By J.S. O’Keefe The sunset bleeds into the hills as if the sky had been chopped up with a pickax. Mid-autumn; the tree leaves have turned gold, light yellow, rusty red. It’s picture-card beautiful. Then the ground trembles. It’s an earthquake, or divine judgment. Or something worse. What could be worse? At the far end … Continue reading The Recording
The Adventurer
By Fred Klein Troy was excited to finally get his adventure started. He had planned this exploration of old mine sites in the Eastern Sierra Mountains for months. He had his high-clearance, Four Wheel Drive, Range Rover with all the supplies he would need for several weeks. He had a full-size spare tire, a winch … Continue reading The Adventurer
AHM’s 9th Anniversary: “A Bronze Candelabra” by Callie J. Smith
The dark-haired monk turned to Gembira. She dropped her hand to the knife at her belt only to remember she’d left her knives upstairs. Damn. “Welcome home, Sister Allard.” The monk bowed with hands clasped before him. Gembira straightened. She flexed her hand, glad that it hadn’t found a weapon. She needed to remember where … Continue reading AHM’s 9th Anniversary: “A Bronze Candelabra” by Callie J. Smith
Between the Teeth
By Wu Yu Lilian wakes up in the stomach of night. Again. It is not even 5 am yet. The first lesson begins at eight, and she needs at least one hour getting dressed and wandering around the apartment purposelessly, trying to figure out what to do next. Minutes marching on, Lilian closes her eyes. … Continue reading Between the Teeth
Rattlesnake Mountain
By Bernard Martoia The drumming of rain against the Deer Head Inn’s windowpane stirred Waffle Print from sleep. After twelve straight days of sun in Pennsylvania, the weather changed, mirroring his challenging endeavor to cross New Jersey. Then, he remembered the crowded streets as he made a frantic trip to Manhattan to buy himself boots. … Continue reading Rattlesnake Mountain
Heart of the Order
By T.R. Healy With the assistance of a burly corrections officer, the two old teammates lifted the cream-colored steel casket into the back of the Ryder rental van. Then they secured the casket with a couple of ropes attached to the inside of the van and braced against it four bales of hay. Before he … Continue reading Heart of the Order
The Stolen Prince
By K.L. Crino Marin had thought she'd heard a baby's cooing last night. She realized now she shouldn't have ignored the sound– she should've listened to her gut as a good captain would. But so far, her gut had only led her team to become the worst pirate crew in all of Porto Sama. In … Continue reading The Stolen Prince
On the Lam
By Julie Iverson “We got to get clothes; three days we go bul, fresh so we not crumb.” “Nah, three days? Nah, what fuh”? “Cuz we ade it, Mum’s prize pie, the jawn fa’ St. Michaels, Tommy” “Jeez, James, bro’ now I’m skeered. She okay or she keel us”? St. Michaels Parish at Queen Village, … Continue reading On the Lam
The Black Cat
By Harley Carnell When I initially heard the meowing, I thought it was coming from Pumblechook, my black Maine Coon. Only when I came out into the hall did I realise that it was actually coming from outside. I opened the front door tentatively and saw a small black cat outside, who began to meow … Continue reading The Black Cat
The Clockwork Heart of Elias Thorne
By Plamen Vasilev Elias Thorne was a master of imitation. Not of voices, or faces, or physical tics, though he could manage those too. Elias was a master of imitating lives. He was a chameleon, a blank canvas onto which others projected their expectations, their desires, their lost hopes. He became, quite simply, what they needed him … Continue reading The Clockwork Heart of Elias Thorne
Academy of the Heart And Mind 