The inaugural issue of NUNUM is out. I am fortunate to be among the contributors to this publication, a blending of flash fiction and art. Each story has a unique graphic design and can only be appreciated via their online reader. Check it out.
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Author: DL Shirey
DL Shirey writes from Portland, Oregon, where it's probably raining. His short stories and non-fiction appear in over 30 publications, including “Confingo,” "Page & Spine," "Zetetic" and "Every Day Fiction." You can find more of his writing at www.dlshirey.com.
Hand of God
I’m so glad Fictional Pairings published my story last December. Such a cool idea to publish fiction and pair the stories with music, so it was quite a treat to have these folks provide a soundtrack to my weird tale. And I must say, the selected tune fits the piece, as they say, like a glove.
Hand of God
by DL Shirey
Day clicked on and the city was about its business. Perpendicular streets, buildings in workaday beige, multistory windows with gray reflections of smudged, flat sky. Block upon uniform block, an automatic map I followed from here to there without thinking.
Then came a movement from above; two movements, from opposite edges of sky.
Actuality
Tyler Malone, editor at madswirl, wrote an afterword for my piece when it was published in December 2017: When we wonder what we’ve become, the next thought will be when will we become more, then it becomes the last breath that we take. Thanks, Tyler.
Actuality
by DL Shirey
Griffin liked to arrive early enough to cruise by the parking lot until a 15-minutes-only space opened. There, he would sit in the car for half an hour, rearview mirror tilted at the coffee shop. The seat belt could be undone in an instant, but first impressions couldn’t.
Floaters
“My floaters followed the motion of her hand, lurching gelatinously whenever my eyes moved.” That’s the excerpt Truth Serum Press used to promote my story for their fiction anthology.
This story is one of my earliest. It is among the first read to my writing group in early 2015. A dozen times rejected, it underwent a major rewrite somewhere along the way. Reading it now I still see many flaws, but reprint it here, warts and all.
FLOATERS
by DL Shirey
I noticed floaters whenever the room was lit; particles danced in the periphery, my vision framed by ghostly specks.
Long before I knew them better, an ophthalmologist explained. She palmed a plastic replica the size of a grapefruit, popped apart each nested section of the eyeball and placed them on a stainless steel tray. As a fleet of half-orbs rocked upon flat metal, the doctor held one up.
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Tiny Black Fingers
This story was published in Volume 2, Issue 4 of Thing Magazine back in June 2017. The only way to read this Ezine is to subscribe and get it delivered via email. So, for those who missed it, may I present…
Tiny Black Fingers
by DL Shirey
The baby slumped on my shoulder, noiseless except rapid breathing. Tiny black fingers slipped around my neck, a grasp of desperation, pulling at my pale skin. His name was Sam and his grip relaxed slightly when I stroked the hair on his head. He finally realized the man who pulled him from his hiding place was not the one who abused him.
Leper
Postcard Shorts publishes microfiction that fits on a postcard. The were kind enough to select Leper.
How To Blink
In June 2017, The Citron Review published my account of a bar fight, from the perspective of someone waiting for the first punch to be thrown. Reprinted for you now:
How To Blink
by DL Shirey
I’m nose to nose with a guy who has a neck tattoo. It wouldn’t be fair to let you imagine some seedy joint filled with bikers and angry drunks. It’s a spotless cantina in a Mexican chain restaurant and the tattoo in question is that of a cartoon duck. Even though my opponent and his posse look like they walked out of an algebra class, looks can be deceiving.
Be he mathlete or meth-head, I never start the fight. I look into my opponent’s eyes and concentrate on blinking normally. That and not being the first to talk. If Donald Duck, here, speaks before throwing-down, chances are he’s looking for an out. I am happy to de-escalate, welcome it, actually. However, I am always prepared to counter.
Blink.
