My daughter Jenny is glaring now, so I tell her that chocolate ice cream is full of E-numbers. I tell her that E-numbers are nasty chemicals. I tell her the E stands for European. Then I go on a mini tirade about the bloody Europeans who’ve foisted us with rules for everything from the correct number of toothbrush bristles to the acceptable curvature of bananas.… more
Category Archives: FICTION
Sunk Costs
FICTION by Erik Harper Klass“Pain, we know,” he tells me, “has a much more complex grammar than pleasure.” He holds up the book. I guess it is a quote.… more
A Subway Mitzvah
FICTION by Nadim SilvermanNow, he is in the subway, waiting to transfer from the F to the G. His wet swimsuit is sweating dirty water at the bottom of his New Yorker tote. He is distracted—worried about ocean acidification and the ecological cost of clean green energy—and doesn’t notice the “freshly painted” sign. His back slides down the subway column, the green paint comes with him. He’s not too bothered by the new stripe on the back of his suit. Without evidence, he believes there are Native American warriors in his bloodline. They wore paint on their faces to battle. Now painted himself, he is honoring his history.… more
It’s A Good Birthday
FICTION by Elena ZhangIt’s a good birthday, even though he trips on the dog bowl when he gets home, the one that’s been empty for two years, aluminum gleaming like a grimace from childhood… more
Resting Eyes
FICTION by Amy MarquesIf my uncles hadn’t carried their father into the backseat against my grandmother’s wishes and driven past the village clinic and all the way to the city my grandfather avoided and if my grandfather’s many children hadn’t insisted that everything that could be done be done because he was beloved and they couldn’t fathom a world without him in it and if they hadn’t told the doctors that yes, they understood, but they needed him to be okay… more
Keeping Sweet
FICTION by Marie-louise McGuinnessJulie don’t wanna be sweet no more, she says Pastor Jeff’s eyes haunt her.… more
The Funnel
FICTION by Matt BriggsI observed immediately that dating was identical to looking for a job. You needed to send out a lot of resumes and queries to get an interview. And you needed to interview a bit to find a match and then if the match seemed promising you would get a position, but still, you didn’t need to make a career of it. I essentially created a sales funnel.… more
Whatever Happened Next
FICTION by Charlie KondekInto the ecosystem had recently been injected another species of working poor high school kids. On the minds of all of them that summer – when was Kacie’s old boyfriend going to fight Kacie’s new boyfriend?… more
Always and Utter Bullshit
FICTION by Jamey GallagherAfter ten minutes I was high and taking his keys and going out to his truck and doing donuts in the driveway before racing down to town. He looked scared because he was scared. I didn’t give a shit.… more
Shooting at Hurricanes
FICTION by Mario Aliberto IIIPop-Pop never talked about how the person you are when you ship off isn’t the person you are when you ship back. How a war story is only a story if it didn’t happen to you.… more
