MY BAD • by Mike Pemberton
Bob bent down on one knee and popped the tops on the last two cans of paint. He flipped the lids of “Royal Lavender” onto the canvas drop cloth and stared at a muddled mess of grey and white satin.… Continue Reading
parenting
THE GAME IS ON • by L.H. Maxwell
Ding-Dong! Ugh, I think to myself while walking, head cocked, to the front door. I lean back for one last glimpse of the television before reaching forward and turning the knob. “Trick or treat,” the children holler before the door… Continue Reading
FULL DISCLOSURE • by Paul A. Freeman
“And here’s the cosy breakfast room,” says the realtor. She makes an expansive sweep with her arm. The fraudulent smile on her face doesn’t falter — even when the back of her hand smacks into the wall of the cramped… Continue Reading
WHAT ARE WE GOING TO DO TO YOU: AN ORAL ESSAY TO MY NEWBORN DAUGHTER THROUGH THE WINDOW OF THE MATERNITY WARD AT 3 AM • by Sam Rebelein
Your mom actually likes her family. I was just thinking about that. It was the first thing I loved about her. I loved how simple it seemed, and how much it made me ache. See, we met at a bar.… Continue Reading
ZERO IS THE SUM • by Rebecca Roland
Four is the number of gunmen who enter the library where she’s taken her son for story time. Four is the age of her son, who will soon be five, if he lives through this day. Four is the number… Continue Reading
IMPRINT • by Sarah L. Yoon
I had hoped for an easy Saturday, but our toddler started yelling at 5am again. My husband Hyun and I dragged through the morning, playing a groggy game of bumper cars in the kitchen as coffee dribbled into the carafe.… Continue Reading
DUCKPOND DAYS • by Rosalie Kempthorne
They tell me off for her these days. Because she’s big for her age. Mirror-image, polar opposite of what my grandmother told my mother. I don’t overfeed her. She just is what she is. But I know what they mean.… Continue Reading
BLUFFDALE • by Natasha Mileusnic
The look on my son’s face was undisguised disgust. Hunched over in the noisy diner, Ben shook his head, his mouth twisted in a scowl. I offered a wan smile to our waitress as she replenished my coffee, wishing I… Continue Reading
ADVENTURES OF THE JOYNER-PALSEY FAMILY • by Stephan James
Route 160 out of Durango runs crooked and dusty past Mesa Verde National Park, and that’s where the first fight of the day erupts. Asher is apparently on his sister’s side. “Mo-om!” Ellie pleads. “Make him move!” Justine, from her… Continue Reading
THE RED CARDINAL’S VISIT • by Lisa Tang Liu
Tommy bolted out of the parking garage elevator as soon as the door opened. A man waiting outside the elevator stood with mouth agape as he watched the toddler fly past him. I dashed after my son. Clad in a… Continue Reading