By Ekaterina Borovikova Translated from the Russian by Irina Modelskay It was a gloomy day, the leaves no longer fell from the trees, the wind did not blow - everything stood still and froze, as if the time of agony and death had passed and a silent, reliable and lingering grief had come. Nothing mattered … Continue reading The Exam
The Edge of the World
By John Page The ocean is eerily calm. The four moons shine in the sky. The purple moon of the traitor is especially bright tonight. I can look for miles in every direction and see only the black of the sea. I’m sure others might feel uncomfortable but for me it’s relaxing, well, normally. The … Continue reading The Edge of the World
Phobia
By Dawn DeBraal When Tonya met Todd, she knew she had a good one. Todd was funny, respectful, polite, and attentive. They had been dating for almost a year. Tonya felt he might be Mr. Right. Whenever she started to question her decision, Todd showed up to reinforce his good qualities. How could she doubt … Continue reading Phobia
Misfits
By Colleen Halupa Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer traveled to the Island of Misfit Toys. I live on the Island of Misfit dogs. “You have how many dogs? Are you nuts?” I wish I had a dollar for every time someone has said this to me. At the most current count, I have 21; however, at … Continue reading Misfits
Just Desserts
By Dawn DeBraal If only Hannah understood how abrasive she could be when she talked to people. Her mother never told her that she was offensive. Hannah never developed the filter that most of us have. The one we use to refrain from responding negatively toward a person. It seems every time Hannah opened her … Continue reading Just Desserts
Resetting the Clock
By Bob Faszczewski This damned inventory count took two entire business weeks—would you believe it? Two whole weeks. I think I am totally surrounded by incompetent fools. I have a good mind to fire them all and start over from scratch. After extracting myself from this den of stupidity I have to claw my way … Continue reading Resetting the Clock
Waking You Up
By Nancy Lou Henderson There was an aroma of coffee perking, as the alarm buzzed loudly. Elsa knew it was time to get out of bed, but she laid there thinking, with her eyes closed, before turning the alarm off. She loved the bookstore downstairs, but as the owner, she knew it had monopolized … Continue reading Waking You Up
The Atlas of Disappearing Places
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
The Park Bench
By Nancy Lou Henderson What a drab day, Elsa thought to herself as she stood at her office window. Elsa prayed the rain would stop and the skies would clear by lunchtime. The park was her refuge while eating her lunch. Elsa had a favorite bench where she sat, ate her lunch, and watched … Continue reading The Park Bench
Academy of the Heart And Mind 