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The Hungry Ghost
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The Hungry Ghost is a fiction blog by author Mark B. Papale.
Recent Posts Tagged With 'creative writing'
Silent Prayers
Los Angeles, United States “Ladies and gentlemen we will be beginning our decent into Los Angeles shortly the captain has turned on the fasten seat-belt sign. In preparation for landing…” It’s easy to ignore instruction like this, having he...
Honey Bee
Carol pressed against the wall in the darkened hallway, careful to stay in the shadows and trying to remain as quite as possible, inhaling and exhaling with deliberate control from her mouth, avoiding the creak in the floor, a mere inches from where ...
les Ecrivains Vie
Lorena took a sip of absinthe and swallowed, holding her breath. The verdant taste and smell caused her to gag and shudder from the top of her oily scalp to the bottom of her dry, flaky heels. It must be done, she thought, staring skeptically...
Freedom
Happy April. I apologize in advance, but this month I am a little busy working toward completing a revised draft of a project I am working on, tentatively titled, Soul Kiss. Because of this, I have decided to share a story I posted this time last ...
Movieland Confessions: A Dramatic Play in One Act
Characters Tiffanie Sparks: A child star in her late 30’s who hit the big-time in her late teens and early 20s, then fell hard and into obscurity. Pappa Sparks: Tiffanie’s father. Mid 60’s, skinny, and always sweating. Pappa is Tiffanie’...
Mob Mentality
The story below is an entry for consideration in EndOfThisWorld, a surreal novel whose creators started with an inciting event. Writers are invited to submit chapters that take the lead from the one previous, and ultimately the story leads to a glo...
The View
Nick boarded the ferry in Sausalito, double-tall-non-fat-heavy-foam latte in hand, and claimed his customary seat - outside, upper deck on the right-hand side. He took a sip, coating the inside of his mouth with warm milky foam, smiled and exhaled a ...
Confessions of a CEO - Canto VIII
Hi Kids! It’s the season of politics and elections and I have been quite busy of late and it’s only going to get worse. Fortunately I prepared an accurate forecast and hired ahead of the the rush; Politicians take note: operators are standing by ...
90 Seconds
It started at 3AM on a warm August night, first as a low and distant rumble, then as an audible, alarming roar. Many people, most conditioned by years of clichéd news-bites, would later describe the sound as something resembling a freight train barr...
Halom
I awoke from a dream, agitated, sweating and unable to return to sleep. The dream was vivid, specific and simultaneously vague. I was holding the frail, bird-like hand of my grandmother as she led me room by room through a transparent apartment in t...
Confessions of a CEO - Canto VII
Hello Kiddies! I have taken a little heat as of late. It seems I am not reporting in as much as people would like. Now, I would love nothing more than to sit around writing, but alas, I have an empire to run, bills to pay and people to recruit. I’l...
Lunch with Miriam: A Tale of Unforgettable Events
With tires screeching, Miriam slides her Escalade into an empty stall in the City parking garage on Rodeo Drive, slams the concrete wall, backs up, slams it again, then lowers the window and turns off the engine. Her hands are trembling and sweat tr...
Wasteland
Welcome - Things at the moment are pretty rough here in Los Angeles. Nearly 500,00 of my neighbors are in evacuation centers, hotels, with friends or family. Thousands have lost their homes. To live in Los Angeles, especially as I do in the hills...
Confessions of a CEO - Canto VI
Hi Kids! This month, I am going to share with you an e-mail I received. Now, you should know, I receive millions of e-mails each month – general questions, offers and deals, pleas for revenge and assistance – I even get e-mails from sexy Russian...
Resurrection
Today, I want to try something different. I want to experience what everybody around me so desperately desires; an opportunity to atone; to start anew. For a second time this evening, I tie off my arm with a rubber strap and slip a hot needle into th...
Strangers with Bear Meat
After the “Escalation,” just before China took control, Malibu was forever changed. The celebrated balmy summers cooled by mist laden breezes and winters warmed by the occasional Santa Ana, gave way to permanent winter; frosty winds, gray skies;...
Confessions of a CEO - Part 5
Hey Kids! Now, I don’t normally write two entries in one month, but today I was reviewing my “Search Engine Terms,” (these are the words or phrases people enter to search the Internets for information) and I discovered that many of you are unha...
Confessions of a CEO - Part 4
Kids, I’m back and today, well, I’m feeling a little raw and vulnerable. My therapist says it’s because I’m too giving and that my passive-aggressive personality encourages people to take advantage of my good nature. He says that I should b...
The Dating Game
You should see this one. e-Date.com said we are 98% compatible – a “perfect” match. Lissa’s her name. “Double S!” she said with a giggle. She made that same quirk clear in her on-line profile – with a LOL! as emphasis. Matches the doubl...
The Golden Hour
\nThe light turned green and a cool spring breeze rustled the Jacaranda trees above Brianna’s head, filling the open compartment of her Mini-Cooper with a drift of purple petals. The few that escaped the breeze landed softly in her strawberry hair...
Confessions of a CEO - Part 3
\nKids, it happened. Yea, Yea, Yea… I know what you are thinking. (Yes, I do.) “There he goes again, trying to mislead me again.” You are all too hard on me. OK, so maybe I do tell a couple of teeny “tales” now and again. But, i...
The Gift
\nAt 2am, Pollux stepped from the shower; water pooled on the marble tile under his feet, steam rose from his skin, and waited for Castor. Castor finished, rinsing verbena scented shampoo from his hair, turned off the water and joined his twin on the...
Freedom
\n\nFor three days now, the Santa Ana winds have rocked Petal La Fontaine’s small travel trailer. Just an hour ago, a strong gust shook her trailer so hard Petal thought it would break away from its wooden foundation and roll free. Last night a str...
Confessions of a CEO - Part 2
\n\nI am back. There is nothing like a good, sweaty, Bikram session to relax the mind and body. So, back to the loss of Limbo.\nFolks, I am not upset by the prospect of closing down the daycare center. Quite the opposite. Trust me when I tell you, th...
Confessions of a CEO - Part 1
I need a vacation.\nRunning a vast, global empire is taxing. All of my peers – Martha Stewart, H. Lee Scott, Jr., Donald Trump, Bill Gates, Dick Cheney, just to name a few, take vacations. The task of keeping track of new team members, all of which...
