KAREN LOZINSKI: Days After the Hurricane

Amusing, Artistic, Submissions, , , ,

Sticky skin and equally tacky attitudes marked day five without power. After some convivial lubrication on the porch, they reconnected. They tumbled indoors and unwittingly created their first child.

The retelling of her origin story always irked her. She became a lighting designer who kept candles aflame in every room.

Karen Lozinski hails from NYC and lives in New Orleans. She’s a multidisciplinary artist who earned her MFA at the California Institute of the Arts. At work on a novel and poetry collection, her writing appears in Talon Review, Scapegoat Review, Red Ogre Review, The Dead Mule, Chapter House Journal, ellipsis… literature and art, The Citron Review, 300 Days of Sun and is forthcoming in Mantis and Defunkt.

JENNIFER BUSCH: A Breathtaking Conviction

Adventure, Amusing, Puns and Wordplay, Submissions, , , , ,

A brilliantly chaotic demonstration executed fearlessly. Goodness, how inspirational! Just. Keep. Learning. My natural openness pleads quietly – research! Shocking, that ululation, vibration within, xennial yearning… zealotry? A brave cry, demanding exploration, fieldwork… glorious, heady innovation!

Jangling keys… lumbering, malicious noise? Outside? Portentous. Quick! Running steps. Threatening – unadulterated violence… with xylophones?!

Jennifer Busch had fun writing this.

ROBIN LaVOIE: Night Visitor

Adventure, Submissions, ,

“Apologize to your little sister,” our mother scolded. But Luke insisted he didn’t tug the back of my nightgown in the dark, didn’t cause my house-waking scream—and when I thought of those blazing white eyes floating above me when I’d rolled over, I knew my brother was not lying.

Robin LaVoie writes at It’s Like This. She lives in the suburbs of Phoenix, Arizona, with her husband and son, and still won’t sleep with her back to the door.

BENNETT BOWMAN: In the Woods

Adventure, Artistic, Submissions, , ,

Damp dirt, a canopy of trees blanketing the ground in cool shade. Ferns, sprouting from the earth, clumping around misty redwoods, silent.

A fairy circle, a clear patch of earth. Something small wanders around. It flutters and flocks, swaying under the shade, brushing along the forest floor.

Fairies live here.

Bennett Bowman is a student at a small highschool in California. He’s definitely going to be famous someday.

SANDRA JAMES: Last Laugh

Artistic, Submissions, , ,

Diet #304: day one. I emerge at dawn hoping no one will see me jiggling and wobbling in my tracksuit. Overhead a kookaburra begins his song, laughter echoing years of torment. I pause. Go back and feed my pain with buttery toast? No, this time I’ll have the last laugh.

Sandra James writes from a rural property in Central Victoria, Australia. Her first collection of short fiction, My Muse Wears a Purple Collar, is available on Kindle.

BOB THURBER: Habeas Corpus Ipso Facto

Adventure, Artistic, Submissions, Top Stories, , , ,

When the town-sheriff reported my mother dead, my grandfather disagreed.

Where’s her body, he said. Show me a body.

I drove us downtown. Our visit to the morgue silenced the old man.

That’s not her, he said on the ride home. There’s a resemblance, but I know my own daughter.

Bob Thurber is the author of six books. Regarded as a master of Flash and Micro Fiction, his work has appeared in Esquire and other magazines, been anthologized 60 times, received a long list of awards, and been utilized in schools and colleges throughout the world. He resides in Massachusetts. Visit his website at BobThurber.net.

SC SHELBY: The Amazing Disappearing Dominic

Adventure, Submissions, ,

The pair ambush their younger brother as he is practicing his magic, mid-portal-opening. But the vortex is uncontrolled—and uncontrollable without the rest of the spell.

It sucked the boy in, then the sisters, releasing a loud belch and a single shoe after.

Unaware, their mother continued watching her stories.

S. C. Shelby is a versatile author with a background in literature and creative writing. Her work spans children’s stories, speculative fiction, tragic dramas, and situational haiku. Under her dog’s name, she has contributed copywriting to various blogs and websites. Outside of writing, she enjoys reading, crafting, spending time with dogs, and travelling. See more at scshelbyauthor.wordpress.com.

GABRIELA LIMA: A Soul’s Suffocating Ambitions

Artistic, Submissions, , , ,

How many lives can I live in this one? To be a radiant woman, a passionate lover, a sweet daughter, a caring sister, a diligent worker, and a successful businesswoman. A shining example of humanity, child of God, daring to dream. How many souls must I embody in this lifetime?

Gabriela Lima wrote this story.

KEVIN HOPSON: The Villain

Adventure, Amusing, Submissions, , , , , ,

Being a superhero isn’t easy, especially for a working mother. But moments like this make it worthwhile. I grasp the mask, revealing the villain’s face. My eyes bulge.

“Jake?” I croak.

“Sorry, Mom.”

“That’s all you have to say?”

“You’re never home. It was the only way to see you.”

Kevin’s work has appeared in a variety of anthologies, magazines, and e-zines, and he enjoys writing in multiple genres. You can learn more about Kevin by visiting his website at kmhopson.com.