Emma Joy’s Stories

Existential

Existential

          My ancestor arrived at Jamestown in 1607, wading onto the shore with his fellow asylum seekers. Yes, they all wanted to escape something. Religious persecution gets a lot of press, but also political dysphoria, bullying, crime—the usual. Having no choice,...

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Three 100-Word Stories on Memory

Three 100-Word Stories on Memory

TASTE           I remember a peach picked ripe off the tree—juicy, sweet, peachy. I remember an apple, crisp and tart with the flavor of cool fall mornings, the juice lingering in my mouth. I remember a tomato red and delicious with an enticing tang. Yesterday at the...

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A Medium Remembered

A Medium Remembered

         Jane sat straight on a simple kitchen chair in her apartment living room in front of her audience. She wore black—a patterned black top over a black mini-skirt—more mod than you would expect for a medium. Her eyes were closed, her hands folded in her lap and...

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Three 100-Word Stories

Three 100-Word Stories

THE MIRACLE           Instead of swimming in the sparkling, azure motel pool, the couple argued—about travel plans, choices of motels, the children, the weather. They didn’t notice the massive black storm cloud. They argued. A whirling tornado descended from the...

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The Richest Country in the World, a 100-word story

The Richest Country in the World, a 100-word story

         On her first visit to Washington, Jessie wanted to see everything. She marveled at our rich aviation and space exploration history at Air and Space, and inside the National Gallery she saw paintings of European and American masters worth billions. Jessie...

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The Unwanted Package

The Unwanted Package

          “Stop fussing, Roger! Yes, I know. We didn’t order any of the stuff in this package. I’ll just call this number and straighten ‘em out.”           “Ajax-Special. May I help you?”           As she puts the phone on speaker, Betty thinks out loud, “Odd. No...

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The works on this website are wholly owned by their author. Names, characters, businesses, events and incidents in the short stories are the products of the author’s imagination. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events is purely coincidental. Events and incidents in the memoirs are based on the author’s recollection of actual occurrences that have been creatively adapted and with names of individuals changed for their privacy.