THE BROKEN NUTCRACKER • by Derek McMillan
I used to visit Aunty Sash on Saturdays. My mother was glad to have a ten-year-old out of the house for the day. I enjoyed it because Aunt Sash fed me on cake and Corona which was a kind of… Continue Reading
Author: Every Day Fiction
SUNDAE MORNING • by R.S. Nelson
The sun shone bright in the small southern California town’s blue sky. The fall wine festival was in full swing. A local band plucked their guitar strings and happy couples strolled by, holding wine glasses. Families walked together, enjoying their… Continue Reading
BEHIND THE MASK • by R.F. Hizkia
There have always been questions. Questions they refuse to answer. All we know is that they are called the elders, and we do as they say. They tell me life in our village was hard. That the jungle took more… Continue Reading
DON FERNANDO’S PEACOCKS • by William Kitcher
Don Fernando had acquired great wealth throughout his life, some of it even legally. He built himself a huge bungalow mansion on the crest of a hill overlooking his property — a Celtic orange grove, a tennis court, a hedge… Continue Reading
GHOST-BOYFRIEND COMES TO DINNER • by Chelsea Sutton
You bring your ghost-boyfriend to your parents’ house for dinner. And everyone immediately freaks out. “What are you talking about? A GHOST for a BOYFRIEND,” says your father after he comes around to the reality that this isn’t a prank.… Continue Reading
THE LEXICON OF SALTWATER • by Paul Shaw Smith
I used to live in this town. Alone, in a house just over the dunes. Today is the day, and I have made my annual pilgrimage back to the beach. I lie back and close my eyes. My body on… Continue Reading
MAGICIAN’S PET • by Michelle Hoeckel-Neal
As a tadpole, I spent my days lounging atop the spongey remains of yesterday’s dinner or soaking in the gurgling, acrid pool I called home. I whipped my tongue at falling bits of meat and beans. When bored, I practiced… Continue Reading
GAINS • by Stephen Mirabito
The dog days of post-college unemployment had to come to an end eventually. Spencer hadn’t cleaned his apartment in weeks so it smelled like sour milk and marijuana. His father arrived in an Armani suit and spent an hour lecturing… Continue Reading
BUTT-DIAL WHILE OUT SHOPPING • by Lynn Kozlowski
The old man’s first call from his wife was about which exact brand of peanut butter she should be getting since they no longer carried his brand. Her second call was about 10 minutes later. His ‘Hello’ got no response.… Continue Reading
ALL OUT OF HAPPINESS • by Debbie Sschroff
“I’m sorry,” said the clerk looking down on me with a sympathetic look on her face, “but we’re all out of Joy. Could I interest you in a box of Cheerfulness?” I looked at the shelf and saw the gaping… Continue Reading