view mirror. I jumped like a frightened school girl and screamed “Who the hell are YOU!” He just sat there staring. No response to my reaction whatsoever. He wasn’t really doing anything but looking out the window. He was dressed in a suit. Didn’t look dangerous so I assumed the guy probably was just a little drunk. I settled down a bit and sipped my coffee. “The names Charon. Where to big guy?” I asked. He hesitated but then clumsily said “Just down the road. I think. Just drive down thi...

There's someone in my house. I heard a window break and my front door creak open. Then the sounds of footsteps slowly entering. I can hear them right now shuffling through my home in the darkness. I'm trying to stay silent. Trying to slow my breathing. Maybe they'll go away. Maybe I can hide here in my room. Maybe it will all be ok. The footsteps continue up the stairs and I realize that's not going to happen. The sounds draw closer with every second until they pause in front of my bedroom door. Someone’s in my room. A filthy woman dressed in dirty tattered clothes. Her muddy boots leave footprints on the hardwood floor. I lie in my bed in shock and watch her slowly ease further through the threshold. Somehow, she seems so familiar. I don’t know her, but she resembles someone I do. Her eyes lock onto mine. I lay lifeless staring back gripped in terror. She says nothing and turns her attention to the vanity in the corner of the room. The woman sits down and stares into t...

“I can see your child through the window,” the voice on the phone said. “He’ll be dead before you’re home.” The phone cut out and Ben immediately dialed 911. “It’s probably just a prank but we’ll send someone by.” the dispatcher said. “Thank you, officer.” Ben hung up and several minutes later the phone rang again. “Mr. Sunders… I just wanted to let you know that we checked it out. Everything is fine. We spoke with the babysitter and all is well.” “Thank you so much. I hate that I wasted your time, officer.” “No problem at all. It was on my way home and the sitter seemed like a nice fella.” “Did you speak with Jordan?” “Yes sir. We talked to him. Good guy.” “Officer Can you please go back to my house right now. I’m on my way there.” “Mr. Sunders like I said we checked every...” “Jordan is a female, officer. Whoever you spoke to wasn’t her.” Ben rushed towards his house dialing Jordan’s cell repeatedly, each time getting voicemail. He slammed on the brakes in front of his house just mis...

Emily frantically made her way through town running two red lights and nearly hitting the neighbor’s dog as she screeched into the driveway. She only had time to grab her purse as she sprinted for the front door. “You're late.” “I'm sorry Mark. I had to stop by the grocery store on the way home.” “Did I ask you for an excuse?” “No, I just…” “You know what? Yes. Yes, I do recall telling you to be home by 6:30. Do you happen to remember that by any chance?” “Yes, I remember. It was a mistake. It won't happen again.” “I know it won't honey,” he said and slapped her violently to the ground. “Now look what you did. You've gone and made me hurt you. Why would you do such a terrible thing to me? You know what? I think you owe me an apology.” “I'm sorry. I was wrong. I’ll listen better next time. I promise.” “Good. Now go start dinner. All this stress you’ve caused me has worked up an appetite.” Emily pulled the meatloaf from the oven and began to ...

Mr. Green, I need to ask you a few questions. You should be asking her the questions. I’ve told you before she’s a murderer. Shelly Thompson died in the ICU two hours ago. She died? Well, I didn’t mean to kill her. She deserved far worse but I didn’t mean to do it. Let’s start at the beginning, Mr. Green. Tell me what happened. You already know everything. I told you two weeks ago when he went missing. Mr. Green, there was no evidence… Yeah, save it! I’ve heard it before! I wasn’t going to let that monster get off on a technicality. She got what she deserved. What happened at Ms. Thompson’s house, Mr. Green? I did what I had to do. What you should have done. I made her talk. I had to beat her for hours to get her to confess but in the end, she did. You beat her Mr. Green? Yes. I beat her till my hands bled and I couldn’t make a fist anymore. But she still wouldn’t crack. I had to use a bat to finally break her. And when she started talking what did she say? She told me she did it. She ...

"How was your trip down Mr. Picket?" the elderly man asked in a friendly tone. "Call me Lane,” I said with a smile. “The trip was wonderful. The country out here is just beautiful." "Well, you said on the phone you were eager to get started so come on inside." Mr. Tailor said, opening the door. We sat down at the kitchen table. Mr. Tailor offered me a glass of ice tea while I set up my recorder. We sat down, and the conversation began. “So what can you tell me about the incident?” “Just what I remember. I was about 5 or 6. Lived here on the farm with my mother and father. And of course Ren.” “Ren?” “My imaginary friend!” Mr. Tailor chuckled, “Ren and I loved playing in the cornfields. His favorite game was hide and seek.” “Can you tell me about that day?” “I was talking with Ren by the edge of the cornfield. It must have caught my father’s eye and he came running. He hollered out to me to get in the house. Of course, I did. I assumed Ren ...

“Come on. Let’s go hang behind the funhouse.” Kyle grinned. Jessica laughed and took Kyle’s hand quickly slipping out of the fairground crowd and into his arms. They kissed intimately for what seemed like minutes but the intensity of the make-out session caused both to lose track of time. Jessica checked her watch. “OK, Kyle. We really need to get back to the festivities. It’s getting late.” Jessica said pushing Kyle back out into the fairway. They emerged from their makeshift hideout to find the fair almost deserted. Both looked around puzzled at how quickly the crowd had left. “I guess we got carried away!” Kyle said smiling. Jessica smiled back at her boyfriend and they started toward the exit hand in hand. “What’s that?” Jessica asked pointing toward a figure in the distance. Kyle focused on the form of a flamboyantly dressed man walking out from a dark corner of the front of the fairground. The clown had a blank gaze on his white face as he slowly walked in the couple’s direction....

"Having trouble sleeping, Anna?" Anna turned in her bed to see her dad at her door. "Yes, daddy. I had a bad dream. Would you tell me a story to help me go back to sleep?" "Sure baby girl but you have to keep your eyes closed OK? It’s late and I have to work tomorrow so we both need to get our rest." "Yes sir. Thanks, daddy!" "Of course sweet girl. OK let’s see. Once upon a time, there was a beautiful princess…" Anna began to imagine the story her father was weaving in her head. Her mind was filled with images of princesses and knights, fairies and wizards, and of course prince charming. Her father’s comforting voice slowly faded as she began to drift to sleep. Then suddenly the story paused and she heard her father stand up. "Baby give me one second. I need to run to the restroom real quick and then I’ll continue the story." "OK, daddy." "Eyes closed now. You need to be trying to sleep, sweet girl." "...

It’s disgusting, this plastic world we live in. Everything nowadays is made of plastic and the masses just keep mindlessly buying. I can’t stand it. We’ve lost touch with the old-style markets full of handmade artisan pieces. The great works of art crafted by someone who spent a lifetime to perfect their craft. Things that mattered. Things that had a soul.  Maybe I’m just eccentric. Or maybe it’s my carpentry hobby that’s caused me to spot how beautiful a handmade piece is and how lifeless those plastic mass made products are. To each his own I guess but if people could just see what I see, I think they would change their minds.  If they saw the grain of the aged oak hand-selected from a wild forest. The smell of the freshly carved pine tingling in the air. The intricate dovetailing and meticulous joint alignment to lessen the eyesore of the steel nails. There’s so much to love about the process and what the labor produces. What I build has purpose and function but also life. ...

The boy woke in his bed finding himself in a nightmare. A man stood above him holding a knife to his throat. The man mumbled something to a woman nervously standing next to him. “What if we’re wrong?” the woman said with tears streaming down her face. “We’re not.” “This is sick John! I don’t think I can do it!” “If we don’t do this, everyone we love, everyone, will die. You know that. “But he’s only a child!” the woman sobbed. “Don’t let him fool you, Sara. He’s a monster. He can’t be allowed to live.” The man looked back at the child staring up at him frozen in a state of shock. He gritted his teeth and started to push the blade firmer against the child’s neck. The door flew open with a crack. An older woman ran in dressed in nightclothes. “Hurry Martha!” she screamed! Moments later Martha burst in pointing a shotgun at the intruders. “Call the police Bridget.” “You don’t know what he is!” the man pleaded. “You don't know what he'll become. We have to do this! It’s the only wa...

We found them. We brought them here. And as we watched our cities burn we realized what they were. They were monsters. Since the beginning, we had scanned the cosmos for any evidence that we weren't alone. One day a team of researchers found that evidence. Soon we had pinpointed their planet and every expert we had, set out to find a way to make contact. Eventually, we did. It was a very crude system and there were many messages received that made no sense. After years of deciphering the communications, we stumbled upon the solution and were finally able to understand what the aliens had been saying. They wanted to meet. We worked together after that for years sharing our technology and learning so much from theirs. Until finally the time had come. The aliens would travel the huge distance to our planet on what they called a "Peace Keeping Mission". The first of them arrived and met with our governments. They were so odd-looking. Honestly, I was terrified of them. But the...

I suddenly woke from a deep sleep with the horrible feeling that someone was watching me. It was extremely odd. I wasn't having a nightmare. I hadn't been startled awake by some strange noise. I simply woke up and felt like someone was staring at me. I tried to shake it off and explain away the uncomfortable feeling to no avail. The hair stood up on my neck. Terrified, I threw on a coat and left my apartment heading for the closest place open where I wouldn’t be alone. I stumbled upon a 24-hour diner a block away. I scanned the restaurant as I sat down happy to see an older couple having breakfast. I had finally calmed down and settled in when the waitress asked me for my order. "A cup of coffee please." I said. "And do you happen to have apple pie?" "Sure Hun!" she answered. "Coming right up!" I started to ready my coffee. Not too much cream but just enough to lighten the color and... The feeling returned. I jumped from the table...

The three men woke up in a white room each handcuffed to a table. As they cleared the grogginess from their eyes they noticed the gun lying on that table. “Good morning!” a speaker blared. “It’s very simple. There you sit. A medic, a cook, and a hitman. To live, decipher who the hitman is. The chains will release when he is dead, or he kills you. Let’s see what happens!” The recording abruptly stopped followed by silence. There was a loud scramble as all three reached for the gun. One snapping it up and pointing it at the other two. The three men freeze, and silence falls over them again. "Well we know he's not the killer." smirked one of the unarmed men. “How can you be so sure?” said the other. "If he were, we'd be dead now," he replied. “I'm the cook.” said the man with the gun. “Now who are you two?” One yells out pointing to the other, “He’s the killer! I'm the medic. Quick! Shoot him!” “Wait cook!” the other says. “He's lying! I'm the m...

The chiming clock thundered through the cabin as I made myself a glass of bourbon, turned around, and promptly let it fall to the floor. It had been over a year. Thirteen months of sorrow but impossibly, there she sat. Just as beautiful as the day I last saw her. I was frozen in a state of shock. Eyes wide. Mouth agape. In utter disbelief. She smiled that perfect smile extinguishing all my remaining fear. I couldn’t help myself. I moved towards her falling to my knees, my head in her lap. She lifted my eyes towards hers and kissed me. She was more than just my wife. She was my most trusted friend. My soul mate, if there is such a thing. My broken heart renewed as we lay next to one another. We communicated with nods and smiles, kisses and caresses. Not far removed from other couples that have developed their own "hidden" language. We danced. We stared into each other’s eyes. I held her for hours and hours praying the night would never end. Then of course, before I knew it, it...

I love my Sister Beth. She’s the greatest Sister in the whole wide world. She plays with Daddy and me even though she says she’s too old to play with little girls and when I have a bad dream she snuggles with me so I’m not so scared. But she was too scared to snuggle when the bad man came. We both were. Beth was asleep but I saw the bad man climb in the window. I was too frightened to move. The bad man grabbed Beth and covered her mouth. He held her in the air squirming until she stopped. I lay quietly acting like I was asleep. The bad man looked at me but must have heard my Daddy because he turned quickly, walked out of the room, and jumped out of the hallway window. I screamed for my Daddy but when he walked in all he could do was hold Beth and rock her while he cried. I cried too. I told Daddy it would be OK. That I saw everything and I would tell on that bad man that hurt my sister. The policeman came and looked at everything. There were so many people and I was trying so hard to g...

I would make her feel such pain. I would cut her heart from her chest. Her unbearable agony would finally quench the burning hatred that she had seeded in me throughout our marriage. I had thought many times of elaborate ways of inflicting upon her relentless anguish. Each situation more diabolical than the last. Everything from dismemberment to skinning her alive. I gleefully reveled in my daydreams and her pain. Until I stumbled upon the perfect plan. I would make her scream in horror and relish every second of it. I made ready everything the night before. I was to be on a hunting trip and not returning till morning. But I'd catch her off guard while she slept. When I was finished I'd be rid of her. She would be nothing more but a mass of flesh praying for death. I carefully opened the front door. There was a slight creaking sound but too faint for her to hear. Slowly I walked up the stairs precisely picking each step as I climbed. I turned the doorknob to our bedroom and cre...