JENNIFER KENNETT: Into the Sand

Adventure, Artistic, Submissions, , ,

Her heavy legs had stood and waited. Her aching arms had pushed through the crowds.

A salty tear rolled down onto her tattered jacket as she watched the doors of salvation thud closed. The city was full.

Now she had nothing left to do but head back into the sand.

After graduating university with a degree in Drama and Theater Arts, Jennifer Kennett somehow began writing speculative fiction. She has had work published in Mad Scientist Journal (fall 2016), Longshot Island (Spring 2017), The Weird Reader (Winter 2017) and Astounding Outpost (Winter 2017). Follow her on Twitter at @Jen_Kennett.

JUDY DeCROCE: Lily

Artistic, Poetry, Submissions, Top Stories, , , , ,

Lily
sits on a park bench.
Pigeons know her.
They cluster… fight… peck.

The children recognize her too:
the one who feeds the pigeons.
Lily giggles, opens her purse,
sets it on the ground.

“She’s crazy,” the children taunt.

Pigeons though, coo, bob…
fly into her purse
filled with sky.

Judy DeCroce is a poet / flash fiction writer and animal lover. She has been published in Pilcrow & Dagger, Amethyst Review, The Sunlight Press, Cherry House Press- Dreamscape:An Anthology, and many others. Judy is a professional storyteller and teacher and lives and works in upstate New York with her husband, writer/artist Antoni Ooto.

CP LOPES: The Lot

Adventure, Submissions, , , ,

“The demons are coming,” the old woman said from the corner of her cell.

“When,” the sheriff asked.

“As soon as you kill me,” she replied.

“What if we don’t kill you?”

Cries from the townsfolk rose above the window.

“That’s not how this goes,” she said, her smile anticipatory.

C. P. Lopes is a Canadian writer whose brain is in a constant tug-of-war between fantasy and reality. She’s blessed with two amazing bright and talented children, a brilliant and supportive husband, and the most affectionate dog on the planet (#FightMe).

AJ JOSEPH: Guardian

Artistic, Odd, Submissions, , ,

It protects me while I sleep.

From the eight-legged reptile under my bed.

From the violent poltergeist in my kitchen.

From the woman in white with midnight hair down to her feet, who waits among the banana trees in my garden.

It protects me, the strange being in my wardrobe.

AJ Joseph occasionally writes at Words from Sonobe.

MARGIE NAIRN: A New Day

Artistic, Submissions, , ,

I wake up to greet my old friend, Anxiety.

How will I battle his belittlement and negativity today?

“Distressing but not dangerous,” I tell myself, “strive to be average.
Do the things you fear to do and wear the mask of security.
Endorse for every effort, then keep moving forward.”

Margie Nairn wrote this story based on the tools taught by Recovery International.

ERIN GILMORE: With apologies to William Carlos Williams

Amusing, Submissions, , , , ,

“I’ve eaten your plums,” he sneered.

A fruit fight ensued. Mangoes, a hail of cherries, a ballistic Crenshaw melon.

After, we lay prone, exhausted and covered in juice, near the icebox.

A non-participant plucked the last plum off the kitchen counter.

It was delicious and sweet and cold, he reported.

Erin Gilmore is an artist and editor living in Los Angeles.

Editor: The title refers to this classic poem.

LAUREN EVERHART-DECKARD: Fear Foods

Amusing, Artistic, Submissions, , , , ,

Sugar is the enemy. Fat is poison. Mantras like these run on a loop inside my foggy mind.

Staring down the overflowing plate, my heart thunders against my ribcage at the thought of eating blacklisted snacks.

Grimacing, I take a bite of the Hershey bar. Recovery is a slow process.

Lauren is an undergraduate student studying Creative Writing at Emerson College.

JIM FREEZE: The Brush Strokes Of Life

Artistic, Submissions, , , , , , ,

He had experienced moments of pure joy mixed with frustration, and he’d sung all the songs of satisfaction. He had discovered that discipline was love in its purest form. He had witnessed breathtaking sunsets and star-filled heavens on a clear night. But he would never learn to whistle a Symphony.

Jim Freeze is seventy-three years old, retired, and widowed. He was happily married for fifty-four years and has two grown sons. He began writing in early 2012 to have something to do. His short stories have been featured in many publications including Brilliant Flash Fiction, Calliope Magazine, The Original Writer, and Literally Stories.

RAN WALKER: He’s Coming

Artistic, Submissions, , ,

Those who could run, ran.

Those who could hide, hid.

The rest of us hunkered down to fight, fists squeezing chair legs, staplers, keyboards, wastebaskets, anything we could find.

As the loud popping sound drew closer, we exhaled slowly and did our best to prepare for what was to come.

Ran Walker is the award-winning author of seventeen books. He teaches creative writing in Virginia.