Fiction – Year V – Number 40 – September 2020

BAD COFFEE By: Alicia Young             Kira twirled her index finger repeatedly around the metal utensil submerged in her caramel latte. She despised the waiting game as much as she despised the beverage, but she remained...

The Kiss Kayla wanted to kiss a man at 12:45 a.m. under the midnight sun during the finale of the fireworks display in Eagle River, Alaska. That was her goal. “It would be sooooooo romantic,” she...

"LOYALTY" "I don't know what in hell you expect from me," Ross Tanner growled as Ackerman entered his Las Vegas office. "Fifteen minutes of your time, plus a few answers." "C'mon, we both know most of these...

Don't Tell He stands next to my desk and uses this pen with green ink to mark my homework.  I’m so used to the red markings that every other teacher uses, I have to stare...

Lone Star Dan Carpenter "You're here with the conference?" the clerk asked as he paid for his inspirational paperback and his Dentyne. "Al-Anon," he replied, trying to meet her lowered blue-green eyes and instinctively bumping up his...

Something About July There's something about July here in the Wickenburg valley, something about the warm desert air it brings in sends the town folks into a frenzy. Of course, they themselves don’t notice it....

Chuck’s Diner by Noah Walker The sizzling, smoking sound of the grill combined with the crackling of the meat as Chuck tossed it over or pressed against it with a well-practiced hand, accompanied by otherwise blissful...

FIREBREAK John Tavares When Spirit called the reception desk for the results of blood tests, Dr. Windier insisted on a follow-up appointment at the clinic. The locum doctor said she couldn’t reveal the results of her...

DOJOJI  By David Massey             I am pacing, like a wild animal in a cage, waiting for Mr. Mason.  He will be carrying a gun, and I expect to die and my whole family, too.  And...

Malcolm at Midlife It had been two months, which was longer than usual. She was prettier than some of the others, more interesting. Cassandra. Even her name was interesting. It was more than that, though–she...