Bill Tope medium length stories real life stories Monday, April 7, 2025 Out of the Gloom by Bill Tope <i>When Annie is plunged into grief after the death of her cat, her colleagues and friends are unsympathetic.</i><br><br>Following a breakfast hardly worthy of the name, Annie sat with her cup of coffee on the porch, swinging listlessly as she watched huge, sculpted flakes of snow blow across her front yard. The wind sang through the black, denuded boughs of her hickory trees. Although the outdoor thermometer s… Read more Labels: Bill Tope medium length stories real life stories 32 comments:
Bill Tope funny stories medium length stories Friday, January 17, 2025 Scold by Bill Tope <i>Alicia, fed up of rejections from literary magazines, starts up her own enterprise, publishing bad stories and obloquy; first published at EgoPHobia.</i><br><br>Alicia Menendez frowned unhappily down at the rejection slip clutched in her fingers. Just home from work, she had printed it out from an email she received only minutes ago. Alicia had subbed this mag only four days ago and they lost no time in turn… Read more Labels: Bill Tope funny stories medium length stories 45 comments:
Bill Tope criminal stories medium length stories Friday, August 2, 2024 Idyll by Bill Tope <i>In which Steven finds himself at the corner of a love quadrangle, with dire consequences.</i><br><br>Steven stood alone in the hotel suite, listening as the key in the lock turned over and the door cracked open. He could hear the laughing voices from the other side. He drew a deep, expectant breath as the portal opened wide. The hairs on his arms and the back of his neck rose as the gun came into view and le… Read more Labels: Bill Tope criminal stories medium length stories 26 comments:
Bill Tope long stories real life stories Monday, July 1, 2024 I've Already Forgotten You by Bill Tope <i>Since the age of 14, Lisa has treated men as a necessary evil, and wonders if she'll ever find love.</i><br><br><i>"I've already forgotten you," Lisa whispered at the receding figure as he disappeared down the hallway, the way they always did. He didn't look back. But Lisa didn't hold his sudden departure against him. She had known John only a short time and he took with him only a sma… Read more Labels: Bill Tope long stories real life stories 21 comments:
Bill Tope medium length stories real life stories Monday, February 26, 2024 Big Yellow by Bill Tope <i>Sturges tells the story of the despicable housemate with whom he shared his drug-addled student accommodation in the early 1970s.</i><br><br>Before I ever met him, Brett was described to me by my Iranian friend and housemate Vahid as "some barfly from The Stagger Inn," referencing a tavern where we all hung out. Brett, who fancied himself a "real man," and who somehow became my latest in … Read more Labels: Bill Tope medium length stories real life stories 16 comments:
Bill Tope creepy stories medium length stories Monday, January 22, 2024 Tightly Wrapped by Bill Tope <i>When Elise remarries she seems so much happier, but her daughter Malorie has concerns about her new stepfather.</i><br><br>"I've never felt this way before," marveled Elise, fanning herself with her hand. The room was chilly, but she was burning up. She glanced at her daughter. "How are you doing, Mal?" she asked. <br><br>Malorie stared at her mother, uncertain just how to respond. "I… Read more Labels: Bill Tope creepy stories medium length stories 20 comments:
Bill Tope medium length stories real life stories Monday, January 1, 2024 Fealty by Bill Tope <i>Marilyn resents her writerly husband, and wonders if her best friend Elise's negativity is rubbing off on her.</i><br><br>"I guess it all depends on what you're willing to accept, Marilyn," said Elise pointedly. The women sat on Marilyn's sofa, cups of coffee on the table before them. <br><br>Marilyn looked up from her crossword, annoyed with her friend of nearly forty years. "What do you … Read more Labels: Bill Tope medium length stories real life stories 18 comments:
Bill Tope real life stories short stories Friday, December 8, 2023 Fruit Salad by Bill Tope <i>Following a collision that killed her husband and left her disabled, Beth finds it hard to trust again.</i><br><br>"I remember what it was like," recalled Beth softly, speaking to her daughter, "when I had someone." <br><br>Deb peered at her mom with concern. It wasn't often that the older woman assumed a mantle of self-pity or showed signs of melancholy. "You've got me, Mom," s… Read more Labels: Bill Tope real life stories short stories 12 comments:
Bill Tope criminal stories medium length stories Friday, November 10, 2023 An Undertaking by Bill Tope <i>Funeral director Mose is built robustly enough to have survived an attempt on his life, but what will he do next? By Bill Tope.</i><br><br>Mose lay upon the earthen bed beneath the house, where he'd been interred. The soil was moist and redolent with earthy scents. It was quiet as death. But he was not dead. It's true, he had two bullets in his head, thankfully not near enough to his brain to be fata… Read more Labels: Bill Tope criminal stories medium length stories 13 comments:
Bill Tope real life stories short stories Monday, October 23, 2023 Career Move by Bill Tope <i>Erin goes to great lengths to entertain her lover's boss; by Bill Tope.</i><br><br>With her face screwed up and her eyes moist, the pretty blonde broke into heartfelt sobs and was soon weeping with abandon. Sophie edged her way into the bedroom and asked, "Erin, are you going to be alright?" <br><br>Erin drew a staggered breath and nodded her head. "I'll be okay." <br><br>Without reacting furthe… Read more Labels: Bill Tope real life stories short stories 10 comments:
Bill Tope medium length stories real life stories Monday, October 9, 2023 Natty by Bill Tope <i> Mark is hopelessly drawn to his big brother's girlfriend, and is desperate for her to be happy despite the many obstacles life throws their way; by Bill Tope.</i><br><br>I knew that we shouldn't touch. Much as I wanted to feel her warm hand in my own, to gently brush my fingers along her lovely cheek, and enfold her tightly in my arms, I knew we shouldn't do it. For there would be no going back … Read more Labels: Bill Tope medium length stories real life stories 11 comments:
Bill Tope real life stories short stories Monday, September 4, 2023 Gimp by Bill Tope <i>Alan hits it off with an attractive stranger, but is hampered by prejudice; by Bill Tope.</i><br><br>Alan limped across the quad and swiftly found a seat. Hiding his cane away, he assumed a more comfortable position on the green-painted park bench. Then, moving his book bag from the bench to the ground, he sat back and waited. Alan was a handsome man in his late thirties, and he felt confident that his prese… Read more Labels: Bill Tope real life stories short stories 8 comments:
Bill Tope creepy stories funny stories medium length stories Friday, August 18, 2023 Ghoul by Bill Tope <i>Grade schooler Fenster Loomis has a secret morbid hobby that will come back to haunt him; by Bill Tope.</i><br><br>Fenster Loomis, an eight-going-on-nine-year-old boy, loved playing in the cemetery. In school, he had been struggling to read, but now he was enjoying much success at perusing the tombstones, grave markers, and monuments in the old graveyard. It helped build his math skills as well; with the sub… Read more Labels: Bill Tope creepy stories funny stories medium length stories 11 comments:
Bill Tope long stories real life stories Monday, July 10, 2023 Excel Slip by Bill Tope <i>Dweet takes a job at a slip factory to get him through university, and learns more than he bargained for; by Bill Tope.</i><br><br>I've got to make some scratch, thought Dweet desperately as he motored down the highway to the darker, murkier side of the city. He was on summer break from university, having just completed his first year. Turning into a gravel parking lot on the corner of Front and Ridge, h… Read more Labels: Bill Tope long stories real life stories 12 comments:
Bill Tope criminal stories short stories Friday, June 16, 2023 Haki by Bill Tope <i>After rising above his rough background, Nate is ready to celebrate - but small-town prejudices are worse than he imagined; by Bill Tope.</i><br><br>"You know," said my friend and roommate Nate, "for the longest time I never thought I'd live long enough to celebrate this day." The occasion of Nate's twenty-first birthday had given rise to these ruminations. As a native of Chicago,… Read more Labels: Bill Tope criminal stories short stories 14 comments:
Bill Tope medium length stories real life stories Friday, June 2, 2023 Te by Bill Tope <i> Willy meets a headstrong hedonist who shares her body as others would share a joint, but he is convinced their relationship is something special; by Bill Tope.</i><br><br>"There's Rick," said Te, pointing out the car window at a slight man in bellbottom jeans and a t-shirt and with a long blond ponytail. Willy looked. He recognized the young man, who was about his own age, from college and fr… Read more Labels: Bill Tope medium length stories real life stories 16 comments:
Bill Tope funny stories long stories Monday, May 8, 2023 Ronnie B's by Bill Tope <i>In early 80s smalltown USA, Shoe works as night chef in a bar with an absolutely terrible boss; by Bill Tope.</i><br><br><b>i</b><br><br><b>Halloween, 1982</b><br><br>Shoe stood before the prep table in the kitchen, his huge, gleaming chef's knife flailing away, chopping the cabbage, peppers, and carrots into a massive mess of coleslaw, one of the signature dishes provided by Ronnie B's Bar and Grill, the city of Edwardsville'… Read more Labels: Bill Tope funny stories long stories 19 comments:
Bill Tope criminal stories medium length stories Monday, March 27, 2023 Petty Thievery by Bill Tope <i>Sturges supplements his poverty wage at the student union with petty thievery - what could possibly go wrong? By Bill Tope. </i><br><br>"Man, I gotta find a new job," I told my boss Arno on the final day of work for the season. I had worked at the on-campus music festival held at the university each summer. Arno, a supervisor there, apparently felt that I had served him well, for he decided to use … Read more Labels: Bill Tope criminal stories medium length stories 11 comments:
Bill Tope funny stories short stories Friday, March 3, 2023 Cousin Sherry on the Phone by Bill Tope <i>Bill Tope's character patiently listens to his cousin's misguided opinions in this light-touch but provocative piece; first published in Children, Churches and Daddies.</i><br><br>I had an intriguing telephone conversation tonight with my cousin Sherry, who lives up north, near Chicago. She updated me on her children, her grandchildren, her job prospects, and a host of other personal and rather prosa… Read more Labels: Bill Tope funny stories short stories 11 comments:
Bill Tope medium length stories real life stories Friday, October 21, 2022 Taking Rosie Home by Bill Tope <i>Fifteen-year-old Rosie spends time at her sister's boyfriend's house getting high, but maybe takes it too far this time; by Bill Tope.</i><br><br>After she had spent the last thirty-six hours with her sister and me, and Sunday morning had finally come round, it was time to take Rosie home. She regularly spent her weekends with Cathy and me - the boyfriend - at our apartment, a fact which did little t… Read more Labels: Bill Tope medium length stories real life stories 14 comments:
