http://slow.writerscafe.org/easywriter58 The original writings of author Janyce Helen Van Es en-us Copyright 2026 WritersCafe.org 1776036192 WritersCafe.org RSS Generator 15 I decided to heed the warning labels on my cigarette package when I suffered from bronchitis regularly.  I stayed home so much I lost my job.  Quitting cigarettes wasn’t as bad as I perceived. I thought I’d suffer withdrawals, bang my head against a wall or tear out cl.. http://slow.writerscafe.org/writing/easywriter58/284933/   “Thanks for showing up at the hospital. Are you drunk? You know that pisses me off to no end. So, where were you when I had my surgery, with your drunken bum friends? Sometimes I wish you would get lost or find another place to live. You don’t do anything to contribute to.. http://slow.writerscafe.org/writing/easywriter58/282364/ I met this handsome guy who moved in next door to me in 1986. When he was in his twenties, he modeled in Houston and showed me the proofs in a folder.  I developed this terrible crush on him; I was thirty-seven and he was thirty-three.  He could sing quite well and typed 190 words.. http://slow.writerscafe.org/writing/easywriter58/279513/ Sixty dollars and the price of diesel seemed hardly worth the price to mow her new neighbor’s yard during this one hundred degree heat wave. Thinking she’d be cooler, Janyce wore shorts instead of jeans and spaghetti straps instead of sleeves. Regardless, the sweat dripping down.. http://slow.writerscafe.org/writing/easywriter58/279498/ Another saga of Johnny and Janyce. http://slow.writerscafe.org/writing/easywriter58/279488/ “Raaaaallllllpppphh!” Janyce heard Johnny, over the sound of the CNN anchorman, giving up his PB and J sandwich into a trashcan. “Gee, can you keep it down?  There’s something on television about a tainted peanut butter recall. If we have this number on.. http://slow.writerscafe.org/writing/easywriter58/273608/ While Janyce relaxed in a bathtub of fragrant oils, she heard a grinding sound behind the ceramic tiles. The sound moved across the wall. When her husband returned from work, she said, "There's  strange noises behind the bathtub wall. It sounds like an animal."  They.. http://slow.writerscafe.org/writing/easywriter58/273603/  “Give me the wheel, you jerk,” Janyce shoved Johnny’s drunken torso to the left, causing the jam-packed motor home to sway.  “I hate your driving,” he spat. She kicked his foot off the gas pedal and tried to find the brake with her own. The .. http://slow.writerscafe.org/writing/easywriter58/273594/ His gentle, loving touch filled an overbearing deep emptiness in her heart. She waited three years until her eighteenth birthday, hoping he would notice she was more than a friend. Her full lips felt soft, her breath smelled warm and clean; she never smoked or drank. She held on to her inno.. http://slow.writerscafe.org/writing/easywriter58/262805/ Johnny lingered on the New Mexico highway watching for a car or truck. Late-summer heat bubbling forehead perspiration resembled the fresh-laid asphalt beneath his feet.  Imaginary water on the road steamed and humidified the air.  In the last hour, only a man driving a motor home ra.. http://slow.writerscafe.org/writing/easywriter58/260375/ Dreaming, Shelly melted into Steven's arms; she felt his lips feeding on her. A spiritual awareness made the last twenty years disappear.  The phone rang. Her mind still cloudy, the bad news from her son permeated her mind like a sponge soaking up urine. Steven’s picture covered the c.. http://slow.writerscafe.org/writing/easywriter58/257601/  Loading and unloading firewood from the woodlot to woodstove stretched muscles and created terrible backaches every winter for Karl. Today he encountered an unexpected problem. A small  sliver of wood embedded itself into the bend of his thumb.  Karl soaked the area in hot wate.. http://slow.writerscafe.org/writing/easywriter58/257593/ Sugar isn’t nutritiousBut it can’t be beatBecause it’s so delicious I run with my feetTo the nearest storeI just want to eat Cake, candy and moreI can’t stop the urgeWhen opening that bakery door Doctors tells me to purgeConfection fro.. http://slow.writerscafe.org/writing/easywriter58/257586/ “Not me!” he hollered from the downstairs bedroom, “I am not putting my hands in that discusting dishwater!” “But you made the dishes dirty …not to mention that large skillet with dried egg and cheese, stuck on the sides and waiting for me to scrape it o.. http://slow.writerscafe.org/writing/easywriter58/239224/ Janyce typed a short story for WritersCafe, munching on a toasted bagel, laden with cream cheese and smoked salmon.  Johnny sneaked into the kitchen downstairs, and quietly grabbed the forbidden chip bag and shortcut through the bathroom to the den, unnoticed.   &nbs.. http://slow.writerscafe.org/writing/easywriter58/237334/ Janyce sat on the loft’s edge watching Johnny make two sandwiches.  He stacked four slices of bread on top of the flies’ coffeemaker-landing-strip, pulled down a dusty mug, and crammed a small banana into it, using his thumb.  Next, he proceeded to churn it ar.. http://slow.writerscafe.org/writing/easywriter58/237033/ erotic horror http://slow.writerscafe.org/writing/easywriter58/229090/ Two mid-life sisters make a date with a younger man http://slow.writerscafe.org/writing/easywriter58/228833/ The shadows merged and Susan craned her neck to see if she recognized the perpetrator. He wasn’t from around here. Even with the full moon, it was hard to focus on the scene. She could see he had long black hair and a tight grip on the sleek feminine neck with his teeth. 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The renters promised to pay towards the mortgage instead of sending her.. http://slow.writerscafe.org/writing/easywriter58/213140/ What it would be like to read a letter from a neighbor about myself http://slow.writerscafe.org/writing/easywriter58/211858/ As I lie here thinking of years now gone byI still have that ache deep inside and I cryI can't bring the past back and re-live each dayBut my dreams keep you close to my soul, anyway My body is much older and falling apartBut your memory is still alive in my heartYour eyes still e.. http://slow.writerscafe.org/writing/easywriter58/211850/ The lighter flickered and ignited his cigarette, as Detective Abusive squatted down in the dense fog. He had to examine the swollen, grotesque body in the freezing waters of New Hampshire. He was surprised to discover that the weapon was actually a very long hat pin used multiple times. It resembled.. http://slow.writerscafe.org/writing/easywriter58/211845/ Hundreds of immigrants flood into Texas, Arizona, New Mexico and California each day from Mexico-one little piece of a story http://slow.writerscafe.org/writing/easywriter58/211808/ No body loves me I think I'll eat some worms http://slow.writerscafe.org/writing/easywriter58/211782/ June 1997: “It’s fresh and new; don’t eat, drink or smoke in here.”November 1997: “Put something down in the bed BEFORE loading it with firewood!”April 1998: “Your fishing hat with the hooks got caught in the headliner so you pulled it all down?&rdqu.. http://slow.writerscafe.org/writing/easywriter58/211770/ She heard the voices and could recognize all her immediate family but she couldn't move."Must be the car accident," she pondered. "Must have done something to my back."   "She is still alive, but I can't say for how much longer," she heard the docto.. http://slow.writerscafe.org/writing/easywriter58/211768/ He:   I have been looking for a girl,honest and true.She: You're all misconstrued; your judgment is off-kilter. I lie like a rug.He:   I love the color of your blue eyes and I have always loved blondes.She: I wear tinted contact lenses and the color of my hair is bleach fro.. http://slow.writerscafe.org/writing/easywriter58/211764/ In a lake between Oklahoma and Texas, there are many kinds of fish. There is a big, long fish called a Carp, a short fat fish called a Perch and a long fish with a flat head called a Catfish. He is called a Catfish because he has whiskers like a cat. This fish likes to swim along the bottom of the l.. http://slow.writerscafe.org/writing/easywriter58/211750/ The meowing sounded weaker this time. The crack under the door was too slim to put a dish of water or food under it.    Picking the lock didn’t work. Prying the hasp off the painted, hinged door didn’t work either. Even the screwdriver couldn’t get a grip inside the p.. http://slow.writerscafe.org/writing/easywriter58/211719/ From the time I first met Cookie in my first grade classroom, I was drawn to her. I turned five in December, putting me in a private school instead of a public one, because I could already read and write in two languages.  She was so petit and cute. I felt tall next to her although I w.. http://slow.writerscafe.org/writing/easywriter58/211716/ Grief-stricken, I followed the wolf to his den, carrying my prized, gray Persian kitten in his sharp, menacing teeth. She wasn’t able to cry out, her throat was being pierced too tightly. 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