Open House 5

By Storm Cloud Publishing

It’s Open House at the lake house. Good and evil, highs and lows, life and death; it seems this year is a year of opposites.
Grab your favourite drinks and snacks, settle into your deck chair, cast a line into the water or listen to the ducks swim by as you enjoy another selection of stories from some of your favourite writers.
With stories from Jo Mularczyk, Peter Considine, Carole Lander, Lucy Marbelone, Ebony Whitelaw, Elizabeth Klein, Zak Brown, Pete Galea and Anne Chantel.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Storm Cloud Publishing
• Release date: Aug 14, 2021
• ISBN: 9781925285512

Book preview

Open House 5

Short Story Collection

Open House 5

Copyright remains with the individual authors

Published by Storm Cloud Publishing (2021)

ISBN: 978-1-925285-51-2 Smashwords Edition

This ebook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This ebook may not be re-sold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each recipient.

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Fiction: Short Story collection

Contents

Eternal Peace

Jo Mularczyk

Black Water

Peter Considine

Unfinished Business

Carole Lander

Fon Don’t

Lucy Marbelone

The Cradle

Ebony Whitelaw

The Monster Catcher

Elizabeth Klein

Wallflowers

Zak Brown

The Package

Pete Galea

One Hundred and Fifty Seconds

Anne Chantel

About the Authors

Storm Cloud ebooks

Eternal Peace

Jo Mularczyk

Working for God is never easy; the long robes constantly getting caught underfoot, the eternal daytime, the unrelenting harp music. What I wouldn’t give to hear a simple guitar riff or a melody tapped out on piano keys! Or a raised voice. Who knew that perpetually muted tones and whispers could give you a headache? Well, at least the memory of a headache… the no-pain clause takes care of that.

Gilbert! We’ve got another one, Lucinda stage-whispered to me in her (you guessed it) angelic tones. A document had appeared in her hand and she was now waving it at me with a look of awe. Lucinda had the uncanny ability to look officious, even when perched on a chair formed of clouds. Others lounged on sofas, nestled in beanbags, or swung in hammocks; but Lucinda had chosen to conjure herself an office chair. I had often been tempted to conjure a throne for myself but some shred of humility, and a not insignificant fear that this may be frowned upon, had stopped me.

It had been a slow morning lolling around in the area I’d derisively nicknamed, ‘the outer office’ upon learning that even Heaven has admin. I decided to energise the group.

I’m open, Lu! I jogged backwards, calling for her to pass me the documents. At least I had planned to jog backwards, what I actually did was take one step, catch my foot on the hem of my robe and go tumbling gracelessly across the cloudbank.

Gil, you have wings, use them man, Russell urged me with an exasperated shake of his head.

I brushed my hands over the front of my robes and stood up with as manly a flutter of my wings as I could muster. Russell’s hearty laughter followed me as I flew over to Lucinda and sheepishly retrieved the file.

You’re a card, Lucinda muttered in her motherly way.

You love it, Lu, I mocked as I retreated to a nearby courtyard in search of privacy. It was refreshingly deserted, and of course, beautiful.

To my endless annoyance, all the cheesy cartoon depictions of Heaven were somewhat accurate. Clouds, sunlight, rainbows and decidedly Grecian-looking architecture were the reigning themes. The level of interactivity took some getting used to though, and the effect for someone prone to indecision could be dizzying.

Right now, the clouds in the courtyard swirled, reflecting a kaleidoscope of colours as they formed and re-formed to mirror my thoughts. I concentrated and a small pillar appeared. With a sigh, I leant against it and opened the file.

File - 981 105

Action – 41B - To be weighed in the balance.

Melinda Allcott

Age 67

I hated 41Bs almost as much as their ominous titles. Nauseating enough to think that I now held someone’s eternal resting place in my hands without having it pointed out in such a high-handed fashion.

To be weighed in the balance, I muttered scornfully.

A low rumbling filled the sky, so I swallowed down any further snide comments and flicked through Melinda’s file. Teacher, tick. Mother of five, tick. Annual charity donations, school volunteer, blood donor, tick tick tick. So where was the downside here? Oh, here we go… lost faith after her husband’s death. Agnostic with strong atheist tendencies. The immortal sin. Heaven forbid anyone allow uncertainty or doubt to undermine their faith.

Another crash of thunder interrupted my thoughts and I looked up; a black cloud was hovering directly above me.

Oops, sorry. Momentary lapse into mockery, derisive thoughts and a hint of blasphemy. My bad, I finished with a wry laugh.

The cloud dissipated as quickly as it had appeared.

I’ve never met the big boss man, but