Featured Writing

Empty movie theater

With This Money

by Claude Chabot Lily had found the powder room in haste, and rapidly finishing her customary ablutions before the start of the feature, hurried to the stairs. This was her ritual before every picture she had seen, and though she could resist it, she felt fully at ease only when…

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Fiction Posts

Hairdresser holding hair, comb and scissors

Bad Hair Day

by V. J. Hamilton After I left Shari’s place, the first person I encountered jumped to one side and gave an embarrassed chuckle, as if to say, “Now look what you made me do.” I patted my hair and looked back at the ramshackle house, where Shari’s kids tussled amid…

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A path through a dark forest

Smokey Ridge

by Jordan Loveland (This story contains mentions of murder and suicide.) “What the hell,” Aria demands, “this is my sister?” She falters, face flush with anger and bottom lip trembling. “How do you know her?” Crumpled where her hand holds tightly to the page, the drawing isn’t one of my…

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A sprinkler spraying water onto green grass

News from Pipes

by Mike Neis A do-it-yourself homeowner can hear running water and know something is broken. The pipes were carrying the wrong tune, a slack, subdued song backed by full, unhurried harmonies. The notes lacked the usual shrill urgency of the morning lawn watering. Roger’s troubleshooting instincts called through the dawn’s…

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A mirror broken into several pieces

All These Broken Pieces

by Quiarah Butler Coll bolted straight up, sweat-drenched and shivering. She was sitting naked on her bedroom floor, thick vines wrapping her like ribbon. Her feet were caked to the ankles in mud and silt. “Damn it! Not again,” she groaned. She’d been sleepwalking again. Fifth night in a row….

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A rainy city street at night

The Body

by Dan Richardson I first saw the Body in the doorway.  I stopped when I saw it, my hands holding tight to my backpack, the straps cutting into my shoulders. The other people walked by without looking at it. Cars glided by, hissing through the puddles and sending icy jets…

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A bell resting on the front desk

The Office of Eternal Collections

by Dakota Jackson The Office of Eternal Collections—better referred to as purgatory, both literally and figuratively, especially to Luci—is becoming quite hectic these days. As the head of the Decisions Department, Luci, (known in his past first as Lucian and later as Lucifer), is in charge of the recently deceased….

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A large green snake coiled around itself

My Sweet Boys

by Parker Fendler They lay intertwined in the crib, Spencer gnawing on his Binky and Fred flicking his tongue. I’ve no idea how the seven-footer got out again, but ain’t this the cutest thing? I’d snap a shot for Roy, but he’d throw another hissy-fit. A dozen times he’s said…

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An RV under the star filled night sky

The Bullet

By Shane Hibdon This story contains substance use. The rain fell steadily, soaking the ground and all things it touched. From inside the RV they could hear the droplets pounding against the roof. It was a steady sound that the television could not drown out, especially for the occasional thunder…

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A black widow spider hanging on a small stick

Black Widows

By Beth Escott Newcomer Mary knew there were black widows in the house. This morning, while reaching for a jar of tomatoes, she had seen one in the cupboard and had carefully caught it in a glass with a playing card and carried it outside to the lilac bush, careful…

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Green protractors and rulers on a yellow and gray background

The Geometry of Loss

By Brendan Todt It hasn’t been easy. Bruce is gone—comfortable if not quite happy—living in the Dunes now, with Katie and Katie’s childless hips. You and Mitch are still here. You and Mitch have persevered. Mitch even brought home an A+ in geometry, his first, and you are so very proud of him. And he…

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