Fiction – Year VIII – Number 60 – August 2023

“Dear friends and family,” begins the priest. “We are gathered here today to commemorate the life of a great man on this brisk and beauteous Sunday.”             The sun shines down on the crowd that...

When he woke at noon to the sound of buzzing cicadas and fuggy heat, the first thing that came to Lloyd Sherman’s mind was a memory of water. The slip of the canoe into...

The tension was as thick as the mist of the winding mountain road. Mile markers seemed to fly by as quickly as the minutes. A gentle hum from the heater and the beating of...

"What can I do, Joanna?  I want to help."             I turned away from Magda's outstretched arms and averted the hug she had tried to give twice before. The late afternoon sunlight filtered through the...

I should’ve been a cowboy. I’d have learned to rope and ride, as the song goes. I’d have lived a life without rules, a life without borders and a life without states or nations, because out...

Early morning.  Crisp autumn of the schoolyard.  Beginning of the school day.  Donna’s father crouches.  Squatting he points.  To guide Donna.  Long high wall.  Blocking October sun.  In front of the wall Donna’s father. ...

When the girls decided to have a "bull" session, they really didn't know what it was. They assumed it was where you sat in a circle, and everyone frankly shared her view of the...

Step after step the beat of drums grew louder, the dreary moss hangs from the grated cubes that line the ceiling, blood coursing through my veins like an untamable river rapid. My vision focused...

Remember to be proud of yourself, you have worked so hard to get here. You’ve conquered everything that was in your way of this dream. Mom would be so proud of you; everyone is...

So, I was at my complex laundromat. I was the only person there. I did see a black sedan parked outside. I wasn't concerned about that at all.    I continued with my laundry. Something...