Off Island by David Ackley
There were only six passengers aboard the small ferry when it came about from the island dock and began to beat thickly through the cold grey November swells toward the main.
Signs and Wonders by Niyi Ademoroti
With God Evangelical Ministries—WIGEM for short—was founded six years ago.
The Geology of Judy Sedgwick by L. S. Bassen
Stranger than fiction was the newly discovered truth that there was more water under the Earth than in all the oceans on its surface.
Two Down, A Million To Go by A.N. Block
“Think that hurt?” Dad asked, but I was rubbing my ear so hard, planning revenge, I could barely hear him.
Upstream at Ikea by Lori Ann Bloomfield
Darren had never imagined Stephanie Lawson beyond the weather report. Okay, he might have pictured her in a bikini on a beach when she read the vacation forecast, but he’d certainly never imagined her house.
Venice by Chris Bullard
His mom slammed the door of the dishwasher and shouted, “They said we had to evacuate.
Sunday at the Park by Jeff Burt
Sunday afternoon’s I sat in the backseat of my father’s car, books read and snacks crushed and Gameboy spent, waiting for the final hour my mother would come to the park and pick me up for the week
Lock Hard by P. Kearney Byrne
When Janet is dying, she asks for Eddie.
Liling by Kelly Cherry
During the early years of the Ming Dynasty, one young woman in particular was praised for her beauty.
Dallas of My Dreams by Arthur Davis
I moved south on Broadway, sucking down gulps of cold, dank air and stumbled into a crowd of tourists, their arms stretched taut around packages cloaked in brightly colored Christmas wrapping.
Even if It’s Only Me by Lance Dyzak
Carolyn read somewhere that in the ‘90s mothers were dropping their babies into public toilets.
The Conclusion of the Species by Soren Gauger
I had only gone so far as to mention to an old friend that I was deeply troubled by this certain ailment, and with a snap of his fingers he was off to make a few telephone calls; half an hour later he had, much to his evident satisfaction, fixed me up a rare appointment to see Porcheria.
I Hope You Have Now Found The Peace There You Couldn’t Find Here by James Hartman
A few weeks later I saw her at Kroger near the red delicious apples.
Hitler in Pasadena by Brett Jackson
I was standing at the snack bar window on a Saturday in 1980 when Jack walked up and told me that Adolf Hitler was alive and living in Pasadena.
Whatever You Can Spare by Thomas Kearnes
I never stand outside the store for long. At least, it never seems long after the first kind stranger presses a five or a wad of singles into my hand.
Fan Belts by Leonard Kress
The summer my fiancée Kylie and I finished up with grad school, I was lucky enough to secure a teaching position beginning in the fall.
The Visitors by Aimee LaBrie
At the age of thirty-five, Hazel finds herself living with her elderly mother in a retirement community called On Top of the World.
The Embrace by Catharine Leggett
So many of them Naomi had never met, the people who populated Eric’s life.
The Other Person by Nathan Leslie
You write the story in the second person. It’s your go-to point of view now.
A Reminder Between Your Eyes by Eric Maroney
The Chabadnik would not let Serino alone.
Pinch by Lucian Mattison
He just wanted his mother to come back and explain to him, again, how it was possible that she could love a man like Yohan.
Cindy Silk by Ed Meek
"Excuse me, Cindy, but these people tell me their food isn’t hot,” Angelo said.
One to One by Jay Merill
Señor José Fuentes sits with a folded smile today. You cannot read his eyes.
Christmas at Norma’s Pizza by Manek R. Mistry
She knows her staff steals from the register. Not a lot—surprising, because stoners can’t always manage subtlety—but enough to be noticeable, even though she doesn’t actually balance the till.
A Day at the Races by A. Scanlan O'Hearn
When Jimmy said they’d spend a day at the races, Jaycee thought of the expression, It’s a dog’s life, and then, what the fuck is that about? Any dog she ever knew was layin’ in the dirt in a hole-strewn back yard on a short leash next to an empty bowl.
Long Hair by Uche Okonkwo
My parents cut my hair the day after I got my admission letter into Model Secondary School.
Mourning in Miami by Marlene Olin
Martha liked blue hydrangeas. These were white. Anyone who truly knew her would have known that she liked blue
Secret Valley Birds by Dave Petraglia
“The hill will break your neck, Claire Roux,” Mssr. Fabre would say.
January 8, 2010 by Vincent Poturica
On the one-year anniversary of Lasantha Wickrematunge’s murder, two weeks before Sri Lanka held its general election and Prageeth Eklinagoda, another journalist, went missing for good,....
Angle by Glen Pourciau
I’m looking at my phone in a comfy chair at the mall, more or less unaware of anything around me, when a man sits in the matching chair to my right and starts in on me with his story.
For Official Use Only by Charles Rafferty
Marcus saw the station wagon pull away from the shoulder of Route 25, leaving behind a pile of fresh flowers in the snow.
Immortal Longings by Charles Rammelkamp
“I see Fahrenheit 9/11 is showing at the Bijou along with Princess Diaries 2. When did Brent Mitchum open a second screening room, anyway? The Bijou was always a single-screen cinema
The Green Parrot by Erik Raschke
Menno and Stacey had first run into Jacques and Coraleine at a fetish party.
Born Out of Love by Andrew Rhodes
My mom was forty-two years old when I was born, and my dad was forty-nine. They were unequipped parents and did not sign me up for sports or activities, which assured my status as interloper from a very young age.
Best of Three by John Sawney
Bing Crosby comes on the jukebox and now them silly little gets round the pool table are carrying on again, pissed out of their heads, singing along about how they’re dreaming of a shite Christmas.
Leveling by Chad Schuster
It was gray and cloudy but hot as shit. We were sweating through our t-shirts as we rode our bikes alongside the gridlocked highway, a stretch overrun by stoplights and big-box stores and Korean barbecue joints.
An Odd Eleven Scenes by Joshua Trach
“I can’t help it, listen to me,” I tell her.
The Wrath of the Norsemen by Lee Upton
When I consulted Audrey about my decision we were in a restaurant that smelled vaguely of parmesan cheese and old carpeting—a partly sweet, almost burning smell.
Entanglement by Sally Wagner
Christine is cleaning the kitchen for her mother when she turns around, and in the low evening light sees her neighbor, Nick Brower, at the back screen door.
Painted Walls by Will Walton
She dipped the roller in the pan then smeared streaks of pink across the blue wall. Drops of paint ran down like tears.
The Climatologist by Micah White
On the stick two pink lines appear. The climatologist curses and throws the applicator in the trash before fishing it out and examining it again.