MARILYN McFARLANE: Sweet Surprise

Artistic, Submissions, , , ,

To save the bees, we planted a garden crammed with inviting color. Zinnias, coneflowers, asters, lavender, fuchsia, sunflowers. They buzzed in, purring, and lugged away bags of pollen. Bonus: later, the neighbor with a hive brought a dripping honeycomb, saying thanks.

Grandma, deaf and blind now, could taste, and smile.

Marilyn McFarlane is a travel writer and the author of Sacred Stories: Wisdom From World Religions. She writes poetry and fiction and occasionally explores memoir. She lives in Oregon, where there is a lot of scope for the imagination.

SCOTT G HARVEY: Lost in the Mist

Artistic, Submissions, , ,

Perched perilously upon the crest of Niagara Falls, the Harvest Moon sought to break free from the cyclical nature of its existence. Would it jump?

Looking on, I wished the cityscape would plunge into darkness, and an unseen moonbow suspended in the mist raise the spirits of the forlorn orb.

Scott G. Harvey teaches psychology at SUNY Buffalo State and resides in the Niagara Region of Ontario with an ever-changing mixture of humans, cats, dogs, and chickens. He is the author of the philosophically-infused bildungsroman Savagely Noble. His short-fiction has appeared in Short Story Avenue, 50-Word Stories and Visual Verse.

KAY RAE CHOMIC: Evidence

Adventure, Amusing, Submissions, , ,

The skeleton under our porch knew us all. Its secret harmed no one until a detective knocked at our door. We answered his questions.

No, sir. Yes, sir. Never, sir.

We double-locked the door, loaded the shotgun. We knew how to deal with threats.

The skeleton need not be lonely.

Kay Rae Chomic has been published in 50-Word Stories, Cabinet of Heed, Ellipsis Zine, Retreat West, Every Day Fiction and other publications. She lives in Seattle dodging raindrops and is a Motown fan forever.

CATHRINE GOLDSTEIN: The Man at the Door

Poetry, Submissions, Top Stories, Touching, , , , ,

The Man at the Door
says goodnight to no one,
dons his hat,
shuffles down the steps,
climbs onto a bus
and off,
lumbering up four flights of stairs
to eat his half-thawed frozen dinner.
With TV flickering,
he watches out the window
for fireflies as elusive
as his dreams.

Cathrine Goldstein writes a whole lot of gritty, real-feeling “stuff.” Most of it takes place in NYC. She also eats boatloads of chocolate pretty much every day. To find out more about her bestselling novels, award-winning plays, and other writings including articles, short stories, blogs, and poetry, please visit CathrineGoldstein.com.

STEVEN LEMPRIÈRE: Palindrome

Amusing, Submissions, Touching, , ,

Like a moth drawn towards a flame, I furtively skirt two expressions of perfection. The first, a beguiling creature; the second, a word.

Captivated at the zenith of beauty, by someone who possess perfect symmetry, both in their physical form as well as from a nomenclatural perspective.

Her name?

Hannah.

A short-listed writer at the Cúirt International Literary Festival in Ireland, and with stories published by Fifty Word Stories and Flash Fiction Magazine, Steven often reflects on symmetry, especially in the mornings when shaving.

NICOLA M SWANN: Little monsters…

Amusing, Submissions, , , ,

I see them from the bedroom mirror. They’ve grown wilful; mother’s side of the family. Looking after them in my forties came naturally, but now? A sigh escapes me.

Nothing for it but to get rid of them, one by one.

I pull my right eyebrow tight and tweeze.

Nicola M. Swann enjoys reading and writing a short story or two while sipping tea.

JENNIFER FREED: Small Mysteries

Artistic, Submissions, , , ,

Her little brother wants his red matchbox car. How can she explain that, on impulse, she buried it with her own doll, imagining some future child unearthing them – imagining the toys as links between two distant times. She never meant to make her brother cry. But how can she explain?

Jennifer Freed writes mostly poems, and occasionally some very very short stories. Learn more at jfreed.weebly.com.

NIKITA LINIVENKO: Gonzo Recipe

Artistic, Submissions, ,

Start with truth and wait for fiction to reveal itself. Punch it up. Tenderize the truth. Add a dash of Hunter Thompson’s brains. Scraped off the wall. Drizzle with some mescaline. Garnish with spent casings and discarded drafts. What you get is mostly pulp, spiked and unsweetened. Distill with caution.

Nikita Linivenko hates writing bios in the third person.

FIONA KAMAL: Moment

Amusing, Submissions, Top Stories, Touching, , , , , ,

The crossing bleeps.

“Lily! Hurry!”

Lily rushes; her flower falls. With infinite care, she stoops, small fingers scrabbling for the thin stem.

“Leave it Lily!”

She straightens, in resignation twenty years too old. Her face says: of course the world would do this to my one, perfect thing, again, again.

Fiona Kamal is in training to be a mad cat lady. She lives in North Vancouver with three cat-loving daughters and a husband who is feline-averse. Isn’t tension the source of all inspiration?