by Michael C. Keith Some tortures are physical And some are mental But the one that is both Is dental. –Ogden Nash Amanda was new to Parkside Elementary and Stephen had paid little attention to her until she stood up to answer a question put to the class. It was…
by Phil Temples, John sat hunched over the ancient “mill” typewriter with uncomfortable headphones covering his ears. His receiving station occupied a corner of a small, underground bunker in a remote section of Landsberg Air Force Base, West Germany. The concrete bunker was designated as the Security Service Signals Post, but most people called it the…
A Colorful Allegory Explorer Louis Pantone found escape in his dreams wherein all living beings were of one color and pigmentation hatred did not exist. Unfortunately, his conscious world was very different from his dream world––mired as it was in rampant discrimination and hostility between contrasting skin tones. His particular…
by Phil Temples I was giddy with excitement the very first time I experienced the phenomena firsthand on that hot, humid summer morning on McKinney Road in Allison Park, Pennsylvania. Michael Slattery was my longest and dearest childhood friend. He claims he was the one to first discover it. Mikey,…
by Katherine Yoerg Ms. Geneva Pruitt greatly enjoyed her morning coffee and cinnamon roll at Wall Street Deli on her way in to work every morning. She enjoyed selecting a flavored creamer, sitting at the window, and stirring the creamer into each steaming cup. She enjoyed the way the steam…
by Haley Newlin I woke up irritated. The alarm was blaring in my ears, mocking me as I fought to stay hidden under my cheap, Walmart covers. Get up, I told myself. You have to get up. They’ll fire you if you’re late again. Get up. For a moment I…
by Carolyn Light Bell It was one of those bright winter days. Glorious! Sun dancing so hard on the snow, I thought I would burst. My eyes blinded by millions of crystalline mirrors, my lungs happily inhaling each fresh breath, my feet strong as I pounded down the snowy walk….
by Janice Vasko In the heat of battle accidents happen. Decisions are made amongst chaos, never to be undone, and orders are hastily carried out by loyal sailors. Such is the fate of the unlucky. The infant American colonies were fighting for their very existence. The war raged over land…
Genesis is the first-place winner in SNHU’s 2015 Fall Fiction Short Story Competition. by Syche Phillips In the beginning, it’s awkward, as so many things are. You don’t know where you’re allowed to sit, where you’re expected to sleep, what there is to eat. You don’t even know what to call…
St. Louis is the third-place winner in SNHU’s 2015 Fall Fiction Short Story Competition. by Virginia Spotts Through the ghostly fluorescent lighting and piles of boxes, my father poked his head through the door, giving a slight smile. My returned smile was tight-lipped. He stepped inside slowly, stopping just a few…