When I purchased the old Shepard Place—one hundred sixty acres in northern Nebraska—I felt as if I’d stepped back in time. In 1925, Old Man Shepard ordered a house kit from the Sears & Roebuck catalog. It came by rail, arriving at the depot in town, about twenty-five miles away. Mr. Shepard and his brother … Continue reading 13 Days of Halloween: Mannequins in the Hobbit Barn by S.G. Benson
13 Days of Halloween: Diaphanous Spirit by Mary Steinberg
Diaphanous Spirit Ethereal Sprite Dancing on moonbeams Glossy and bright. Floating by freely Uplifting unwound Drifting and wafting Not making a sound. Spiritual Being Spun-silver delight Diaphanous Spirit Spectacular sight! Vaporous Mystic Incantations surround Swirling and swaying And turning around. Gossamer Traveler Translucence alight Releasing Your magic On Hallow’s Eve Night.
13 Days of Halloween: Thrice in One Sitting by Justin Alcala
“One witch can do more harm than a thousand common thieves,” Silas Fear-The-Lord Doddridge recited along the road to Pontybridge village. It was a dreadful afternoon in New England, but three facts rolled Silas out of his inn’s bed on this wet autumn day. First, as the Malleus Maleficarum stated, Those who deny the reality … Continue reading 13 Days of Halloween: Thrice in One Sitting by Justin Alcala
13 Days of Halloween: HiLee Frankenstein by Dylan Jack James
“HiLee Frankenstein” was previously published in Legacy Magazine under the title “What Scares You?” I was four years old when my father and mother first took me trick or treating down our little village street. It was a crisp cool Halloween night and the smell of cherry wood hung in the air from the only … Continue reading 13 Days of Halloween: HiLee Frankenstein by Dylan Jack James
Winners of the October Contest
Here are the winners of our tenth 2025 Contest! The dates next to their names will be the day their work will be posted to our website. Please note that we only had ten winners so the winning posts will start on the 21st: 21: S.G. Benson 22: Carrie Farrar 23: Laura Dennis 24: Laura … Continue reading Winners of the October Contest
A Huntress Who Locks in
By Douglas J. Lanzo Flashing ambered orange, her eyespierce tall savannah grass,spotting shadows of horned beastsgrazing contentedly under mattedshade of acacia trees,as she tracks on padded pawsthrough yellow-seeded grass.Downwind of the herdthe undetected hunterflexes her spine and accelerates, pulsing with each clawed bound gripping sun-scorched earthas she powers quickening strides,turning in tight arc toward the … Continue reading A Huntress Who Locks in
The Gravity of Human Hands
By Mohit Saini \We are the species that names the stars,then counts their worth in coin and scars.We build our homes with borrowed stone,and call the dust beneath us "own."The same hand carving sacred artwill sign the orders, tear apart.The voice that rocks a child to sleepwill chant for war when passions leap.Yet in the … Continue reading The Gravity of Human Hands
Turnips in Southern Tennessee Still
By Michael Lee Johnson The full moon illuminates a dense coniferous forest and a path winding between the trunks of tall pines. The moonlight is divided into rays, covered by the tops of pine trees In Tennessee, the shadows of the southernwooden structures stalled off the narrowhighway and came to an abrupt end.Lost in the … Continue reading Turnips in Southern Tennessee Still
The Billings Ransom
By Dalton Henderson “CRACK” “Don’t take ONE step closer!” The bullet sliced through the air above his head, a sound that had unfortunately become familiar. Luke Hendry ducked behind a wagon and rotated the cylinder of his revolver, half as a nervous assurance and half out of habit. “Name’s Luke Hendry—Sheriff of Kirwin. You know … Continue reading The Billings Ransom
Rush Hour, Bench. and Typography Compass
By Brian Ji Brian Ji is a seventeen-year-old writer and visual artist currently attending Seoul International School in Korea. He finds meaning and delight in creative expression, channeling his energy into both literature and visual storytelling. His artwork investigates themes of urban compression, spatial memory, and the quiet poetics of daily life. His work has … Continue reading Rush Hour, Bench. and Typography Compass
Academy of the Heart And Mind 