Retreat

By Bud Koenemund

A 100 Word Story

For "Her."

  His eyes were drawn to her instantly. Like a firefly in the dark, she was a brilliant flash in the gloom. Catching sight of him, she waved. Memories flooded his brain: how he'd craved her like a drug; the indescribable pain of her leaving; how he'd desperately clung to shreds of sanity while hoping she'd come back, and how she did – more times than he'd admit – only to abandon him once he'd surrendered again. In that moment, his heart realized – finally, reluctantly, accepting – loving her would always end that way. He managed a weary smile, then turned to walk away.

Pale Moonlight Memory

By Bud Koenemund

A 100 Word Story

For M.

  We know each other, now, only “on-line;” trading “Likes;” sharing memes, and the occasional message to say “hi.” But, when she posted a tweet joking about her pale skin, my memory took me back more than 25 years; to a tiny kitchen filled with bright moonlight; her naked body luminescent in the beams flooding through the window: glowing like some ethereal being caught, if only briefly, in an unworthy mortal’s sight. I recall the warmth of her flesh – an almost incandescent heat – when we touched, and the regret of a moment that can never be recaptured… except in my mind.