The Ice Cream Maker

a short story about churning emotions and an enchanted ice cream machine by special guest writer Shiv MacFarlane

In a pile at the back of an old thrift store, I found an ice cream maker. It worked on a crank, and would make any flavours you poured in the top.

Nostalgia was a very popular taste, and so was taboo. On rainy days I'd make a batch of listlessness that no one could seem to get enough of.

I poured myself into the maker, chilling and distilling and sharing my experiences and people lapped it up until all I had left were bitter things, having given away all the sweet and savoury I'd had.

The last batch was all my regrets, and I kept it to myself, eating tub after tub in front of the T.V. until I fell into a fitful sleep. When I woke, I was standing over an ice cream maker in a run-down little thrift store, deciding not to buy it.

It would almost assuredly be more trouble than it was worth.

Shiv MacFarlane is my good friend, convention companion and 'fixer'! He's also an extremely talented writer and I'm thrilled to have a guest story from him.

Short story written by Shiv MacFarlane

Story prompt taken from a photo by Hannah Morgan