Category Archives: Odd

DEBORAH SALE-BUTLER: Questions for a Tethered Soul

Artistic, Odd, Submissions, ,

What happens to a soul that can’t leave—tethered to a body that’s forgotten how to die? Does it secretly visit people and places it once loved? Is that why the body speaks out of time? Which hurts more—seeing things you cannot touch or touching things you can’t remember?

Deborah Sale-Butler is a Portland, Oregon based writer. Her stories have appeared, or are forthcoming in dozens of publications including “101 Words,” “Twisting, Turning Timeshifts” and “Three X the Fun” anthologies, “Sci Fi Shorts,” “Flash Fiction Magazine,” and “Amazing Stories.” Read more at https://deborah-sale-butler.com.

ESTELLE BARDOT: The Silent Companion

Adventure, Odd, Submissions, Top Stories, , , ,

My neighbours think my wife accompanies me on my walks. We stroll, my hand firmly supporting her figure, and together we bob our heads in cordial greeting.

“Not ones for chatter.”

At home, I dismantle the puppet and pop it in my cupboard, whilst Jemima screams incessantly in the basement.

Estelle Bardot is the pen name of a teen music student studying piano and composition. When she’s not composing, Estelle can be found lost in the pages of a book or writing poetry. She loves long walks on the beach (or anywhere, really), travelling, and is a sucker for anything dark academia aesthetic. Her work has been published in Under the Madness Magazine, Flora Fiction, Alternate Route, and Skipping Stones.

DEBORAH TAPPER: Ombrophobia

Adventure, Odd, Submissions, ,

Red rain’s fallen countless times, macabre downpours ensanguined by desert dust or tiny algae, swept into the clouds and tumbling back to earth. Mere quirks of nature and climate rather than doom-laden portents, providing novelty filler for condescending newspapers and social media.

Until today, when the skies weep real blood.

Deborah writes at an old desk surrounded by five hundred pet bugs.

KATIE HEMMERLIN: Conviction of the Convicted

Adventure, Odd, Submissions, , , ,

I crash back onto Earth, a speck of stardust amidst the enormity of the galaxy. I was once “human,” living in tumultuous ignorance with no memories and a fake identity.

I only have one day.

How am I going to convince them that this place isn’t home?

It’s a prison.

Katie lives on a farm in the Pine Barrens of New Jersey and loves to play her flute, collect rocks, and spend time with her family, friends, and many animals. Lately, she’s been having fun exploring the creative side of writing.

MOHAMMAD ABEDI: Midnight

Artistic, Odd, Submissions, , , , ,

At exactly midnight, the clock struck, and Ramin Taham stood before the door, though he had no memory of arriving. Behind it, another room. A man in a suit handed him a letter, sealed with no name. “Your fate,” the man whispered, vanishing. Ramin opened it. The paper was blank.

Mohammad Abedi is a novelist, filmmaker, and child rights activist.
His novels have been translated into more than 15 languages, and his films and screenplays have been nominated for, or awarded prizes at, over 130 international flim festivals.
He is the founder of Hermes magazine and of Teachers Against Poverty (affiliated with Academics Stand Against Poverty). Abedi has completed some 30 academic courses at universities such as Harvard, Yale, Pennsylvania, Edinburgh, and the University California. He holds two honorary doctorates, in Philosophy and Social Justice, and teaches cinema, philosophy, and Persian literature. See more at mohammadabedi0.wordpress.com.

RACHEL TURNEY: I Grow a Metropolis

Artistic, Odd, Submissions, Top Stories, , , ,

I bought a packet of wildflower seeds and sprinkled them in the back corner of my lawn. In mid-May it wasn’t flowers that bloomed, but an entire miniature city filled with tiny people. They live a full life there. From time to time I take them water and other supplies.

Rachel Turney is an educator and artist located in Denver. Her poems, research articles, drawings, and photography can be found in a few publications. For more, see her blog at turneytalks.wordpress.com.

WILLIAM MITCHELL: Home Edit: Galactic Edition

Amusing, Odd, Submissions, , , ,

When the aliens arrived they made their objective clear – to help us tidy up. Now, every day, every house and office leaves one thing out for collection. Neatness and order finally restored – blissful decluttering on a global scale.

Except that one nagging doubt: what are they doing with it all?

William Mitchell lives in East Sussex in the South of England. He is an award-winning author, having had early success with various Horror and Science Fiction publications before winning the Writers of the Future contest in 2012. His first novel, CREATIONS, came out in 2014 with John Hunt Publishing.

TATIANA SAMOKHINA: your puddle your coat

Artistic, Odd, Submissions, , ,

He turned the puddle inside out. Threw it over his shoulders like a coat. Giggled. Clapped for himself. Bowed. Walked down the street. Then ran. Then flew. Then stopped. Threw the puddle back onto the pavement—black as ash. Looked at it and sighed. Walked away and never came back.

Tatiana lives in the beautiful suburb of Surry Hills and works in the bustling City of Sydney. She is an English teacher and fiction translator with a deep love for literature. Her work has appeared in 3 Elements Review, Jokes Review, Australian Writers’ Centre, Indignor House, Ironclad Creative, and Little Old Lady.

TREVOR: Inexorable

Adventure, Odd, Submissions, , , , ,

In my wheelchair in the exam room, as I explain my symptoms in detail to the specialist (unable to move my legs; no control over my bladder, bowels, or anything below my waist), I can feel it purposefully, deliberately changing course and making a desperate, hell-bent beeline for my mouth.

Trevor’s fiction and non-fiction have appeared it print and digital publications since the 1970s. He’s a mononymous, multiple award-winning, full-time entertainer who likes hyphens. trevorthegamesman.com

BROOKSIE C FONTAINE: Night Mare

Artistic, Odd, Submissions, , ,

The nightmare visits me just before dawn, like clockwork. A horrid black horse, dripping night from her mane, eyes pale moons.

Finally, I’m tired of fear. I climb onto her cold back.

She carries me into the violet morning. Once fear sheds from her pelt, she shines in the dawn.

Brooksie C. Fontaine is a coffee addict who got into college at fifteen and annoyed everyone there. She is a teaching assistant, illustrator, and MFA recipient. Her work appeared in trampset, Bending Genres, Eunoia Review, Literally Stories, Aureation, Report From Newport, Boston Accent Lit, the Things Improbable anthology, and more.