Short Fiction
Bea and the Shotgun
In a mountain cabin after the end of the world, Bea waits for her sister and confronts an old threat.
Section
Fiction
Showing 1-24 of 549 pieces
Short Fiction
Bystanders
A story about Raul, suspicion, and the danger of deciding no one else will act.
Short Fiction
First Place, Second Place
Two former runners return to the track after an accident changes everything.
Flash Fiction
Golden Summer
A compressed memory of one golden summer before everything changed.
Short Fiction
Oppression
A courtroom monologue turns blame, violence, and self-justification into testimony.
Fiction
Tracks
She’d started throwing the bottles, the smashed glass in shards, pulling everything out of the trash and hurling it on the ground.
Fiction
Antipodal Sundays
Bill had his assistant google “antipode”. “An antipodal point is the opposite side of the world to where you are.”
Fiction
Cigarettes and Practical Pumps
After Lucian died, Ellen had to figure out what to do with his body, and how to contact his family.
Fiction
Blood Moon
From our homes around The Hollow, we bore the motley lights of our brief vigil, the diffuse and brilliant smartphone glow,
Fiction
Of Blood and Ink
“Happy belated birthday,” said the other officer, and they both gave me their backs on their way to the cruiser parked on the driveway.
Fiction
Fast And Good Never Agree
How he loved that desk! Of course, he was proud of it, but more than that, it held the memories of a lifetime of service.
Fiction
Acts of Creation
And they came to the places in which ideas resided. They took from the libraries and the galleries and the museums the books and the artworks that were no longer needed.
Fiction
Strawberry Juice
While the children gather around my glass enclosure, giggling as my nose twitches at the scent of earth, I think back to what I was taught about being a rabbit when I was a kid.
Fiction
Gabriel’s Touch
On Wednesday morning when the old red Hyundai Sonata makes its way down the gravel drive, pulling up in front of the house,
Fiction
Long Shadows
When he first heard of his father’s illness, it was mentioned in passing: a casual note at the end of a letter from his sister
Fiction
A Ghost Story
This is the fabric of her evenings: she carves seashells from soap until the basket runs out of unshaped bars and the mosquitoes grow ripe with her blood.
Fiction
An Improper Wife
The bus station was within walking distance, and buses going anywhere and everywhere awaited her.
Fiction
The Flower Boy
The boy was also not without a sense of humor, and would sometimes weave the fronds
Fiction
The Purple Ceiling
Studio RAI seemed able to attract the biggest names, despite the irritating host. Even Mina appeared one Friday evening.
Fiction
Promises, Power, and Pain
He remembered a night not long ago when she had said, “I need you, Brian.” He had arrived home late again
Fiction
Dear Miss Jessup
The excitement and drama that comes with love and danger struggling against a dictatorship is clearly described in your attempt to flee to Mexico with your lover
Fiction
Metamorphosis
Fear compels you to become more circumspect about your flights.
Fiction
Witness
Ruth couldn’t remember what they had been doing before, why she decided to linger while the rest of the building hurried to the shelter
Fiction
Jessica
Naturally, Billy did not have many friends. He was simply too inconvenient to have around.