“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
I didn’t plan on wanting to be kissed. It was simple. Twenty-four contestants wear MAK brand Belladonna’s Bliss, a bright red number that was perfectly safe on application, but lethal on the transfer. The contestants go on dates and complete… Continue Reading
I was sitting in Café New Orleans on Toronto’s Yonge Street one cool autumn day, watching the foot traffic flow north and south, nursing a coffee, my thoughts diffuse. Except for a young couple sharing a quiet tête-à-tête at a… Continue Reading
“Just five light years.” Evelyn winced. The light flashing off to her right meant that another person in line had taken the Leap. Between their excited yelp and a sound like rushing water, she thought the whole thing felt like… Continue Reading