GRAHAM ROBERT SCOTT: Eavesdropping
The morning after was brisk, quiet as ice. Each exhalation a white cloud; each inhalation, gag-inducing. As I hurled another shovelful of manure from our frost-slicked roof, reindeer bristles visible...
View ArticleJON KEMSLEY: Crypto
I wrote it at my desk in a lunch break. Couple of things they hadn’t thought of. Open source code. Update schedules for anyone who cares to look. And a numbered bank account. Secure by design? Don’t...
View ArticleCLARE O’BRIEN: Give and Take
“Sometimes, when I look into his eyes,” said Chloe to her sister, “I swear he understands everything I’m saying.” “Don’t anthropomorphise,” replied Claudette. “They’re only human.” Chloe licked the...
View ArticleJONATHAN ROMAN: Crowned
The implants changed everything. She had to adjust her posture & the way she walked. Even entering a room wasn’t the same. But she had no regrets. They could look into her doe eyes all they liked,...
View ArticleRICHARD NEVILLE: The Shoes On The Internet
Shoes have started to follow me around the Internet. What do they know about me already? I don’t want to touch them because I know what will happen if I do. It will only encourage them. There will be...
View ArticleJORDANA CONNOR: Crackers and Cheese
Mustering her dignity, she says to the amused maître d’ – “I don’t usually produce crackers from my person”. They regard the salty rectangle on the tastefully tiled floor, recently evacuated from her...
View ArticleJOHN H. DROMEY: Equine Equations
A star performer was missing from the dog and pony show. “Where’s your trick pony?” the ringmaster asked the head of the equestrian troupe. “The filly that answers questions involving numbers by the...
View ArticleK ANNE BURTON: The Straw
The camel moved on through the desert, unsure of itself, afraid. The weight was astounding. That one creature should subject another to that sort of treatment struck the camel as confusing, upsetting...
View ArticleSHEREE SHATSKY: Cartwheel
Legs straight, toes pointed, epicenter straddle split. Stand tall, back tree solid, arms regal, fingers pretty, chin queen high. Grandkids whoop and holler and beg, more more! Curtsy regrets; hip pops...
View ArticleELENA CANTY: Green Thumb, Take Two
I plant strawberries in a pot on the windowsill. “Easy to grow!” the packet promises. My mouth waters as I imagine juicy, home-grown fruit. Soon, they sprout. Days later, they’re limp and dead. I...
View ArticleRAN WALKER: Infinity
Attempting to be funny, Sherman asked our eccentric math professor what “infinity” was. The professor smiled and took a piece of chalk and drew a line around the room fifty times, before dragging it...
View ArticleHAYDEN KAMIDE: How Barry Got Stuck in a Fence & Other Injuries
It’s actually a story of convergence Shirley shared—of ideas, opportunities, will. A tale where hope is unravelled by hope. It involved: Her 150 pound husband. A water ski rope. Two 60 pound huskies. A...
View ArticleRJ GORDON: Tell Apathy
I can’t believe I’m in the hospital from an asthma attack. I’ve never had one this bad before. Before I can call Mom, she calls me. She says, “Your twin sister is in the hospital. She’s okay, but she...
View ArticleJEN MIERISCH: Mt. Olympus, December 2079
Poseidon drew the short straw. Hera sighed. “Yes, they’re irredeemable. But I’ll miss those goofballs. Their bridges, computers, MAS*H… Genius.” The trident swung. The floodwaters flowed. The...
View ArticleMARJAN SIERHUIS: Quarantined
It is 2003. The year of SARS. I tell my husband that my face mask is for his protection. “Protection from what?” he asks with a shocked look on his face. “My mouth. It is now off limits for fourteen...
View ArticleNATALIE REILLY-JOHNSON: Seven Sinful Deaths
The volcano erupted. Pride took selfies in front of it. Envy copied but got fewer “likes,” so she jumped in. Gluttony ate on, lava lapping at the door. Lust opened Grinder for a final fling. Anger...
View ArticleCHAD BUNCH: Jude
One of the strongest of his kind, Jude was one of only a few left. He had resorted to means of survival he’d never even considered centuries before. But the humans weren’t the only race to ignore the...
View ArticleBEC LEWIS: Wrong Room
I was making notes when the doom opened. A strangler entered. “Have a seaweed,” the leader said. “We’re all frenzied here.” After listing to us, the strangler spoke. “Er…” “Yesterday?” “I wanted...
View ArticleMICHAEL AUGUSTINE DONDERO: Nail in the Coffin
The evidence was already heavily against me. The ring—that item meant to solve my problems—found in my possession. Tire tracks in the mud. The dirty shovel in my car. But what really convinced the jury...
View ArticleJANET KOOPS: The Gist
Introduced by a mixologist, Stan was a zoologist, Evie a geologist. They lived in a metropolis, were happily monogamous, their lives never monotonous. Then Evie saw a gynecologist, who sent her to a...
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