It was in the afternoon when the poet looked out of the window, sitting against a pillow, he saw a perfectly rounded moon of a still shadow in the summer’s late noon, the moon was white, embryonic, waiting to replete which was the first phase of the moon, however, the poet also saw a beautiful … Continue reading May Flower Contest Fiction Winner: “The Phases of the Moon: One Sentence Story” by Mehreen Ahmed
The Illiterate Peasant
By Dee Artea The noble woman, in opulent attire and glittering jewelry, spoke to the peasant woman, who was wearing a long linen shirt over which she tied a plain skirt. Can you read or write? No. So, what good are you then? What good am I then? Yes, what good? Can you cook and … Continue reading The Illiterate Peasant
Mado Kara Mieru
By Steve Carr Aika sat beneath the blossoming boughs of a cherry tree catching falling petals in the palms of her outstretched hands. Her lips trembled as she hummed a tune of her own creation. It was as light and lovely as the gentle breeze that kissed her cheeks, an expression of joy, a celebratory … Continue reading Mado Kara Mieru
The Button Girl
By Christopher Henckel Part 1 The Button Girl arrived in Buckhannon, West Virginia, in the spring of 1962. No one knew her real name or where she came from. She simply appeared. Standing between the town’s five-and-dime and Jerry’s Auto Repair on Main Street, The Button Girl held a jade button to her eye as … Continue reading The Button Girl
Feather in the Balcony
By Ranjit Kulkarni A few minutes earlier I saw the two of them on the branch of the tree. Right there in front of my balcony. Murmurs. Cooing. One of them nuzzling the other. Some silence. Some song. Singing in the soft drizzle? A swishing of the neckless head to clear the waters after it … Continue reading Feather in the Balcony
The Picture Wall
By Robert A. Bak This is a reflection of a wonderful soul, who had to make major changes in his life. Some of these were part of a bigger plan, and a variety of were just part of his being. We see Bill, a long-time actor, and how he was tricked into doing tasks that … Continue reading The Picture Wall
Face to Face
By Uday Mukerji Face to Face I threw off the comforter and ran to the bathroom. I was perspiring, and my heart was pounding inside my chest. I sat down at the edge of the bathtub to put the whole incident into perspective, although I feared the harm had already been done. The words had … Continue reading Face to Face
Swish
By Matthew Ulmer I was invisible until the day I got superpowers. Not literally invisible, of course. Just your average high school kid: a small group of equally irrelevant friends, a crush on a girl who didn’t know I existed, an out-of-reach dream college as I entered sophomore year. And I really sucked at sports. … Continue reading Swish
By the Clock
By Barry Kritzberg He said he would meet her under Marshall Field’s clock. Everyone knew the clock, he said, it was a Chicago landmark, even though Marshall Field’s had become Macy’s. He said all of this quickly, for he was hoping to conceal that he was without wheels and would arrive by public transportation. He … Continue reading By the Clock
Excisions
By Kim Charles Younkin January 22 Dear Dad, I’m scared. Don’t worry, though. It’s different this time. It’s Maisie. She has this infection in her glands, the vet says. I didn’t even know dogs had these glands until Maisie started scooting on her bottom all over the yard in the snow a few weeks ago. … Continue reading Excisions
Academy of the Heart And Mind 