Ben Dodge |‘Prerogatives’ Illustration by Daniele Murtas
The morning has begun with the great beams ripping the clouds apart, brilliant and bold and harsh against the smoky vista of the skyline. Explosions rumble; the distant tumble of buildings folding...
View ArticlePhilip Harris |‘Artificial Wife’ Illustration by Michael Ilkiw
Most of the time I can almost believe she’s real. She’s not, she’s a Mark IV Remote Surrogate – a “mote”. My real wife, Annabel, is back on Earth but the mote’s a perfect... The post Philip Harris |...
View ArticleBen Dodge |‘Audiocide’ Illustration by Darcy Rozen
It isn’t how I remembered it. The waiting. The hard return–the strike of something alive, twitching under a stratosphere at the bare edges of flickering displays and drifting star charts. Days of First...
View ArticleDave Novak |‘The Lonely Kiss’ Illustration by Lakshmy Mathur
“This will kill us one day,” Anna says. “You’d realize that, too. If only you’d let yourself.” “Stop that,” Tomas says. “You say that every time.” He squeezes her hand. *** Today is special.... The...
View ArticleW.A. Fix |‘Mitzi’ Illustration by Sayantan Halder
“Pssst…Bill … Hey, Bill, wake up. You’ve been sleeping for two full hours and now you need to wake up and talk to me. I can’t take this silence anymore,” whispered Mitzi. “Mitzi, damn... The post W.A....
View ArticleJoshua A. Colwell |‘Walking on Pins and Needles’ Illustration by Joey To
My eyes aren’t as blue as they used to be. They’re weathered and dull, not like when I was young. People used to comment on my eyes. They used to tell me I was... The post Joshua A. Colwell | ‘Walking...
View ArticleRaymond Shih |‘Exploration and Love’ Illustration by Terri Kelleher
Funny. After stepping out for the first time in eighteen months, some physical sensation seems appropriate. However, I suppose being in a spacesuit means that I am not truly outside at all. But that......
View ArticleBrandi Little |‘Vindication’ Illustration by Joey To
“Aliens! I knew it!” “Shut up Mike, there aren’t any aliens.” It didn’t matter what went wrong, if there wasn’t an immediate explanation Mike started screaming about aliens. Last year he didn’t check...
View ArticleErich Earl Forschler |‘Brothers’ Illustration by Cait Maloney
There are two of them. Leather armor, marching slowly closer. One arm heavy, one shoulder lower than the other. Brothers, defeated, emerging from the brown and black fog of dust and smoke. The sun......
View ArticleRebecca Harrison |‘The Folded Canyon’ Illustration by Terri Kelleher
Deep in a bustling city, a family lived in a narrow house. They cramped between chill walls as the streets outside stretched with cobblestones and crowds. From sunrise to twilight, the father trudged...
View ArticleIulian Ionescu |‘Those Eyes’ Illustration by Daniele Murtas
Frank Waltz was an old man. He was old seven years ago when he had his first heart attack, he was old yesterday when a bathroom trip took thirty five minutes, and he felt... The post Iulian Ionescu |...
View ArticleW.A. Fix |‘Testament’ Illustration by Sayantan Halder
The Lord said, “Let there be Darkness!” Then Darkness fell upon the Earth, and all that remained was the pounding of the horses’ hooves. After two days, the pounding stopped and Satan’s horses...
View ArticlePandora
“Did you see Pandora on TV? Her twenty-eighth sighting so far. She saved the day again. She’s totally Pandorable.” Hope giggled. Gus activated Etiquette 3, the compliant smile and conciliatory nod....
View ArticleLesbians in a Dragon
“Bloody dragons,” said Laura. Chloe couldn’t agree more. Being swallowed was bad enough, but the state of this thing’s stomach was beyond imagining. She flicked the flashlight around their fleshy...
View ArticleToo Far
She sits on a wooden bench in the public garden, a young woman in a long grey dress, legs crossed, elbow on her left knee, chin on her gloved fist. Two books with worn yellow covers lie next to her,...
View ArticleA Really Good Day
If you noticed Leslie Byrdson, you would probably wonder if he were one of the thousands released by mental institutions to wander city streets, homeless and in need of stabilizing medications. If you...
View ArticleYellow Light
David was born with a yellow light on top of his head. At first it was very dim. No one really noticed because he entered the world with twists and twirls of blond hair. His mother kissed his forehead...
View ArticleThe Fairy and the Tree
There was a girl out in the old church yard. The old Abbot paused on his walk around the grounds to consider the sight before him. There was a girl on the lawn, and judging by her unfamiliar...
View ArticleSkinwalking
They say yellow is the colour of cowardice and I’ve never doubted it. I feel hot waves of yellowness surge through me as I cringe in shadow now. It’s there to shame me; to show me up for what I am. I’m...
View ArticleInversion
“Dreams are corporeal in nature,” James said. “A manifestation of the other world breaking through.” The psychiatrist, who had been writing feverishly on a yellow notepad, paused. “You mean that dreams...
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