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Short Stories




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]
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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 G�rard 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 by Jennifer L O'callaghan This is a flash fiction piece I wrote for a writing class about an attempted late night sna... [731 words]
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]
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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]
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Cold Wind
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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]
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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...

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TITLE (EDIT)
Cold Wind
DESCRIPTION
The short story of three soldiers who've deserted the battlefield of WWI, only to discover they've been set up into something much worse.
[1,345 words]
AUTHOR
David H. Paniagua

Paniagua

ABOUT THE AUTHOR
David H. Paniagua is the Inland Journalism Education Association winner for Critical Review, and a student at Chaffey Community College. He is currently working on his first book, entitled The Couple.
[March 2000]
AUTHOR'S E-MAIL ADDRESS
[email protected]
AUTHOR'S OTHER TITLES (1)
Wasting Time (Short Stories) The story of a drug dealer, his bisexual girlfriend, and other wacked-out people in his life. [1,783 words]
Cold Wind
David H. Paniagua

Cold wind blowing in the August sky. Three soldiers of the 45th Division pace themselves in the field, cautious of freezing temperatures. Captain Josh Stevens is leading his men toward another town, unknown to any of them its name or if the enemy awaits. What only matters is a ticket home on the hospital train. It is somewhere on the horizon, buried deep in their war-ridden bodies and dancing in dreams full of anger. They had lost so many men in the last few days. Stevens managed to get his compass working again. 45th Division walked into their temporary destination after a ten-hour hike of dead-ends and close calls.
Stevens' company included a sniper, Private Michael McReady. He had been carrying the last rounds of a Vickers machine gun. Private Kevin Brynes maintained the standard-issue rifles and handguns. The Captain pointed toward a derelict building; about three stories tall and wide enough to house several dozen people. In the distance, the crackle of gunfire and German howitzers blowing their hellfire was finally going away. Actions against the soldiers could result in being kicked out of the Army they strived to serve, but there were other means to an end now.
Private McReady set the Vickers on the roof, scoping out the open land ahead of them. When nightfall overwhelmed the deserted town, the Captain went up to talk to his best friend.
"Been awhile since we got into action," said Stevens. "How long before they get over here?"
"Shouldn't be too long, sir. There's a couple lights flashing about three o'clock and six o'clock. My guess is that we won't have company for another six to twelve hours. Could be earlier, who knows, but I believe it would be best in leaving a little early."
"Well, Brynes is out cold. He loves to sleep early, I guess. Have you ever seen a man that went to sleep at eight o'clock?"
"Can't say that I have, sir." McReady panned left to right, and back again. "I can see another howitzer explosion coming about ten o'clock there. What's your estimate on how long the fort will last?"
"Another half-hour. It's doomed, just like everything we're fighting for, son. I want to go back home. We all do, it's a given. Then again, I don't know if my job will be there when I get back. All kinds of questions in my head. I'm sure you got the same problems, and it can get pretty worse once we arrive on U.S. soil again. The Army folks are going to really get on our case, too."
"We'll think of something, sir."
Josh pats him on the shoulder, walking back to a hotel room on the second floor. Brynes is in the same room. The snoring that accompanied any of the Private's deep sleeps is missing. Stevens is alarmed, and walks toward his bed.
Nothing.
Private Kevin Brynes has disappeared. Unaware of his actions, the Captain races back outside. This time on the crumbled streets of the town. McReady is not in the direction of which Josh is standing and sees nothing.
Stevens takes out a handgun, pulling the safety off and aiming it every few moments. He whispers for Brynes, who has been known to pull pranks in the past. A dead silence is the response. But the Captain continues his search. Too many soldiers have died in the last few weeks. And for what? A few yards of land? That wasn't the way he was going to leave this Earth. Josh had more to live for.
He walks into the first building next to their hideout. Walking slowly up the stairs, Stevens calls out for his name again. There's a loud crack coming from somewhere up the staircase. The Captain aims the handgun, ready for another attack with the Germans.
"Brynes, you there?" he asks.
Suddenly, another crack. Even closer this time. Stevens races up the staircase to the second floor, charging through the first door on his left. He jumps out of the way of one German and fires at the other. The round goes off, hitting the German in the chest. The enemy falls to the floor, releasing his grip on the bloodied Brynes. Stevens checks the Private's pulse. It's slow, but he'll live for now. The Captain runs out of the room, firing off a few more rounds into the escaping German. He falls down the staircase.
Josh pulls out a clothed bandage, wrapping it around Bryne's forehead. The bleeding has let up. "What happened, son?" the Captain asked.
"The Germans are here, Captain. You gotta go warn McReady. They're everywhere."
"Why didn't they see us on the roof?"
"I don't know. Get him off into this building. Hurry."
Stevens runs out of the room, walking upstairs to the roof. He looks straight in the direction of McReady's position, seeing nothing but the Vickers. A second soldier has gone missing.
That's when the body of Private Michael McReady was thrown over the building by more soldiers. Stevens cried out in anger, firing off shots that barely missed the enemy. Something is said between the soldiers, as they move back down the building and toward the other.
"Oh, God, they killed Mike," the Captain said. "Can you walk? We have to move."
"Yeah, I'm fine. Get me two handguns." Josh pulls out two sets of handguns, supplying the last remaining soldier with security. "I'll make the run first. You take the second charge, it's the only way you'll get to safety."
"What about you, sir? Don't you want to chance it together?"
"There's no time. You're going to have to just do it. Do you follow me?"
A short pause, and Brynes responded, "Yes, sir. Loud and clear." Captain Josh Stevens nods his head, and starts for the flight of stairs. Private Brynes brings up the rear, covering the Captain's movements.
The two remaining soldiers in 45th Division make their way down north of the town. Germans are already firing, missing their targets but gaining on them. Stevens and Brynes fire back, hitting dirt. The Captain signals for Brynes to split up into the alley. He hesitates, knowing they might never see each other again. "Just make sure you make it to the train, son. You got that?" Brynes nods.
Captain Josh Stevens runs back into the line of fire, getting the attention of the incoming German troops. Kevin Brynes starts for the alley, climbing over a wall and into a river. He can't hear anything but the rush of water and a few sharp cracks from behind.
The gunfire sounds awfully like the Captain's, but he can't be sure anymore. Kevin scrambles out of the river, up a hill and comes in contact with an American holding a rifle.
"Identify yourself," the soldier says.
"Private Kevin Brynes. 45th Division."
"What brings you over here in this condition, Private?"
"My team was wiped out by the Germans in that town, sir."
"How'd you get there?"
"Captain Josh Stevens, sir. He led us out of the danger for as long as he could."
"Okay, soldier, go clean yourself over there." He points to the squad of troops checking rifles, handguns, and artillery shells. "We're about to take over the town right now. You stay behind. There's a lot of mess to clean up." Kevin Brynes walks over to the troops, saluting the Captain.
***
Dawn breaks across the field. The bodies of the Germans, Private McReady, and the Captain of 45th Division are taken out. McReady and Stevens are placed in a separate ditch. Kevin helps the troops bury the dead. He wants a moment alone to thank his friends for keeping him alive all these months. The Captain of the squad cannot let him have his wish. They are to leave for U.S. soil in four hours. As the remaining 45th Division soldier and the troops move on out, the temperature swiftly changes. The cold soldiers are given a chance to feel the heat again. Cold wind blowing in the August sky once again.

 

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COPYRIGHT NOTICE
© 1999 David H. Paniagua
STORYMANIA PUBLICATION DATE
October 1999
NUMBER OF TIMES TITLE VIEWED
1790
 

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