SARAH • by Brad Shurmantine
She had come at lunch for help on her essay. He made sure the door was left open. No reason. That’s just what you did these days. Sarah was a quiet, sweet girl. One of his Honors kids. He was… Continue Reading
Literary
SEARCH PARTY • by Michael Snyder
Their uneven line inches forward, seventeen concerned volunteers trespassing lawfully in dew-stained sneakers. The morning is bright, unseasonably warm, but she can still see her breath. Maggie walks and watches, barely aware of the faraway scent of burning cedar nearby… Continue Reading
MARKING THE TIME • by Caetlin Witbrod
There is a young tree who lives near the edge of a forest. He is small — a side effect of his age — and he has very few branches. But his leaves are a gorgeous shade of bright green,… Continue Reading
PERSEPHONE • by Matthew Schneider
The plot against old Jacobson was our first deliberate undertaking since school had been let out. We were wild, but not nearly as bad or tough as we considered ourselves. We relished anything fun, dangerous, and slightly illegal. Sean’s grudge… Continue Reading
SPLIT • by Margaret Madole
It started with theater. Abby sang a solo, and when she went back and watched the video, she didn’t recognize herself. She thought that it just proved how good her acting was, how she was buried in her character, but… Continue Reading
WASH AWAY • by Thomas J. Misuraca
Outside, a winter storm turned the world into a wonderland of white. A strong wind whistled around the corners of the house and shook the window of the bathroom where Darcy bathed her son, William. It didn’t matter how dark… Continue Reading
THE FARM • by Hannah Clark
I took up smoking at fifteen, and quit at twenty, thirty-two, and, finally, again at forty-one. A week after that, I bought a dog from a guy living illegally in a run-down house over the interstate. I’d gone over there… Continue Reading
A POSTCARD FROM MOUNT SAINT BERNARD • by L. Mahayla Smith
November 3, 1960 Beloved Brother Alwyn, I thought you might like a photo of my new parish home at Mount St. Bernard. Leicestershire will never hold the fondness of my heart like Caldey Island. I miss the whitewashed buildings, my… Continue Reading
AN ACT IN THREE BREATHS • by Andrew Punzo
A deep breath. “I know why you keep me around. It’s so you have someone to hate. Because if you didn’t have me, you’d start hating yourself. You already do. You loathe who you are. You’ve been so busy building… Continue Reading
WHEN PALM TREES MET ORACLE DATABASES • by Loren Seldner
I’ve had my share of peculiar teachers; Professor Gonzalez who strapped a biper to a cord and ran like crazy through the classroom to exemplify what the Doppler Effect was; Mrs. Corujo who intentionally bumped her head in the wall… Continue Reading