Surface Tension: A Collection of Flash Fiction

By Alan B. Zemel

In the passing moments of every life come points where critical decisions are made, or enlightened realizations are achieved. None of us know when these moments will come, and sometimes we don't know when they have passed. So amorphous and fluid are these critical points in time that they often remain unseen even when their impact radically alters the path of a life. Surface Tension is a collection of flash fiction that catches characters in these moments, or approaching the brink of them. Alan Zemel captures characters in the midst of experiencing tensions strong enough to penetrate their surface of ego revealing the depths over which they swim.

The collection deals with characters in a variety of situations from fratricide, facing the loss of a parent, matricide, the revelation of sexuality, or other decisions made in the face of potential risks. If these critical decisions are viewed as doors, then the book Surface Tension takes us to the threshold that invites the characters to cross. What lies beyond the threshold for these characters is a matter for longer works by the author.

• Language: English
• Publisher: BookBaby
• Release date: Jan 5, 2023
• ISBN: 9781667873329

Book preview

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SURFACE TENSION is a work of fiction, a collection of short stories. Any references to historical events, real people, or real places are used fictitiously. Names, characters, incidents, and dialog are either products of the author’s imagination or used fictitiously and are not to be construed as real. Any resemblance to actual events or persons, living or dead, is coincidental.

Copyright © 2022 by ALAN B. ZEMEL. All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced in any manner whatsoever without written permission except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews.

Printed in the United States of America

First Printing, 2022

Print ISBN: 978-1-66787-331-2

eBook ISBN: 978-1-66787-332-9

Dedication

This book is dedicated to my parents, Laura and Sandy Zemel, for their steadfast enjoyment of my stories, especially in the early years when they weren’t very good; their encouragement watered seeds and laid the groundwork for my career as a writer. In addition, to my best friend and writing coach Charles Bruce Aufhammer whose amazing insight as a writing teacher and author allowed him to peel back the surface-gloss of the stories and examine the written truths in relation to the characters and their worlds; his amazing talent and ability to find the truth is a gift that many of his writing students over the decades have appreciated. And, of course, to my wife, Pam Bellet, whose own talents as a writer and her gentle perseverance helped me to find the rough areas in my rewrites where greater attention and polish were required; her love, careful eye, and accurate insights proved the key to sculpting these stories and fulfilling this lifelong dream.

Special Thanks

Special thanks to my dear friend and colleague Eliot Cruz who used his extraordinary artistic talent and visual expertise on the cover design for this collection. He gave me exactly the opposite of what I had asked for, and, of course, as usual, he was right.

About the Collection

In the passing moments of every life come points where critical decisions are made, or enlightened realizations are achieved. None of us know when these moments will come, and sometimes we don’t know when they have passed. So amorphous and fluid are these critical points in time that they often remain unseen even when their impact radically alters the path of a life. Surface Tension is a collection of flash fiction that catches characters in these moments, or approaching the brink of them.

Table of Contents

Shine

Departing Paris

Adrift

Waters Edge

The Catch

The Chicken Man

One of a Kind

Impacts

The Conversation

Surface Tension

Dinner

Letters from Amsterdam

A Passing of Lines

The Evaluation of Mrs. Stick

A Prayer in the House of the Lord

Bloodfish Koi

Family Trilogy

About The Author

Shine

He arrived alone near the Fifth Avenue and Spring