BIOLUMINESCENCE • by Fiona Murray
By the end of the road trip we were all exhausted and none of us wanted to be there. There was only one night left before our long drive home. My son was ten and refused to do anything other… Continue Reading
THE SHAPE OF YOU • by Dana Wall
The first time I felt Amy standing behind me after she died, I was making her signature hot chocolate — the kind that requires three separate acts of faith: dark chocolate melted slow as sunrise, milk chocolate stirred until it… Continue Reading
THE HERETIC • by Jeff Gard
I accidentally make eye contact on the morning train, which the Trevorite across from me takes as an invitation. “Lovely day, isn’t it?” His dark anime eyes calculate every exposed freckle, mole, and hair on my exposed skin. “It’s raining,”… Continue Reading
THE PERSISTENT VISITOR • by Kevin March
The first time Oscar slipped through the half-open window of Mrs. Trudell’s apartment, she almost dropped her knitting needles. The black cat stared at her with golden eyes, tail swishing like a metronome. “I don’t want a cat,” she said… Continue Reading
THE NEGOTIATION • by Mary Lamphere
The slamming fist is punctuated with a sharp, “No.” It might’ve been more impressive if the fistwielder hadn’t been a wisp of a woman, pale and reedy in stature. Her adversary chuckles, settling into the wide chair, hands clasping across… Continue Reading
MOVING FORWARD LOOKING BACK • by Rhett Arens
As he entered the coop the rooster stood its ground. Standing in the corner of the cold pen having pecked itself raw, the bird didn’t look right. Stacks’ first thought was human error. He knew all too well, the natural… Continue Reading
PLAY ME FOR IT • by Brittney Lynn
Will threw back the hood of his Sonic the Hedgehog sweatshirt, so he could see better. He took his fighting stance, his shoes flashed blue lights. Emma’s tiny, pink nails disappeared as she curled them into a fist and rested… Continue Reading
THE KISS • by Nico Mara
The beach is devoid of humanity, save for the lone figure walking along the water’s edge. The gulls vie for her attention, their incessant squawking competing with the waves crashing angrily as if they do not want to make landfall.… Continue Reading
THE RING FINGER • by Natalia Danjon
My husband insisted our phones tracked our every move, that we were never truly free. “Those photos people upload, that life, it’s all an illusion,” Ian said after deleting his account. “You have all of me, love.” His fingers twisted… Continue Reading
LOVE FOR THREE ALICES • by Paul C. Rosenblatt
I have had three love relationships in my life, all with women named Alice. I didn’t start out to do that. My first love just happened to be named Alice. I can’t say that there was a lot of chemistry… Continue Reading