By John Affleck When Monsignor Sweeney visits our fifth-grade classroom, everybody gets geeked up, even more than when we’re in Sister Madeline’s English class. Usually, we get about 30 minutes notice, like an air raid, before Sweeney shows up. Our homeroom teacher, Sister Noreen, announces the visit in a formal tone — we’re lucky enough … Continue reading Catechism Lesson
Waiting in Line
By Nancy Lou Henderson A long line of people stretched ahead of Jess. The people in front of her seemed not to be moving, but she did not care because her mind was busy remembering her journey to get here. Had she done enough, and was she ready? Should she get out of the line … Continue reading Waiting in Line
Je Suis Un Pied Noir
By Alexandra Baff 1835 I still don’t understand why we had to leave. Why would anyone want to leave the sunny, beautiful, majestic south of France? As we arrive in Algeria, into a city called Oran, I recall my tedious journey by boat. My mother and father constantly reassured me that this would be an … Continue reading Je Suis Un Pied Noir
The Man Who Shot Down the Sky
By Kristen Strmel The eyes of man did not always see beyond the sky. The hands of man did not always grace the sky. There was a time, indeed, when humanity existed only on this earth. It was the place of the gods to dwell above the sky, the blue ceiling that arced above the … Continue reading The Man Who Shot Down the Sky
This Side of the World
By Kristen Strmel I was 6 during my first spar. Mother had wanted it later, Father earlier. I used to hear them at night arguing over it. They were always quiet, but I tended to overhear things I shouldn’t have, for better or worse. I was a child, thin as a stick, but my partner … Continue reading This Side of the World
Ten Thousand Bombers
By John Page We walk into the plane. It is going to be the biggest raid of the war so far. Ten thousand mega bombers, a hundred and ninety thousand regular bombers and fifty thousand fighters are to launch themselves and the capital of the Tallern empire. This will be the culmination of years of … Continue reading Ten Thousand Bombers
Four Prisoners
By Harrison Abbott I knew they were all going to be hanged. They all knew it too. There was no question of rebellion. I was one of twenty guards and the prison was heavily secured. There were only four prisoners. They had been on trial for weeks, knowing they were going to be found guilty … Continue reading Four Prisoners
New Neighbors
By John Page I had just finished unloading everything off the moving truck when I heard the sound of a loud dog barking. This might sound odd but I’m really afraid of dogs. I think it’s because back in my hometown there was this wizard that liked to mess with me by summoning a shadow … Continue reading New Neighbors
First Comes the Baby
By Christopher Major If Chari let his birth certificate tell it his fate had been printed in black ink on a document destined for obscurity. Name: Chari Richardson. Race: Black. Mother: Angela Richardson. Mother’s Age: Twenty. Mother’s Race: Black. Mothers Occupation: Student. Farther: Blank Space. Let the coroner tell it Death had been banged into … Continue reading First Comes the Baby
Another Fish Story
By Mitchell Waldman A thunderstorm woke me last night. The storm was right on top of us. It sounded like the house was inside this huge kettle drum and each time, moments before the boom, the whole sky lit up like ten million flash bulbs all set off at once. I was terrified. I don’t … Continue reading Another Fish Story
Academy of the Heart And Mind 