Fiction - Year VI - Number 47 - April 2021

The Road Veronica Suchodolski             Ella liked visiting Dean. The town where he went to college was quiet and wooded, and in the fall it smelled like chimney smoke and the sweet decay of leaves dissolving...

As Long as the Dep Can Join the Dots By Mike Hickman “So, let me get this straight…” Inspector Crichton said, chewing the end of his pencil and ruffling his candyfloss cloud of white hair. “If...

ALL THE DIFFERENCE  By Chris Barker Ethan strolled past the rows of brightly lit photographs that were mounted on the sharp white walls of The Barracks Gallery. The floorboards shone like glass and reflected each image...

Ned Thayer ~ Outdoorsman ~             The doorbell rang and Ned crutched his way from the sofa, past the granite-countered kitchen island, and into the hallway of his Aspen condo. Before he could get to the...

MR. GORBACHEV, TEAR DOWN THIS WALL With five trash bags in my right hand and whistling “The Yellow Rose of Texas,” I walked toward the six-foot-high, ten-foot-long wall my dad built on our lawn. Every...

1st Floor Please By Loria Davis “Hold the door! Hold the door, please!” she yelled.             No way! After the way Stephanie embarrassed me in our staff meeting, I didn’t want to hold anything for her!  Everyone...

THE POWER OF MUSIC Rachel opened the door of her townhouse to see Patrick, Bay City’s leading impresario, pick nervously at the sleeve of his navy-blue blazer.             “I’m in a terrible jam!” he said.             Rachel...

Cardboard Islands Michael Overa             There is an archipelago inside the house on Fourth and Drapier.             Seven large folding tables comprise the entire group of islands. One table for each island. James enters his house through...

Kinderkare Meredith Wadley I. The parents Absolutely two kinds of parents leave their kids with us, those who appreciate what we do for them and those who patronize us. Although I don’t like being patronized, I won’t...

IMPACT WINTER By Shaun Polakow The sky was a crime scene without clues, bereft of moon or sun. Casket black and unchanged by time or season it cast the icy tundra below in darkness. The only...