Author: admin
-
Marnie by Chelsie Blackwell
“And the winner for Best Actress in a Drama goes to…Marnie,” the seasoned actress whispers, choking on the name. She turns to the back of the stage, where the giant screen flickers on. A young woman appears, seemingly on stage, though her physical body is not. She holds the award in both hands, clutching tightly.…
-
The Exchange by Kaitlin Milliken-Flohr
I should have known when we left the town that safety was far behind us. Our trike blazed along the narrow asphalt over the estuary, while the world around us lay uncharacteristically still. The setting sun reflected in the ocean unbroken, not a breeze to ripple the water. With every kilometer, life thinned — not…
-
Shopping Complex by Bert SG
They cut Julie early, so she punched the clock and left Cookie Ranch behind, left the whole food court behind. She hadn’t brought a change of clothes, but there was still time to make it downstairs and hit up Alley Brats, maybe steal a cool shirt so she wouldn’t be forced to hang around the…
-
In the Aftermath by Phil M. Robinson
Another synthetic sunrise. A plastic dawn. How long has it been now? It’s amazing what you can forget when you’ve spent so long chained to a bed, with webs of bloody tubes to tie you down. Each time I breathe, I feel the drain in my chest as it struggles and strains to filter the…
-
That Woman by Rhonda Rosenheck
(A Sestina) The bed, visible through the legs of adults and a child circledround, looks crisp and taut, as if there is no womanbeneath its sheets sending to a stanchion monitor signalsthat measure life. Breathing? Check. BP? Eh. Heartbeat? Slow.Sitting across the room, on vigil at another bed, I can seeonly the child’s silky brown…
-
Magical Thinking by Hope Nolan
I have headphones on while I stand at the bus stop. No music, just static loud enough to keep me from thinking. A man tries to talk to me as we wait. I ignore him, but my impulse to lie has me digging my key into my wrist. If I tell the man I can’t…
-
The Birth of the Goatman by John Wolfgram
The basement was thick with cigarette smoke and a little weed, the kind of air that stuck to your clothes long after the night ended. An old lava lamp floated light against the basement wood paneling. River perched on stool, a cigarette dangling from her lips. “Tell them, John,” she teased. “Tell them the story.”…
-
The Ghost of Wilhelmine by Hannah J. Roy
Her gravestone reads: A Devoted Daughter, Cared Enough to Erect This Shrine of the Most Sweet Mother of GodAll ghost stories start with Once upon a death and end with white space. They say she was the wind in the chandeliers, a bone cold breath in the hallway. Donning a white taffeta dress, she strutted…
-
Rave in a Coma Ward by Harley Carnell
I heard about the raves on my first day in the coma ward. Stephanie, the ward manager, gave me the tour. She was a tough-as-nails veteran whose tenure at the ward varied depending on who you asked. I didn’t know this at the time, but Stephanie was not a joking person. I thought that she…
-
A Hell of a Tale by Drew Broussard
Addie hurried through the still-foggy morning streets towards the harbor, following the thick brine on the air. She’d overslept, which was rare enough in a house full of noises like hers—but today, of all days! She gritted her teeth and hustled on. Only when she turned the corner onto Dodson Street, with its falling slope…