By Niles Reddick Christina and I got engaged at Griffith Observatory overlooking Los Angeles at sunset. We had done most pre-marriage necessities--met each other’s dysfunctional families, shared about previous relationships, and agreed on future goals. We paid the fee to park, walked to the edge of the cliff nearest the Hollywood sign, and stood breathing … Continue reading Little Dom’s
Losing Friends
By Victor Schwartzman Earnest stood on the edge of a cliff. He hated losing friends. People came and went. He hated losing connections. He hated losing people. Casual friends dropped out as casually as they dropped in. Some were charming and he missed them. Those losses caused some pain. People he’d known for years was … Continue reading Losing Friends
Hear Me and Other Flash Fiction
By Aviva Derenowski Hear Me "Why are you mad?" he pleaded mournfully. His pain finally penetrated the veil of her perception, Previously, she'd been focused only on her needs. But - Did she want that existence? No, She desired mutuality; she wanted to listen to his needs and yearnings. So she enriched her reality; One … Continue reading Hear Me and Other Flash Fiction
Feather in the Balcony
By Ranjit Kulkarni A few minutes earlier I saw the two of them on the branch of the tree. Right there in front of my balcony. Murmurs. Cooing. One of them nuzzling the other. Some silence. Some song. Singing in the soft drizzle? A swishing of the neckless head to clear the waters after it … Continue reading Feather in the Balcony
Steven and His Little Red Boat
By Tim Law Once upon a time there was a man named Steven. He had a little red boat that he would launch each night from his own personal jetty and he would sail his boat around the world. “Tell me your stories so that I can then share them,” Steven would say to all … Continue reading Steven and His Little Red Boat
The Shot
By Laura Everly The high school gymnasium was packed wall to wall and yet it was so quiet you could hear a pin drop. There was exactly one second left in the girls’ high school basketball regional finals and the Stallions were down 70-68. Freshman Maggie Reynolds was at the foul line. She took the … Continue reading The Shot
The Baker
By Zenstateofmind Jewel despised the free lunch. She’d rather starve than beg for cakes. It took her aging nights and sweating feet, to own a bakery. She was told plenty of times “you’re too ambitious for a woman.” And her answer always remains “I can’t live in the shells and shadows some women I know, live … Continue reading The Baker
The Forbidden Home of the Ancestors
By Marzia Rahman Of all the people in the world, I least expected my brother to knock at my door. That too in the early hours of dawn. Why do I like dawn so much? I often ask myself. Is it because of the serenity? Or the quietness? The world has yet to wake up; … Continue reading The Forbidden Home of the Ancestors
Tails, You Lose
By Leslie Knibbs He maintains stiletto like eye contact with each of those playing the game. Never looking down, his sharp eyes dart from one player to the next in staccato-like movements. Under a crude canvas canopy, the crowd gathers eagerly, all placing coins on the table. Standing…... Like some shifty sleight of hand artist … Continue reading Tails, You Lose
Kidnapping
By Fernanda Poblete Gonzalez Robert lifted me into his long arms, as he usually does, and put me in the place that he had been painstakingly preparing. I had a feeling that something bad was going to happen; every hair on my body stood on end, while my pupils slowly dilated. With their false smiles, … Continue reading Kidnapping
Academy of the Heart And Mind 