THE TOWN OF ASH • by Lisa Strong
We are told: these are not children. So we treat them accordingly. We don’t wave to them, or smile or ask them to join in with our games. Of course they don’t ask us to join in with their games… Continue Reading
Horror
THE VANISHING • by Alun Williams
In a box of mixed up secondhand books, something needs to stand out. This one did. Its title, How to Disappear; Vanishment Made Easy, caught my eye at once, mixed in with cheap novels from the Fifties and various “How… Continue Reading
AFTER THE FUNERAL • by Alison Jean Ash
After the service, everyone came up to console me. Women enfolded me in scented hugs, cooing like so many mourning doves, “Deepest sympathy,” “So sorry for your loss,” and “She’s in a better place now.” The men patted my shoulder… Continue Reading
THE FICUS PLANT • by Jenya Krein
The day my mom was admitted into the psych ward at Mass General I decided to lose my virginity. I was almost seventeen, and past all romantic notions of sex. It was not my plan from the get-go. I was… Continue Reading
THE TASK AT HAND • by Jack Phillips Lowe
Todd Benway is out in his backyard, assembling the swing set he and his wife bought for their daughter Lexy’s birthday. Todd’s wife, Angela, is by the patio weeding her rose garden. They exchange a smile and a wave. Lexy,… Continue Reading
MARKED FOR DEATH • by Chris Cooper
Harris knew his life was over as soon I tapped him on the shoulder. “I’ve got something to say to you.” “Why me? Why now? I’ve written all my letters, sent all my mail, said all my prayers.” “I don’t… Continue Reading
BAD ROOTS • by Jaye Viner
Until my sister decided to become a mother, our lives had been mirror images with five-second delays. I was the first to lose a tooth. She was the first to lose her virginity. In elementary school, we both had abdominal… Continue Reading
THE TASTE OF POISON • by Rollin T. Gentry
Molly likes the taste of poison. Rattlesnakes, black widows, ricin, the deadly glands of big-eyed greys the government says don’t exist. It’s amazing what you can buy on the dark web. We even came across a guy selling water from… Continue Reading
THREE MONTHS’ GROWTH • by Nate Nate Nainers
I went to the Chevron, and you must forgive my reasons, but there I went. This was a time when my beard was big and full and free as a bear frolicking through a campsite. There was a line. And… Continue Reading
MARATHON GIRL • by Tim Boiteau
Mile 1: Cold morning in the mountains, the trail cushioned and redolent with decaying leaves. My heart’s racing with anticipation, hands jittery — but feeling good. I’m doing this, doing this. Wish I could squeeze Brad’s hand, drink encouragement from… Continue Reading