It was one of those spring evenings that wouldn’t give up being cold. The rain hit so hard it bounced off the ground as if the mud wouldn’t have anything more to do with it. But Richard Franke’s good daughter, Eve, was outside, rain pants and jacket bright against the darkening sky and darker firs, … Continue reading
Monthly Archives: April 2016
Grapes—Claire Tollefsrud
The couple wanted children almost as badly as they wanted each other—their wedding bands were still shiny and unfamiliar on their fingers—so they made love almost every night in their new house. The rooms were mostly empty; the kitchen counter was white and cold. Then came the fruit bowl. The wife loved peaches, the husband … Continue reading
This Guy Should Have a Car—David Pounds
Man, fuck buses. The dregs of our society live on buses. And I don’t mean homeless people, like this isn’t my screwed up screed on the homeless or nothing. I just mean that it seems like if you are a terrible person or there is something wrong or offensive going on with you, you just … Continue reading
What Goes Up—Will Drickey
He dreams of past friends cackling as he plunges into a dark pool. The rippling water contorts their faces, transforming their spiteful laughter into mute expressions of agony. He flails, but finds his ankle chained to something heavy, invisible. They will not help him, and as the last air escapes his lungs in a maelstrom … Continue reading
Blue Bloke—Timothy B. Dodd
They’re shooting again. So little Cory’s screaming again. “Honey, go put something on for him,” Shirley says. I walk to the living room. On the ground beside the “entertainment center” I find a disc out of its case. I pick it up and slam Grover’s face into the DVD player, turn up the volume. … Continue reading
After Alice—Mike Gray
I The screams came from the girls’ bathroom—the one beside the stairs on the second floor. They echoed through the empty halls at around nine-thirty, just after Bethany McDaniel went in to wash her hands. Dawn knew Bethany, but only by name. She was the one who found Alice. She was the one who … Continue reading
Condolences—Robin Vigfusson
Marian Lundgren scanned the obituaries on her laptop in the living room while drinking one of her husband’s malbecs. This wine was called The Waxed Bat and it gleamed in the glass like black onyx. For one hazy instant, she understood why people became connoisseurs. It might be for the same reason others collected … Continue reading
Neighbors, at One Time or Another—Steve Meador
Rednecks Over the phone a monotone rasp crawled from her tar-coated vocal chords and was delivered like a swarm of chiggers against my eardrum. She told me that all the jewelry she had talked about the previous day was locked in the trunk of the Pontiac. Real stuff, worth thousands and thousands of dollars. Her … Continue reading
Black Belt—Adam Berlin
The ad said this: We are looking for a karate teacher for three afternoons/week after 3:00 to teach a sweet 7 yr old autistic boy for approx 1 hour. He has had a tiny bit of experience, but is eager and able to learn. Child will have a shadow therapist. Experience with special needs/autism … Continue reading
Coe Review 