AMANDA • by Peaches Schwartz
I’m lying on the floor of the playroom. The ugly carpet is scratchy against my face, my nose is running and my sinuses are playing a drum solo. I rub my cheek back and forth: It keeps me awake. I… Continue Reading
I’m lying on the floor of the playroom. The ugly carpet is scratchy against my face, my nose is running and my sinuses are playing a drum solo. I rub my cheek back and forth: It keeps me awake. I… Continue Reading
Painting the wall seemed like a good idea in early spring. We didn’t exactly have time on our hands, but some had been freed up by not having to commute. As it had become necessary to spend so much time… Continue Reading
All of a sudden Jake thought, “Enough!” Between the constant crash of balls into pins, the blinking, blinking, blinking of the goddamn lights they’d strung up everywhere, and the hoarse shouts of half-drunk players, the top of his head was… Continue Reading
Max launched himself out of bed and raced into his parents’ bedroom bellowing, “Get up, get up already, today is my birthday!” The commotion continued as Max bounced around the apartment like a jackrabbit singing, “I’m five, I’m five, I’m… Continue Reading
Jiménez watched the kids recede into the distance. It was the last house on that particular street, and a long, wooded section remained before the main road. He loved these two little rascals: after he finished tossing the contents of… Continue Reading
Leaves fell, and the ghosts came out. I was sitting on the porch of my friend Marsha’s house. Her parents were away for the Halloween weekend, and she was throwing a party. Some zombies roamed up, carrying beer. As they… Continue Reading
I park in her driveway, walk up her walk, and turn her key in its lock. It feels wrong, and the door sticks, as if it agrees. As if even it knows I’m far too late. I’ve driven through two… Continue Reading
Captain Montgomery Ffitch (retired) finished pouring pine needles into the bee smoker and switched off the television. He’d been disheartened to hear the lockdown was due to end. Bojo and his government cronies were itching to open the country up… Continue Reading
Bill sat on a bench by the village green. He figured it was a Sunday as the little shop was to be closed all day. He read an old newspaper he’d found until he got so hungry that he couldn’t… Continue Reading
I told him that when the candy jar was empty, we were over. It was a joke, of course, my way of lightening our eventual breakup. Despite the fact I was quite certain we’d get married, have kids, do all… Continue Reading