Fiction - Year II - Number 6 - March 2017

MRS. HENDRICKSONBy Debra Levy Billy Jr. was swimming in the lake with his mother. He was a good swimmer for a five-year-old, fearless in the water. They were out beyond the pier, in the drop-off...

PICKING COLORSBy Terry Sanville In a field along an eastern reach of the Gambia River, Nyima picked cotton. Her daughter suckled at her breast as she stooped to pluck the white fluff from the sharp...

CAT AND DOGBy Kirk Weixel Back then the streetcars would come sparking and clacking around the corner down from the turnaround at California Avenue as they headed into town, and Tony Hunter would stretch out...

SICK AT THE THOUGHTBy Joshua Hren Little Michael let himself in the backdoor, his lank hand firm around the hydraulic meant to ease the door shut without slam, his black bangs cut in such a...

BRAND NEW DANCEBy Kathryn M. Barber In high school, Miller lived right across the street from the Carter Fold. Next to the barn that belonged to Miller’s daddy sat an even bigger barn, one that...

THE RANSOMBy Daniel Davis          They arrived fifteen minutes ahead of schedule.  Mark started to invite them in, but the lead man, roughly the size of a small shed, punched him in the jaw.  Two...

WORRIED FATHER-TO-BEBy Norbert Kovacs The doctor had disliked how the medical student had cleaned a wound during operation and wanted to talk about it during his break. The doctor was off in twenty minutes but...

TWIN ESCALADEBy John Tavares Gasping, David called from the telephone in the hospital emergency department. After three attempts, he remembered his niece’s cell phone number. Coughing, he called Sofia at the gym, where she freelanced...

FIRST MOVEBy Sara Mortimer-Boyd Identical houses emerged in great numbers to encircle this secluded desert wilderness. Patty had nothing to do, so on the Saturday morning before voting day, she took her teenage daughter to...

SCRY  By Jason D. Grunn             I’m getting sick of waiting. I’ll have a trapping expert within the next hour? They shouldhave extended that estimate by two, or even three. Checking the sun dial on the...