Signals
A Short Story
By Maryanne Peters

Introductory Note:

Over on Fictionmania I post very short pieces which are simply jottings inspired by images that I view from time to time. For me they are little exercises - mind flexing moves to keep my story writing fresh and to try to find new perspectives on what are often just tired tropes. But sometimes the idea needs to be fleshed into a full idea and that is what I usually post over here on Big Closet Top Shelf.

The Complete Rear Window

I was just chatting with Erin about 2nd person story writing - you know, yes you.
I suddenly realized that I had not posted this story.
It was originally a series on Fictionmania, and I received such wonderful reviews from Sydney Michelle that when I consolidated it, I had to put those in as an "overlaid" conversation.
But unfortunately that forced me into formatting acrobatics, so until I can get it into html here is the pdf ....

Protected
A Short Sissy Story
By Maryanne Peters

Mommy was always very protective of me. She would say: “I worry about you being bullied because you are so small. Five foot three and 115 pounds is really a bit small, even for a girl. With your lack of muscle and your delicate, even feminine appearance you are a target for mean boys.”

Everything I Want
A Short Story
By Maryanne Peters

“You would seem to have everything I want,” he said.

“I am very proud of my boys,” I said, switching the phone from the image, and slipping it back into my pocket.

“Not just your family,” he said. “Your house on the river, your relaxed lifestyle up here, and clearly you are in good health.

Husbandry
A Short Story
By Maryanne Peters

The City of Sedalia in the State of Missouri has always been a cattle town. Sedalia was an important railhead for the great Texas Cattle Drive of 1866. The cattle trade was the backbone of the town in the decades that followed. The stockyards for the Missouri-Kansas-Texas Railroad were still standing in the year I was born – 1941. After that, the military changed in the center of the city, but not so much on our farm.

Solicitation
A Short Story
By Maryanne Peters

I don’t like prostitution. I have sisters, and even a daughter, although I have not seen her in a while. I think that prostitution demeans women. I worship women. I think that the female form is the most beautiful thing in the world. I think that the soul of woman – the giver of life – is too special to be sold and degraded.

Snake Oil
A Short Story
By Maryanne Peters

“Doctor Nutbrown’s Incredible Remedies” was emblazoned on the side of the wagon that rolled into the town of Pratchett, Arizona.  Holding the reins was Doctor Thaddeus Nutbrown himself, if that was his name, and beside him the pretty woman Susan, Mrs Nutbrown, if that is what she was.

“You can set yourself up beside the livery stables,” said Sheriff John Bigelow.  “Just so long as you understand we will have no cheating in this town.”

Life is Like a Wheel
A Short Story
By Maryanne Peters

Part 1

I went to the hospital to gloat. It sounds a shitty thing now. Why do people do that? Gloating seems like the worst thing; not just enjoying the misfortune of others (there is a word for that) but showing it … even letting the victim see your smug satisfaction.

Nurse Joe
A Short Story
By Maryanne Peters

Just because I am big doesn’t mean I am stupid. In fact, I am pretty smart. I was just a big guy from an early age; big and too strong for all the other kids. That got me into trouble, and trouble kept me away from classes.

Roberta Rescued
A Short Story
By Maryanne Peters

I will admit it, Robert Kradel Junior was a prick, back when he had a prick. But he did not deserve what he got.

Jose Berganza had reason to dislike his boss, but what he did was way beyond that. It became clear to me that there was real hatred on display. Venal, vicious hatred to warrant this level of degradation.

My Stepsister
A Short Story
By Maryanne Peters

I have to say that when my Dad married Dawn, I was a bit unsure. I could see why he did. She is a good-looking woman, and I mean a really good-looking woman. The problem was that her son Mark looked just like her – a younger version that is.

Homemaker
A Short Story
By Maryanne Peters

I never thought that there was anything odd about Matt. I would not say that we were friends, but we worked alongside one another for three years and we always talked. I knew that he was married, and I had even met his wife, once, when we met on the street after work. She was plain as I recall.

Decisions
A Short Story
By Maryanne Peters

He wanted to be angry, but whatever she had done to him seemed to make that impossible. He felt not only weak, but devoid of energy, and placid too. He knew that he should not be, but he seemed in a word: Incapable.

Compared to her, he was. She was a brilliant surgeon. He had been nothing; a sales representative for a medical supply company. A charmer. A rake. But that seemed so long ago.

Jealous
A Vignette
By Maryanne Peters

She used to be Pete. We were friends then. We practically grew up together. My brother was older than me, so he ignored me, and Pete had older sisters. We hung out together. We played ball – shot some hoops and I pitched him some balls. He didn’t have a strong throw. We climbed trees and played in the creek on hot days. He was always around at my place playing e-sports games.

Pete was as normal as any other guy. At least he seemed that way. That was before he started calling himself Petra.

The Scam
A Short Story
By Maryanne Peters

“My guess is that you have done this before,” said Hayden Staples. “It all seems very rehearsed.”

“That shouldn’t concern you,” said the girl he knew as Roxanne, but now speaking with a voice that betrayed the harsh reality. “We only have to agree on a price to keep our little sexual encounter a secret.”

Stowaway
A Short Story
By Maryanne Peters

Part 1

“I’ll tell you what we are going to do,” said Dr Felton. Gina had referred the problem to her superior knowing that she would have a solution. “This boy cannot be concealed here, so he will need to hide in plain sight as one of our spa team.”

“But we have no men on our team,” said Gina. It was she who had found Miguel and promised to hide him. She was the source of the problem. Everybody stared her down.

The Object of Sex
A Short Story
By Maryanne Peters

When Culley’s wife died I was there for him. I can’t say that I was there for all of my friends, but I was there for him when it mattered. I don’t like sadness. I will do almost anything to avoid it. But I suppose he was my best friend. I am not completely selfish.

Repayment in Kind
A Short Story
By Maryanne Peters

I might have been called a sex addict, at that time. I simply could not get enough. And worse still, I was fussy. They had to be beautiful.

Replacing Chloe
A Short Story
By Maryanne Peters

There was no doubt about what he was looking at. Live on Wade Ransby’s phone, a video call from Rachel, a video showing Chloe’s dead body, naked and only wrapped in a bathrobe, lying in a shallow grave. Rachel was holding a shovel, her face wild with fury.

“The bitch is dead, and everybody is going to think that you did it,” she shouted. “Because no crime is perfect you will be caught. I will make sure of it.”