David Rodeback’s Fiction

There were 104 rooms in Verdant Meadows, the largest assisted living facility in town. So Alli made 104 identical holiday decorations to pin on the residents’ doors.

There were 104 rooms in Verdant Meadows, the largest assisted living facility in town. So Alli made 104 identical holiday decorations to pin on the residents’ doors.

A ninth-grade girl gets in trouble in history class, gets angry at the teacher’s pet, and misses the school bus home. A very short story (flash fiction).

A junior high boy writes poems no one ever sees about a girl he admires, but struggles even to talk to her. His older brother doesn’t help. Fortunately, she’s in the school band. A short story. Includes vomiting.

A seventh grade boy, a precocious artist, draws portraits of his family. Then he draws his sister’s best friend, when she doesn’t know he’s doing it, and that’s trouble. A short story.

For a seventh grade boy, the last few days of the school year don’t turn out as he had hoped. A very short story (flash fiction).

The high school’s star quarterback refuses to wear a pink tux to the Homecoming Dance, and there are consequences. A short story.

Returning to the path was a relief. I belonged there, with my runner’s build and shoes to match. She belonged off the path, not so much with the grass and trees as with the soil underneath and the blazing sunlight. Her full figure belonged to nature, and her hair and skirt were fire. I shook off the impression and jogged away.

I told my heart to stop pounding and my head to stop remembering, and congratulated myself on my exemplary adult behavior. Because I wanted to run, and I didn’t. I wanted to shriek, and I didn’t. I wanted to weep, and I didn’t. I wanted to go vomit somewhere, and I didn’t.

In the dystopian but still familiar near future, a divorced man’s hopes die in a barber shop. A very short story (flash fiction).

A man gets up and goes to work in a burned-out forest which resembles what has become of his life.

An old stone ruin is the setting for a simple picnic, dramatic news, and a fateful choice.

“It’s a meat market, Amber.” My roommate’s face in the mirror looks a little hurt, because I’m complaining about church….

A man’s dream causes him to wonder if certain things are as they appear. Gently dystopian. A very short story (flash fiction).

An awkward early-morning scene on a man’s front porch causes a woman to reflect on what she really wants for her life. A short story.

Two old friends get together when they’re home from college for the holidays. She loves to sing Christmas music. He loves to listen. Each has a secret. A short story.

I had never been here before this hour, but I could feel that here was my home. This place had made war on itself for decades, then simply stopped and made peace. … My next song began where the first left off. A short story.

A writer takes her short story about a marriage breaking up to her critique group. They debate what it’s about, and she tries to explain. A very short story (flash fiction).

A woman who waits tables in a diner disapproves of one of her regulars, who resembles her grandpa. Her mom disapproves of waiting tables. A short story.

After a sleepless night and a distracted morning at church, an impromptu lunch date may be Pia’s last chance to tell Doug how she feels.

There were 104 rooms in Verdant Meadows, the largest assisted living facility in town. So Alli made 104 identical holiday decorations to pin on the residents’ doors.

A widower writes his deceased wife a letter for Valentine’s Day. A short story.

A woman who waits tables in a diner disapproves of one of her regulars, who resembles her grandpa. Her mom disapproves of waiting tables. A short story.

An old, lonely man shares Christmas Eve and Christmas with the only chicken left in his coop. A short story.

A ninth-grade girl gets in trouble in history class, gets angry at the teacher’s pet, and misses the school bus home. A very short story (flash fiction).

An old stone ruin is the setting for a simple picnic, dramatic news, and a fateful choice.

“It’s a meat market, Amber.” My roommate’s face in the mirror looks a little hurt, because I’m complaining about church….

An awkward early-morning scene on a man’s front porch causes a woman to reflect on what she really wants for her life. A short story.

A junior high boy writes poems no one ever sees about a girl he admires, but struggles even to talk to her. His older brother doesn’t help. Fortunately, she’s in the school band. A short story. Includes vomiting.

A seventh grade boy, a precocious artist, draws portraits of his family. Then he draws his sister’s best friend, when she doesn’t know he’s doing it, and that’s trouble. A short story.

A widower writes his deceased wife a letter for Valentine’s Day. A short story.

I had never been here before this hour, but I could feel that here was my home. This place had made war on itself for decades, then simply stopped and made peace. … My next song began where the first left off. A short story.

The high school’s star quarterback refuses to wear a pink tux to the Homecoming Dance, and there are consequences. A short story.

After a sleepless night and a distracted morning at church, an impromptu lunch date may be Pia’s last chance to tell Doug how she feels.

There were 104 rooms in Verdant Meadows, the largest assisted living facility in town. So Alli made 104 identical holiday decorations to pin on the residents’ doors.

An awkward early-morning scene on a man’s front porch causes a woman to reflect on what she really wants for her life. A short story.

A seventh grade boy, a precocious artist, draws portraits of his family. Then he draws his sister’s best friend, when she doesn’t know he’s doing it, and that’s trouble. A short story.

Two old friends get together when they’re home from college for the holidays. She loves to sing Christmas music. He loves to listen. Each has a secret. A short story.

A woman who waits tables in a diner disapproves of one of her regulars, who resembles her grandpa. Her mom disapproves of waiting tables. A short story.

An old, lonely man shares Christmas Eve and Christmas with the only chicken left in his coop. A short story.