BAD COFFEE by Alicia Young
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 by Debbie Cutler
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 by Alan Swyer
"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 by Keith Manos
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...
MALCOLM AT MIDLIFE by Kevin Taylor
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...
CONJURED by Mary Daurio
Conjured
Jamie shivered, and pulled the covers closer around himself. He escaped into his book and illuminated every word with a flashlight. The sounds in the rest of the house...
TEX MOSTLY by Raymond Tatten
TEX MOSTLY
It was August, and it was hot. Mom moved my older brother Hank and me from a Lowell triple-decker apartment to our father’s farm hidden deep in the New England woods. With...
THE BEGINNING OF AN END by Max Johansson
The Beginning of an End
After returning the pamphlet to where it had lain, Johan shouldered on his jacket, slumped down onto the porch and pulled on his leather shoes – tying the final knot,...
THE WELFARE CHECK by Tara Flaherty Guy
The Welfare Check
Joe Harkness stamped his feet outside of his squad car, trying to knock as much of the grey slush from his boots as he could before sliding in. It was a futile,...
LIES by William Torphy
LIES (As Mentiras)
William Torphy
Docento was a master on the pandeiro, the Brazilian tambourine, and was considered
the best percussionist in Santa Teresa, one of Rio’s many crowded hillside neighborhoods where music could...