By Cora Tate Robyn’s older sister, Elizabeth, lay dying half a world away, in the regional hospital in Sweden where both were born. A tearful telephone conversation ten days earlier told Beth’s sibling doctors estimated Beth had five weeks to live. Despite sibling arguments and rivalry as children, the sisters enjoyed a close relationship from … Continue reading The Burden of Integrity, The Cost of Its Absence
His name was Dieter
By Khoi Pham His name was Dieter. I met him at our chess club’s annual gathering. That year, he was sixty-three, tall and slim, his silver hair was thinning and revealed a high and handsome forehead. I was the only Asian person there, and one of the few young faces in a crowd of elderly … Continue reading His name was Dieter
Scientist
By Dominik Slusarczyk I toss and turn all night. When the sun comes up enough that my room is brightly lit I give up on sleep and get out of bed. I drink three cups of coffee but I am so tired they barely help. I search my memory but find nothing. I have to … Continue reading Scientist
Like Mother, Like Daughter
By Ernesto Sanchez My father was primitive. Barely half cybernetic, a second-generation cerebral implant. Not a being fit for the 22nd century. "Laina, why don't we have lunch sometime. Please? It's been years," he used to say before the accident. I cut him off. Surgically removing the emotional pathways that caused me to miss him … Continue reading Like Mother, Like Daughter
The Memory of You
By John Thomas He literally bumped into her, his first love, in the public library. In a city of two million. What were the chances? After the obligatory updates about mates, parents, and rambunctious children (he had two, Emma one), she casually asked, “what are you doing now?” “I’m a writer,” he replied. “You wrote good letters,” she … Continue reading The Memory of You
End of Affection
By Kartika Lestari Harry’s heart felt like the earth after being hit by a meteor, shattered into pieces, nothing but a deep, empty hole. He gripped his wife Shanti’s hand, who sat beside him on the couch in their dining room. Since they made their way out of the hospital that afternoon, she had leaned … Continue reading End of Affection
The Bookshop That Forgot Names
By Farytude The door was hidden behind a soft bell of swaying grass. She had walked past the path many times, but never stepped inside. Today, though, was different. She decided to enter, searching for a book on grief – something for her aunt, who was going through the pain of losing her husband. It … Continue reading The Bookshop That Forgot Names
13 Days of Halloween: I’m Not Afraid of the Dark by K.R. Moore
With a hiss, the TV hosting an unsaved video game cut out along with the rest of the house as a boy who dozed off while playing slowly came to. “The lights went out again?” 9-year-old Andy Watkins had fallen asleep in the basement yet again only to wake up past one in the morning … Continue reading 13 Days of Halloween: I’m Not Afraid of the Dark by K.R. Moore
13 Days of Halloween: The Tree by Ciaran McLarnon
On dark evenings, Eoin could hear their voices through his living-room window. He was sure they were in his house while he slept; their high-pitched drawl filled his nights. When he rose each morning, he was confronted with the most persuasive evidence. There was butter sliding down the walls of his kitchen, rashers of raw … Continue reading 13 Days of Halloween: The Tree by Ciaran McLarnon
13 Days of Halloween: Exit 53 by Laura Boatner
CW: Gore I grimace and blink rapidly, transfixed by the bright lights. It’s frigid, bitter cold, and I wonder where my clothes are. She’s lovely, petite, and with alabaster skin. She has the shade of flaxen hair that doesn’t come from a bottle. It’s pulled back loosely, but with a few curly strands that brush … Continue reading 13 Days of Halloween: Exit 53 by Laura Boatner
Academy of the Heart And Mind 