The Ten-Minute Storyteller

This week we meet Stu. Stu’s up in his hilltop mansion cradling his assault rifle. He’s waiting for the barbarians. While Stu waits he remembers. Grows nostalgic. Longs to revisit the glory days of his youth when, fresh out of college, he lived free as a bird for a couple years out on the open road. Stu hears them. Coming up through the woods. He sees them crossing the manicured lawn. Over the wal...

This week we meet Sam. A decent fellow without hard opinions, Sam thinks he might run for school board. Help out. Do his civic duty. He meets with some“concerned parents.” Listens to their concerns. Critical race theory. Sexed. Books that need burning. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This week we meet Crumb and Fuse. Driving home from a boozy party in Crumb’s 911, they spot a raccoon crossing the road. Crumb swerves and goes out of his way to run over the coon. The act sets off a confrontation between the two men. They argue and taunt one another. Fire off wise cracks and insults. A philosophical melee. It's a beautiful triangle: Booze, men, and their egos. See omnystudio.com/...

This week we meet Gary. Gary Edward Earl, better known as Gad. Gad N Earl. He’s been tasked with fixing the supply chain problems. He could do the job from his home office in the GardenState suburbs, but what fun would that be? Gas wants to hit the road. Get outta town. Everywhere he goes it’s hot hot hot. Broiling hot. And humid. Despite it being late October. But no big thang. AC’s hummin, baby....

This week we meet Big Al Stevens. For years, decades, Big Al spent enormous amounts of time and money shopping and consuming, buying no end of crapola he didn’t need and probably didn’t want. But consuming was an addiction. Al coveted a wide array of products and services large and small. It was a never-ending compulsion. A kind of enslavement. Eventually Al became fed up with this vicious cycle....

This week we meet Lem. Lem Carson. Lem leaves work feeling good. Feeling fine. His presentation went well. He's looking forward to a mellow ride home followed by a pleasant evening with the family. Unfortunately, a couple of external events intrude upon Lem’s peaceful, easy feeling. Soon his brain shifts into overdrive and all the old woes and grievances begin to churn. Work. Wife. Kids. Parents....

This week we have a couple boys, men actually, dealing with some personal issues, when out of the blue they dang near slam their large vehicles into one another. Gonna be hell to pay if they don’t calm down and pull themselves together. These boy/men are on edge. Kids. Wives. Ex-wives. Work. Life for crying out loud. A volatile mix. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Stud Macintyre loves the ladies. So when an exceptionally beautiful young lady shows up on a Harley for the Sunday morning canyon ride, Stud is all a-lather. He right away hits on the gorgeous girl on the Harley Sportster 883. She succumbs immediately to his masculine charms. They go to dinner. Then back to her place. She is Stud's fantasy come true. Only one minor hiccup... See omnystudio.com/lis...

Winky is a young, dedicated high school English teacher. She’s also broke. Well, almost. Hanging on by a thread. A dollar ain’t what it used to be. Fortunately, a girl has options. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

MUSIC BY THE SEA is a timeless tale of empowerment, of emancipation, of never giving up the ship. Widowed, she has come alone to the sea from the flatlands of Illinois. She has come with hope and expectation. But soon, like the story of her life, hope and expectation dissolve into quiet bitterness. She decides it might be best to simply wade into the waves and let the vast ocean carry her, and her...

AFTER THE WEDDING is a tough tale too often told. Too much booze at his bud’s wedding. Too much grass. Too many pills. And now this crazy chick who jumped in his car when the cops whirled in and chased everyone off. She’s blitzed. Practically comatose. Must’ve consumed too much of something. Entirely incoherent. It’s not just the illegal drugs; it’s the prescription meds here in these United State...

THE PASS CATCHER is a cautionary tale for all of us who love the game. A knee injury sidelined the pass catcher before the start of his third NFL season. But the damage had already been done. Four years of high school ball. Four years of college ball. Two years of pro ball. Ten years of whacks to the head. Too many concussions to count. This is the once legendary pass catcher’s life today.  See om...

COLLEGE BOY could easily be subtitled Life on Easy Street or Made in the Shade. Ed’s young, spoiled, apathetic, takes a whole lot for granted. He doesn’t like to push himself, physically or mentally. He just wants to… slide and glide. Ed’s a Zoomer. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Like many of the stories in this series, THE WINDOW WASHER AND HIS PUP rolls right out of real life. Real events. Many of us take our great good fortune for granted. A roof over our heads, three squares a day, good health, families that love us. But for many, life’s not so sweet. Take John Adams for instance. Not a whole lot of joy or good luck in his life. But hey, maybe his luck is about to chan...

THE HAIRCUT, a simple tale on the surface, in fact teems with tension, highly charged emotions, and fear of the unknown. THE HAIRCUT is a timeless tale of fathers and sons, domestic strife, loss of innocence, and the long haul to manhood.   See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This is a story of loss and survival. It’s an anti-war story, a story about not judging a book, or in this case a person, by its cover, or in this case his physical appearance. It’s kind of an amusing tale that’s so damn sad, you might just want to cry. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Want to hear some entertaining stories but don't have a lot of time? The stories in this podcast are short and tough or short and sweet. Bill Simpson has been writing fiction for a long time and has perfected the short short story. Subject matter varies considerably. The Ten-Minute Storyteller is packed with humor, pathos, vulnerability, humanity, and originality. Read by the author without editin...