Category: fiction
-
Freshman
by Epiphany Ferrell Artist: Seamless It occurred to Marion that she’d been lying in bed quite a long time. At first she’d watched the shadow from the windowpane move up the wall, across the ceiling, down the other wall. Then she’d not been able to see it anymore. It all seemed gray, the indistinct light…
-
Still or Sparkling
by Greg Roensch The still water bottles were happiest when the sparkling stayed on the opposite side of the shelf. In truth, both sides preferred to keep any interaction to a minimum. The way the still water bottles saw it, their fizzy counterparts were carbonated showoffs who only came around for special occasions, like holidays…
-
The Bombyx Gigantica
by Elliot Harper Artist: Elaine de Kooning “Where are you going with that? Hey, peg leg! Huh? Hey, Marky boy! I’m talking to you!” They burst out laughing at his comments. They don’t expect me to answer. I’ve had enough experience with their bullying to know that. They just want to torture me. Sometimes I…
-
Slug Bug
On the radio in Ben’s Lexus people talked about how the market always served the consumer but they never said anything real. It was the kind of thing Ben liked to listen to. He was an economic conservative but a social liberal he told her for the hundredth time as he carefully parked in his…
-
The Harrowing Tale of Wyoming Jack-Rabbits
by Dan A. Cardoza Artist: Geoffrey Ellis Aronson I can’t get enough interstate I-80, between Melissa and her recent past. I never anticipated that I’d see so many dead Jack-Rabbits. Tommy isn’t far behind. I’m convinced of that. I know Tommy very well. I’m his brother from another father and his best friend. My older brother…
-
Killed Steel
by Carolyn Drake After Cathy’s death, she found me in Hendriksville. Hendriksville rots beside the Ohio River. The ‘Welcome’ sign reads Population: 5,000, but they must’ve been counting gravestones. The steel mills are two decades deceased, yet the mesothelioma remains, robbing the former workers and their progeny of health and life. Breathing the air in…
-
Cherchez La Femme
by K. Di Prima Artist: Tom Schlaiss The screen door opened with a rusty squeal just as the violins of Mozart’s Requiem soared to crescendo. Tom stepped into the kitchen, exuding the aroma of fresh cut grass overlaid with sweat. At the sink, Kathryn stiffened. “Smells great in here!” Tom said, as if his compliments…
-
Shipwrecked
by Aaron Hicks The family and the house fell on hard times, only to never recover again. What happened next was both unforeseen and yet expected. Poverty had passed itself down from generation to generation through the family. Weariness sitting deep within our souls, and defeat swimming in our bloodline. I remember the days when…
-
So Are You A Muslim or What?
by Omar Hussain Artist: Unknown The day I bury my dad there are last-minute volunteers for Democrats and Republicans, holding cheap-looking messenger bags with overflowing pamphlets, canvassing the neighborhood. The energy from their red or blue pins and over the top joviality powers them down sidewalks and up driveways and in doorways. It’s November in…
-
Rage
by Kate St. Germain Artist: Emma Rodriguez /Moon Crab Art I took any advice I could get for six months after Lila died. I meditated, I socialized. I focused on the present; I planned for the future. I was counseled, I was massaged by reiki masters and prophesized by shamans and priests. I went vegan…
Dream Noir 