BOB THURBER: The Curse of Never-mind

Artistic, Submissions, , ,

It’s not true she wished him dead. She never wished him harm.
The real story is she wished him nothing — no pain, no suffering, no joy, no love.
She wished him no part of living, no trace, no participation.
She cursed all memory of him. In herself and everyone else.

Bob Thurber is the author of six books. Regarded as a master of Flash and Micro Fiction, his work has appeared in Esquire and other magazines, been anthologized 60 times, received a long list of awards, and been utilized in schools and colleges throughout the world. He resides in Massachusetts. Visit his website at BobThurber.net.

TIM BOITEAU: Starlight

Artistic, Submissions, Top Stories, , , ,

He followed the star across the frozen plains. He followed it into the woods, where it winked at him through the leafless canopy. After the sun rose, he still followed the star, pale, weak though it was–into the city of people following billions of stars, vanishing behind the smog.

Tim Boiteau is a Writers of the Future winner currently based in Michigan. Find more at timboiteau.wordpress.com.

MATTHEW MOTA: The City as You Run

Adventure, Amusing, Submissions, , , , ,

I climb up the fire escape and chase after the criminal on the rooftops. The gap between us widens.

Other detectives would worry. But after all my years working, this city owes me one.

My adversary trips and falls to the alley below.

I smile, thankful for the city’s appreciation.

Matthew Mota (he/him) is a writer from Chicago, Illinois. He went to the University of Illinois for engineering but found writing as his creative outlet. Creating unique short stories and poetry is his way of navigating the universal hardships of life.

WENDY K MAGES: A Unicorn in Winter

Artistic, Submissions, , , ,

Ephemeral mists waft against an azure sky. Lying on the grass, you peer into the heavens, watching frothy peaks float by. In an instant, she emerges, a solitary unicorn prancing toward snowy horizons. As billowing winds begin to whisk her away, she takes flight, vanishing into the firmament. Never forgotten.

Wendy K. Mages, a Mercy University Professor, is a Pushcart Prize nominee and an award-winning poet and author. She earned her doctorate in Human Development and Psychology at the Harvard Graduate School of Education and her master’s in Theatre at Northwestern University. As a complement to her research on the effect of the arts on learning and development, she performs at storytelling events and festivals in the US and abroad. To learn more about her and her work, and to find links to her published stories and poetry, please visit https://www.mercy.edu/directory/wendy-mages.

JANELLE SEABOCK: The Kite

Artistic, Submissions, Top Stories, , ,

It was my first day in the juvenile psychiatric ward. The wall inside was painted with a mural – a cheerful daytime scene of a child flying a kite. I could relate. But I wasn’t the child; I was the kite, tethered to the earth by nothing but a single string.

Janelle Seabock is a writer with a love for horror, fantasy, and animals of all kinds. She currently resides in Florida.

MARY HARWELL SAYLER: Left Behind

Amusing, Puns and Wordplay, Submissions, ,

Left-handed people often get left out. Like, when I attended a poetry class at the local university, I saw rows of right-armed desks, but none to accommodate me. Oddly enough, in that particular class, many poets were left-handed, which just goes to show, you can’t be right all the time.

Mary Harwell Sayler wrote this story.

LYNN KOZLOWSKI: Keeping Up Appearances

Artistic, Submissions, Top Stories, , ,

The old man can no longer drive this whole trip himself, starting predawn without stop to make his brother’s place by lunch. His wife leaves late, drives slow, takes breaks. But she gives him the last mile, so he might seem again, on arrival, something of what he was before.

Lynn Kozlowski’s writing has appeared in such places as The Quarterly, The Malahat Review, pif magazine, Poetry Breakfast, and failbetter.com. He has a volume of short pieces, Historical Markers.

ANGELA CARLTON: Christmas in the ER

Artistic, Submissions, , , ,

It’s Christmas in the ER. Mother’s got infected wounds.

The hospital has beautiful wreaths, staff members’ wearing reindeer headbands for cheer. Next door, a woman’s crying-laughing. When I exit, I hear, “She’s coming off heroin.”

The woman looks up, sees my blonde hair, and whispers, “Oh, you’re my Christmas Angel.”

Angela Carlton lives outside Atlanta with her husband and two daughters. Her fiction has been published in EWR, Every Day Fiction, Pedestal Magazine, Long Story Short, 6S, High Noon and Friday Flash Fiction among others. Her story “Swallowed,” was nominated for the Pushcart Prize in 2023.

JOHANNES SPRINGENSEISS: Arrival

Amusing, Artistic, Submissions, , , , , ,

TRAIL END!

Unexpected; isn’t the path supposed to go on for another mile? I look at the map, check my compass and turn back.

Soon I come across another sign.

DANGER ZONE: QUICKSAND!

Perplexed; didn’t I just hike up this way?

I sit down on a log.

This is home.

Johannes Springenseiss is a world citizen and a raconteur. He mostly writes speculative fiction and creative essays.