By Richard Edde The sun on my face was warm, gentle and the fall colors of the aspen trees and willows spectacular. I was fishing the Upper Gallatin River just outside Yellowstone Park when I rounded a bend and saw her. She had pulled a nice rainbow from a dark pool and he was doing extraordinary acrobatic … Continue reading The Encounter
Don’t Mind The Paparazzi
By Frank Vallorosi Previously published in The Whiskey Blot Johnny sat at the kitchen table, his right leg moving up and down as if someone had just dropped hot wax on it. He was an edgy person, a trait made more noticeable by his dark, darting eyes. He spotted his mother passing into the kitchen. … Continue reading Don’t Mind The Paparazzi
The Whip and the Open Hand
By Calla Gold Diary – Monday July 28th 2012 Tallulah Doyle almost fourteen Yesterday Dave said, “A kind heart is better than a heavy hand in dealing with horses.” That’s good, because I got nothing on in the strength department these days. *** Dave’s brows rose above squinting eyes when Tallie greeted him. The spinning … Continue reading The Whip and the Open Hand
The Path
By Jeffrey Campbell Brian Carraway stared at the gas pump’s display as the numbers surged higher. He patted his left front pants pocket to make sure his checkbook was still there. He’d hoped he wasn’t going to need to travel anytime soon, but things had changed. He looked up at the sky. It was still … Continue reading The Path
The Door
By Cecilia Valetti Steve walked along the long corridor that led to Father Brian's parlor. He knew every corner, every floor tile of that corridor. How many times he had gone to talk to Brian while he was living in that orphanage. And then, when he had gone to the police academy, how many times … Continue reading The Door
The Shadchan
By William Hogg It was a day at the end of summer but for Wilmington, North Carolina, a gift. Almost noon and the temperature was not yet seventy. Alan was sitting on a concrete bench, breathing slowly, relaxed, and at peace. He glanced over at his nine-year-old grandson, Tommy, who was sitting at the other … Continue reading The Shadchan
Father’s Silence and Mama’s Lemonade
By Georgia May Father takes me out on the fishing boat every year, for one weekend in June. I don’t know why father does this. He doesn’t speak to me the entire time. Or any other time. He is usually away. Far, far away, on business, and comes home ghost-like, scurrying off to the study … Continue reading Father’s Silence and Mama’s Lemonade
The Hadley House
By C.J. Spulak The brown, bare trees swayed slowly in the October wind. In the waning afternoon sunlight, Jessa Fromm squinted through the spots of caked dust and bug guts on the dirty window and gazed out on a yard full of dying weeds and yellowing grass. She sprayed some Windex on the dirty glass … Continue reading The Hadley House
End of the Line
By Mario Marcinko Originally published in CafeLit Magazine Following yet another failed night of forced unrest, I leave the comforts of my sheets, ready or not to face the day. The greyness of life begins its attack on my sensations before I open the window upon skies curtained with leaden clouds and streaked streams of … Continue reading End of the Line
New Tools
By Violet SH In the dead of night, in a damp, ice-cold meat packing factory far removed from society, hung hundreds of dead, soulless bodies of all backgrounds and genders. A young woman named Alice wore black jeans and a white tank top with no shoes. She hung like everyone else in the factory: by … Continue reading New Tools
