THERE WERE NO STARS • by Heather Rose
Before: You met him at work. He was tall and it was hard to find a man taller than you. He was your friend. His voice was deep and with Rumple Minze and Vodka on your breath you begged him… Continue Reading
alcohol
LAST CHANCE LOVE • by Mickey J. Corrigan
His head hung low over the bar, bobbing like a turtle’s from its protective shell. He’d had too many shots of Wild Turkey, too little sleep. Through squinting eyes, he watched the barmaid. Tall, broad, and middle aged hard. But… Continue Reading
WHAT WE TALK ABOUT WHEN WE TALK ABOUT THE ELF ON THE SHELF • by Stephen Ornes
Becca and Carl, Becca’s second husband, were in town. Tammy and I lived in Brentwood then with three children: Two from Tammy’s previous marriage and our own feral three-year-old. Tammy used to call Carl a bottomless pit of whiskey. She… Continue Reading
MRS ANDERSON • by Anton Rose
“Coming to bed, love?” Kate looked into the other room. Darren was wearing the pyjamas he’d bought specially for the honeymoon, with blue and yellow stripes. It was almost midnight, but it was still warm inside the villa. The ceiling… Continue Reading
ALICE’S MONSTERS • by Helen Cattan-Prugl
When I close my eyes, I can still see her. Before I go to bed, Alice, my cute little sister, dances behind my eyelids. When I throw my head back with a shot of vodka, Alice’s gap-toothed smile cheers me… Continue Reading
PUNCH BUGGY • by J.C. Towler
Everyone knows the four rules of Punch Buggy: • If you start the game, you can’t be the first to quit. • Convertible bugs are worth two punches. • No blocking hits. • When playing with a girl, you don’t… Continue Reading
TANGLED HEARTS • by Frazer Merritt
It happened one night on the shore of Lake Michigan, hot, unexpected, two bodies writhing in the reeds. We had spread Remmy’s football letter jacket over the damp sand and flung our shirts onto a mulberry tree, exposing ourselves to… Continue Reading
A WEE DRAP OF HOSPITALITY • by Oonah V Joslin
It is a beautiful thing, isn’t it? Would you like to know how I came by it? It’s a strange tale. I was down at the Causeway on the North Antrim coast. Did you know that it’s a steep walk… Continue Reading
LEVEL CAP • by D.A. Heiserman
Galandar the White was as noble a warrior as the land of Ameroz had ever seen. He was a captain in the noble Knights of the White Lilly, from which he took his name. Every week, he and his valiant… Continue Reading
CONSCIOUS DECISION • by Oonah V Joslin
You are. You are two cells old–zygote and sperm. You are the miracle. No need to know, only to grow. You hear the heart of your mother and the music soft and far away of human voice. You twist and… Continue Reading