fiction
(to read any of the stories below, click the story's title.)
By Vrinda BaligaThe Hidden Motif“ Ria wanted to pick him up and hug him, to soothe the terror out of him, as always. No, not today, she told herself, you have to fight this thing. ” By Russell BittnerFright Night“ Halloween used to be a night when pretty much anyone could have fun. Problem is, Halloween isn't much fun anymore. Halloween now calls out the primitive—and primes for punishment. ” By Elaine ChiewTerminus“ Just before Mateja's father died, his eyes opened, his gaze milky and opaque, as if drifting into an invisible archway just beyond her shoulder, and his last words were . . . ” By Margaret A. FreyMichael in the Sky“ But Michael needed to be my big brother and so I let him tell me how dying was a mere transition, how our souls are not in our bodies but our bodies in our souls . . . ” By Kyle HemmingsWater Woman~Editor's Prize Winner~ “ Jump, he says, and I do. From a plane that almost skims the surface of water, I tumble into a hoodoo sea . . . ” |
By Mitzi McMahonForgotten~Editor's Prize Winner~ “ . . . it all bubbled up, the frustration over her physical body's limitations—legs that buckled, clumsy fingers, mouth that garbled every word . . . ” By Nick PadronThe Numbers Vendor“ You must be the kind of person it likes, if you know what I mean. Then and only then will this number bring in the goods. The thirteen has to choose you. ” By James PapoutsisEchoes“ I wasn't sure what to believe. All I remember was peeling back that sticker, discovering nothing, and realizing that I had to find the truth. ” By Maggie ShearonHarvest“ In the white sky of a lightening flash she saw him. His arms were covered in snakes and roses; his face was tilted to the sky. ” By Janice D. SoderlingA House of Many Rooms“ This is a strange place, where it is difficult to distinguish between the real and the non-real, between a journey and a map . . . ” By Christopher WoodsThe Visits“ She enters the small grove of trees, the holy place. She senses that he is there already. He has been waiting. ” |
