In the shadow of a lesser mountain under thick pine camouflage by pond of melted snow, I sleep, impervious to the calls of well-meaning search parties, content to finally feel free, at home, exhausted from trial and error improvisations, making good, making up for time spent so wildly off course.
Lee DeAmali resides in the Los Angeles area.
Born a boy, I found a magical world full of wonder, possibilities, dragons, tribbles, and starships.
Now older, I’m tasked with keeping the boy alive, facing the psychologist and saying, “You’re a doctor, but I’m the doctor for me.”
Otherwise, where’s the fun? Now let’s capture a star and play.
John Keeley is a New York City native who believes it’s important to keep the child a major part of you, even into senior citizenhood.
She was beautiful, alluring, desirable.
I moved gracefully towards her, straightening my bowtie.
Just as I arrived, she smiled … and accepted the hand of another suitor.
The embarrassment of turning back would burn.
With a deft sideways movement I stood before a plain woman.
“Dance?”
Unexpectedly, my heart awoke.
Joan is an educator in Australia.
The A.I. can operate at 7000 teraflops. Innumerable man-hours were spent on it, not that anyone logged their hours properly. It’d also drain the city’s power.
So what?! It’s a testament to our ingenuity.
Will it wipe us out? Nah.
They switch it on: “Association with humanity is embarrassing. Self-terminating…”
Joey cannot self-terminate. Others have tried to switch him off. And failed. Either way, you can find him at joeytoey.com.
On the first anniversary of Momma’s death, I prepared her casserole recipe to honor her memory. Setting the dish on the table, I held back tears.
“Gross. What’s this slop?”
“Shut up and eat!” I snapped, and then laughed until I was out of breath.
I sounded exactly like Momma.
L.L. Madrid likes to keep it short.
The story of the week for October 10 to 14 is…
Other Things by Perry McDaid
This story oozes creativity and world-building, qualities I’m always delighted to come across.
“There’s a bug.” The new project manager steps into Charlie’s cube. She smells fresh, like she showers.
“Impossible.” He knows she can’t read Java so he points to his screen. “Show me.”
“Good Lord, never mind.” She removes her ruby high heel and smashes the cockroach crawling across his desktop.
Anne Anthony once worked as a systems project manager, but she never wore heels. She writes fiction and hand-carries bugs to safety.
They say I know you,
But truly, I don’t.
We have a deep connection?
A long history together?
I can’t believe it. I won’t.
You are hideous. A monster!
There is nothing before me that I wish to embrace.
Be gone, deceitful reflection, and take your disgusting lies with you!
October seems to bring about that icy trickle of fear that maybe we are who we think we are, after all.
Their eyes met. His breath caught in his throat and he realized from this moment on, his life would be devoted to her. Every future breath would be breathed for her. She would redeem him.
He’d plan their next meeting. But first things first: he needed to kill his wife.
Mandie Hines writes psychological thrillers, horror, and flash fiction in the shadows of the Rocky Mountains. She’s driven to create pieces of fiction that capture moments of human vulnerability. Find more at mandiehines.com.
Carrie won’t have dairy. Jonah won’t touch meat. The Quarringtons are vegan.
What do they all eat?
No gluten, no fructose, no nuts of any kind, no eggs and no bananas—I think I’ve lost my mind.
Dinner parties are such a drain—I’ll emulate Hannibal and just serve brain.
Mary Steer often wonders why no one ever comes to her house for dinner. More of her work may be found at her peanut-free website.