Let me pretend that my dad didn’t storm our house, kick our front door until it caved in, nor did he stab it with a steak knife. That as I peered outside, barefoot and confused, the police officer hadn’t noticed me. Pretend I didn’t see my mom holding her head in her hands and rocking back and forth, and that I never heard her say, he’s going to kill us, he’s going to kill us.… more
Author Archives: Ben Drevlow
A Pink Glow Like Mist
FICTION by Max-Tate ForestThey’re loyal to you. They’re lonely men whose entire life revolves around a 20 by 10 screen. I know you can’t imagine what that’s like, neither can I, but can we both rationally consider the aftermath? You… go away, their screen goes empty, and there’s nothing. They’re cold and empty husks. What do you think happens when people don’t have anything left to live for? They kill other people, or themselves.… more
The Engineer’s Tale
FICTION by Ankit Raj OjhaThe world didn’t end in 2012, but reason surely left his body when he fell for that girl. Shrikanth once asked Dharmesh how he met his girlfriend. Motherfucker went on and on till the cock roosted at dawn. Binod’s has stopped roosting since 2012.… more
Manly Tears
FLASH FICTION by Benedict PignatelliHe wasn’t scared, or upset, or panicking. He was a man, he was angry. Full of rage. These were rageful tears.… more
Four Stories
FLASH NONFICTION by Erin SwansonThe day after you died our son watched Star Trek. I thought it was odd because he never had before. The episode was about an invisible spaceship entity that wanted to die. The crew of the Enterprise had to give up trying to save it.… more
We Had Fun
FICTION by Sean-Taro NishiBecause of the tumor we had to leave our sister Angela behind on our trip to Disney last summer. It was sad because it was on her birthday too, but by then she was too sick to even get out of bed, and plus the charity gave us all free tickets and they had an expiration date.… more
Bubbleclear
FICTION by Benjamin Ray AlleeSo Glen found himself, once again, at the cusp of non-belonging. Staring at the insignificance that had been his home since grade school, a dark, smothering smallness he’d finally overcome by getting into Barber & Matheson as a technical writer seven years ago.… more
Two Essays
FLASH NONFICTION by Haley DiRenzoHere is the wish I’m ashamed of—that you were the type of grandparent who had a fun nickname like Papa or Gramps, who came to my dance recitals, who called me on my birthday. Who would have intervened, gotten to know me, before it was too late and dementia stole all but your oldest memories. Leaving me with the responsibility to build this relationship that had never fully bloomed. … more
Never Gone
FICTION by Jody Hobbs HeslerDuring court proceedings, the advocate she’d been assigned kept telling her that everything Ronnie did was his fault. Only his. She re-played that message in her mind until she believed it. Or mostly believed it. But people judge. You can see it in their eyes, a calculation of how much trouble knowing you is worth.… more
On a Clear Day You Can See Chicago
FLASH FICTION by Tammy PeacyTess can’t tell Brick how no one says that’s how I roll or how literally everyone knows his name is actually Allan. Or other things. Like, she sometimes skips school and seeks patterns in the cracked ceiling above his brother’s bed.
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