Last week of summer. A hurricane was supposed to be there that weekend. You didn’t need to watch the news, it was in the air. The impending violence of it, almost sweet smelling, like a burgeoning romance. Korey and his family would stay.… more
Category Archives: FICTION
Ants
FICTION by Colin BrightwellOn his way out Dad bent down and told me that I was man of the house now and I would be taking care of Mom. None of the other twelve-year-olds on my block had a job to do like this. Maybe, I thought, this would prepare me for sixth grade. … more
Cycles
FICTION by Peter HannonIf marriage taught him anything, it was that he knew when his wife was upset. His problem, however, was that he never knew what she was upset about.… more
Click-Pah!
FICTION by Ya-Ting YuHe hates this about Beardy Man, always making plans without him. These decisions need careful planning. Not only that. They are best friends. Supposed to do things together. And here he is, making big decisions. So independent, so annoying.… more
Safety Plan
FICTION by Brian GreeneHow did his “moving girl” 3-year-old turn into a 17-year-old who never leaves her bed for whole days? He thinks partly there’s a thousand different reasons for that, thinks partly there’s no reason at all, just something that happened organically and can’t be explained.… more
Hair of the Dog
FICTION by Bob KelsoeHe picked up a strip of bacon and dragged it through the yolk until it bled. He took a bite and let himself enjoy it. For a moment, he quit thinking about failure and divorce and dead-end towns. Just ate his breakfast like a man with nowhere else to be.… more
Of Gods and Men and Those Who Dance
FICTION by Stan KemptonIt was a tragedy of what-if’s: a lifeline not particularly interrupted but partially rubbed out to continue as what? a sideshow always placed on the peripherals and pitied? He wanted a girlfriend and wore this search like his disability wore him.… more
Sole
FICTION by Trista Hurley-WaxaliThere is no going back. I found the break in the flesh. I resharpen the knife to be sure I don’t have any parts caught in the blade. The parts left untouched for show are the gills, where it worked hardest to live.… more
A Narrow Bridge
FICTION by Wim HylenLenny puts away his copy of The North American Actuarial Journal and basks in what he’s done. Little red-haired Leonard Reister, detester of gym class and organized sports, human punching bag at Harrison Elementary School, has become a hero.… more
THE BLENDER
FICTION by Jeffrey M. FeingoldSometimes it’s too much, just too much. Really, God, if you’re up there, I just don’t know what’s wrong with you, sometimes. Can’t you give a Jew a break?… more
