Tag / short-fiction

by Warren Benedetto

“Just What I Want” published in Edition Nine of The Stygian Lepus Magazine

My dark sci-fi story Just What I Want has been published in Edition Nine of The Stygian Lepus Magazine. It’s a story about what happens when your digital personal assistant understands you so well that it starts doing things for you before you even ask.

Amy carried the package into the kitchen and opened it. Her eyes lit up.

“Clara, did you order this for me?”

Blue LEDs flickered on a featureless black cube hovering over the kitchen counter. Tiny gray text on the front edge identified it as CLARA: Completely Lifelike Autonomous Robot Assistant. A woman’s voice emanated from within.

“I thought you’d like it.”

by Warren Benedetto

“Matches” published in Edition Two of The Stygian Lepus

Matches, my dark(er) retelling of Hans Christian Anderson’s The Little Match Girl, has been published in Edition Two of The Stygian Lepus Magazine. In it, a young peasant girl dreams of a better life while fighting off the stinging chill of the bitter winter wind.

As a frigid wind gusted down the narrow lane, the girl side-stepped into an alley to avoid the chill. She sat down cross-legged on the cobblestone, drawing her feet into her folded knees to try and restore some feeling to her toes. She was freezing, but she dared not go home. Her father would be there, waiting, expectant. How many matches had she sold? How many pennies had she earned? None? The girl winced involuntarily at the crack of her father’s belt. She knew what was in store for her if she returned empty-handed.

by Warren Benedetto

“I Row” published in Flash of the Dead: Requiem

My psychological horror story I Row has been published in Flash of the Dead: Requiem by Wicked Shadow Press. It’s a story about trying to escape from the past by any means necessary, no matter how many tries it takes.

The place is as idyllic a house as one can imagine, with its gables and turrets overlooking the Cape. But the house is just a facade. Its true nature isn’t visible from the outside; it can only be glimpsed from within. It’s a place that is everywhere. A place that occupies you as much as you occupy it. A place with doors but no exits. A place you can leave but can never escape.

by Warren Benedetto

“Breathtaking” published in the Ill Winds and Wild Weather anthology

My historical horror story Breathtaking has been published in the Ill Winds and Wild Weather anthology by Smoking Pen Press.

Set in 1930s Oklahoma during the Dust Bowl, Breathtaking tells the story of a young girl and her brother who see a mysterious woman in white screaming outside their house during a dust storm.

“Banshee,” I whispered, mouthing the words as I read. “A spirit in the form of a wailing woman who appears to members of a family as a sign that …” I trailed off. I felt my stomach tighten. Icicles formed down the center of my spine. “That one of them is about to die.”

by Warren Benedetto

“Something Borrowed” published by Rising Action Review

My humorous vignette Something Borrowed has been published by Rising Action Review. It’s the story of a wedding disrupted by an unfortunate disagreement about the ownership of the limousine.

“Under no circumstances are you to discuss what happened here today with anyone but people in the immediate family,” my mother said. She used the collar of her gown to dab the blood oozing from her busted lip. “This stays between us, understand?” The assembled wedding party nodded solemnly. Aunt Gracie picked another shard of a shattered champagne flute from my mom’s scalp. My mom winced in pain. “Careful, Gracie!” she hissed. “Christ.”

by Warren Benedetto

“Firefly” published by The ManifestStation

My short story Firefly has been published by The ManifestStation. It’s a simple story about a young girl who captures a firefly in the back yard to help cheer up her ailing sister. 

Content warning: terminal illness of a child

Missy caught the firefly in mid-air, cupping her hands around it to form a tiny, dark cave. She could feel the insect’s delicate footsteps tickling her skin as it wandered across her palm, searching for a way out.

“Got you!” she whispered, victorious.

by Warren Benedetto

“Pop’s Time Machine” published in Drip Literary Magazine

My sci-fi flash fiction story Pop’s Time Machine has been published in Issue #4 of Drip Literary Magazine. It’s the story of a boy whose father insists he has a time machine in his head.

When I was eleven years old, I told my dad I wanted to invent a time machine. He told me he already had one. I asked him where it was.

“Right here,” he said. He tapped his forehead and smiled. “All I have to do is close my eyes, and I can travel back in time as far as I want.”

by Warren Benedetto

“Just What I Want” published by The Stygian Lepus

My dark sci-fi story Just What I Want is now free to read in Issue 9 of The Stygian Lepus. It’s a story about what happens when your digital personal assistant understands you so well that it starts doing things for you before you even ask.

Amy examined the shipping label. It was addressed to her. “Never mind!” she yelled back. She carried the package into the kitchen and opened it. Her eyes lit up. “Clara, did you order this for me?”

Blue LEDs flickered on a featureless black cube hovering over the kitchen counter. Tiny gray text on the front edge identified it as CLARA: Completely Lifelike Autonomous Robot Assistant. A woman’s voice emanated from within.

“I thought you’d like it.”

by Warren Benedetto

“Everything As It Was” published in Litbop

My historical horror story Everything As It Was has been published in Volume One, Number Three of Litbop: Art and Literature in the Groove. Set in the dust-plagued landscape of 1930s Oklahoma, it’s a story about lost hope, lost faith, and lost children come home.

“I prayed that you’d come home, and the crops would come back, and everything would go back to how it used to be. And now, glory be, here you are.”