His Manly Invasions by T. Dallas Saylor

A found-text poem using text from the Declaration of Independence

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The Alley House by Elaine Ashley

Rowan and her friends stumble upon a haunting, but the heat gets turned up when a Ouija game goes haywire.

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The Flag at Dollar General by Timothy Ngome

An outsider’s darkly comic reflection on America as a chaotic, lonely, generous, and stubbornly hopeful country held together by absurdity, reinvention, and people who somehow keep going anyway

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independence day by Sidney Butler

What would you do if you found out your no good lying father was signing the Declaration of Independence?

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Eat the Rich by Austin S. Harris

A billionaire moves into a strange new apartment complex that hides a sinister secret

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Free for the Taking by Ann Hoekstra

A forager gathering free greens off the unsprayed edge of a field behind a grocery store traces her small rebellion back through the whole American habit of surviving on the land — and the people — nobody else wanted.

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The Hounds by Victor DeBianchi

A man is haunted by visions of hounds in a dystopian but familiar America

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Charlie’s Choice by Austin S. Harris

A young liberal obsessed with doing good is visited by a time traveler from the future and faces an ethical dilemma.

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Exiles of Kronos by Charles Ta

In a secret government facility being shut down for unethical operations, a Colonel shows a curious Lieutenant the true horrors of tampering with temporal continuity.

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This Time, Forever by Sidney Butler

A young woman falls in love with a boy who never remembers her

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Alpha Centauri by Casper Schmidt

A scientist is tasked to travel to a distant planet for a rescue mission

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Linienzugbeeinflussung by Trong Le

The hazy train of thought of an immigrant boy through the years

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11AM in Camden by Sarah Butkovic

Edie, newly ingratiated into the post-collage adult world, reunites with her younger cousin and his friend for a weekend of shenanigans in an attempt to recreate the summers they shared when they were kids.

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Hoop Skirt on a Catwalk by Rebekah Norris

A poem about a child turning her front yard into a royal stage

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An Honest Dating Profile by Alex Ebel

a dating profile from the POV of a woman starting over again

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Eldest Daughter Complex by Ellie

Poems about the rage of an eldest daughter turning from girl to woman

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Someone Else At Carrie’s School by Austin S. Harris

Set in the world of Stephen King’s “Carrie,” another kid at Carrie’s school decides whether to stand up for her.

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The Art of Flying by Sidney Butler

Elijah, a young boy from the inner city of Detroit wants to be the world’s greatest flyer in an alternative future where humans have wings.

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illustration by: Bianca LoCascio

My First Day On Planet Earth by Jabari McDonald

An alien takes a trip to Earth for the first time

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Little Rebellions by Nancy Simmermaker

A non-comprehensive list of life’s little rebellions

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the ants have invented teleportation by Sidney Butler

a divorced man witnesses a scientific phenomenon in his backyard

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An Orange Man Descends a Golden Escalator by Victor DeBianchi

a humorous essay on dictatorship

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Two White People Bickering About Trash by Jenah Silver

A non-fiction piece about a neighbor dispute that goes wrong

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illustration by: Bianca LoCascio

At Once, Madly by Ivy Malone

In a love letter to the magical city of New Orleans, a heartbroken woman must pull herself together to attend her best friend’s bachelorette party where she meets a sexy jazz musician.

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Be Cool by Nancy Simmermaker

When a girl who always follows her heart but never modern-day dating rules meets the love of her life, she struggles to find the balance between acting on her instincts and playing hard(ish)-to-get.

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hotel mojito by Sidney Butler

While traveling in Mallorca with her boyfriend and his WASPy family, a black girl realizes she’ll never belong in his world.

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Arcana VI - The Lovers by Elaine Ashley

A young man is burdened by dreams he can’t remember. It starts to bleed into his waking life, forcing him to re-evaluate his connection with the ordinary world and his current girlfriend.

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Candled Flame by Jordan Miles

When a spunky teenager is hired at her job, a middle-aged retail clerk, Patricia, instantly takes the girl under her wing. Boundaries slowly blur when Patricia confuses adoration with obsession. 

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Tunnel of Love by Austin Harris

A boy desperate to save his relationship turns to an old family tradition involving the tunnel of love

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illustration by: Bianca LoCascio

New Leaves by Melinda Li

A woman serially reinvents herself across continents while her complicit friend follows

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The Best Part of Waking Up by Marcelena Campos Mayhorn

A woman frees herself from emotional captivity

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Nekwōman by Sidney Butler

In Satane, Lousiana Juniper Dupree desperately wants to be a witch

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Upon Leda by Elaine Ashley

A young woman negotiates her future with a god

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A Night Beneath the Stars by Austin Harris

A high school senior is excited to go to prom with his girlfriend, but must be home at midnight

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illustration by: Bianca LoCascio

Their Eyes Below by Jordan Miles

while visiting family for the holidays, a girl discovers a frightening truth in the basement

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. . .

The Mistress by Karen McHenry

a young woman finds out the truth about her parents

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. . .

Utopia by Sidney Butler

a poem about the creature at the end of the world

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. . .

The Feu Follet by Elaine Ashley

a girl visits her grandmother in Franklin, Louisiana, like she does every summer.

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. . .

Second Nature by Victor DeBianchi

infidelity rocks a couple’s relationship in modern-day New York City

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illustration by: Bianca LoCascio

THE THEME IS….

Sea Food by Elaine Ashley

A young woman takes a catering job on a private island

“You’re not in uniform,” She says, shoving a pair of black pants and a button-up black shirt into your arms. You weren’t invited to this island; you came to work.

You’re needed in the kitchen, in your uniform.

You follow Abbey through the mansion grounds, towards the kitchen in the northwest part of the house. The plants are tropical and female, sprouting fruit and not pollen. Everything is green and slightly damp, lush and vibrant. Soon, the courtyard will be full of people with better lives than yours. The kind of people wealthy enough to warrant an invitation to a private island owned by wealthy oil tycoons like Nathaniel Scott.

In the kitchen, your new boss sits you down. Her face is red with stress, and her hair is thin and brown. She runs a hand through it before taking a breath. She congratulates you and tells you that your paycheck will be fat. But there are rules. You can’t talk to the Chef or touch him. You can’t talk to the guests (even though Abbey says everyone does it; you just have to be discreet about it).

And most importantly, don’t go in the freezer.

. . .

[TO KEEP READING CLICK BELOW]

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Craplet by Suehee Chang

A woman is convinced a stew will change her life

The beef stew is bubbling nicely. Well, technically it’s called boeuf bourguignon, but she knew Jason wouldn’t take kindly to the uppity-ness of its provenance. “So basically, you mean beef stew.” This was the exchange she was hoping to avoid with a rebranding.

There are few greater indignities than an ill-equipped sublet. Mismatched furniture, weird fabrics, a kitchen that is foreign to your body. Esther maneuvers awkwardly in browning, braising, chopping, slicing, and mincing ingredients into a murky brown mixture that emits a gurgle every few seconds.

In it lies parts from a giant hunk of beef chuck, from the nice butcher on 85th street, stored carefully in Esther’s damp backpack for the journey home. She realizes she committed the greatest moral transit sin: putting her backpack on the ground when she grew tired of clutching it in front of her. Hopefully no pests crawled into it, and she feels guilty about her role as steward for a slab of meat she acquired so lovingly.

She carefully wipes all surfaces: the pot lid, the plate her wooden spoon was resting on, the slivers of speckly black quartz between the sink, stove, and fridge. She can’t have splatters of ugly paprika-dyed beef fat along the burners – absolutely not. I might not have a real lease, and a bad haircut from a lady in Ankara, but at least I have this stew.

. . .

[TO KEEP READING CLICK BELOW]

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Blonde by Austin S. Harris

a criminal is on the loose, so the radio says

“I need you to close and lock all the windows! It’s supposed to rain tonight. We don’t want the carpets getting wet!”

Barry let out a long, loud sigh… it was safe because his father’s grating voice was coming all the way from downstairs. Barry hated the fact that it felt like he mostly existed to do things his parents didn’t feel like doing. If the carpets were so damn important, why couldn’t his dad close the windows himself? Or better yet, why couldn’t they just run the A.C. like every other house on the block?

“Okay!” Barry shouted back. It was the sort of “okay” that meant he would get around to it when he felt like it, if at all.

Barry was more focused on the music playing in his headphones, and the trees just outside his room. The family’s house was surrounded by forest, and the leaves were slowly turning beautiful autumn colors before falling to the ground. Sometimes, when he focused on music and nature, he could pretend he wasn’t trapped in a prison, forced to do menial tasks for little-to-no thanks.

“Honey!”

This time, it was his mother. Why couldn’t they group their announcements together?

Barry pulled a headphone out of his ear like it was a daunting task.

“We’re getting ready to leave! Come on down!”

. . .

[TO KEEP READING CLICK BELOW]

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Petunia by Sidney Butler

a strange woman shows up to an engagement party uninvited

PETUNIA

Petunia arrived promptly at 7:00 pm because that is what respectful dinner guests do. She read that in her book The 7 Habits of a Highly Adaptive Individual. “Always arrive on time or exactly at the time stated on the invitation.” And 7 pm it was. She rang the doorbell twice. There was no answer. The boysenberry pie she held in her hands was getting cold. No one would dare to eat cold pie, so she pressed the doorbell again. She pressed her ear to the wooden door to listen and see if she could hear any commotion. Some may have thought this a very rude thing for her to do, but she would argue that she was just trying to make sure there was no danger inside, no ruckus she would need to take heed of. But when she listened inside, there was nothing. Hm. How peculiar, but more than that, how rude! But Petunia, if anyone, was not about to back down from a fight. She KNOCKED, hard, this time, and very rapidly. Minutes into her knocking the door opened. Bridgette stared at Petunia quizzically before saying: “May I help you?”

Petunia smiled a wide grin that showed her two crooked, lipstick-stained front teeth, and replied: “I’m here for the dinner party.”

Bridgette, genuinely confused, said without thinking: “Who comes to a dinner party on time?” Then moved out of the way and let Petunia in.

Petunia made herself comfortable in Bridgette’s home. She handed her her winter coat and said she’d take a room temperature water, since ice made her dizzy. Bridgette had a towel over her wet hair and a Brooklinen robe on. She was not expecting company any time soon. And this bothered Petunia a lot.

. . .

[TO KEEP READING CLICK BELOW]

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Patient Zero by Ivy Malone

a mysterious illness spreads through an unsuspecting household

Hello. Hi. I’d like to tell you a little bit about myself if you don’t mind. I’m hoping you can get to know me, before it’s too late.

For much of my life, I’ve lived in a cozy little home, surrounded by my closest friends and family. It’s been a beautiful, simple life. I’ve never felt the need to complain.

My housemates and I live in a humble dwelling—soft padding covers the floor and everywhere I look, I see plenty of small windows that let in the cool, fresh air from outside. We love the windows. The cooler the air, the better.

Living with all my friends and family has given me great joy and comfort. There’s always someone around to keep me company. Anytime I have a problem, I have lots of loved ones to go to. And they know they can lean on me as well—both literally and figuratively. I can’t imagine being on my own in this little home. I wouldn’t like that very much.

So as you can see, I’ve had a nice life. A safe life. A happy life.

But lately, I’ve begun to feel as though something is off.

. . .

[TO KEEP READING CLICK BELOW]

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Ghost stories. They go back to the beginning of time. Anxious faces gathered around a campfire. Shadows illuminated by candlelight. The light chill when you walk into a foreign space. A presence that only exists at bedtime. A bump in the night. A thing you can’t quite explain.

All of these feelings and more are highlighted in our October Issue.

Read…if you dare!! 👻

“The Disturbening” by Austin S. Harris

follows an overworked assistant as he tries to make an impression on his boss

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“The Laundry Room” by Victor DeBianchi

follows a widow who is haunted by her laundry room

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“The Old House on Maple Drive” by Sidney Butler

tells the story of a haunted suburban home through decades of Americana

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“Picture Bride” by Elaine McHenry

follows a young bride as she boards a ship to America to escape her haunted past

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This month’s short stories are written by: Sidney Butler, Elaine McHenry, Victor DeBianchi and Austin S. Harris. Original artwork by: Elaine McHenry

“The Time Traveler” by Sidney Butler

is a meditation on what it could mean to have someone visit from the future

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“The Last Forest in Ascotia” by Elaine Ashley

tells the story of a black bear who tries to protect the fictional forest of Ascotia

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“Lavender Pool” by Victor DeBianchi

is an epic romance about class, set on a futuristic cruise ship.

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“No One Is Alone Anymore” by Austin S. Harris

is about the daily tasks of one man, set entirely in his house.

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“My Best Friend Mac” by Sidney Butler

tells the story of a parasocial relationship between one woman and her computer

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