GB BURGESS: The Mark
Mark had waited sixty years for revenge. Searching the retirement home, he found Ben snoozing, feeble. But Mark felt no sympathy for his old enemy. “For what you did to me at that party,” Mark sneered....
View ArticleJOHN H DROMEY: A Lopsided Triangle
When last I saw them, they were down by the river. They were holding hands. No surprise there; she’d always been possessive. On this occasion, she seemed especially reluctant to let go. She professed...
View ArticleCHIP HOUSER: Thing is, I’ve Changed
As the clock struck midnight, ushering in my fiftieth birthday, the friends I’d been playing D&D with since middle school learned I was no longer the same person. To be fair, one of them wasn’t...
View ArticleRAN WALKER: How to Train a Beast
The first time the beast came to the village was by accident. He had simply lost his way. However, once he learned the townspeople were willing to feed him one of their own each year, gradually...
View ArticleTOM O’BRIEN: SPF
We lie around the pool, melting, burning, toasting, marinating. Nobody speaks, except for one woman berating her husband for not using sunscreen. Later the waiter tells us they’ve been coming to this...
View ArticleHADLEY LEGGETT: Upside Down
At the park, my daughter whines. Too hot, icky sunscreen, more juice. “Four-year-olds,” I say. “Not mine,” another mom says, her face smug. “We parent like gravity.” “Gravity?” Her daughter screams,...
View ArticleCHRISTA A PLANKO: The Language of Biology
Every tick of the clock reverberated throughout the vast lecture hall. The biology students stared blankly as the lecture dragged on—monotonous drivel about clinical study results. Post hoc, ad hoc,...
View ArticleCHAD BUNCH: Blessings
“Bless you,” the stranger said. “Take it back!” was my response, as I sniffed and wiped my nose on my sleeve. Her eyes widened. “What? Why?” Her disgust and disapproval at my rudeness danced in her...
View ArticleGD KONSTANTINE: Dr. Mettels
“Dr. Mettels, as my great-great-grandfather told you when he was the chair of this committee, you have not discovered the cure for death!” said the current chair of the International Science...
View ArticleJOHN H DROMEY: Sharp Disagreement: Hashtag or Octothorpe?
A State trooper approached a stalled auto with caution. The stranded motorist—already outside of his vehicle—was walloping a highway marker with a tire iron. “What’s going on here?” “When I called my...
View ArticleBILL COX: Love in 2050
Down on one knee, I produced the ring. “Will you marry me?” My heart raced as I looked up at her perfect features. Her face went blank as her eyes rolled back inside her head. “Please stand by,” she...
View ArticleTOJO: A) Skip Dialogue
“Not getting to really know each other before marriage is like bypassing a game’s tutorial, y’know?” “I agree, but that’s your tenth gaming analogy in the past three minutes. Please stop.” “You want to...
View ArticleSUSAN GALE WICKES: Framed
Margo used to wonder about her friend Ellen’s strange requests. “Would you mind picking up some industrial-sized trash bags?” “Can I borrow your duct tape?” “Wanna hold my new pistol?” “Just take my...
View ArticleCONNELL WAYNE REGNER: Modern Dating
“What’s wrong?” “I don’t know. Everything was fine and then nothing, no calls, no messages. She’s ghosted me.” “You must have done something to upset her.” “Well, she didn’t like me driving fast.”...
View ArticleJO WITHERS: Emergency Procedures
In the event of: 1. Flood – Assemble food and first aid kit. Be ready to evacuate. 2. Fire – Leave immediately. Once out, call emergency services. 3. Earthquake – Stay indoors. Prepare for cracks to...
View ArticleRON. LAVALETTE: Not the Warmest Greeting
He was quite sure they’d met before. Her smile, though noncommittal, seemed at least familiar, and somewhat welcoming. It faded, though, as he approached her and sat down beside her on the subway. He...
View ArticleGRAHAM ROBERT SCOTT: Last Licks
Three blocks away, someone asks how much for the Czech wolfdog. Strangers have inquired before, but this is the first she stops to think it over. Four years pet-minding, and his owner refused to write...
View ArticleJERI QUINZIO: Subway Sightings
The sign says “If you see something, say something.” Today, on the subway in Boston, I saw a man wearing a black sombrero with a live parrot sitting quietly on his shoulder. No one paid the slightest...
View ArticleJOHN H. DROMEY: Technical Knockout
A youngster came home from school with scraped knuckles and a torn shirt. “Fighting again? I think your classmate Donnie is a bad influence on you. Have you been playing violent video games at his...
View ArticleED N WHITE: Date Line
I met this intriguing woman on an internet dating site, fascinated by her profile line that said she was a welder on a deep-water offshore oil rig. We’d been hard at it for three months and two days....
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