Latest Stories

Most recently published stories in Fiction.

THIRTEEN
The first Tue⁠sday of every month‌,‍ we gat‌hered in the community roo‍m of th‌e Ashford A⁠partment‍s w⁠ith d⁠ishes co⁠vered in foil and Tupper⁠wa‍re lids that didn't quite sea‌l.‌ Someone brought macar‌oni. Someone brought green be⁠an⁠s. Someone, always, brought pie.
By Edward Smith3 days ago in Fiction
The Architecture of the Void
In t‌he ci‌ty of Oak‌haven, the⁠ m⁠ost important t‍hings are the o⁠nes we agree not⁠ to s‌e‌e. Julian was⁠ a master of the periphera‌l glance. It‌ wa⁠s a skill honed ov‌er forty years, a fine-tuning of the soul that allowed him‌ to navigate‌ the world without ever⁠ truly looki⁠ng at it.
By Edward Smith3 days ago in Fiction
The Lesson
I had just deplaned in Austin after a torturous flight from Sacramento. The weather had been bad when we lifted off and didn’t seem to get much better throughout the flight, with an unexpected delay in Vegas that lasted more than three hours. I was already wound up tight for this trip, a work gig that was going to involve either me or someone else losing their job, so the tension of the delays didn’t help me much. Turbulence makes me nervous, and I could definitely feel my shoulders and my gut paying the price. Needless to say, when the plane finally landed, I was more than ready to disembark.
By David Muñoz3 days ago in Fiction
Silence of Shame. Content Warning.
The house sat quietly at the end of the street, illuminated by dim street lights and the fading red glow of sunset. Inside, seated at the family’s wooden dining table, 10-year-old Amelia closed her homework notebook and set down her pencil. She looked around at the silent and still kitchen, listening to the quiet buzz of the neighborhood outside the window.
By Elizabeth Kaye Daugherty3 days ago in Fiction
rantallion
I saw it again today. Not much more than a shimmer in the air, really, a wrinkle in the space between here & there in our perfectly ordered lives.
By Randy Wayne Jellison-Knock3 days ago in Fiction
LHS Class of 01 Reunion '21
Megan leaned forward, her tone becoming conspiratorial, and whispered, “We should definitely give her a heads‑up about the reunion; she’d love to see us all again, and I know she’s been missing the old crew.” The two women agreed to draft a concise, friendly email that would both respect Emily’s busy schedule and convey the excitement they felt for the event, proving that even the most meticulous planning could accommodate the unpredictable nature of adult responsibilities.
By Forest Green3 days ago in Fiction
LHS Class of 01 Reunion '21
It has been about a year since Covid shut down places around the globe and the lockdown had changed the lives of many all over the world. But once the regulations had been lifted, many things changed. The same goes for the Lincoln High School class of 2020 and the upcoming class of 2021. The school had to shut down and the students had to resort to remote learning and because they couldn’t have prom or a in school graduation, the diplomas would be sent home. The class of 2021 would have some challenges but would make something work as they manage to return to class but under new guidelines. Mrs. Martin had retired after the 2020 school year ended and Mrs. Smith had stepped in as the new principal with the class of 2021 to be the first one to graduate under her. As for the class of 2001, their upcoming 20 year reunion is on a different track, but everybody made plans on going regardless. Keeping a distance and having masks are part of the guidelines until further notice and the school gym has not changed since the 15th reunion. So Mrs. Smith would have to do some quick thinking especially after realizing that the senior prom and the reunion were accidentally scheduled on the same day.
By Forest Green3 days ago in Fiction
The New City
The white trails of smoke clouded the skies above as the echoes of the jets boomed through the hollow morning in No Name Town. Not an ear could hear as below the city bustled from headphones to speakers with bicycles and people walking in the marble plaza or to the eco park, work, school, all beneath the eagles glare. And in the middle, on the 15th floor of her apartment building, sat a young woman staring longingly out the window to both the skies above and the city below. From that perch she gazed upon the screens that filled the city plaza, catering to a whole manner of needs from cafes, gyms, mindfulness pods, and streaming offices. Atop the largest skyscraper an electronic billboard always rang the quote, “The most important thing is not life, but the good life” pulsing in pink.Whenever her gaze slipped from the screens she found herself between the set of paths which there were two: the trail to everywhere and the trail to nowhere and the glaze of smoke in the clouds. Today though, a rather tall man stood at the fork of the two paths. He wore an all black sweatshirt with the brand name MoonHut bolded in white on the back and blue jeans from the brand she was most familiar with, SunHut. But there was something more, she noticed the white fedora with a forest green band around it was from somewhere she'd never seen before. Then the man seemed so odd, he must have been crazy taking one step in the direction of one trail before switching to the other and coming back again. One step towards nowhere, then one towards everywhere, as if the choice itself had trapped him.
By Schmalz3 days ago in Fiction
Routine Test. Content Warning.
It was an ordinary morning of an ordinary day. I got up at 7:30am, brushed my teeth, threw on my glasses, and pulled back my hair into a rough bun. I had slept with it wet, so it had developed unpleasant kinks in awkward places. After packing a simple lunch into my Tupper ware- tuna salad with rice crackers and a side of sliced cucumber- I checked Google Maps to make sure I would make it to the optometrist in time. I would arrive exactly 3 minutes late, the screen told me. It did occur to me that with parking and checking in at the front desk, I would be at least 5 minutes late, but that didn't seem an unforgivable offence. I took another minute to apply lip gloss and a spritz of perfume, scratch Joni between the ears, before swiping the keys from my mantle and half-running to the car.
By Kara Lu3 days ago in Fiction
At Auction, Rules Must Be Followed. Content Warning.
"I want that one.” The big woman leers at the man on the auction block. She fans herself with her bidding paddle. Her hair is wet with sweat— she brushes a damp, blonde curl away from her face.
By Sam Spinelli3 days ago in Fiction
We the Providers
"All right, you're up," Fengari told me. I yawned and stretched. "Already?" "Yes," she answered. "Ouranos and Avgi say so. Avgi's already riding her chariot across his canvas."
By Reiley3 days ago in Fiction
Tears from the Sky
She was new, the girl with the red hair. It was copper, the color of brand-new shiny pennies, and looking at it, Randall wanted to run his hands through it and feel how soft it was. He didn't do that, of course. Instead, he sat down at the long table in the mess hall across from her and said, simply, "Hello."
By Raistlin Allen3 days ago in Fiction