City nights are nearly lightless as the rural outback where only stars remind strangers they are alone. Here the landscape is actually a junkscape spilling with structures, obstacles, creatures and every kind of preying beast reared by neglect and nice folk. A zip code for zillionaires careful to keep the suburbs clean. Their wives at … Continue reading
Category Archives: Fiction 2015
Myths — Haleema Smith
I didn’t know I had lost him until the rustle of his hooves in the grass tapered from a hum to a buzz to an absence signaled by chirping crickets. My too-big cowboy hat was hung low over my eyes, but it didn’t matter because my hair had grown to the end of my nose. … Continue reading
Chivalry — Ekweremadu Franklin Uchenna
After dictating his statement to the young Police officer who took it down, George was directed to sit down on the wooden bench behind the counter. He was so nervous he feared that everybody could hear his heartbeat. It was his first time to a police station. But with all the horrible stories he had … Continue reading
1501 — Monte Jones
Driving with my eyes closed always makes me feel guilty, but tonight the fog is so thick that it almost doesn’t matter. Still, there is good reason to arrive at my destination intact, so I force myself to slow down and pay attention. I assume the hapless motorists sharing the road with me would also … Continue reading
the tallest woman in the world — Maisie Iven
I was the shortest girl in Ms. Saks’ third grade class by at least four inches. Amanda Zimmerman used to tease me about having to wear “doll clothes.” “There goes Small-fry Susan,” she’d say, “the girl so small she could live in a shoebox!” But a lot of the girls were nice about it. They … Continue reading
I Don’t Belong Here — Christine M. Lasek
At the Oakland Square Bed, Bath and Beyond, the candle section is right at the front of the store. With Back to School behind us, looking forward to Halloween, then Thanksgiving into Christmas, the summer scents like Beach Walk and Coastal Waters have been replaced with Pumpkin Pie and Hot Spiced Cider—so … Continue reading
The Language of Blood — Zan Bockes
If she were back in Wisconsin, Lisa reflected, this November Friday evening would be spent curled under her grandmother’s afghan on the couch with a current bestseller, listening to the wind spitting snowflakes against the window. But here on Guam, every twilight was the same–thick and heavy with humidity, an endless summer that Lisa would … Continue reading
A Killer Soy Milkshake — Thomas Petrino
Veganism is a feminist issue. At least that’s what Isobel told her colleagues. She had come across several scholarly articles that argued there was an intrinsic connection between veganism and the feminist agenda. These pieces, invariably authored by women with hyphenated names, always had provocative titles. The most recent essay she had read was entitled, … Continue reading
Spanish Flowers — Miriam Karmel
Francine is hoping to outwit a computer, even though the defending champs cannot. She calls out to the TV, “What is XYZ?” XYZ is not the answer. Of course, Watson (yes, the computer has a name) knows just what to say and now he’s pulling ahead. Francine wonders if Watson can find … Continue reading
Conversion — Esta Fischer
Jay Goldstein had heard all the stories. Jewish boy marries Catholic girl, who agrees to bring up the children Jewish. But while the child is still too young to report back, Catholic girl sneaks off to church and has the child baptized. “To be fair, they can’t help it,” Sid, his lawyer and best friend, … Continue reading
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