Mack D. Ames
Bio
Tongue-in-cheek humor. Educator & hobbyist writer in Maine, USA. Mid50s. Emotional. Forgiven. Thankful. One wife, 2 adult sons, 1 dog. Novel: Lost My Way in the Darkness: Jack's Journey. https://a.co/d/6UE59OY. Not pen name Bill M, partly.
Stories (71)
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Phillips & Sanderson
Scott sat in his period three biology class and tapped his pen impatiently on the textbook in front of him. Tap tap tap, tap-tap taap, tap-tap taap. In his mind, he was picturing Darth Vader striding to the command center of the Imperial Death Star while the soundtrack played in time with the pen taps. None of his classmates had any idea of this, of course, and they shot dark looks at his annoying noises. He was oblivious until his friend Mark tossed an eraser in his face.
By Mack D. Ames2 years ago in Fiction
All Talk No Action. Content Warning.
"It's madness for him to be upset about such a silly thing. Why, when I was young, that sort of behavior was perfectly acceptable, so long as one kept it behind closed doors, you understand. It's nobody's business but theirs, anyway, and he has no right to fly off the handle as he did. It's shameful. Utterly shameful."
By Mack D. Ames2 years ago in Criminal
Head and Shoulders Above. Content Warning.
Y’know, it wasn’t as if anyone would ever consider me a suspect for it. The building had been there longer than I’ve been alive, and they only recently decided to tear it down. I mean, my god, the cruelty of the man involved—everyone knew he was a pervert. It’s a wonder they even let him work there, for god’s sake. His clothes stank, he never shaved, and his hair dripped with grease and chlorinated water. My stomach flip-flops just remembering those awful lessons I was forced to endure with him.
By Mack D. Ames2 years ago in Horror
A Cut Above
“I didn’t know how to tell him that I needed to know the ‘why’ before I could understand the ‘how.’ I was twenty years old! It took another twenty-five years to sort that out. He passed years ago, but I highly doubt he’d believe what I’m doing now. I’m sure I’ve told you that he used to have to reteach almost every lesson to me in his office because I didn’t comprehend enough of the material in class. No, there’s just no way he ever would’ve seen this coming.” I said this today to a college student at the correctional facility where I work.
By Mack D. Ames2 years ago in Education
Sally's Joy
Sally's bright blue eyes brimmed with joy. Every direction she turned, children laughed with delight, squealed as the icy white powder found its way under their snowsuits to their bare skin, and roared with excitement as they raced down the hill on their sleds. She loved to make kids happy, and this day was filled with them.
By Mack D. Ames2 years ago in Fiction
They Promised Sunshine. Content Warning.
They promised sunshine today, but all I see is grey skies. It's not like the sky is partly sunny and mostly cloudy, okay? It's all grey. Freaking forecasters f*cked it up. The only sunshine happened in sunrise. Ever since then, their promise of SUNNY ALL AFTERNOON has been a crock of shite.
By Mack D. Ames2 years ago in Writers
"Ice, Ice, Maybe"
I am the least creative person I know. When I think I know a topic, I jump into my favorite tire track or rut, and I'm off to the races. I'm sure to wear blinders, too, so that nothing and no one can persuade me to the contrary. Far be it from me to seek input or to consult anyone more experienced than I. No, no, no! It is my way or the highway, baby. Put the bit between my teeth and ride me to the finish line.
By Mack D. Ames2 years ago in Humor
"It's gone!"
I am a world traveler, but I've only been lost once. I'm not sure where I was born, but I know I was fashioned into the one I am today in upstate New York in 1997. He found me there and said I was just perfect for his plans. He asked that I receive the right amount of training: "Polish that one up," he said, "and I'll return in a few weeks to settle the matter." I admit that he seemed a little anxious, but he was beaming broadly when he arrived at the appointed time and took me with him.
By Mack D. Ames2 years ago in Marriage
Fizzled
If Vocal taught me anything in my first year of membership, it was that other members hold a higher appreciation for the words fumbling from my keyboard than do the judges at Vocal. Had I written this four months ago, it would have been a bitter admission; today I state facts with a wry chuckle and a heavy dose of humility. My aspirations for 2024 are not to burn out or give up on writing.
By Mack D. Ames2 years ago in Writers
Shout out to Kendall Defoe
My mother read to me after lunch almost daily when I was four and five years old. She probably did so when I was younger than that, but I don't recall it. We'd sit on the couch in the dining room--a room large enough to hold a table that seated the eight of us in my family, plus two easy chairs and a sofa. We weren't wealthy by any stretch of the imagination, but we lived in an 1820-built farmhouse in Maine, and two of the rooms still had tin ceilings that fascinated me.
By Mack D. Ames2 years ago in Chapters
Lost My Way in the Darkness. Content Warning.
In the early days of American history, the tenets of Christianity were either embraced or generally tolerated as positive guidelines for establishing societal norms and legal expectations. Many of the Founding Fathers were not Christians per se but held to Deist views that acknowledged the value of Biblical mores in the public square. Simultaneously, they recognized the danger of selecting winners and losers in the world of religion, which is how Thomas Jefferson's privately-held belief of "the separation of church and state" came into existence as the mantra of the masses that sought to keep God out of everything. This separation resulted in a complete loss of moral compass for the United States by the early twenty-first century, as the culture of death replaced the culture of life that had previously prevailed.
By Mack D. Ames2 years ago in Fiction
