In the marketplace, a couple of miles from my military base, a brown-skinned indigenous woman was walking with such grace and a mischievous face that she caught my eye, slowed my walk, and reversed my direction.
Continue reading “Beast of Burden by Frederick K Foote”
Tom Mitchell had lived alone for longer than he could remember. His wife, Lily, had passed away a decade ago, and their children had long since moved away, caught in lives of their own. The house, once filled with laughter and warmth, now echoed with a quiet, unrelenting stillness. Even the walls seemed to breathe differently, like they were holding their breath, waiting for something – or someone.
Continue reading “Shadow by T H White”
In her nursing home bed, petite Margaret, just four feet tall, stared at the ceiling under the dim glow of fluorescent lights, her face devoid of the vibrancy it once held. Legs that had leapt across a sound stage lay thin and mottled with brown age spots. Feet that had slid into dainty slippers now stood as small, rigid reminders of long ago.
Continue reading “Tiny Dancers by P A Farrell”
Looking out over the bridge, you can see widows in their sarees and gold bangles and solemn, painted faces. Above them, the sun emits a last, romantic orange which blends with the blue of the previous sky, creating stripes of pink which bring the two colors together. The air smells of death.
Continue reading “Please, Varanasi by Arjun Shah”
Gerald Coleman has created a fantastic fictional character named “Billy Olsen.” But like all fantastic fictional characters, Billy is as real as anyone living because of the experience, observation and talent laid into him by his creator. Out of His League is both the first appearance by Gerry and Billy and we think that readers who missed it the first time around should catch a break and gain a second opportunity.
Continue reading “Literally Reruns – Gerald Coleman”
The parking lot was empty. But that wasn’t unusual, partly because it was midnight and partly because, since the sparkling new Saver General came to town, Dan Burns’s General Merchandiser rarely had any customers anymore. Dan learned with dread the coming of the Saver General and he knew that, slow or fast, the death of his store was probably imminent. Before he had closed up earlier that evening, he stood looking out the front door onto the empty lot. It was getting cold. Winter was certainly coming and in a high desert climate it would be dry and cold for months. Dan didn’t mind that too much. In the not-so-distant past, the chill would keep the townspeople coming in for heaters, batteries, warm socks, and hatchets to break icy ponds so livestock could drink. Now the cold seemed to make things more desolate and hopeless. Dan turned from the front door and left out the back to his truck. At least the truck was paid for. That would help him survive a bit longer. Probably.
Continue reading “A Whale of a Time by Kelly Hossaini”
One day, I meet Beelzebub standing ahead of me in line at the To God Be the Glory Soup Kitchen. Bathed in the glare of the fluorescent lights that flicker above us, the man glistens. Shards of hard white light reflect off his glimmering jacket, obscuring my view.
But that one glimpse gives me the shivers.
Continue reading “Slow Walking Out of Babylon by Deborah Prum”
Mr. Morton needed a new pair of shoes. That was quite obvious to Mrs. Morton but since he had started this health kick she couldn’t convince him of anything. She shot a glance at the runners out of the corner of her eye, afraid they would jump out and get her if she gave them her full attention.
Continue reading “Steroids and Cottage Cheese by Rachel Sievers”
Emily’s in bed one night, brooding about her manager’s warning that Emily’s too aggressive, and thinking if she was a man, she’d be called ambitious, when there’s a puff of smoke, and an elf appears.
Continue reading “Emily Follows the Elf by Ed Kratz”
Keith LaFountaine has appeared on the site a few times, but not enough. His work is sincere and thoughtful such as this fine example, Home Again. This work is multilayered and even contains a language of Keith’s (I assume) own invention. It is a masterful blend of science fiction, horror, regret and even redemption. Such a wonderful mix that is quite poignant and inspiring. We believe that readers new to it will come away feeling the same.
We have invited Keith to add his own thoughts on Home Again.
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Now Over to Keith:
I tend to get story inspirations from imagery, and for this story the image was the opening paragraph: an astronaut in a spaceship, surrounded by his dead crew members and bubbles of blood as he cascades toward an alien planet. I didn’t know what awaited him on that planet or what would happen when he landed, and I spent a lot of time thinking about that question before landing on the final scene (I also happened to be reading Stephen King’s “Revival” at the time, which likely contributed). But mostly, I was interested in David’s life. What led him to that point? How did he end up in that spaceship? And what is he thinking about as he stares down his mortality? Whether David actually transcends time and Space, or whether it’s simply revery, I’ll leave that to readers to decide. For me, what’s important is David’s decision to turn that car around.
