THREAD • by Tim Boiteau
I noticed a loose thread on the collar of her blouse — god, I can’t stand that — and I began to pull on it, couldn’t help myself, couldn’t not do it. “Leave it.” She slapped at my hand, but… Continue Reading
Surreal
CHIP: A GIFT OF SELF ACCEPTANCE • by Mary Rohrer-Dann
Chip started out as a little bump riding Tom’s right shoulder blade. No fair, he’d whisper, Mom always buys Sally’s favorite ice cream. And, Jerry’s only popular cuz he’s got a pool. And, Prom’s for losers. Chip grew as Tom… Continue Reading
THE RED HELMET • by Mishkat Bhattacharya
The red helmet was missing. They looked for it inside the barn next to the playground, in the gym store, and all over the small building that housed their classrooms. But it had simply disappeared. This was an inconvenience, because… Continue Reading
MODELS • by Connor Harding
Mannequins are a kind of living organism; Aaron knew that. Though rigidly fixed in place and confined by an uncanny plastic shell, every model in every shop in the mall had been imprinted by human touch. The employees that dressed… Continue Reading
THE RESTLESS BED • by Gwen Whiting
We didn’t know the bed was cursed. It was a mahogany disaster. It took both of us to move the frame up the apartment stairs. Alyssa and I were laughing and sweaty by the time we collapsed in the bedroom.… Continue Reading
ANGELA AND THE HOMEN • by Gosia Buzzanca
My grandmother’s last breath was a struggle. “She died last night,” the neighbour came knocking. “It wasn’t a pretty sight. Poor sod, gulping for air like that.” I called her “grandmother” even though she was not. She had taken me… Continue Reading
THE ROD SERLING SCHOOL OF WRITING • by Jonathan Worlde
I opened the door to greet the sales representative from the Rod Serling School of Writing. Mr. Gregg stood awkwardly on the stoop. He attempted a smile but his expression indicated he’d rather be somewhere else. He was a tall,… Continue Reading
MATCHED • by Bob DeRosa
I understood the swiping, I’m not an idiot. I’d dated my share of guys, but the stakes were so much higher this time around. I would swipe right and as soon as someone else did, we’d be in this thing.… Continue Reading
OUR HOUSE ON THE CLIFF • by Lindsey Baker Bower
Our house on the cliff had damp walls that huddled over us as we slept. Ma and Mary shared the bed in the loft while the rest of us kids slept below on pallets we kept behind the stove during… Continue Reading
JUNGLE RUSH • by Jennifer Weigel
The allure of the exotic locale is what drew me in. I had torn the advertisement out of a technology magazine where it was very much out of place and out of time. I stashed it in the top drawer… Continue Reading