ALLISON STALBERG: A Pebble For My Girl

Amusing, Odd, Submissions, Touching, , , , ,

A Chevrolet Silverado crashed on Route 129. Her soulmate, a turkey vulture, landed by her side. She fed him venison for six years, served on asphalt, cooked by sunshine.

The vulture brought a pebble to comfort her. Out of her dented body, “Brown Eyed Girl” by Van Morrison still sang.

Allison Stalberg is a Fiction MFA student attending Southern New Hampshire University. She has worked in journalism for seven years and has speculative fiction stories published in Outposts of Beyond, Calliope, and Altered Reality magazine. As an asexual neurodivergent woman, she works towards writing stories that inspire rebellion, independent thinking, and radical love. She lives in Chapel Hill, North Carolina, with her husband and cats.

BEATRICE RAO: The Healer

Artistic, Submissions, Top Stories, Touching, , , , , ,

I was resting in the park
when he came over.

Wary of strays,
I tried to shoo him away.

He edged nearer
asking for a rub and then
started showing off.

He galloped on his three legs
Danced with the leaves

I picked up my crutches
And started following him.

Beatrice Rao likes observing the stray dogs in Mumbai and listening to their stories.

DEBORAH TAPPER: Nana’s Remedies

Artistic, Submissions, , , ,

Nana had a cure for everything. Arnica for bruises, yarrow for bleeding, comfrey for sprains and broken bones. And she taught me about poisonous plants, what to avoid.

I remember her words as I select fresh leaves and flowers for a salad, broken arm healed but stiff, new bruises aching.

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

CATE COVERT: Survivor’s Guilt

Artistic, Submissions, , , ,

She rescues children, puppies and kittens, sunstruck basil, and five-legged stick insects.

A raggedy beggar at the gate asks for jelly with his peanut butter sandwich.

They loved jelly. Jelly made it bearable. They’re gone. She remains.

She blushes. How could she forget? A glass of cold milk to atone.

Cate Covert hails from sunny Idaho, U.S.A. She has been telling stories since she could talk. Cate has been a Christian pastor and teacher for 25 years, speaking, teaching, and writing bible class curricula. She is a gardener and amateur herbalist, plays guitar and piano, and loves baking bread and making beaded jewelry. Most of all, Cate Covert loves to engage her reading and listening audiences. You can read her frequent inspirational writings, poetry, flash fiction, and humorous stories at Cate Covert on Chadashah.org or her Inspirational essays and Bible studies at Pastora Cate’s Corner on Substack.

LESLEY BUNGAY: Filters

Artistic, Submissions, , , ,

The artist places the unfinished portrait on the easel.

“Your decision,” he says.

Esme stares at the flawless features, feels a yearning for this vibrant youth – her face full of expectation.

Yet what is a life lived without the experience shown?

“Paint every line, every blemish, every scar,” she says.

Lesley Bungay wrote this story.

BEN REID: Urban Decay

Amusing, Submissions, , ,

The park is no urban oasis.

There’s five of them waiting at the entrance. Focused.

As they creep closer you can tell they’ve been doing this for a while. They’re hefty. Thug-fat and cocky in their glossy coats.

The squirrels demand their toll, and I forgot to bring my nuts.

Ben lives and teaches in London. He is sad that coffee no longer works the way it used to.

THOMPSON EMATE: Young Hearts

Adventure, Artistic, Submissions, , , ,

He wondered why they couldn’t see the big picture. He marvelled that they were void of dreams. He was astonished that they were caged in narrow realms.

“Where is the way?” They asked.
“Miles from where we stand. Through the woods. Over the mountains,” he replied.
“Don’t bother,” they chorused.

Thompson Emate spends his leisure time writing particularly poetry and prose. He has a deep love for nature and the arts. His stories can be seen In Voice.club, Fairfield Scribes, Friday Flash Fiction and Reedsy.com. He lives in Lagos, Nigeria.

AC BLAKE: Peace Bridge Shuffle: Memoirs of a Dual-Citizen’s Tug of War

Artistic, Submissions, , ,

Crossing the Peace Bridge between Buffalo, NY, and Ontario, Canada, I navigated my parents’ loyalties. Mom sighed with relief entering the US, while Dad cheered on Canadian soil. Caught in their tug of war, I found solace in the middle of the bridge, embracing both countries and my dual citizenship.

A.C. Blake is a Canadian-American illustrator and writer who has created numerous works for publishers like Harcourt and Macmillan. Her work is inspired by her journey through a childhood filled with art, theater, and constant movement. Currently, she balances her time between teaching, writing, illustrating, from her home in South Carolina, with her husband and two cats.

AMANDA LE ROUGETEL: Beyond Capacity

Amusing, Artistic, Poetry, Submissions, , , , ,

Remember in May:
Those pin-neat rows
go rogue in summer heat.

Fine beauty in June.
Come July, gay abundance.
Next up, chaos.
By September, I look no more.

Aficionado of the planning,
I am caught by the glory of the seeds
in January catalogues,
the tilling and toil never mentioned.

Amanda Le Rougetel wrote this poem.