Shortlist – 2026 Gooseberry Pie Annual Writing Competition
by Christine H. Chen
He presents Marilyn with a loaf of eulogia he stole from the Church, and a pot of Bromeliad he’s grabbed from Ma’s windowsill. Marilyn, in her signature purple black lipstick and a kludgy ensemble of a yellow fleece jacket over her polka dot pajama top and black tights hugging bulging thighs, sniffs the bread, and barks “Doesn’t smell any special”, barely glances at the plant offering, throws the bread to Dot, her pit bull at her feet who’s growling at Tom, then her eyes narrow into slits of lust at the sight of Tom’s new ride. “Take me on a date in that stonker of yours?” she meows, pointing her chin at Tom’s Hummer he’s dressed up with Dekotora-style flaming green dragons spouting crimson fire. Tom nods with a grin. Together with Dot, they mount the green monster. It roars and fills the air with smoke and the stench of gas before speeding and disappearing into a happily ever after fiery sunset.
Christine H. Chen was born in Hong Kong and grew up in Madagascar. Her fiction has appeared in SmokeLong Quarterly, Time & Space Magazine, Centaur Lit. and anthologized in Best Microfiction, Best Small Fictions and other collections and journals. christinehchen.com.
Photo by Rafael Garcin on Unsplash
