He didn’t feel like he had aged well at all. His baggy shirt might hide the spare tire around his middle, but then there were the blemished parts that were harder to disguise, like the deep furrows across his forehead, the laughter lines about the mouth, and crow crags at the corners of his eyes. A little wart had also suddenly revealed itself in place of a beauty spot. Today, he felt like a hoary old man.… more
Category Archives: FICTION
Toy of the Season
FICTION by Jamie EtheridgeHe wants the game but also doesn’t. He imagines slamming it into the trash bin under the sink or cracking it against the side of the house, breaking it into a hundred jagged pieces, orange casing, grey screen, the soundtrack whirring tick tick tick. He is also sure all his friends at school will crow and squawk in a huddle when he shows them. They’ll crowd around him at lunch time, in recess and they’ll watch mesmerized as Mario climbs and Kong hurls and Pauline cowers in the corner.… more
Encore
FICTION by Matthew BurnsideHere’s the thing—the clown isn’t laughing. He’s just sitting there on his stool in the center of the tent, sharpening his banana into a knife. This is after twisting together a balloon elephant and making my sister cry, popping it with a pin hidden between his teeth.… more
Two Stories
FICTION by Dave PerlisNudging 40, disturbingly gray, I’m vexed and disappointed that after weeks of webs and skeletons, Mill Valley is a ghost town.… more
Two Stories
FICTION by M.F. RobinsonWhen Lester Hardin stood before the judge he had just turned twenty-three years old. His hair was greasy, cut and trimmed low across the top of his crown with long knotted strands straddling down his collar. … more
Rejoice, We Conquer
FICTION by Jaime BalboaFor the briefest moment, absolute fear welled up in António and threatened to engulf him.… more
Becoming Them
FICTION by J. M. GarciaWhat had happened to Crazy Lady? Why was she the way she was? He knew what had happened to him.… more
The Ambit of Our Friendship
FICTION by Sean Ennis“Wait,” he says and types my name into the search bar.… more
Real Men Don’t Hit Their Wives
FICTION by Phillip Scott MandelLewis relishes, slightly and mischievously, the young couple’s naïve discourse about bridesmaids and flower centerpieces, as if it all means something. They are blissfully unaware of the inevitable mutual loathing that plagues all marriages.
She’s your problem now, Benny-boy. Enjoy paying for Amazon deliveries the rest of your life.… more
