Fiction – Year V – Number 40 – September 2020

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...

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...

The Unknown Man By: Angelic Hinojosh Mario awoke obstinately, "Today is the day!" he declared. Today he will travel down Main Street to the ice-cream parlor that cozily sat in-between the pizza shop and the insurance...

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...

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  (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...

Holy Sword By Kevin Auker As the summer sun rained down on the kingdom of Scarlet, manning his post as normal was the king’s trusted knight Xavier. His job was simple, to not allow anyone to...

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...

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,...