Prayers Answered Snow clung to a small mulberry tree in the distance. It was a sad reminder of the old cotton fields nestled close to where Josie used to call home. Snow was something different, like something pure. Still, Josie was lost in a state of misery. She peered through the narrow window that overlooked…
Tag: Short Story
Thank You For This Honor, Michelle! Hotel By Masticadores Proudly Announces Its Nominees for the 2026 Best of the Net
I’m excited and honored to announce that my short story, “The Red Ball,” has been nominated for the 2026 Best Of The Net Award! I’m also honored to be among so many fellow talented authors and friends! Thank you, Michelle, for your continued support and love for this community! Hotel By Masticadores Proudly Announces Its…
“Polished Composure” by Joni Caggiano ©️2025 Now Live on HotelMasticadores
Polished Composure Timid love alights in garland eyes as I remember the tranquil sway of cattails in spring. Laughter and love permeate the air we breathe. My sun-kissed skin glistens with the reflection of the clear, chilly pond water. The yellowish-orange bills of the great egrets keep tune in this symphony of sound. Now wet,…
“Freezer Burn” Live Featured on IndiaMasticadores
Snow had fallen for five days in a row, and we were no longer allowed outside. Yet, my hateful sisters, Ruth and Elizabeth, somehow obtained mom’s approval to drive to the deli right up the street. Mom gave them money for sandwiches and hot cocoa. They both stuck their tongues out at me as they…
”Red Ball” Now On Hotel Masticadores
Red Ball Hannah wept silently into her dusty apron. She spun her thin face around, much like a donut, awaiting its freckling of powdered sugar. Tears cast their agonies upon hand-stitched hydrangeas, petunias, and magnolias while honeybees clung close with their bulging pollen-laden legs. Ruth had spent six months embroidering this apron for her and…
“Death Of A Stranger” Live On India Masticadores
Death Of A Stranger Hearing the rush of nurses heading toward the ICU, I followed the herd. My youthful intuition was kicking in as an eerie sense of suffocation and dread encircled me. I suddenly felt like a child waking from a nightmare. I was already on edge since yesterday having been informed that three…
Unwelcome Strangers – Melissa Lemay’s Flash Fiction Challenge #FFFC Response
This is my first attempt at Melissa Lemay’s Flash Fiction Challenge, where, in short, you come up with a poem or flash fiction based on a picture Melissa provides (see embedded link below for instructions and picture for this week). It was fun! Ladies and gentlemen, I present to you, “Unwelcome Strangers”. Unwelcome Strangers My…
“Twenty-Five Cents” my new story on masticadoresindia
Long John Silvers was one of my first jobs in high school. Riding my bike on Saturday, hungry, smelly, and with jeans that hugged my thin frame to the point of being naughty, I went inside. The sign on the door said, “Help Needed.” All the high schoolers went there to eat lunch because it…
“Leaving the big four” live on masticadoresindia
Leaving the Big Four During the third year of school and living on the big four, I was divided into pieces by a swift sword, perching on my safety edge. My brown eyes must have turned black as I heard mom’s words, but I was sure I was suffocating. “Joy, honey, we are moving to…
my new story “The Blue Pill” live on masticadoresindia
Having had migraines for years, I knew I would need that third pill. No more than 300 milligrams of Imitrex, and I would take that enormous, new, blue blood pressure pill my family doctor just prescribed. I was way too young to be having blood pressure issues. But the unexpected has a way of meandering…
