TIM BOITEAU: Neon Oasis

Artistic, Submissions, , , ,

After hours of speeding through nothingness, color seared my eyes: exotic fruits, plastic-and-concrete flora glowing vibrant, beckoning to me—McDonald’s, Burger King, BP, Shell—strange poisonous pylons.

Tempted by the siren song, my steed groaned with thirst, but I kicked it on.

The bright lights vanished.

Back to nowhere, the eternal road.

Tim Boiteau writes in Michigan. He is an Editor at Every Day Fiction, a Writer of the Future winner, and the author of two novels, with a third forthcoming. See more at timboiteau.wordpress.com.

MIA PFITZER: First Sight

Artistic, Poetry, Submissions, , ,

The first time I saw her,
I stopped breathing,
The world stopped turning.
And I haven’t stopped thinking about her,
The way her dark amber hair flows with ease,
like flames of a fire.
The way her green eyes pull me beneath the surface,
like getting lost in the woods.

Mia Pfitzer wrote this story.

VIABEL OLUWATOSIN: Memorial Catalysts

Artistic, Submissions, , , ,

Yesterday, we buried another cat, pure and innocent, eight more lives ahead of him. Someone forgot to shut the front door, despite Papa’s constant warnings.

Sometimes, He’s a prophet. Other times, a military man.

“Your grief is an artwork,” He’d say.

Every day he paints his trauma on a canvas.

Viabel Oluwatosin, from the shores of Lagos, is an enthusiastic short story writer and a poet. Formerly known as Oluwatosin Okupa, her creative works have appeared in Five Minutes Lit and several other literary journals. With a creative focus centered on restoring hope and sanity through the enriching power of words, she breathes fearlessly on oluwatosinokupa.medium.com and tweets at @ladyviabel.

LAURA SHELL: The Waking

Adventure, Submissions, , ,

Wake someone from a deep, drug-induced sleep and they get pissed. Especially when there isn’t a tangible reason for the waking.

Except for the knife.

That was tangible. An 18-inch blade. From the kitchen.

It clattered to the ground when he woke, as if dropped from midair.

Laura Shell quit her day job in August of 2023 to become a full-time writer. She has been published in numerous literary publications. In February, her first anthology of paranormal stories will be in print. When she isn’t writing and reading short fiction, she watches horror movies with her dog, Groot, and jabs snarky remarks at her husband of 35 years.

JEFF GARDNER: These Things Take Time

Artistic, Submissions, ,

My friendship with Stan lasted thirty years. He ended it recently at a diner on Eighth Avenue, telling me that he thought I stole something of his a decade ago. I didn’t, but I wonder if my heart might hurt less some day if I convince myself that I did.

Jeff Gardner has been a theatrical and fine arts professional for his entire life.

CHERYL SNELL: Facets

Artistic, Submissions, , , , ,

Marriage fails. Diamond falls out. Stone resembles tinsel crushed after another drunken Christmas. Not so fast, mother says. Diamond is not metaphor. Pair it with a nice gold chain. Same gem, different context. Pendant arrives; oh my chained neck. Locked in mother’s jewelry box ever after, it sparkles at nothing.

Cheryl Snell’s books include poetry and fiction.

BILLIE-LEIGH BURNS: The Lighthouse

Artistic, Submissions, , , ,

On this dark night, a man roams the beach, eyeing the abandoned lighthouse – once a beacon guiding wave-ravaged boats home, sea-savaged soldiers conjuring the strength to set burning arms to oars again.

He longs to break in, to light up the sky, searching for his wife, nestled in the stars.

Billie-Leigh Burns is a writer from Liverpool. Her work has been featured by Funny Pearls, 50 Word Stories, and Fictionette.

TIM WEIGHART: First Scars

Artistic, Submissions, , , , , ,

The first cat he loved died when he was young.

Time weathered. Age hardened. Pain grew familiar.

But after the divorce, the scratch that cat had etched into his toddler-sized ring finger started stinging, and that wailing child reemerged, scarred by something he had assumed was exclusively soft and warm.

Tim Weighart grew up near Boston, but he lives in Colorado now. He enjoys words, and the trials that come with finding the right ones.

DEBORAH TAPPER: The Keen Gardener

Adventure, Artistic, Submissions, Top Stories, , ,

He plants green thumbs in fertile soil, coaxing every seed into life. Donates vibrant baskets to friends and carves Halloween pumpkins for local kids, while appreciative neighbours can depend on his generosity with mouthwatering fruit and vegetables. His scrumptious strawberries are especially prized.

Until digging police unearth his missing wife.

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