#90: Fiction by Rebecca Fifield
PERMANENCE Heat and anger are the main ingredients in hell. When September is hotter than August, it feels like betrayal. My partner is cheating on me—with his camera. At 8:00 a.m. on what felt like an otherwise lazy Saturday morning, he filled his bag with a couple of Nikons and firmly said that he’d see […]
#89: Fiction by Katharine L. McKenna
CARCASS The sun keeps flying across the sky from one mountain to another. On this fateful day, we camp at Willow Creek where, fifteen years before, I was conceived. My parents confide that fact to me after several scotches by the heat of the campfire, in a single hushed revelation of their marriage. Maybe they […]
#88: Fiction by Jack King
NO RECOMPENSE On a cold November morning, he made his first delivery. He stuck to personal shopping on the northeastern end of the county where forest-lined hills broke dense neighborhoods of houses on postage-stamp lots. The Hockstedtter’s place sat on a cul-de-sac. Lee donned his mask, pinched the clip around his nose, and brought up […]
SPECIAL: Fiction by Matt Rowan
GRIZZLY 25’S (A story from Matt Rowan’s collection How the Moon Works, now available from Cobalt Press.) There was hair, a lot of it, but more notable were the searing red eyes—eyes that watched carefully and closely. A scarred face from so many years out in the thicket, the thick-of-it, what this was. So many lights. […]
#87: Fiction by Neeru Nagarajan
CLEANING THE BATHROOM AND OTHER CHORES YOU WON’T DO The bathroom is a trap of long black hairs and spiderwebs that I can’t tell apart. The water coughs before it drains in a powerless whirlpool. It has been a mess for four weeks now. I waited for you who waited for me to clean it. […]
#86: Fiction by T.E. Wilderson
CRAZY DAYCARE It’s been so long since I showered, I can’t even say when it was. I do remember feeling pelted with pebbles instead of droplets of water. But this is Day Four of IOP—Intensive Outpatient Program—and yesterday Bing Bing wrinkled her nose and gave me the side-eye. So, I’m going to give myself a […]
#85: Fiction by Marco Etheridge
THE NAKEDNESS OF OZONE The little boy stood shirtless before the gaping mouth of an open locker. His hands hesitated at the waistband of his jeans. He was scared of this place. He winced at the unfamiliar noises. The echoing shouts of the bigger boys made him jump and the slap of their bare feet […]
#84: Fiction by Robin Lanehurst
ANOTHER DAY ON GOD’S GREEN EARTH Calvin’s heart failed; then he drowned. At the funeral, Marva avoided all speculation. “I heard the twins were playing video games in the basement—that’s why they didn’t notice.” “I heard Marva was at the grocery store, came home to her husband underwater in the bathtub, his heart cold.” After […]
#83: Fiction by Ken Brosky
MUSCLE MEMORY Emily surveys the basement. A plastic Christmas tree whose base once collected presents that evolved from Play-Doh to Polly Pocket to make-up sets. A single hanging light bulb revealing boxes and plastic buckets stacked to the ceiling joists. Tools hanging from hooks. Camping supplies sitting on shelves. Pipes running to an old water […]
#82: Fiction by A.E. Milford
WHERE THEY PLANT THE TREES IN STRAIGHT LINES Each chair in the restaurant is different. Tall backs. Low backs. Red cushions. Tan cushions. None of them match. It reminds you of England. Or what England might look like, since you’ve never been. You’ve never been much of anywhere outside of New Jersey. Your family could […]