An Artist Among Us

Our team feels fortunate to have an extremely talented artist among us. Principal Chip Houser’s skill set expands well beyond a 25-year career in architecture. He is a published author with an MFA in Creative Writing, as well as an accomplished artist and illustrator. His imaginative (and sometimes dark) stories and drawings never cease to amuse his JEMA family.

Below is just a small sampling of his creative works.

 

Micro Fiction (25-100 Word Stories):

Thing Is, I’ve Changed:

As the clock struck midnight, ushering in my fiftieth birthday, the friends I’d been playing D&D with since middle school learned I was no longer the same person.

To be fair, one of them wasn’t surprised. I absorbed him first, while the others thought we were still playing a game.

Originally published 2019 by 50-Word Stories

The Slow Rise of Foreign Bodies:

A year after the explosion, the shell fragments pushing through Hobson’s skin are slow torture. At least they distract him from thinking about his future. He’ll take the itching, the future terrifies him. He can’t see, he can’t hear, and he can’t feel his body. But sometimes his mind fills with a warmth like sunlight and the itching stops. When that happens, Hobson screams at his fear. Screaming distracts him, just like itching. He screams because a year after the explosion is just his best guess. He has no idea how long it’s been, or how long it will be.

Originally published 2018 by The Drabble

Last Dance:

Alone on a sidewalk, a young girl dances slowly through the silent snowfall. She raises her arms, arcing them together, fingertips touching like beaks kissing. Warm grey flakes settle on her hands. She finishes with a pirouette, waiting for applause, but the world is silent.

Soon, she will start coughing.

Originally published 2017 by 50-Word Stories

WANT MORE? If curiosity has gotten the best of you, google “Chip Houser fiction” to read more of his stories online.