Five doors, crooked with age. Each morning, full bladder and all, I curse them during my tiptoe walk from our street-facing bedroom to the bathroom hiding in the shadows at the back. It is an old place, this new home… Continue Reading
I sat at my desk in Miss Austin’s class, engrossed in yet another book. We’d just been assigned Where the Red Fern Grows yesterday, and I was already halfway through it. I forced myself to detach from the fictional world… Continue Reading
I decided to get my sister drunk so I could steal her pocket watch. I chose a bar close to home where people were used to seeing her, and she wouldn’t attract too much unwelcome attention. “Bro,” said Olivia with… Continue Reading
It took NASA three months to verify that it was indeed a message and not interstellar scintillation. The communication repeated regularly and was clearly the result of intelligent composition. It took a further four months to isolate which solar system… Continue Reading
Walmart doesn’t pay the best but I’m happy working there. Happy enough. It’s probably because I work a shit-load of overtime and don’t have student loans. Also Sally’s low-maintenance and cool. She gives me foot massages and more just for… Continue Reading
Pili sips from her water bottle when the familiar tingling begins. Through the wire cage, she sees Manuel curled up on his bed, looking more like a baby than a sixteen-year-old. He’s come home early from soccer practice because he’s… Continue Reading
The candy jar was crushing my brother’s hand. “When will he get here?” Todd whimpered. In the conflict of magical glass vs. college sophomore, the glass was winning. We sat in the corner of my bakery, the Snackdragon, and I… Continue Reading
Alexis blamed herself when she caught Bea kneeling by the sign the next day. She was supposed to watch Bea when she was near the street. Bea didn’t quite understand cars yet — she tended to underestimate their speed and… Continue Reading
I had my first mystical experience when I was seven. I was at my grandfather’s. We were on the sofa together watching cartoons, when all of a sudden the screen went black. In the cartoon’s place appeared a photo of… Continue Reading
Before I could answer her, the jets circled back, their engines tearing open the sky, reminding everyone of the base only a few nautical miles across the bay. But, it reminded me of something else too. The first time that… Continue Reading