The Curse of Old McBoaty: Part 2 by Norton McClure
If I told you that I’d passed my Crimping course at the Academy with the most dazzling display of flying colors you’d ever seen, you probably wouldn’t be very surprised. If I told you that my crimping skills would save Andronica, well, that might be more of a shocker. I try not to brag on myself more than a handful of times per day, but this story is worth the risk of being arrested by the Condescension Police. Continue reading The Curse of Old McBoaty: Part 2 by Norton McClure
Aquacultural Appropriation by Kimberly Glanzman
I glare at my sister, Nerissa, from my poolside chair. Her red-algae-colored tail flashes in the water, as bright as her toothy smile imitating the human faces gathered around her tank. She’s wearing a red wig and a purple bikini top, for the stars’ sake. Continue reading Aquacultural Appropriation by Kimberly Glanzman
Correcting the Slave Narrative by Tom Garback
Horror seems to be an instantly recognizable concept, be it channeled through monsters like vampires and zombies or through criminals, madmen, serial killers, and the like. Diving deeper into the subject, across the mainstream, one may find arthouse films like A24’s The Witch and It Comes at Night. These remind us that horror can have hard-hitting emotion and mature, provocative themes, items greatly lost in popcorn thrillers and torture porn flicks. The most nuanced offerings of the horror genre, and thus the most artistically fruitful, are perhaps works of literary horror. Continue reading Correcting the Slave Narrative by Tom Garback
The Wallpaper by Claire Fitzpatrick
The wallpaper was the colour of filth, of excrement, of something unclean. Despite its inanimateness, it seemed to leap out from the wall, its invisible arms outstretched, fingers uncurled. Once, it was probably an airy and welcoming room. It might have been a nursery. It might have been an office. But the colour had filled the room with an air of ugliness that could not be mollified by the addition of bedside table flowers or lilac curtains. Continue reading The Wallpaper by Claire Fitzpatrick
Gonzales, California by Christopher Seiji Berardino
A crowd of people gathered under the streetlamp on the corner of Alta and 5th. Moths clumsily tumbled under the electric bulb, each struggling to stay above the dust kicked-up by nervous boot heels.
Mike clutched the side of his jacket and held it against his belly. He felt sleepy and sore. His eyes moved sluggishly across the other faces in the crowd.
“Can’t say he didn’t have it coming,” said an old man through frayed beard hairs. Continue reading Gonzales, California by Christopher Seiji Berardino
Skorsgard's Blues by Tuckerman Wunderle
Skorsgard lingered outside of a cafe, wondering whether to turn left or right. He had a few hours before his meeting with Huxley, and was determined to spend it in a way consistent with the dignity of his new position. He adjusted his tie and smoothed his grease-licked hair to the back of his head, upper lip twitching slightly. Continue reading Skorsgard's Blues by Tuckerman Wunderle
The Curse of Old McBoaty: Part 1 by Norton McClure
I had always hoped that the day I found out I was going to be a father would be an amazingly special day the way boys often dream of such things from their youth. I envisioned music from unseen musicians, slow-motion leaps through the air with birds fluttering around my head, the smell of pomegranate or various citrus fruits subtly combining with the natural flora of the field I was leaping through, and of course, casually rolling down a grassy hill with my soul mate while harps of gold and silver soared through the skies above. Continue reading The Curse of Old McBoaty: Part 1 by Norton McClure
Broken Windows by Tom Garback
The only time my childhood babysitter got away with telling me a scary story was when I was too young to know what was good for me. Amy and my sister had discussed the tale before and figured it to be about time I got my fair share of the creeps. What none of us picked up on at the time was the truly unsettling subtext within the tale soon to be told; after all, we weren’t the originally intended audience. Continue reading Broken Windows by Tom Garback
Blue by Kelsey Day
He stood at the edge of his village, his feet cold and sore in the sand, and squinted. The sea wasn’t red this morning. It wasn’t green or gold or shimmering, it wasn’t writhing or frothing or tossing – it was just blue. Still, and blue. Continue reading Blue by Kelsey Day
Compound X by Talia Santopadre
The disease, known as Compound X, started a few months ago and affected my family almost immediately with the loss of my mother. Since the day she got sick, our lone source of income is the money I get from the Coalition, a renegade group of researchers fighting to find a cure. At the time, the only option was to let the disease overtake you, or to take pills to get the job done faster. Continue reading Compound X by Talia Santopadre
