THE SQUEEZE • by Alexander Burns
It is, I believe, day seven of my time here. Every part of me aches. My captor, ever cheerful despite my agony, has no end of ways to inflict pain. I was caught just outside that little deli on 4th.… Continue Reading
Humour / Satire
MIRROR, MIRROR • by Jonathan Pinnock
It isn’t easy being one of the beautiful people. The schedule is punishing, the rewards are frequently intangible and if you’re an up-and-coming It-girl like Velda Montaigne, the pressure can really get to you. Especially when you’re trying to apply… Continue Reading
FOR FASHION’S SAKE • by Fred Warren
Gwen was at her wits’ end. Mother was going in for a Modification… again. “Are you absolutely certain you want to do this, Mother? It’s so extreme.” Candace Chesterwood tossed a stack of silk handkerchiefs and a lavender pomade into… Continue Reading
MISSION ACCOMPLISHED • by Kevin Shamel
I try to be polite to missionaries. I grew up in a small town dominated by a major religion. We were all so used to roaming pairs of suited missionaries, that if they’d have suddenly stopped riding by on their… Continue Reading
DEATH IS A WEIRD SHADE OF PINK • by M.Sherlock
For a brief moment I saw the green line on the monitor go flat. The throbbing sounds of panic began to fade out as the images of flustered doctors became fuzzy in a hazy grey blur. Death washes over you… Continue Reading
UNINVENTING THE INTERNET • by Kevin Shamel
Buck and Jimmy knew each other from Caltech. Buck worked in New Mexico, at a place called Groom Lake. Jimmy worked in Montauk, New York, at the Air Force Station. They met up two times a year, when each of… Continue Reading
RAVISHING READERS • by Jenny Schwartz
Cordelia Jones barged into the bookstore, bumping people into bookshelves as she descended on the romance section. “Ow!” “Watch it.” “Who d’ya think you are?” Cordelia ignored them all. “Yes!” She snatched the latest Ruby Rare bestseller from the shelf… Continue Reading
OH, WOMAN OF EASY VIRTUE • by K.C. Ball
Blood-red neon outside makes liquid demands. Haul-It Inn. So I do, pushing my way through frosted plate-glass doors to strike a pose upon dented hardwood floor. Black take-me pumps and high-gloss cherry lips and Chip and Pepper blue jeans. A… Continue Reading
THE KISS • by Jim Harrington
“I ain’t gonna kiss no pig on the lips.” Thomas straightened to his full six feet and glared down at his wife. “But we really need the money,” Bobbie Jo said. “Then you kiss it.” “That wouldn’t be very ladylike.”… Continue Reading
APOTHEOSIS CAKE • by Alexander Burns
Sure, Jennifer liked cake, but this was ridiculous. Her sister’s wedding cake towered over the reception, a pillar of frosting. Any taller and it would block out the sun to usher in a thousand years of darkness and despair. Civilizations… Continue Reading