One Sentence to One Word Stories are Shortest — here are some

                                                              BEFORE

I imagined her in my bed as she vsualized details of all our ten of our children.

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                                                           PURITY

When I looked carefully at her I knew all my good reasons had filled like garbage containers.

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                                                         MISTAKE

Oppsp!

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                                                         THE BEST

You notified me of enemies and taught me life for 14 years, but died leashed, I regreat the leash.

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                                                 STOOD BY ME

All the others were long dead, only you Sue came back to see me as a ghost.

‘Desperate Search for Humanity’ by Ray Cates (Adolphus)

He searched Atlanta after the plague. He had survived and maybe there were others.

The dead were piled on top of the dead. He thought, ‘This is all for nothing. Not a human sound or movement.’

On the 5th day at a terrible, dirty school for the retarded he heard someone screaming, ‘Mommie.’

He broke a lock off a square box surrounded by dead children. A crazed wild girl emerged and attacked him, pounding with her fists saying, “You son of a bitch daddy. I need to fuckin eat!”

He tied her hands and pulled her along while he looked franically everywhere else.

‘Orders’ by Ray Cates (Adolphus)

He was a trained soldier, at war. For three days and nights he had been shooting, running and digging holes. The captain said, “Take no prisioners.”

The rest of them were asleep, only six had survived. He was the night guard, and his night goggles were lost the first day.

One of the enemy jumped in his foxhole with him. He knew it was the enemy because the soldier said in broken English, “Take me prisioner, I would live in America.”

It was too close for a gun and he shoved his knife in the rather soft stomach and blood warmed his hand. He wanted to think, ‘It could be a trick’, or ‘Orders are orders’. But he now knew murder.

‘Breakthrough’ by Ray Cates (Adolphus)

The boy went for counseling every Friday and talked about his mother. The counselor identified his mother as his main problem. He hated his mother, but of forty three sessions, in forty two he thought about killing his counselor.

Now at work on the stamping machine, all he ever thought aobut was getting his two hands around the counselor’s throat and squeezing.

He was just beginning to like his dead mother.

‘Certain Flaws Make the Perfect Marriage’ by Ray Cates (Adolphus)

She didn’t see without her glasses, but thought glasses made her look old.

He couldn’t hear much without his hearing aids, but faked listening well.

They sat together every day in Lascaster Park. She didn’t notice his defects, he always smiled, such a nice smile, when she explained how she really was.

‘Makeovers’ by Ray Cates (Adolphus)

In the doctors office she thought, ‘I wish I had worn my blue dress so he could see my legs better.’

He thought, ‘Her red dress is stunning and what a beautiful face. I wish she would speak to me.’

She decided after seeing him that day to see another doctor and get her nose fixed.

How to contact the author

To contact the author Ray Cates send your comments to him at: rcates2@cox.net   or post comments here.

Send any snail mail letters to: 121 NE 13th Ave. Ocala, Florida 34470

My fax number is: 1-3520629-1573