By Ciaran J. McLarnon The shortest distance between any two points is a straight line. Gladstone had this in mind as he aimed to walk down the middle of the corridor. He wasn’t sure why he was going to the dining room anymore, but he a deep sense that whatever he had to do there … Continue reading The Atlas of Disappearing Places
Pancakes
By James Bates Auntie Gertie spent more time that summer teaching me how to make pancakes than was probably necessary but I was just a ten year old kid who'd rather have been playing baseball or video games than fooling around in the kitchen learning to cook; that didn't matter to Auntie. She had a … Continue reading Pancakes
Letter Writing
By Jim Bates The week before breaking for the holidays in December Sue Beasley teaches a section on letter writing in her sophomore English class. She always begins this way, "Okay, show of hands. How many of you regularly write letters?" It's a loaded question because it's a rare hand that goes up, especially given … Continue reading Letter Writing
Someone’s MFA Thesis
By Thomas Page Pictured before you is a Sunday Chicken Dinner. There are greens, macaroni & cheese, biscuits, and a pitcher of sweet tea. Around this banquet there sits our characters: the Petersons. There’s Adam who is the father. He sits at the head of the table. He works at the swanky office downtown and … Continue reading Someone’s MFA Thesis
Pink Toenails
By Mehreen Ahmed Then the mountains spoke. Voiced it in chorus, on the ancient land of Turag. A world where trees walked, winds cried, rivers sang and the mountains talked. This place, not for humans to reside anymore, but for natural lives and artificial intelligence. Turag, yes, this place, because humans have long been obliterated, … Continue reading Pink Toenails
The Trial of King Bela
By Mark Kodama I. When King Bela of Hungary marched his army to the Sajo River on April 10, 1241, he knew the Mongols were near. He knew the Mongols were not warriors with whom to be trifled. He could be bear being called a coward; but he did not want to be … Continue reading The Trial of King Bela
The Bard
By Mark Kodama I. When Nicanor the Bard returned home from the wars in Asia, he was restless. He had made a fortune many times over only to lose everything, save his life. When he left Greece, he was a penniless young man. When he returned, he was a penniless middle-aged man. So he told … Continue reading The Bard
Fiction by Alex Andy Phuong
Kate Winslet On one Labor Day afternoon, while driving down a Revolutionary Road, a simple, all-American girl named Kate Winslet was searching for something to do for her summer vacation. After driving for several hours, she saw a billboard with the headline, “TITANIC SAILS ONCE MORE!” She hesitantly resisted the urge to buy tickets for … Continue reading Fiction by Alex Andy Phuong
Autumn Leaves
By Jim Bates We waited off to the side for our order, all three of us quiet, unused to this. Sure, we'd eaten at McDonald's before but not under circumstances like these - me taking Sammy and Elise out after school because I couldn't take them back to what used to be our home. Lynn … Continue reading Autumn Leaves
A Blinding Light
By Mehreen Ahmed Just when Lizzy Crimson was leaving the art exhibition, a black and white picture hanging on the far side of a wall caught her attention. It was unbelievably mesmerising, and surrealistic. It looked like a downing of the sun at night. But the bright light that it emanated were white and diffused. … Continue reading A Blinding Light
