Short Shorts

By Danielle Bannister

From author Danielle Bannister comes a collection of short stories and poems. Grab a cup of coffee and enjoy this collection of short works by author, Danielle Bannister. In this unique collection, you'll get insights prior to each story to discover the inspiration behind the words.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Danielle Bannister
• Release date: Mar 26, 2016
• ISBN: 9781311780218

Danielle Bannister

Danielle Bannister lives with her two children in Midcoast Maine along with her precious coffee pot and peppermint mocha creamer. She holds a BA in Theatre from the University of Southern Maine and her Master's degree in Literary Education from the University of Orono. Her writing includes: a collection of short stories called Short Shorts, The Twin Flames Trilogy: Pulled, Pulled Back, and Pulled Back Again, The ABC's of Dee, Enigma, Doppelganger, and Must Love Coffee. She's also co-authored a fantasy novel with Amy Miles called Netherworld and Hollow Earth. Book three will be available later this year. She has also written The Lurkers Within, which is located in the Havenwood Falls Series. When she's not on the stage, on the page, or engrossed in a good book, you'll find her binge-watching all the Netflix. As one does.You can join her newsletter to keep up to date on new releases and general mayhem here: http://eepurl.com/bNvK7D

Book preview

SHORT SHORTS

A short series

of short stories

Danielle Bannister

This novel is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents are the product of the author's imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual events, locales, or persons, living or dead, is coincidental.

Copyright (c) Second Edition, March, 2016 by Danielle Bannister

2016 Smashwords Edition

All rights reserved

Bannister Books

For information about permission to reproduce selections from this novel, write to:

[e-mail]

Short Shorts: A small series of surprising stories

By Danielle Bannister

Cover Design by Kari Suderley

ISBN 13: 978-1463707309

ISBN 10: 1463707304

Table of Contents

Dedication

Author’s Note

The Best Man

The Apple

Birdie

I Am From

Sunday

Finding Home

Not This Time

Default

Bad Mom

Unwritten

The Fury

Badge of Honor

Mary, Mine

Blue

Sure Bet

Her Chair

In the Cabbage Patch

The Test

Swivel

The Unexpected Gift

Aurora Borealis

Author Bio/Other Books

Dedication

Dedicated to all of us busy people who just need a quick escape from reality.

Author’s Note

What follows is a sampling of some of the stories I’ve worked on since I began writing in 2011. I started my career as an actor and didn’t pick up pen until after I had children (and could no longer spend hours on the stage away from them.) The creativity needed to find a way out. The first thing I ever wrote that wasn’t a homework assignment was my novel Pulled (a chapter of which is included). During the writing of that book, I took a community college class on fiction writing and was hooked. I knew this was for me. I enrolled in a Master’s program shortly thereafter. The stories collected have come from those class assignments and beyond. Before each short, I’ll tell you a brief backstory behind how the story came to be because I’m an actor too. I love a back-story.

We talked in class one day about Flash Fiction: stories that are less than 100 words. I read a book that was a collection of stories 55 words or less. I wanted to see if I could attempt that. Let me tell you, it’s hard.

The Best Man

The words slipped out of his mouth before he could stop them: I do, he said to his new wifethe one he was supposed to love.

Behind him, his best man, Carl, squeezed his shoulder, expertly faking a smile of his own. Relenting to the obligatory kiss, the groom evoked Carl's lips instead.

The assignment was to write a story about two people who knew each other, but hadn’t seen one another in a long time. As soon as I began writing it, I knew that it was going to be the solution to the problem I was having in Pulled. The novel had stalled and I couldn’t seem to make it work. After writing this story, I knew what the problem was. I scrapped the first 8 chapters of that book and started over, using the tone of this story to drive the novel.

The Apple

I saw Jackson sitting exactly where I knew he’d be; hunched over his tray in the corner of the cafeteria, secluded from everyone else. He had positioned himself strategically in the shadows of the room, which when coupled with his black T and chocolate skin made him all but disappear from view. I blamed myself for his isolation from the rest of the school. And so did he.

Staring at him from across the room, I almost chickened out. Almost changed course to be the good, little popular-girl everyone else wanted me to be, but then I saw his eyes. The most beautiful coffee-colored eyes I had ever seen. I used to spend days getting lost in those eyes. The same ones I turned away from, fearing the truth that lingered there.

Parading into the room with the full haughty air that was expected of me, I tried desperately to avoid the stares and hushed whispers as I passed by 'my' table towards the darkened corner where one only went to commit social suicide. With each step, I felt the noose tightening, but I kept walking, needing to find a sliver of redemption.

I passed the winding lunch line, ignoring my growling stomach and hushed whispers and flung myself into the hard, metal chair next to Jackson. The loud scratch of the thin legs against the freshly waxed linoleum would be sure to leave a mark on its once pristine condition.

Before looking at Jackson, I glanced behind my shoulder and saw Zach watching me from our normal table. His eyes narrowed, ordering me back, but I refused to move. I'd be safe here, at least for the moment. Zach would never condescend to be seen over here.

Asshole, I whispered quietly as I turned away from him so he wouldn’t see my lips utter such a betrayal. I tried to make myself look casual, but all I managed to do was sink deeper into the chair, cowering like a child.

Asshole, huh? Well, I’ve been called worse, Jackson said, shifting his guarded posture a bit.

It was amazing, but even under this horrid, fluorescent lighting, he was still radiant. The familiar rush of emotion came back when I looked at him. I had been a fool to leave him. An absolute fool.

You lost? Jackson quipped. He was trying to play it cool, but I knew