Daryl awoke and found the fist-like lump just under his jawline. His wife was busy with the children—the children who were too careless to notice while he shuffled to get his coffee and a bowl of cereal. At the factory, his supervisor said Daryl needed to go to the doctor, but instead Daryl went to… more
Category Archives: Fiction
Tiger Man
Fiction by Ethan CasteloHe saw a strange version of himself. Despite the long scar down his chest, simply exposing his skin to the V at his navel created some kind of sexuality, something primal and full of energy. The tiger, the bell-bottoms—he surrendered to their absurdity, their excess, the sheer suggestion of showmanship. He kicked out the flared fabric then brought his legs down into a wide stance and swiveled his hips. He circled his hands in a karate chop move he’d seen Elvis deliver on stage, and then he dropped into one of the dramatic crouches Elvis sometimes used to punctuate the end of a song. … more
Bittermoon
Fiction by Joel WayneDrunk and jealous in an exotic locale, he wonders: “What’s the opposite of a honeymoon?”… more
You Don’t Get to Do This
Fiction by James YatesThe thoughts wouldn’t leave her head as Cal left for work on Monday, and when Graham wrapped his hands around her waist, pulling her up for a kiss as soon as he walked inside the house.… more
August in Montreal
Fiction by Nathan ElliottHe stood a little too close, whispered a little too urgently. … more
Prometheus
Fiction by Ethan FleisherBlood is forever boy, he said. You remember that. Don’t ever forget it. I know, I know, the boy told him. The boy spit and kicked a mound of thawing slush. It was a cold evening. Purple-gray. Half-blind light failing. It would be dark in minutes. Where’s your sister at? She’s inside. Tell her to… more
To Harry’s Mother
Fiction by Kevin McFaddenYour son is a tough little bastard who can take quite a load of punishment.… more
Silence, Father
Fiction by Delvon T. Mattingly“When grandmother passed away, father grew reticent. And I was okay with it, since he abandoned his routine of scolding me for lacking masculinity. Since he didn’t condemn every tear that fell from my face, spewing the same toxic rhetoric of how I needed to emotionally withdraw and appear similar to a parapet wrapped in black derma, to protect everyone around me, just like him. When I thought I would cry most, I felt nothing.”… more
Tricks
Fiction by Adam Prince“And that was nice. Really nice. Just the two of us out there walking along the street, and if you ignored the duck that was probably dead, then we could have been some real couple who owned a dog together.”… more
