Flash Fiction: The Future of Birth Control

It’s a perfectly normal day when I decide that it’s time to go to the coffee shop down the street and end it. The skies are blue, blue with a slight tinge of purple, blue so clear that it feel like living inside a marble. The cloud overhead is white and as soft as a puff of cotton stuffing. I walk through the iron front gate, which is pulled back during business hours, into the courtyard. I walk past the juice shop to the right—bee pollen, vegan cheese, poblano avocado dressing—to get to the coffee shop. The courtyard is paved with bricks in a basketweave pattern. The umbrellas are open, the mismatched patio tables and chairs set out, but there aren’t many people here yet. It’s four o’clock on a Friday and some goth is humming over the stereo, a mournful tune backed by a drum machine. The rainbow flags are out—we still celebrate Pride month here. Palm leaves rustle and birds chirp and squeak.

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Crime du Jour, Day 31: White-Collar Crime

Crime du Jour: 31 Days of Malfeasance, Misconduct, and Immorality One crime story per day, all the way through October. Ebook to be published Nov 1. This will be under my mystery/crime pen name, Diane R. Thompson!   Crime du Jour #31: White-Collar Crime TONIGHT IS FOR THE SIX OF US   Once a year—Halloween—the

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Crime du Jour, Day 30: Vandalism

Crime du Jour: 31 Days of Malfeasance, Misconduct, and Immorality One crime story per day, all the way through October. Ebook to be published Nov 1. This will be under my mystery/crime pen name, Diane R. Thompson!   Crime du Jour #30: Vandalism ONE ORDINARY DAY, WITH SUITCASE Greenwood Cemetery in New Orleans is a

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Crime du Jour, Day 29: Telemarketing Fraud

Crime du Jour: 31 Days of Malfeasance, Misconduct, and Immorality One crime story per day, all the way through October. Ebook to be published Nov 1. This will be under my mystery/crime pen name, Diane R. Thompson!   Crime du Jour #29: Telemarketing Fraud I UNDERSTAND AND I APPRECIATE YOUR CONCERN   So our son,

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Crime du Jour, Day 28: Tax Evasion

Crime du Jour: 31 Days of Malfeasance, Misconduct, and Immorality One crime story per day, all the way through October. Ebook to be published Nov 1. This will be under my mystery/crime pen name, Diane R. Thompson!   Crime du Jour #28: Tax Evasion HONESTY IS THE BEST POLICY   I long since discovered that

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Crime du Jour, Day 27: Shoplifting

Crime du Jour: 31 Days of Malfeasance, Misconduct, and Immorality One crime story per day, all the way through October. Ebook to be published Nov 1. This will be under my mystery/crime pen name, Diane R. Thompson!   Crime du Jour #27: Shoplifting GOOD LUCK PIG GLUCKSSCHWEIN SILVER ANTIQUE CHARM LUCKY BRACELET PROTECTION SPELL  

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Crime du Jour, Day 26: Sexual Assault

Note: This one goes very dark, but not brutally dark.  Crime du Jour: 31 Days of Malfeasance, Misconduct, and Immorality One crime story per day, all the way through October. Ebook to be published Nov 1. This will be under my mystery/crime pen name, Diane R. Thompson!   Crime du Jour #26: Sexual Assault THE

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Crime du Jour, Day 25: Racketeering

Crime du Jour: 31 Days of Malfeasance, Misconduct, and Immorality One crime story per day, all the way through October. Ebook to be published Nov 1. This will be under my mystery/crime pen name, Diane R. Thompson!   Crime du Jour #25: Racketeering HOW TO TELL IF YOUR SHOES ARE KNOCKOFFS Many famous brands of

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Crime du Jour, Day 24: Pyramid Scheme

Crime du Jour: 31 Days of Malfeasance, Misconduct, and Immorality One crime story per day, all the way through October. Ebook to be published Nov 1. This will be under my mystery/crime pen name, Diane R. Thompson!   Crime du Jour #24: Pyramid Scheme SHARES IN DUTCH TULIPS All a good pyramid scheme requires is

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Crime du Jour, Day 23: Prostitution

Crime du Jour: 31 Days of Malfeasance, Misconduct, and Immorality One crime story per day, all the way through October. Ebook to be published Nov 1. This will be under my mystery/crime pen name, Diane R. Thompson!   Crime du Jour #23: Prostitution TWO SISTERS ALONG BASIN STREET, STORYVILLE, NEW ORLEANS   Sadie Broussard was

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