Life After

After a long hiatus in writing, I'd thought I'd give it a go, and scrape a little of the rust off.

Life After

Lyndsey sat on the fountain, looking out across the courtyard. She watched as the people passed by in pairs. Some holding hands, some arguing, some just comfortable in their silence. But each in the presence of his or her soul mate. What a strange world she lived in.

She remembered the stories she'd grown up hearing from her mother, about how she'd had finally found the man of her dreams in a grocery store after years of searching: In a world before SoulSearch Enterprises.

Despair crept up on her like the ivy growing up the face of the brick building across the street. She longed to be transported back in time, to a place where her soul mate couldn't be selected for her by a computer program. To a time when a woman could bump into a man in the grocery store and find her partner in life.

Chris' gentle face flashed in her mind, leaving a cold chill to worm its way up her spine. If only she'd had more time with him before his death. If only she'd had more memories to carry with her. But she didn't. Even though she'd sent her Acknowledgment of Readiness to SSE when she was 18, Chris had waited years longer. When they'd finally met, he'd admitted that the whole process just seemed unnatural. But once he'd been introduced to Lyndsey, he'd fallen head of heels.

That was before he'd literally fallen head over heels from the top of the skyscraper during a construction job, and left her forever, only 2 weeks after they'd finally been introduced.

Now, all around her, couples passed, none bothering to look at her. They had eyes only for each other. They trusted the process at Soul Search, never doubting, never questioning, but blindly following. Never asking 'what if'? Neither had Lyndsey. Now she didn't have to ask 'what if' because she already knew. Once you lost your match, you were on your own in a world where people relied on the computer to guide their futures. Alone and without hope.

The fluttering a paper in her face pulled her from her thoughts. Looking up, she found herself mesmerized by the piercing gaze of the most beautiful man she'd ever seen. Chocolate eyes smiled at her from under dark, expressive brows. He held the paper out to her, waiting for her to take it. When she reached out and grasped it, he just turned and walked away. When he disappeared, alone, in the crowd she finally glanced down at the flyer she clutched in her hand.

Survivors Meeting

All are welcome

There is life after the

loss of your soul mate.

"After the War" - a different kind of story

Over the weekend I sat and reviewed some upcoming contest deadline. I came across a contest that I couldn't pass up. An excuse to try my hand at a short story. So with Monday being my busiest day of the week, I figured I'd share it. It reminds me that no matter how bleak the situation may be, never give up on finding love.


After the War


Kady stood atop the gentle slope, shotgun slung over her shoulder, looking over her sprawling garden and admired her handiwork. There were no neighbors left since the War of 2012. Sadly, she realized that she liked it that way. No one to 
fight with, no one to worry about. The only problem was, now she grew more food than she could eat and there was no one to share it with.

She reflected on the day everything had changed. Her choice to purchase and move onto her own land could not have been more timely. Moving day also marked the beginning of the end of life as she'd known it. The day gas reached five dollars a gallon. The day pandemonium broke out in the streets. The day she became 
completely self sufficient, if not nearly alone. The months leading up to moving day Kady had purchased a library of how-to 
books, learned to do and make everything possible with very limited supplies.

She'd seen it coming, even as her friends, family, and neighbors had called her a lunatic conspiracy theorist. No one had wanted to believe what was really going to happen. The more she tried to raise the alarm, the more the people she loved pulled way from her. They were all gone now, taken by illness, starvation, 
and serious injury.

She missed her children the most, though her longing for male companionship ran a close second. She couldn't even remember how long it had been since she'd shared her bed. Eight years? Ten maybe? Shaking her head, she tried to knock loose the image in her mind. The more time passed, the more she thought about 
what she missed.

Maybe those that died quickly had been the lucky ones. Sure, she had prepared for survival, but within the first three years she'd buried every family member and friend she had left, read every book she owned,twice, and lost the use of her solar powered generator. Not that it mattered, since there were no new books 
to read. She lit a candle for her minimal needs and generally went to bed when the sun went down. 


She gazed down at the healthy, colorful garden, and marveled at the clearness of the sky, the beauty of her food growing. Before the war, she'd wasted all of her garden space on flowers. Sure, they were pretty, but they really served no purpose. The flowering plants that produced her food were far more beautiful to her now.


Movement from the trees below startled her from her reverie.


"Who's there?"


"I mean no harm," came the voice of a man.

Kady watched closely, searching the woods for other signs of movement that may signify an ambush. It wouldn't be the first. "You alone?"

"Yes, ma'am. I travel alone. I was hopin' you might be willing to allow me to work for a meal."


"Come out where I can see you."  She'd heard spending too much time alone could cause hallucinations. After all of these years, was she finally losing her mind?


She watched as the man came out of the trees fifty yards from her, his arms reaching toward the sky in surrender.

"Well, come on up this way. I'm not gonna shoot you for christsake."


"A man never knows," he laughed, drawing closer. "I'm Charlie. From New York."


"City?"


"Yes, ma'am." 

The sounds of another human voice left her feeling disoriented. "Lucky to be alive, I'm thinkin'. I'm Kadence, from right here in Oklahoma. What brings you so far from the city."

"Well, the cities were dangerous, and the military had everyone locked down. People were dying of communicable diseases and they wouldn't let us out. I was lucky to escape with my wife and daughter, but they died a month later from what I think must have been pneumonia."

They stood and sized each other up. Kady decided he might have been a handsome man before he'd lost so much weight. He appeared about her age. "I'm sorry for your loss. 

"Thank you."

"So what did you do in the mundane world, Charlie?"

"I was an electrical engineer. Not that it does me much good now."

Kady's heart flipped. Maybe life could still be worth living. Maybe there was a God still looking down on them.

"Charlie, I do believe we could be benefit each other," she smiled and turned to lead him to the house. "Now lets go put some food in that belly of yours."