By Matias Travieso-Diaz An oak tree is an oak tree. That is all it has to do. If an oak tree is less than an oak tree, then we are all in trouble. Nhat Hanh A majestic red oak (Quercus rubra) stood alone atop a hillock. It was almost a hundred feet tall and had … Continue reading The Red Oak
Every Münchner Knows
By Rhea Karty Every Münchner knows that on Sundays, as you stroll down Theresienstraße, it's wise to keep your head down and your money tucked away. Yet, all too often, the dazzling spectacle of jams, honey, paintings, postcards, books, and the intoxicating scents sailing from succulent foods prove too potent—too enticing to simply pass by. … Continue reading Every Münchner Knows
Friends
By Don Cummings I haven’t seen Jim since college in—it must be—twenty years; Meryl, nineteen or twenty; Gabe, sixteen; Robyn—Jesus—the same. Jim lives in Burlington, Vermont—the last time I checked. Meryl—Connecticut. Gabe moved, somebody said, to St. Louis from Ann Arbor…. And Robyn’s somewhere—Laguna Hills? Laguna Beach? in Southern California. Burlington’s near the border. Connecticut’s … Continue reading Friends
Libby
By Cynthia Li During recess, my friend Libby asked me if I would like to fly to Saturn with her. She spread her color pencils in front of my desk, leaning over with her legs open. “How are you going to make this happen?” I asked. Libby rolled her eyes and said: “Go to bed … Continue reading Libby
Our class president is a vampire hunter?!
By A. R. Tivadar For once in her life, Olguța was not running late to class. She saw professor Dumitrașcu at the other end of the wing where the classroom was located, but blessed be all gods in the sky, he was stopped by Miss Gorun for a morning chat. She slipped into the classroom … Continue reading Our class president is a vampire hunter?!
The Very Best
By Colin Payton Bruno was listening to the 8AM BBC News as he drove along. The main news item over the past few weeks had been about the disappearance of Josh O’Connor, a violent, career criminal awaiting trial on multiple charges. He had disappeared without a trace, without sightings at airports, train stations, ferry terminals, … Continue reading The Very Best
12 Days of the Holidays: “A Little Bit of Hope” by Claire Griffis
When Jamie was eight years old, her family loaded into their eight-seater suburban and drove to the neighborhood on the west side of town, where the neighbors had decided either collectively or in an act of bizarre subconscious unity of the mind, to cover their yards in the biggest spectacle of lights, red and green … Continue reading 12 Days of the Holidays: “A Little Bit of Hope” by Claire Griffis
12 Days of the Holidays: “The Card” by Denise Diehl
It was after midnight and very dark. In the low light, no one on the quiet, well-groomed cul-de-sac saw the giant shadow stop before number three and hover at its letterbox because the neighbours were all sleeping in their beds. The apparition was a huge man dressed in the attire of a Viking from a … Continue reading 12 Days of the Holidays: “The Card” by Denise Diehl
12 Days of the Holidays: “Closing Up, Wrapping Down” by Scott Tierney
Superstore, closing time, 'tis the night of Christmas, all that– And already my colleagues and I are taking down the decorations. Lead has been stripped from church roofs with more decency. Yep... Nothing gets one revelling in the Yuletide spirit like an army of disgruntled shelf-stackers laying waste to the season's culmination before it has … Continue reading 12 Days of the Holidays: “Closing Up, Wrapping Down” by Scott Tierney
Muffin in the Mailbox
By K.C. Dunford A mailbox is no place for an unwrapped dessert, specifically those carelessly plopped on lined paper. But there it was—a muffin—top glistening in rusted darkness. Chocolate chunks stuck out—those tiny mysterious mounds. And after the events of late, they looked more like freshly heaped graves. I took the muffin, latched the mailbox, … Continue reading Muffin in the Mailbox
Academy of the Heart And Mind 