The Mississippi had flooded its banks. This was, of course, an entirely natural thing for the Mississippi to do. Flooding was the river’s great yawn, a stretching of its arms and twisting of kinks from its spine with a slow,… Continue Reading
1. Five flowerpots on the patio. All the flowers are dead. Geraniums, petunias, lobelia. I kept forgetting to water them. I think my mind is too full to remember such things. It’s a shame. The flowers were pretty. 2. The… Continue Reading
He was cleaning out the bathroom when he saw the vibrator. Its pink-purple color vibrant against the white drawer. He picked it up and sighed while he studied it. He walked into the bedroom, where four piles sat at his… Continue Reading
“Tell us, Grandma, please!” the girls said. “Oh, well, it’s not like you have it now, with your beautiful DNA bracelets and your fabulous Russian dances…” “No, Grandma, we’re not yet twenty-one!” Jessica said. “We’re only children.” “Oh, yes,” Grandma… Continue Reading
You may never know my name, but I have yours tattooed across my shoulders. I have tried to accept what divides us; however, I am helplessly pulled toward your half-turned-away face. Your downcast eyes ignore the jeers of the crowd.… Continue Reading
At the Health and Human Services office, we stand in a long, narrow hallway waiting for our chance to make our cases, get our food stamps straightened out or turn in paperwork to keep them. We are strangers, but the… Continue Reading
My body is decomposing. It starts to peel away like an onion losing its skin, only to reveal a shriveled core beneath. I must not let him witness this transformation. Since I assumed the role of Madame Wang, I have… Continue Reading
Courtney swore she heard the hiss of ten thousand shrubs and grasses stung by the electric shock shooting through the mycelial network connecting them. She looked up at Professor Schechter, who calmly tapped on her tablet. “We’ll take another sample… Continue Reading
He cried when he was born. Mom had said so. But don’t all newborns cry? Leaving warmth and safety for the cold, bright world? He cried in his cot before going to sleep. Yeah, Mom had told him that, too.… Continue Reading
The Bursar’s logic was simple. If the Aleph Club didn’t actually exist, then it would be eligible for all manner of tax-exemptions. The trick of course was convincing the local council, which had always been notoriously narrow-minded when it came… Continue Reading