FM JOHNSON: Unrequited Love
He loved her, and although she professed her own, evidence proved the contrary. Her caresses could not mask philandering nights and whomever she spent them with. Fantasies of freedom consumed his...
View ArticleJOHN LANE: To Whom it may Concern
I kept my eye on you for a long time. And what did I see? Disobedience. Blame-shifting. Murder. Lying. Drunkenness. And that was just the beginning. Your poor use of free will makes me reconsider your...
View ArticleJ BRADLEY: Truth or Dare
Jake decided he’d feed his cotton candy to the tornado outside our storm cellar. The tornado nipped at it, devoured it, and then moved on to other lives to destroy. The next day, the radio said...
View ArticleRAN WALKER: Butter Me Up
It was only after Mrs. Fennelly’s prize-winning butter sculpture “A Day in the Life of My Family” had melted that the clean-up crew at the Iowa State Fair discovered the likenesses of her four family...
View ArticleANDREA ALLISON: Left You a Note
He found the note taped on his refrigerator. Hey, I’m leaving this note to inform you I’ve stolen your soul for a scavenger hunt. I don’t believe you’ll find this news troubling, seeing as you weren’t...
View ArticleMARK FARLEY: Opposite Man
Contrary Carl is the world’s most annoying housemate. He opens the closets, stands in the sitting room, works in the playroom, plays in the workshop, parks on the driveway, wears shorts in the pantry,...
View ArticleMICHELLE DINNICK: Are You Superstitious?
I knew this guy once who said you should never give a watch to anyone you care about. “Because your relationship will have a time limit.” I thought nothing of it. Since then, however, I have given...
View ArticleLINDA SALDAÑA: Hamster
Carolyn shows up agitated, out of kilter. We feign concern and lean in for what could possibly be a delicious story. “Mother is in jail,” says Carolyn. “She shot the neighbor’s hamster.” We gasp....
View ArticleSTUART ATKINSON: Love is Bland
I am not adventurous with food. Simple meals without spices or sauces suit me. The new cook at the cafeteria gives me a wink and a knowing smile. Others complain the cabbage is boiled to death and the...
View ArticleIAIN YOUNG: Warmonger Blues
Who knows why I even bother, but I inform every army that the rented siege weapons must be returned in the same condition if they want their deposit. “Of course!” they all say. Then they haul back a...
View ArticleSUSAN LOZANO: Old Friend
It’s been a long time and I’ve missed you, my old friend. The thought of you, your smell. The way you taste. You’re always on my mind. I know it’s been good to be away from you, but I want you back in...
View ArticleCANDACE KUBINEC: In Contemplation of Retirement
He thought about retiring. He took a leave-of-absence, headed south, got a job driving kids to summer camp. He’d always liked kids. These kids laughed at his belly, threw things into his beard. He...
View ArticleMICHAEL BORNE: Here Be Dragons
The first day that I drove my new son and his exhausted mom home from the hospital, the freeway was thick with fast cars maneuvering around mega pick-ups with large tires and 40-ton semis, all in a mad...
View ArticleCATHERINE ANN FOX: Monster Under the Bed
The monster under my bed whispers to me in the dark. Says I’m small, scared, so easy to pull down and rip apart and chew up until I’m nothing but two knuckle bones hanging from a string. I listen,...
View ArticleSTEVEN LEMPRIÈRE: The Dog Whisperer
My dog is deaf, and I whisper when I want to communicate with him. I find lowering the timbre of my voice accentuates the movement of my mouth. My dog is smart; he can lip read. My cat, on the other...
View ArticleDENNY E MARSHALL: Head Games
Leroy orders online. Two weeks later the package arrives. It is a head that looks exactly like Leroy. When his work robot arrives home, he removes its head and replaces it with the new one. Leroy will...
View ArticleJOHANNA B STUMPF: Chicken
“They grew a new veggie,” Jane announced excitedly. “It’s supposed to taste like fried chicken. Wanna go and try some?” “And if it’s no good, we’ll get diarrhea again,” Clara replied dryly. “Come on,...
View ArticleTA YOUNG: The Near-Perfect Timeline
When Heinrich did not die at the apex of his actuarial bell curve, he felt intense relief; blessed. He loved his world as he never had; he felt the breeze as he sat on his deck overlooking the...
View ArticlePERRY McDAID: Avalanche Retro
Soul-pain and heartache of days that are gone: festering things fed by dread and dismay pounding dark avalanche rolls on and on. I am its echo, recording per se, an hour’s background static in the...
View ArticleJOHN H. DROMEY: ‘Tis the Season for Frights
All Hallows Eve. The most popular haunted house in town was as dark as the inside of an uncarved pumpkin. Not one of its clockwork creatures was stirring. Why? The property was under new management....
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