Microfiction Entry Day 20:

A miscommunication resulted in Dorothy getting rubber slippers. So while she could never go home, she could bounce all over Oz.

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The past few days of my microfiction have all relied heavily on callbacks. Here, obviously, the Wizard of Oz is essential background for any reader hoping to find value in this story. Which, I hope, is everyone. It's an alternate version, of course, because in this one, Doro isn't just dreaming, and she will be

Microfiction Entry Day 19:

The butterfly alighted on a petal, sipped carefully, then shivered and died. Rappacchini watched, shrugged, and kept on weeding.

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It’s not just a story, it’s an homage (use a fancy schmancy accent to get the full effect of that pretension). If you have not yet read Nathaniel Hawthorne’s Rappacchini’s Daughter, I suggest you do so. Not only will this story then make perfect sense, you will also have the opportunity to read

Microfiction Entry Day 18:

Professor Farmington’s greatest contribution to herpetology and theology was discovering that snakes shed souls as well as skin.

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This is not a story. Sorry, legions, I screwed you on this one. It's a beginning, and that's all. I'm really interested in this idea, and I will likely try to write an actual story around it someday, but there is just too much set-up and no execution in this version for it to count.

For starters

Microfiction Entry Day X:

“You’re not my real parents!” the child screamed. “You finally caught on?” Daddy grinned, showing the knife.

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Talk about family drama. I bet the kid has a trump card though. Possibly he drugged Daddy’s liquor before the big reveal.

Rereading this a month later, editor me is now irked with writer me. "Showing" is such a weak word. Revealing, brandishing… maybe sharpening. This is why I try to put most of what I write

Microfiction Entry Day 16:

“That branch looks shaky, girl.”

Ophelia smiled. “It’s as strong as I want it to be.”

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Oh, that Ophelia. She's so sly. Here's another example of using a famous reference to cheat on details. Without naming a character Ophelia, there's no explanation for what the hell the two characters are talking about. Could be they're hanging up Christmas decorations. Maybe they're pruning stuff in the backyard.

But as soon as I slap the label Ophelia

Microfiction Entry Day 15:

“Sheep should have known,” said the shepherd to the butcher. “I have to eat, too.”

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Again with the Dylanesque profession pairing! I actually wrote this, or something very similar, back during the beginning of the Occupy Wall Street movement. It’s a capitalist fable. Sorta.

One ought not kill those one is charged with protecting. That’s Shepherding 101. But recent events like the crash of 2008 and the subprime lending fiasco have clearly proven that