You lie in bed. You can see by the dim lights of the street lamp outside your window. It casts long shadows upon the ceiling, and you look into the black pools gathered above. You are not afraid of the dark. That is a childish fear. Your daughter is afraid…
The following is a flash fiction I wrote for the Children of the Wells web project. It connects to characters introduced in The Rules Change. “Delia Coonhill is asking to see you, Governor.” Governor Vac looked up from his papers. He was a man not often shocked, but the soldier’s…
Blank screen. Endless possibilities. I can write anything. Go! (…) (Er….) An Epic Tale of Beauty Once upon a time…. (Yeah, that’ll work.) Once upon a time, there was a poet of great renown who was commissioned by a king to create an epic that embodied all that was noble…
Look, I’m no fan of turkey. I mean, sure, it’s tasty enough, but give me mashed potatoes, and I’m set. Always mashed potatoes, in a great big heap, with some gravy. And maybe some of that green bean casserole, officially the best use of green beans on the planet and…
Sometime in September, while I was working on a nonfiction project, I had the hankering to write a bit of fiction. I asked for some numbers on my Facebook page. With those numbers I located a song off OCRemix, my favorite Internet music site. The song ended up being this…
It’s almost seven and the grandstand’s filling up fast. I’ve never been on this side of the fence, looking up at the crowd. Joe is next to me, elbowing Brad and saying something about Bethany that makes my face burn. I’d never say it myself, but she does look good…
I thought I’d try something new this week and submit an entry for the Trifecta weekly flash fiction challenge. This week, the goal was to write a story of exactly 33 words using this word and definition: worm – to obtain or extract by artful or insidious questioning or by pleading,…
It’s been rather silent on my blog lately. Besides the regular Internet absence brought on by the holidays, I’ve been working on things not ready for public viewing. One, I’ve been preparing for The Unremarkable Squire blog tour coming up in February. That’s been interesting, since I’ve heard of these so-called…
First, I have to confess that I almost titled this blog “Behind the Curtain of Behind the Curtain,” which would have been ridiculous. Second, if you haven’t read “Behind the Curtain,” my newest short story, head over here to read about it or download it here: BehindTheCurtain-NickHayden. Most of what follows…
Today’s my birthday, so I thought I’d give you a present. I’ve been sitting on this short story for a couple months. This seemed as good a time as any to share it with you. My only request is this–if you read it and you find it enjoyable or interesting,…
Round and round I spun. Anne clung to me, laughing, her face pressed against my chest. I sped up. Her giggles bubbled up, and her tiny hands clenched my shirt. The room blurred. I stumbled about in a larger circle, nearly losing my balance. I gyroed my way to the…
NOTE: This story was written in high school and dug up from the archives after this article. It’s posted as-is, except for a few typos I couldn’t help but correct. Enjoy! ~~~ Uh… Welcome ladies and gentlemen… Whoa! Way too formal. I cleared my throat. Have I got a story for…