KEITH BURKHOLDER - SHORT-STORIES

​Keith Burkholder has been published in Creative Juices, Sol Magazine, Trellis Magazine, Foliate Oak Literary Journal, Poetry Quarterly, New Delta Review, and Scarlet Leaf Review.  He has a bachelor's degree in statistics with a minor in mathematics from SUNY at Buffalo (UB).

Alone at the Microphone
​

Alex is a disc jockey.  He is alone now reading the weather and has his own talk show in about ten minutes.
                Callers can call in and tell him about their lives or love lives.  Alex has listened in to some really fascinating stories in the past.
                Alex is a great listener and wants to make people feel good.  However, there have been some callers with way too much baggage.
                Alex’s talk show is mostly about sex and relationships.  Occasionally, he will get a caller who loves the kind of music he plays on the radio. 
                Alex loves the variety of issues he talks with, with his callers.  His callers are usually educated in many ways.
                Alex just loves to give advice and chat with them.  He feels if they have someone to speak with they can feel better about their issues at hand.
                Disc jockey work can be fun, but also challenging.  In the case of Alex he finds answering questions to his listeners really challenging.
                People want to be entertained and informed.  These are the kinds of concepts that Alex knows really well in the kind of job that he has.
                Alex has actually helped people with their marriages on the air.  He uses a lot of common sense and this seems to help out people a lot.
                Alex even admitted that a divorce would be a good option, particularly to those who don’t have children.  Alex knows that marriage is not for a lot of people and tries to enforce to his callers that being single is nothing to feel bad about.
                Alex talks about concepts that he knows.  He wants to be informative and entertaining to his callers as well.
                Alex loves to be alone while speaking to people on the air.  This form of solitude allows him to think and come up with great answers to their questions.
                Alex could not imagine himself doing anything else except be a disc jockey.  He just loves to be on the air doing this line of work.
                Alex is now talking with a caller.  The caller is talking about a woman at work he likes and wonders if he should ask her out.
                Alex listens to this story really well.  He believes that this caller should ask her out.  She is single, totally heterosexual and has no kids.
                The caller is feeling more confident now.  He thanks Alex for his advice and will ask her out tomorrow during his lunch break.
                Alex felt really good about helping this caller.  He feels he made a real connection with him and he hopes he does ask out that woman at his job.
                Alex continues to take more calls in now.  He is really on a roll tonight and is helping so many people with their problems.
                Talk radio is a great outlet for anyone involved.  Alex loves to listen to people call in and he enjoys their conversations.
                He hasn’t really had any really crazy callers.  Most people genuinely like to be nice and just speak to them about what really bothers them.
                Alex would never trade his job for any other.  He loves to work on the radio and loves to be a personality people talk to.
                Conversing is a big part of Alex’s personality.  This makes him feel complete as a person.  This is just the way he feels as a person and wants to convey his feelings of positivity toward others who ask questions they may have a problem with.
                What else will Alex talk about tonight?  The night is still young and he never may know what will be asked next.
                Alex believes that he can help out someone.  He believes that he can lead that person in a better direction in their life as well.
                There are people who work on the air that are great to talk to.  Then there are others who just don’t belong on the radio.
                The radio is a unique piece of communication.  However, one needs to have a talent to be on the radio and get through to a listener.  Alex has such a talent.
                Alex wonders if he will get someone who is happy.  He wonders if someone will talk about sports or even the weather.
                These concepts don’t matter to Alex.  He just wants to mix it up tonight and listen to people with all kinds of questions to ask.
                Another call comes into the radio station.  This is a question about someone who likes to dress up as a woman.
                This male caller tells Alex that it is really liberating to do this.  Alex talks with him some more about this and wonders why he likes to dress up this way a lot of the time.  There has to be more of an answer than it just being liberating.
                Alex wonders about guys who like to do this.  It seems really strange to him, but this is a reality for such people.
                The caller seemed really normal and wanted to get some kind of answer.  Alex thought of one and this made a lot of sense to the caller.
                Alex continues to take in more calls tonight.  He continues to help out others with their problems they pose to him.
                Alex loves to help people this way.  He feels a certain need to give out advice to others in this frame of communication.
                Communication is important to have in order for people to understand one another.  This is just the way it is.
                Alex is a natural communicator and this makes him feel great at heart.  He couldn’t imagine doing anything else besides radio.
                The future will continue to be bright for Alex.  He will be promoted a pay grade after the year is up.  This will make him happy.
                The ratings for this radio station are among the highest in the country.  Alex played a big part in such an achievement.
                Alex is one of the reasons why this radio station is so superior in the ratings.  He is really the backbone as far as disc jockeys are concerned here.
                He believes in doing the best he can no matter how he feels at work.  He believes in himself and will continue to work hard on the radio.
                Radio is a great way of communication.  This is the case for Alex during the five day week he does work.
                All he can do now is just help others and be optimistic on the air.  This makes him feel great inside and as the future continues to pass, his life may become better and happier all in one.  Take care, and resume your life as a disc jockey, Alex.
 ​

Imagine Controlling Day and Night Patterns with the Mind

    Kelly was feeling restless lately.  She could not understand why this was happening to her, but it was.
                Day and night patterns around the world were being changed.  Kelly’s mind has been doing this for only two days.  She doesn’t know this now, but will understand this power once she gets up from a nap she has taken. 
                Kelly assumes it daylight outside.  However, it is night outside due to the fact that she was sleeping so soundly.
                Kelly’s mind was able to keep daylight from happening while sleeping.  This will astonish her when she wakes up to look outside. 
                Kelly believes that she has powers.  These powers are from within her mind and she loves life the way it is.
                She would never tell people about these powers.  This is her own secret and she will continue to live life as it is.
                Kelly can’t believe that she can control night and day with her mind.  It seems really surreal to her.
                Kelly lives alone and she would never tell any of her friends.  This is her own secret and she feels that it is best to keep it this way. 
                Kelly does not know when this power will take place again.  She is sitting on the end of her bed thinking about this.
                Kelly feels relaxed now.  She feels a sense of power because she can control night and day patterns.
                Kelly gets up off her bed.  She then goes to the kitchen to make some coffee.  The coffee will help her to relax.
                Kelly is a coffee drinker.  She likes her coffee black and she likes to have toast with her coffee.  She will put a couple slices of bread in the toaster to have some. 
                Kelly is in the kitchen now.  She goes to the coffee pot to make coffee.  She then decides to have some toast.
                It is now light outside.  The change in the day feels great to Kelly.  She wonders what will happen next in her mind.
                Kelly is finished making coffee.  She will next get her toast.  It is ready as well and it is already a great morning.
                Kelly is mentally drained from her experience.  This day and night sequence of change has really tired her out both mentally and physically.  However, she is happy that has happened to her anyway.
                Kelly pours herself some coffee.  Then she takes her coffee and toast and sits down at the kitchen table.
                Kelly feels better now.  The coffee and toast are really relaxing to her as she thinks about the day ahead. 
                Kelly has really nothing planned today.  She has the day off and really doesn’t want to do much of anything.
                However, she may write for a little while.  She is working on a short story and she is adding a few more characters to the plot. 
                Story writing is natural for Kelly.  She comes up with ideas really quickly and this makes her feel great inside.
                Writing is a solitary pursuit.  It is hard to get published, but the ideas she comes up with are really good in nature. 
                Kelly’s ideas in writing are good in nature.  She doesn’t mind going into the dark side either.  Horror and anything grotesque in nature appeal to her as well.
                Kelly looks ahead of herself.  She takes a bite of her toast and comes up with an idea to use for a new story. 
                Kelly really enjoys writing.  It makes her feel great inside and it allows her to explore her creativity really well.
                Kelly takes a sip of her coffee.  She smiles a little to herself because she has come up with a great idea to write about. 
                Kelly decides to get a notebook out now to brainstorm.  She is eager to write down these ideas on paper.
                Brainstorming is important to Kelly.  It makes her write feverishly as the ideas come to fruition in her mind. 
                Mental strength is needed to write.  Kelly understands this notion really well and she totally believes in her writing.
                No one can tell her what to write about.  This is her own doing and she will continue to write as long as ideas come to her. 
                Writing a talent one has or doesn’t.  Thoughts can come to a writer quickly or slowly.  However, one needs to write in order to get the thoughts down on paper.
                Brainstorming is a huge concept writers’ face.  It is part of their well-being in order to complete a task at hand.
                Kelly’s mind is now filled with many ideas to write about.  She feels that she can create a great story out of them.
                Kelly believes wholeheartedly in her writing.  She believes that she can create a perfect story out of such ideas and make the reader really feel engaged in such a story as well. 
                Kelly wants readers to be interested in her work.  This is the important point she tries to make herself understand.
                Kelly is a great writer.  She loves doing this and believes the more she writes the better she will become at it. 
                Kelly feels a little unique inside.  She can feel something happening.  The daylight outside is changing.
                Kelly can’t believe it.  It is one minute dark outside and the next minute it is light.  She sits down to relax a little, and then it suddenly is light again. 
                Kelly likes to see the light outside.  She is happy that the day is sunny as well.  It is strange how day and night change like this with her mind.
                Kelly takes in the situation at hand.  She can’t believe her eyes as she thinks to herself about these sudden changes in day patterns. 
                Kelly looks out of the window of her home.  She can see a deer in the backyard then it suddenly darts into the woods.
                Kelly wonders how nature outside will be affected by this power she possesses.  Only time will tell with this circumstance at hand.
                Nature is a powerful concept in our existence.  Animal and plant life can be affected by this frame of occurrence.
                Kelly thinks some more to herself.  The more she thinks to herself the better it is for her to understand this power that she has. 
                Time has passed some more for Kelly.  Kelly has written a lot and has noticed the days change before her.
                Kelly has actually kept a journal of these changes in the day.  She is amazed at how precise her notes are about this situation at hand. 
                Kelly loves to keep notes about her life.  It keeps her abreast on what is happening and this makes her feel great inside.
                Kelly has told no one about these notes.  This is her secret because a journal is a private concept to her. 
                Kelly keeps a lot of notes in this journal.  It is really special to her and she refers back to it from time to time.
                Kelly has never shown anyone this journal.  This journal means the world to her and her privacy has always meant the world to her as well. 
                Kelly decides to now write in this journal.  She decides to add more ideas to it because she feels they would great to add to it.
                Kelly writes about the day and night changes.  They are really baffling to her, but this is just the way her mind works.
                Kelly writes about her emotions to these changes.  Internally, it is scary but also very empowering to her as well. 
                Kelly enjoys being empowered.  It makes her feel strong and this is a great characteristic to have. 
                Kelly enjoys most of her time alone anyway.  She doesn’t really bother with her friends that much and that makes her feel fine. 
                Freedom is important to Kelly.  People can cause her troubles.  She just accepts her life the way it is.
                Kelly believes that people can be advantageous in certain ways.  However, in most ways she does not see any correlation to this. 
                Kelly does not think anymore.  She is at peace with herself right now and the day has not shifted in any way.
                No more changes are about to take place.  This feels great to Kelly and she is happy with the current situation at hand.
                The day and night scenario still is normal.  Kelly does not think about this too much.  She lets her thoughts go away.
                Will the changes happen again to Kelly?  No one really knows.  This is really her own secret and this is just the way she wants it to be.
                Kelly thinks about her future.  Will these powers stay with her or will they disappear and go away over time?
                The future is hard to predict.  Positive outcomes can happen or they can go away.  This just depends on fate. 
                Kelly does not know how long she will have such powers.  They can come and go without really noticing them.
                Kelly likes to feel empowered.  It makes her happy and she really enjoys when her mind allows this to happen. 
                Having supernatural powers is not really heard of in reality.  Kelly likes her powers though and feels comfortable with them.
                Kelly hopes her powers never go away.  She hopes that these powers can stay intact with her for the rest of her life. 
                These powers may never leave the existence of Kelly.  She is in control of them for as long as they stay with her.
                Day and night can change or remain the same with these powers Kelly has.  Kelly feels that nothing bad can happen because of them.
                Kelly gets up to walk around.  She thinks she will go into town for a while to get out of the house.
                It is a beautiful day and she feels great.  She doesn’t feel depressed or upset at anything at the moment. 
                Kelly walks to the counter in her kitchen to get her car keys.  She is eager to leave the house to get out for a little while.
                Kelly is content with her frame of mind now.  Nothing has changed and the day and night patterns are normal. 
                Kelly is ready to leave home and head into town.  She wonders what she will see when she gets there.
                Kelly has had a great year so far.  She feels really content with her life and she feels that her year can get better. 
                Kelly is now in her car.  She is ready to drive into town to see what else can happen there.  She wouldn’t mind getting a coffee.
                There is a coffee shop in town that is great to relax and people watch.  Kelly thinks she will go there today. 
                Kelly pulls out of her driveway.  She then drives to this coffee shop.  The coffee is called “The Best Brew Around”.
                Kelly thinks she will get a cappuccino.  Kelly is eager to be alone and just be herself while she enjoys her day today.
          The coffee shop is about ten minutes away.  Kelly decides to go there and have a cappuccino and not think about or do anything.
          Kelly is now driving down the street to the main road that takes her to the coffee shop.  There is minimal traffic on the road now. 
            Solitude is what Kelly craves right now.  Kelly feels great about her day ahead and just wants it to remain good.
            Kelly feels that her day will continue to flow well.  There is nothing else that would make Kelly happier than to get more ideas to write about and make the days go about normally. 
            Kelly makes great timing.  She is now at the coffee shop to do some people watching.  She is eager to sit near the window to be alone.
            Kelly thinks that the day will continue to stay normal.  She is not sure if anything will change when she is at this coffee shop today.
            This coffee shop is filled with patrons.  There are plenty of seats inside for Kelly to be alone and people watch.
            There are even patrons outside having their beverage or food item.  It is a great time to be here and just relax.
            Kelly parked her car in an empty spot a little distance away from the coffee shop.  She feels great about today.
          She walks quickly to get inside the coffee shop.  She can see an empty window seat that she hope will remain unoccupied for her to sit at. 
            Kelly gets what she wants from the cashier area.  She decides to get a cappuccino and a brownie.
           Kelly is eager to sit down and enjoy this snack and beverage.  The seat she has been eyeing is still unoccupied and she immediately goes to it after paying for her items. 
           Kelly is now at the seat she wants to be at.  She sits down in the chair and then takes a sip of her cappuccino drink.
            Kelly then takes a small bite of her brownie.  Kelly feels relaxed and then decides to people watch as she stays here at the coffee shop.
           Patrons come and go out of the coffee shop.  Kelly’s mind stays active and alert and she feels great now.
          The day still remains bright outside.  There is no darkness in the horizon.  Kelly doesn’t think too much about changing the day quickly into the night. 
      Kelly notices an interesting looking couple come into the coffee shop.  She wonders what they will be talking about.
         There is an open table near her.  The couple occupies the table near Kelly.  Kelly thinks their conversation will be interesting.  She will quietly listen to hear what they have to say to each other.
          This couple is from France.  Their conversation is in broken English, but Kelly can understand them.
         They are talking about their trip to America.  They are here and have had a great time seeing different states in this country.
       Kelly takes a sip of her cappuccino.  She then stops listening to the conversation from the people from France.
         Kelly looks ahead and thinks some more to herself.  She is happy to be alone with her own thoughts during this period of time.
       Kelly, to be perfectly honest, can really care about people in certain ways.  The more alone she is, the better it is for her.
         People have to be with people.  However, in the case of Kelly this is not really the case.  People can really be a hindrance more than good in certain ways. Kelly understands this well.
          Time has passed some more.  Kelly feels great now.  She has eaten most of her brownie and has drunk most of her cappuccino.
         The French couple has now left the coffee shop.  Kelly just sits back and watches people some more while finishing the rest of her cappuccino.
          Kelly has thought about changing the day to night now.  However, that would really freak out a lot of people.
          Kelly stays where she is.  She thinks some more to herself, but decides to not change the day into night.
            Kelly’s mind is full of different issues.  She wonders what the world would look like if it was always pitch black.
            Then she wonders to herself about the planet being in total light.  These concepts are really interesting in thought right now for her.  Kelly stays at the coffee shop for another half hour.  She doesn’t know what else to do now.
           Kelly feels a lot better by being here.  Her mind is clear and she feels reenergized after drinking her cappuccino and eating her brownie.
             The half hour goes quickly.  Kelly feels a lot more relaxed and decides to go to a nearby park to get some fresh air.
           This park is really quiet and provides a lot of solitude for people who go there.  Kelly loves going to this park when she can.
            It is still sunny outside.  The sky is clear blue with no clouds present.  Kelly has left the coffee shop and is now headed to the park.
           The park is really quiet now.  No one is there to be around.  This sense of solitude is what Kelly needs right now.
          The park is only about two miles away from the coffee shop.  It is a quick ride for Kelly to reach.  She feels good about going there.
           There is a bike path around the park where she can walk.  The location of this park is perfect because it is away from people.
            Kelly has now reached the park.  The smooth ride there was really relaxing to her and she feels great now.
           It is a perfect day to be outside and enjoying the sunshine.  The sunny weather feels great for anyone who is outside right now.
             Kelly finds a quiet parking spot in the park.  There is hardly anyone here and this feels great to Kelly.
           Kelly decides to get out of her car now.  She thinks she will take a walk along the bike path to gather her thoughts today.
           Kelly gets out of her car.  She makes sure she locks it.  Then she decides to take her walk around the park.
             There are only two other people here.  It is a perfect day to be here.  It is quiet and serene both at the same time.
          Kelly’s thoughts come back to her.  She thinks about changing the daytime light into dark.  However, as she walks down the bike path this changes.
             “Phew,” says Kelly quietly to herself.  She is relieved that this thought passed and the fact that she is alone makes life for her really bearable.
          Kelly keeps walking at a medium pace.  She doesn’t really find anything interesting to see here, but she is happy to be alone.
         Kelly’s solitude makes her mind feel great.  This period of aloneness makes her feel more energetic about life in general.
        The distractions of people are gone here.  Kelly wishes her life could be like this more often without people.
      People only cause problems in Kelly’s mind.  This is just a reality for most people.  Kelly wonders what the rest of the day will be like for her.  She thinks she will stay at this park for some time.
       Some more people come to this park.  There is a couple with their child.  They are at the playground with their child.
        Kelly keeps to herself and continues to people watch.  The walk she is taking feels great to her and she feels refreshed as well.
          There is a picnic bench Kelly sees.  Kelly decides to go to it to sit down and just think to herself.  She is eager to clear her mind.
      The thoughts of changing days into nights are still with her.  She can’t understand why this is affecting her, but it is.  However, within a few moments the thoughts do pass in her mind.
        “Thank God that passed,” said Kelly to herself.  When she gets home she may let the day change to night.
        Kelly just wants to enjoy her day here at the park.  She wants to enjoy the sunshine and beautiful weather today.
     Two hours have passed.  Kelly is now eager to go back home and do some writing.  She has some ideas she would like to worth with in a story.
        Kelly feels that her day has gone great.  She feels reenergized and is now willing to do some writing to get her creative juices flowing again.
        Kelly is finished with her walk and her time here at the park.  She is happy with what she has done today.
       Kelly has ideas to use to write about.  She will start a new project and continue with it until it is finished.
      From now on, days and nights have changed without too much frequency.  Kelly only experiences these changes when she feels stressed or anxious.
       What will the future hold for Kelly?  Only time will tell for such a predicament.  Kelly feels great now about it and will continue to live her life the best that she can.