By Louisa Prince Just another twenty dollars, then I’ll quit. Neon signs glowed and flickered in the dimly lit room. Mark had been there for hours with his bulky frame hunched on the stool, eyes focused on the screen in front and hand hovering over flashing buttons on the keypad. It seemed like a good … Continue reading Chasing the win
The Secret Song of Shelby Rey – Novel Excerpt Chapter 1
By Rayne Lacko Shelby 2010 The last semester of high school, I kept a list called “Things I Won’t Miss After Graduation” in the back of my chemistry binder. The instigator of the list was the periodic table. It seemed impossible that so much magic should be boiled down, parsed, categorized, and then fenced together … Continue reading The Secret Song of Shelby Rey – Novel Excerpt Chapter 1
The Pond
By Gregory Smith Frank was a real Renaissance man. He was a writer, an artist and musician. He adored nature and animals more than people. Don’t get me wrong- Frank was a sociable guy. But like many tortured artistic souls, he was happiest in solitude. He never married and only tolerated children when he had … Continue reading The Pond
Her Life
By Cynthia Li With a lilac bra on the top and underwear on the bottom, and with face downwards, she dived down under the pool, motionless. Illuminated by ethereal lime-green glow, the ripples sparkled as the shallow waves rolled. Behind the pool was her stately mansion. The ivies twined their way through the gate and … Continue reading Her Life
Brake Neck Speeds
By Faith J Forster ‘I bought a Cadillac,’ Wilson hollers over the phone. He overwhelms me with talk about his newly acquired car. He’s gone mad, I decide and collapse flat on my back to pedal my legs in the air. A thing I do to get in a few seconds of fitness while attached … Continue reading Brake Neck Speeds
May Microfiction Contest: Gold Winner: “Breadcrumbs” by Scott Tierney
The two noble mountaineers, weighed down by their leathers and hoods and frost-encrusted beards, were less than an arm's reach apart and within touching distance of the summit; yet the brutal, howling, all-engulfing blizzard made both distances seem insurmountable. “Victor!” Dudley screamed over the torrent of snow, both his voice and parched lips cracking with … Continue reading May Microfiction Contest: Gold Winner: “Breadcrumbs” by Scott Tierney
May Microfiction Contest: Silver Winner: “The Vampire Child” by Oliver Kleyer
When the vampire hunter finally managed to break open the door and enter the tomb, the vampires had already abandoned it. Coffins were overturned; lids fallen to the floor. The hunter looked around. It seemed like there was nothing to do for him here anymore. Then he saw something move behind a coffin. Slowly, he … Continue reading May Microfiction Contest: Silver Winner: “The Vampire Child” by Oliver Kleyer
May Microfiction Contest: Bronze Winner: “Under the Moonglade” by Jacob Young
On the beach, we dreamed of our remains. In a millennium, would they find them? Would they find the ash moon in the sand where a fire once singed the peach fuzz on our cheeks, when we made believe we were troglodytes, our beer bottles wedged in dunes? They could trace our steps along the … Continue reading May Microfiction Contest: Bronze Winner: “Under the Moonglade” by Jacob Young
Where I find my poems
By Oliver Kleyer At the bottom Of my teacup. Between the lines Of my diary. In all the places thatI go to when I sleep. In a bird’s nest In the forest.On the wings ofThe year’s first butterfly.In the pages ofMy old fairy tale book. In the mirror Of your eyes. Oliver Kleyer is a … Continue reading Where I find my poems
Bear the Pomegranate
By V.T. Wes When in contempt for the other, they will sit across from each other in an isolated room on leather sofas. The room is minimal in use. A radio fills the atmosphere with static as frost collects on the chilled window. A portrait hangs above each person, catching the little light melting inside. … Continue reading Bear the Pomegranate
Academy of the Heart And Mind 