Her bloody fingernails finally reach air. She digs herself out, emerging into the glorious star-studded night. She gasps. Delicious oxygen fills her desperate lungs. The breeze is divine on her filthy skin. The promised land. She is free.
“Demon!” the human bellows.
A wooden stake pierces her heart.
She weeps.
Angie Andriot is a sociologist, artist, and aspiring weaver of words.
A high-profile murder trial; a miscarriage of justice.
The police, under pressure to produce a conviction, fabricated the evidence. The cameras record his smile, his relief, his joy as he’s released. But they can’t see his thoughts, see what he knows:
That sometimes, you really do get away with murder.
Bill lives in Aberdeen, Scotland, with his partner Hilary, their grown-up baby-daughter Catherine, and her hairy, four-legged sister, Peggy.
He thought of his departed wife while painting me—her chestnut eyes, her auburn locks, her angular cheeks. I got jealous sometimes, but the feeling would fade away. Just as his health faded. He became gaunt, like a skeleton. Until he was gone.
And someone removed me from the easel.
Joyce Jacobo is a freelance writer with an MA in Literature & Writing Studies. Her pieces have found homes in publications such as ScribesMICROFiction, Horror Tree, and the San Diego Poetry Annual.
“Did you know fireflies only live three days?” I asked.
He dragged the last of his cigarette and dropped the butt, grinding it with his shoe. “No.”
“Two years as larva, three days with wings. What would you do with only three days?”
“Well, I wouldn’t be talking to you.”
Katelyn Simpson lives with her family in Cincinnati, Ohio. She has worked in many fields, from theater technical directing to expediter advertising. She enjoys reading, writing, crafting, traveling, and fine dining.
Everyone has power. In their right hand. Flowers bloom, water splashes. Little magic. Sweet magic. Snap your fingers and it is.
Until he is born. He has no magic.
Snap. Nothing.
He grows older.
Snap. Nothing.
He looks at his left hand. It shakes.
It’s Sinister, he knows.
Snap. BOOM.
Breanna is an amateur writer and lover of tall tales and anything that has a hint of fantasy.
“Daphne, dear daughter,” said the river god, “I made a magic amulet to protect you.”
“What’s it do?”
“It’s voice activated. When you are in danger, say the word ‘Tree’, and you will instantly transform into a strong and impervious laurel tree.”
“And what do I say to change back?”
C.M.F. Wright writes sentences that occasionally turn into stories. Her short stories have appeared in Daily Science Fiction, 50-Word Stories, and Syntax & Salt Magazine.
The night manager of a round-the-clock diner promises free coffee to all graduate students. In return, they let him borrow some of their resilience. Someday, he always says, he’ll take some business classes, then open a place of his own. He keeps the coffee coming and never misses a shift.
Will Tschirhart is a grad student from Michigan who has worked with some very motivated people. He wrote this story for them.
Mama flicked on the light and tightened her robe. Five-year-old Benji sobbed, trembling.
“It’s okay, Benji.” Mama kissed his forehead.
“Monster’s hungry,” he whispered.
“Monsters don’t eat children.”
“I know,” whimpered Benji. “They eat grownups.”
Mama’s leg jerked. She gasped, eyes wide as she was pulled down under the bed.
Rita Riebel Mitchell writes tiny bits of fiction every day. Her longer stories take… longer. Read more at RRMitchell.com.
The story of the week for August 8 to 12 was…
Life Outside Boxes by Toshihisa Nikaido
Sinuous smoke curled from the hot brass muzzle. The assassin lifted her costume eye-patch to make sure her quarry was dead. Satisfied, she tossed her grappling hook, then scampered to the rooftop, dreaming of her reward: a handful of untraceable gold nuggets. Real shame her long-time lover was the target.
Hillary founded and for 20 years acted as senior editor for the independent poetry publisher, Subsynchronous Press. Her short stories, drabbles, and poems have appeared in numerous print and online publications. Hillary also creates illustrations for horror/sci-fi, and pulp fiction sites. See more at hillarylyon.wordpress.com.