Stepping Out Novellas
Michelle Catenacci
With These Hands
Excerpt
Ignoring the pain, she planted her hands firmly on his chest and pushed him away before he had a chance to realize what she had said. Without ceremony and before he could get another word in, Lilly yanked off the glove on her right hand. With great care, she then removed her wedding ring from her left finger…
Desiree J. Fischer
Mud Pies and Glitter Glue
Excerpt
Kurt arrived just in time to help me dig my old blue bike out of the shed. After wading through mountainous boxes of my parents’ things and climbing over various pieces of lawn care equipment, I spotted it. It was still beautiful, if not a little tired looking. It was the bike that my parents had bought me before I went to college. The bike had carried me to the majority of my classes, and when I lived in the city, it had also carried me to and from work.
Miranda Baxter
Alone No More
Excerpt
As concerns for Dogberry consumed his mind, he briefly forgot most of the misfortunes of the evening. He forgot the way Beatrice had turned his heart’s pace up about seven notches when she walked in the door. He forgot the way he had so quickly managed to gain and lose her interest in a single hour. He also forgot how the Ginkgo trees that lined the sidewalk suddenly seemed darker and more threatening as soon as she had departed…
Sarah Sheppard 
A Whirlwind of Snowflakes
Excerpt
On the way home from school, Katie gripped the steering wheel hard, letting her fingertips turn purple from the pressure. She watched the road intensely with her body leaning forward. She drove slowly, careful not to slide on the wet snow and lose control. Almost there, Katie repeated in her head, wondering why she decided to drive. The trip home was agonizing. It was her first day driving since his accident. She was in constant fear while in control of the wheel. Katie could hardly breathe until she pulled into the narrow driveway of her small, brick house. She waited before getting out of the car so she could recover from the drive. The light snow covering her house and the colorful Christmas lights her father hung last week were lit around the roof. Katie took three deep breaths, before going inside.
Emily Cook 
Full Count
Excerpt
Crack.
As the sound of leather making solid contact with metal broke the silence in Yale Field, Brandon unleashed a blood-curdling scream from the mound. The intended, hard, line-drive by the husky batter ricocheted off the side of Brandon’s face. The ball was halted by the fleshy skin between Brandon’s temple and ear. Both fell to the ground with a thud.
The audience gasped as the infield stood in position with shock written across their faces. All the players were immobile as if they were standing in hardened cement.
Kelsey Knoedler 
First of May
Excerpt
The clown walked nearer to Scarlet; she hid behind the giant wheels of the wagon. He slammed down his bucket and took out a cigar and matchbox from the giant pocket of his denim pants. The clown sat down on the overturned bucket, lit the cigar, breathed it in, and sighed, looking up at the stars. Slowly and softly, between puffs of the vanilla-scented cigar, the clown began to hum a sad tune. Scarlet thought she recognized it from a broken music box she had gotten rid of a few summers ago. And slowly and softly, as Scarlet leaned against the enormous wheel beneath the circus wagon, she began to drift off into a dreamless sleep.
Laura Kleinschmidt 
Pressure Point
Excerpt
Something was out of place. Something had been moved. Her chair. She didn’t usually leave it sticking out like that, she always tucked it underneath her desk. Always. She tucked her chair in and looked around. Her closet? The door seemed to be standing ajar. She never left her door like that. Someone was behind her. “Hi Sam,” a voice whispered into her ear. Sam whipped around and saw a face staring right back at her. Before she knew what was going on, her entire body went numb and everything went black.
Megan Sotak 
A Masked Man
Excerpt
As I walked, I was captivated by the storefronts overflowing with masks of all shapes, sizes, colors, and materials. There were masks with long noses, short noses, and no noses. Masks with full faces in all colors of the spectrum. Masks with feathers and bells, with crystals and ribbons. Papier-mâché masks and others made of metal, though especially delicate-looking. There were even masks of animals—elephants, pigs, giraffes, lions, camels, frogs, hippos, rams, unicorns. I had never seen such enchanting stores, never even imagined them. Some stores sold glass made on Murano Island that came in bizarre shapes, mostly wavy cones with brilliant blues and oranges, branching out from a spherical base. Shelves in windows were decorated with figurines of animals, French cartoon characters Asterix and Obelix, holiday ornaments, and flowers all made of glass. The mask and glass stores made up Venice; one store with material to hide you and one with material to expose you.
Marilynn Anater 
Testimony
Excerpt
I blindly let her help me down from the witness stand and guide me away from the judge’s bench. I close my eyes as we approach the defendant’s table, I don’t want to feel his eyes on me any longer.
Passing through the gate that separates the court arena from the gallery, I can feel a huge weight lifted off me and notice that my breathing is coming more easily. As we walk down the aisle to leave the courtroom, I see my parents dart back to their seats to grab their coats and belongings before following behind us. Yet all I can think about is how I still just want to get out, want to leave. I want to get out of the stifling room of grand columns, mahogany woodwork, and grated windows, and leave those piercing eyes behind.
Jamie Peterson 
Exploding Grapes
Excerpt
Now she had someone else’s hot breath on her neck and it was making her think of him. She did not want to react wrong again. Making the first move however was not in her repertoire. She shifted uncomfortably and the hot breath left her neck. Charlotte began to relax muscle by muscle but the weight beside her on the couch did not budge. Connor was still sitting there. Charlotte kept her eyes closed hoping that Connor would think she had fallen asleep and would become uninterested.
“Charlotte, you awake? I just want to talk.”