She earned her living as a bartender at an #airport lounge, slinging #elixers to weary wayfarers. There were no regulars, just transients with mostly long-distant gazes. Cocktails to ease the heavy minds of the light baggaged. It seemed joyful vacationers skipped the airport bar. #vss365 #vssdaily

Slap another cassette in the tape deck and cruise the boulevard on a Friday night. Street light shadows dance as we drive past, looking better than everyone, while they look better than us. Hair #spray in the center #console to ensure we keep it up. Those were the days. #vss365 #vssdaily

"One must feel true #empathy to find peace." "No sweat." "It is not as easy as one may think." "Sure it is, piece of cake." "Like a #pebble tossed in a vast ocean, it can be hard to find." "Nah, I watched Sesame Street on the #tube as a kid. I'm all set!" "Very well." #vss365 #vssdaily #BookishTues

A Phil Collins song comes on the radio, and I'm 10 again on a Friday night, snatching a brownie from under #wax paper carefully placed by my mom before she takes me to the roller #skate rink. Drums hit like a time machine. #vss365 #vssdaily

In the living room I hear an issue, within the kitchen a crinkle of #tissue. I leap to my feet ready for attack, as I realize the cat is eating my #snack! #vss365 #vssdaily

#Hunched over the steering wheel as headlamps glow on pavement flashing past like so many bad memories. The open road heads towards the moon, floating without care above distant mountain silhouettes. Wisps of clouds beckon like #pillows as the motor hums a lullaby. #vss365 #vssdaily

A room untouched except by time and dust, frozen before a life cut short. Walls boasted #posters preserving the height of pop culture as it had been. She could almost hear the #tunes blasting from the tinny speakers of a battery-powered boom box. A nostalgic tear said farewell. #vss365 #vssdaily

The #engines never stopped. A constant churning rumbling below the city so the lights never faded. Nothing to stop production. Nothing to stop progress. He yearned for a night of darkness. Of quiet. To soak up that delicacy of peace like a #sponge. Back to work. #vss365 #vssdaily

I arrive at the cabin for the first time on a cool morning. I find a #cord of wood behind the deck, but it's rotten, an #algae condominium throughout the past year. Whomever owned the place before me had criminally neglected the fireplace. #vss365 #vssdaily #amwriting

He was a con man, selling lies all day and #sleeping soundly on other folks' hard-earned dough. Not sure how he pulled it off, though. The mug's charisma was so thin it'd make a #razor think it needed to go on a diet. #vss365 #vssdaily #amwriting.

The #underpinning foundation of our family, that #kettle. Some might think it the kitchen table where we gathered, or the hearth where we warmed, or even the house where we stayed safe. No, it was that #kettle, which called to us whenever we were in need. #vss365 #vssdaily #amwriting

There's #something healing about a warm shower. Water sluicing over muscles as fatigued as the mind, washing the soul like no #soap can. #vss365 #vssdaily #amwriting

He looked in the mirror and nodded before dragging a #comb over his head to fix an errant lock. He wanted to look perfect for his big #goodbye, although he still didn't know how to say it. Still, the word #rhymed with fly, so he knew he would. #vss365 #vssdaily #BookishTues

He lived in apartment the size of a #matchbox. Not enough room to decorate or he'd be stuck. It matched his lifestyle, in a way, lived with as much #variety as a dry loaf of Wonder Bread. Not even any mayo to break up the day. #vss365 #vssdaily #amwriting

"What do you think?" "A unique case, but I think #acid is the murder weapon." "How so?" "It's subtle, but you can see a glowing green substance around the 12-inch hole in his gut." The patrol officers gawked at him, having proved his reputation as a #shrewd cartoon detective. #vss365 #vssdaily

Soup and salad, like two healthy henchmen. #Cling to the #fork as I drive it into the lettuce, as though the utensil would ricochet into oblivion. Don't have this problem with pizza. #vss365 #vssdaily #amwriting

The #bus sat rusting, tires long since gone, so the #garden adopted it. Wildflowers formed a colorful moat around the pale yellow hulk. A sapling maple took residence in its middle. In the warm sun of an autumn afternoon, I thought I heard children's laughter among the birdsong. #vss365 #vssdaily

The #laundry machine wound down. He heard the tapping of a #beetle's steps as it made its way across the floor. He scooped it up and took it out, smiling as it flew to freedom. Fresh linen welcomed him back as he wondered how #evil thrived with such joys in the world. #vss365 #vssdaily #BookishTues

Tom #toiled. Tom #toiled until his fingers bled, which is something as he worked in a cubicle. Tom #toiled such that he would forget to #inhale and give a mighty gasp (he apologized to his cube mates). Seeing Tom's steadfast #toiling, the boss relented, and threw a pizza party. #vss365 #vssdaily

"I'm #trying to understand the #devine." "Oh, some light thinking?" "What is it? Often overwhelmingly good but also occasionally terrible. Can be terrifying but also comforting. Soothing but may keep you up at night." "So that's why ancient Egyptians thought cats were gods." #vss365 #vssdaily

Most don't consider what births evil. Maybe it lurks in the shadows of a sinister street corner, or in damp, murky woods. Naivety of the uninitiated. The seed of selfish greed simply needs a #fertile landscape of ignorance, and the garden of corruption flourishes. #vss365 #amwriting #crimefiction

"I'm so tired." "You've been busy." "Floors vacuumed and mopped. Surfaces dusted. Trash taken out. What else?" "Rest." "But things should be tidy." "Have a cookie." "But, the crumbs!" "Trust in treats; they are worth a bit of #chaos." #vss365 #amwriting

Polishing an apple, nature's candy. #Rubbing the #fruit's flesh with a clean microfiber rag until it gleams. Set it back in the bowl with its companions. Wanted a candy bar all along. Doesn't need to be polished. Easy sweet. #vss365 #BookishTues #amwriting

They call me a bartender, and I suppose that's right. Keep the stock filled, taps flowing, and glasses clean (although here, only the shot glasses see regular rotation). But in this kind of place, mainly it's the patrons need seeing to. If they aren't #tended, people may die. #vss365 #amwriting

He sat in the darkness, surrounded by cool grass, damp with dew and waited. Waited for the day. For the sun to #arrive and drive away the night, the sadness, the dark. The sun to heal, soothed by the birdsong symphony and nature's hopeful embrace. Waited for hope. #vss365 #amwriting

"Relationships are hard." "They can be." "I wish they had something like a #brake pedal. If things go a bit fast, just tap it and the lights let them know you want to slow down." "Ah. A luxury line of passive-aggressive-fear-of-commitment automobiles." #vss365 #amwriting

Workplace uproar. Staff demanding wages matching the work they provide. The bosses try to find a middle ground and buy them pizzas. Negotiation reached, bellies full, and from now on, they'll #coast instead of excel. #vss365 #amwriting

"Why are you smiling?" "Why aren't you?" "Because, you know, our current situation?" "Everything is better if you see the positive in it." "We are #descending into hell." "And we might as well do so with a #spring in our step!" "Scratch that, I'm already in hell." #vss365 #BookishTues #amwriting

He used to be somebody. Excelled at everything he did. Then he lost it all. A great plummet from the #summit of society. Now he held court caked in grime and broken promises. The king of losers, his crown gleaming with bad decisions. #vss365 #amwriting

"Storm's comin'." "Think so." "The winds are feelin' frisky. After a steady dance, they gave a light, teaseful pause before #shifting directions. Now the leaves shimmer in anticipation." "I noticed the toilet water also shrank real low." "Well, so much for poetry." #vss365 #amwriting