“It is well-known that there are many faces in the world over the finishing of which nature did not take much trouble, did not employ any fine tools such as files, gimlets, and so on, but simply hacked them out with round strokes: one chop-a nose appears; another chop-lips appear;…
Tag: fiction
This Book Is Full of Spiders: Seriously Dude, Don’t Touch It! Review by Rebecca Nelson
**Editor’s Note: This is a special review serving as a throwback to our high school selves and their favorite books. Have you ever had an intensely realistic dream that you forget the moment you wake up, only to forever feel as though you’d had an epiphany about the meaning of…
“Turner’s Comedy” by Martin Bremer (2015)
The pistol lies across the desk from me—out of reach, but pointing straight at my chest. Halogen lamps flood the interrogation room—I can almost feel my innards incinerate as the brightness forces its way through my retina—every crevice, every wrinkle of me, laid bare, out in the open—illuminated. I’m trying…
“Morning on Cathedral Parkway” by Lillie Gardner (2015)
Waking up after being awake all night from sweating under your blankets and out of your blankets and leaning against the wall to cry and cough, with your loose shirt slipping off my shoulders, with too much of the moonlight bouncing off the cold cars in the parking lot below…
“Glorious” by Amy Martin (2015)
Glimpses of his dreams pass by his eyes in the calm solitude of the waiting window. It’s one thing in Sean’s life that he wants slow and still and calm. One of few. He always seems in a rush. In a way, he is; in a way no one but…
“Cold Water” by Catherine Hires (2015)
Nia was still sleeping when I woke up. She was snoring loudly as I crawled my way down the rickety ladder that supported my lofted bed. I walked past her bed, her open mouth smushed ungracefully against her pillow, and made my way into the kitchen. I turned on the…
“Wrong Crowd” by Ethan Sheehan (2009)
Bradley had never wanted to get mixed in with that crowd. But it seemed beyond his control. His best friend, Alex, had started hanging out with them, so Bradley went along with it. It wasn’t that bad at first. Drinking or smoking; it didn’t hurt anybody. But then the crimes…
“Vive la Révolution” by Timothy Stobierski (2009)
II was born under the lion as he commingled with the snake, but conceived when the dragon pillaged the great scales of their gold. “Who am I?” were my first words; they passed by unanswered. III heard the words of God as a child, but He has grown silent. The…
“Penance” by Lillian R. Handleman (2009)
The paunching of Dan’s belly that once sported lean muscle exposed a doughy adipose mass protruding from just above his belt. One could say his belly was a monument to all the fallen heroes of love gone wrong—those weary soldiers adrift in marital limbo who seek comfort in swigs of…
“Most Friends Ever” by Linda Courtland (2009)
“We’ve identified you as the person with the fewest friends on Facebook,” the email said. “But don’t worry, help is on the way.” It was high school all over again, and I was being cyber-bullied by a social networking site for not being one of the cool kids. I typed…