Thank you so much for joining me for this collection of short stories. I appreciate your time, kindness, votes, and comments. Thank you!

These stories span from mid 2012 to late 2020. Below you will find a brief summary of each.

I hope you enjoy this little trip into my mind. Welcome to my Wonderland.

~ Mar

__________

Table of Contents

One ~ Hayase

Leaving Sado Island at the end of what should have been a romantic weekend rendezvous, our narrator reflects on all she has gained and lost since coming to Japan and meeting her love, Hayase.

Mertastic Contests, hosted by talesofthedeep - The Calling

"Even though the sea seems calm, you never know when it's going to call you or why."
500 - 1000 words
Written August 2020

*

Two ~ Never Wonder

Considered mad for her unrelenting claims of other worlds and magic, twelve-year-old Alice Liddell has been admitted to a hospital for the insane. She has nearly given up hope of ever getting out when the appearance of a new patient changes everything.

Rewind the Classics Contest, hosted by WattpadFairytales

A retelling or reimagining of a recognizable fairytale, fable, myth, or classic.
2000 - 3500 words
Written August 2020

*

Three ~ Coffee, Tea, or Me?

Yvonne, a flight attendant and coffee fiend, stops in the JFK airport cafe for a pick-me-up before her morning flight to Miami. Her boyfriend often joins her for her pre-flight latte, but this morning her coffee date is the last person she ever could have imagined.

#CoffeeShopsBrewStories Contest hosted by ChickLit

Emotionally charged conversation in a coffee shop in which one party must abruptly leave.
1500 - 2500 words
Written October 2020

*

Four ~ From Neverland, With Love

Why is London so very, very far from Neverland?

This is a letter I originally wrote in June of 2016 to my long-distance friends, under the guise of Peter Pan missing Wendy. Given the current state of the world - with Covid-19 keeping us apart, and social distancing being the new way to express care for others - I thought this letter was even more relevant than it was when I first wrote it. I decided to revamp it, and release it here.

You may be far from, or unable to see, the ones you love, but you are never alone.

Written June, 2016

*

Five ~ Magic Pumpkin Café

Retired from her long-time gig as a Fairy Godmother, Bobbie has opened the Magic Pumpkin Café ~ a place where magic and coffee collide, and the impossible comes ready to order.

When reformed pick-pocket Jack Dawkins visits the café to interview her for The Story Times, the youth is moved by Bobbie's innovation and passion.

What is magic? Sometimes it moves mountains and slays dragons. Sometimes it comes with skim milk.

An avid coffee drinker, I wrote this story in September 2015 after reading the quote:
"Don't ever let anyone tell you that fairytales aren't real. I drink a potion made from magic beans every day, and it brings me back to life."
-- Nanea Hoffman

Written September, 2015

*

Six ~ Lipstick Graffiti

Tate has been the bartender at Imp's Bottle for years. The dive bar attracts a trickling array of unusual patrons, including the energetic and childlike Bree. As Tate gets to know the latest misfit in his sporadic customer collection, he divulges that his rivalry with Ali, the bar's prickly lone waitress, recently took a turn in his favor.

A one-shot from the world of my future project "Imp's Bottle."
Written July, 2020

*

Seven ~ Mean Princesses

{Mean Girls meets Disney Princesses}

"You can't reign with us..."

Sleeping Beauty, Snow White, and Cinderella rule Magic Kingdom High School with manicured fists, entitlement, and Resting Witch Face. The students fear and envy them, other girls want to be them, and hot princes are lining up to date them. As the Halloween Ball approaches, the trio of royals discuss their plans for a night of happily ever afters.

Flash fiction written for Twisted Disney Halloween.
500 words or less
Written October, 2020

*

Eight ~ These Keen Delights

Stationed at a rented house in Suburbia until the terms of her contract are complete, assassin "Miss Keen" receives an unexpected visitor who is far more privy to her wrongdoings than she would like.

Written for a college enrichment creative writing class.
700 - 1000 words
Written June, 2012

*

Nine ~ All For Show

Sanders has it all. He's the quarterback on his high school's winning football team, a great student, popular with guys and girls alike, and a shoo-in for an athletic scholarship to any college he wants to attend.

But is his charmed life what he really wants, or what he knows society expects him to want?

A writer friend of mine challenged me to write about "the most popular kid in school."
Written August, 2016

*

Ten ~ Hindsight is 2020

Starbucks barista/college student Peter is having a rare, relaxing day off. Little does he know, something sinister lurks beneath the surface of his "perfect day."

(Dedicated to all the people who said Covid-19 "wasn't real.")

Flash fiction written for the dystopianapocalypse challenge "Coffee on a Porch."
500 words or less
Written July, 2020

~ * ~