Larry’s coworkers formed a threatening circle around his cubicle: arms spread, fingertips touching, staring emotionless. He was despised for his pessimism: always speaking of murders, car accidents, drug dealings, adultery, death.

Speechless now, Larry’s thought was quietly heard: Coven.

His coworkers softly opened their wings. “Of sorts,” one responded aloud.

Philip Matcovsky’s writing is nominated for Best Small Fictions 2026. It features in DarkWinter Literary Magazine, Brilliant Flash Fiction, Amethyst Review, Braided Way Magazine, Odyssey Magazine, and elsewhere. Philip is a lightworker and cosmic traveler based in New York.