Shawn Ingram
Bio
In January 2021, I contracted the virus du jour. I thought I was going to die. For three weeks, all I did was sleep, moan, and dream.
The following month I joined VOCAL.media. I've published over 150 sories so far!
Stories (118)
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The Prodigal Sunglasses
It was too hot out for the black hoodie, even with the sleeves rolled to the elbow. My phone call also distracted me. There was a fair amount of wind noise roaring through my tiny earbuds as I chatted with my boss. Several things were competing for my attention. I remember hooking the sunglasses over the zippered junction in the hoodie. I do this such that only one leg of the glass sticks out from my jacket. This way, they are less likely to shake loose. I still did just that - lose my oversized, nerdy sunglasses that fit more or less neatly over my prescription eyeglasses.
By Shawn Ingram5 years ago in Humans
Bus
The bus stopped so suddenly that several people were thrown from their seats. How had the driver not seen the child? His attention had been somewhat divided by his conversation with the two older sisters that always sat directly behind him. The irony was the twins usually always offered him suggestions on safety. Had he noticed the light ahead just turned yellow? Did he have time to stop? Had he seen the young woman driver who had just go in her car half a block ahead?
By Shawn Ingram5 years ago in Horror
Gabe
The devil had been prophesied to lose for so long, most of the faithful accepted it as a foregone conclusion, a guaranteed given, a done deal. The problem with knowing the outcome in advance is it makes it impossible to create any real dramatic tension; it doesn’t make a good story in other words. Then there’s the second teeny, tiny problem; sometimes those beliefs and prophecies are just plain wrong.
By Shawn Ingram5 years ago in Horror
Treehouse
The moment I saw the tree standing there against the creek, the sky opening up beyond it where the trees naturally parted at a wider spot in the creek, I knew I'd found the one. I'd been taking daily hikes through the woods behind my apartment complex for weeks. A narrow greenbelt with a paved walking path along the creek, the primary path, which I explored during my first few days of hiking. But on all the days since, I wandered off the main path, finding my way through the sometimes dense, sometimes sparse woods. Exploring, discovering, imagining. Eventually, I discovered lesser trails, long since forgotten trails. But once such trails fell out of use, the grasses, weeds, and roots began to reclaim the bare strips of earth, pulling them back into the unregulated pool of 'wilderness.'
By Shawn Ingram5 years ago in Humans
Closet
Helen slams the closet door, leans against it, her heart racing. Then she is overtaken by what her father had called the ‘little girl shakes.’ She steps away from the closet. Takes several deep breaths. She doesn’t like remembering her father; he was not a good man.
By Shawn Ingram5 years ago in Horror
In His Teacup
Kevin takes another sip of his jasmine tea as he waits for Mike to show up for their lunch date at Tranquil-a-Tea. They had been dating for only four months, but Kevin is thinking he should end things. He loves Mike, but he feels something might be missing. He had been married once. A woman. It took him three years to realize he was gay and the divorce was a rancorous, tumultuous time for both him and Marilyn.
By Shawn Ingram5 years ago in Humans
Skateboard
'Damn it Golgorth!!' Marcus thinks. 'We had a deal!' The electric skateboard and skateboarder model Marcus had hired only yesterday, fly by the two men, Marcus can see Sheila, the skateboarder, looks panicked. She is frantically pressing the buttons on the remote control. Jared looks confused and guarded.
By Shawn Ingram5 years ago in Horror
Poster
I get up to hand in my 'Just Say No to Smoking' poster to Mrs. Kay. My parents have never smoked. They tell me it's bad for me and that I should never, ever smoke. I'm never going to smoke; it causes cancer. We know that now. I guess the science wasn't advanced enough to see that in the '40s or '50s, but they just didn't know then. We just landed on the moon, so we at least have good science now. Daddy calls it 'cutting-edge.' And it, the science, tells us smoking is bad for you.
By Shawn Ingram5 years ago in Families
Gunnbjørn Fjeld
Despite their best efforts, the gigantic chemical conglomeration wasn't able to purchase full property rights of the 39-acre rocky peak of Gunnbjørn Fjeld. But they had, through some tangled, twisted path of laws, loopholes, and long-forgotten treaty rights purchased the mineral rights and were able to begin 'limited mining' on top of the mountain. They were tight-lipped about whatever it was they were after. Greenlandic Inuits were furious at the imperious arrogance of the western money machine and did what they could to stop the mining. Initially, the Inuits had proven very resilient and resourceful at stopping the venture, but then the corporation cracked down by contracting with a paramilitary, security firm that had made Blackwater look like a team of mild-mannered, school-crossing guards. All protests and destruction of property stopped overnight. There were grumblings and rumors of course, but nothing ever came of them.
By Shawn Ingram5 years ago in Futurism
