By Leonie Rauber The fog is alive and it whispers to me. Its voices are everywhere, encasing me like the billowing vapor that makes the mists. I step forward, and the fog parts as if I were Moses and it the Red Sea. But it swirls, settles on my arms and fingers and face and … Continue reading Whispers in the Mists
The After
By Glenn Dungan Snow infiltrates their boots as they limp along the expanse, an uneven rhythm of chains dangling behind them, stringing a paint swath of blood. It is just the two of them now, Donny and Kate, and both know the irony of their situation. Handcuffs chain them together. Kate always thought Donny walks … Continue reading The After
Jill & the Mountain
By Nancy Lou Henderson Jill turned onto the dirt road that led to the house. Looking out of the car’s windshield, she could see the house up ahead and the towering Mountain that stood behind it. Stopping the vehicle for a moment, Jill slowly inhaled as she took in the breathtaking sight in front of … Continue reading Jill & the Mountain
A Rendezvous That I Dreaded
By Marzia Rahman And almost canceled it, but it was nothing daunting or dreadful. Rather it was fun, just like old days—those green and gleeful days—when we were young and carefree, and I was naïve and not married. Daniel said he was working in a multinational company called Brad and Brad. He looked charming as … Continue reading A Rendezvous That I Dreaded
Southern Sweet Mint Tea
By Nancy Lou Henderson As Elsa filled the small pan with water at the sink, she looked out the kitchen window, and her mind wandered back to her childhood. (How many times had she done this same routine early in the morning of a hot summer day?) When she had filled the pan with just the … Continue reading Southern Sweet Mint Tea
The Printer
By R. Shlesinger Berlin 1814 “You don’t do anything.” Bella’s voice hissed. “I do a lot of things.” “You sit at home and stare at the street.” “That can be dangerous as well.” “You’re nothing but a printer.” She spat the accusation out. “Men have been shot for that.” “You’re nothing. Who’d want to marry … Continue reading The Printer
The Kitchen Disaster
By Tim Law It was a scene of complete and utter chaos. There was only one word for a kitchen that was the equivalent of a culinary bombsite, pandemonium. With the last blue ribbon clutched tight in her hand, Mayor Sarah Robbins starred, gob smacked, scanning the Community Centre Kitchen in utter dismay. Maybe she … Continue reading The Kitchen Disaster
The Drunken Hero
By Tejaswinee Roychowdhury Not all heroes wear capes, some are just drunk! Well, perhaps not heroes that you may have heard of, but it rings true of at least one hero in a tiny little village somewhere in Bengal. The villagers of Hulupukur had developed different theories over the years as to why Madhu, short … Continue reading The Drunken Hero
Cobalt
By Jim Bates During the first month of lockdown, Courtney, my wife, and I had a family meeting with our three kids. She did the talking. “Okay, the school is setting up for distance learning so that’s what we’ll do. Your father and I have organized our schedules so he will be here on Monday, … Continue reading Cobalt
Base
By Jon Moray For Shane, it was one of those days, in the middle of one of those weeks, at the end of one of those months, during one of those years…and it was only May. His downward spiral of misfortune included a job demotion, a diabetes diagnosis, and constant hounding from collection agencies over … Continue reading Base
Academy of the Heart And Mind 