fiction
Mystery, crime, murder, unsolved cases. Contribute your own tales of crime to Criminal.
What Did You Think Would Happen?
My eyes are shut tight and my mind and my heart is racing, and I want to scream out of sheer terror and all I could think was...Here i am...in this aluminum deathtrap flying 30,000 feet above the ground...and we have hit some very turmultuous turbulence! People are gasping and I can hear the woman behind me praying. As if I wasn't completely terrified already, simply because I haven't flown since I was eight years old, and now a grown woman of slightly over fifty, I am not feeling so brave. Remembering as a child being so excited about flying, and now I have turned into a very large frady cat. We've only just begun our one hour flight from Sacramento back to San Diego, California. I am sitting here with two strangers and a complete death grip on the arm of my seat and of course, I asked for a wing window seat! What in the hell was I thinking!! It'll be fun they said, get a window seat so you can see the shapes on the ground they said! It will be super cool THEY SAID!! I AM NOT HAVING A GOOD TIME AT ALL!! I think I might very well die from a heart attack, before we could ever hit the ground! The lovely stewardess has checked on me at least 6 times in the past hour and every time, she reassures me this is normal. WELL TO HELL WITH THIS!! I can't believe I agreed to FLY! I could have driven from Sacramento, but nooooo! I didn't want a seven hour drive home! NEVER AGAIN, NEVER AGAIN, NEVER! I will be keeping my feet firmly planted on the ground from here on! as I am thinking all these crazy thoughts the plane begins to stop shaking and rocking around, finally smoothing into a normal, easy flight. oh, thank the lord! During that wild ride, I managed to break into an uncomfortable sweat. We are now about twenty minutes into the flight and the plane is flying perfectly, guess it was just a little turbulence. I have had my eyes closed through the entire rodeo air ride, and for some reason I can't bring myself to open them. "Miss, hello miss?" I hear as I turn my head toward the voice talking, "miss?" then I feel someone lightly touch my hand, I open my eyes and there she is again, the very sweet young stewardess letting me know "miss, we are through the worst of it now, you can relax" as she smiles at me. "oh thank god" I say back. What a job they have, calming down the frady cats like me when they must also be terrified as well, because I don't care how many times you fly or how much you trust the pilot, when that happens, it's got to be scary as hell, every single time! oh, listen to me being rediculous! they do this all the time, they have to deal with someone like me on every flight, it's thier job. As things calm, the ladies bring the cart round, and I buy two mini bottles of wine to calm my nerves, I drink the wine and now I can look out my window without fear, and the ground below looks like a giant jigsaw puzzle that hasn't been finished. Finally I see the beauty of our planet as we fly over...I close my eyes for a few minutes as the wine does what I fully intended for it to do...put my lights out for the rest of the flight.
By C. M. Sears5 years ago in Criminal
Coordinated Effort
Mike Weatherman was sweating mightily in the scorching hell of an Arizona afternoon. The steep climb up to the excavation site was adding another layer of pain to his ordeal. Although Mike had been doing his thing here in the Arizona desert since he had finished grad school, Arizona never failed to scorch his body and soul on one of these digs.
By DEVON DRISCOLL5 years ago in Criminal
The Lies She Told.
Ava was finishing up her shift in the E.R. One guy broke his leg, a kid had a fish hook in his cheek, and an old lady complained about her stomach hurting but it turns out she had gas. She only worked twelve hours today and as bad as she needed the hours they can only offer so many to fresh graduates. "Miss Rebecca I can work in the clinic if you need me to." The R.N didn't look away from her tablet containing information and complaints from the patients. "Go home Ava you're not the only one trying to pay off your student loans." Disappointed she grabbed her purse and went to the train station. It's never crowded past nine at night, unlike the mornings. getting off her hour and a half trip she walked into the lobby of her apartment and went into the elevator on her way to the seventh floor. I’m not making as much money as I thought I would. Maybe I should get a part-time job at a nursing home. The elevator stopped at her destination. Down the hallway is her apartment unlocking it, she can smell the leftover chicken and rice that Isla made yesterday.
By Tiffany Jewell5 years ago in Criminal
My Grandmother's Book
I have two memories of my grandma. The first memory that comes to mind is that she constantly holding this little leather-bound black book. If she saw anyone near (unless the maid at the time) she would immediately snatch it from us. I am honestly surprised she did not request to be buried with it. Instead, we bury her holding a single red rose.
By Lillian Webb5 years ago in Criminal
Mambo's Smoothie
I pushed through the smudged glass doors. It was just after midday and the sun was peeking through the clouds. I had worked up a good sweat playing hoops, and the L.A. breeze melded with my postgame endorphins to give me goosebumps on my walk home. I had walked this same mile hundreds of times, and today was no different. I popped my earbuds in and pumped up the new Cole World album Zeke had ripped onto my iPhone for me, a classic best friend move.
By Henry Fisher5 years ago in Criminal
Treasure Hunt. Top Story - February 2021.
Danny walked around the park, taking in the early spring day. The leaves were just starting to bud and the air smelled of fresh dirt. He’s had his head in his books so much lately that it felt like he was just coming out of a cave. It was good to be outside. After completing the loop around the pond, he sat on his favorite bench, the one that overlooked the water. He felt something underneath him and stood up again. A small black notebook, the kind he always imagined writers carried with them everywhere, sat on the bench.
By Erica Ellis5 years ago in Criminal
The Envelope
Chris finished her fourth Zoom session teaching sign language. She thought to herself “Gah, my eyes are hurting, I need a break”. She decided to head to the local park to unwind and relax. Putting on her coat and cloth mask and grabbing her white cane, she headed out her apartment’s door.
By Tracy Stine5 years ago in Criminal
Once Upon A Little Black Book
Everyday Jerri sleeps straight through the alarm. She never hears it go off. The dog starts barking at the alarm because it hates it. The baby starts screaming because the dog woke her up. Then mother starts yelling to, SHUT THAT DOG UP." Then her father starts yelling that he worked all night and was trying to get some seep. Jerri's mother will come and shut off the alarm and give Jerri a shake.
By Deborah Zbieronek5 years ago in Criminal
