I won my almost-husband in a game of poker. Deep in the game, Maria had already lost her watch, all her rings, and the diamond-studded nipple clamps she wore beneath her sweater. Her gold tooth we didn’t want, so she… Continue Reading
Lakeisha’s Momma called her “Princess” every morning, as she braided Lakeisha’s hair into fat black pigtails. Lakeisha was very glad that Momma had no idea of the ogre her Princess faced on the school bus every day. Red lights were… Continue Reading
Shortly after the two Rift Wardens rode into the city, they felt somebody use magic. It was a faint ripple in the world’s fabric, so small the perpetrator was obviously trying to avoid detection. Both men had been hunting magic-using… Continue Reading
People who’ve lived in proximity to a monster sometimes acquire a tangential notoriety of their own. Reporters pursuing them usually bag nothing more insightful than “always saw it coming” or “never had a clue.” I’d evaded the first round when… Continue Reading
So what is a good Jew like Moe Simon doing on a Thursday afternoon in 1905? Is he thinking about the coming Shabbas? Is he counting the days till his wife, Rosie, is due to give birth to their second… Continue Reading
Listen to “Blood and Water” by Lydia S Gray, read by Folly Blaine: [display_podcast] Lydia S Gray writes in Llanelli, UK. Folly Blaine is a writer living in the Pacific Northwest. “Blood and Water” by Lydia S Gray was originally… Continue Reading
I achieve perception in a milieu of plasma, phasing in from a sub-perceptional state where such things exist as: A bed, limbs, sleep, morning. I’m mostly charged particles. A thin membrane of indigo crystalline slime shields me from a nearby… Continue Reading
Buddy stood behind the mound, rolling the rosin bag in his left hand, waiting on the catcher and manager. He looked to first base, at the man he’d just walked, and tried to swallow the fact that he’d just blown… Continue Reading
She sits in my kitchen, beautiful French flounce. She questions the correctness of her grammar and I nod and agree even when it’s not right because she is French and it’s beautiful, I like the way it sounds in its… Continue Reading
“I’m stuck,” he says, dragging a cigarette out of his breast pocket. I spread cream cheese on my bagel. “On what?” “Here. Forever.” I’m not really listening. The day’s already lurching down the tracks, gaining speed. Shifts, meetings, emails, webinars.… Continue Reading