A Quiet Day in Hell by Mary Byrne In a corner of verdant countryside, a priest’s mother is washing an accumulated several months of linen sheets in a giant pot over an outdoor fire. She moves them around occasionally, raising…
The 1796 Spinning Wheel List
The 1796 Spinning Wheel List by Karen Walker Pursuant to the Scheme offered for encouraging the Growth of Flax throughout the Kingdom, to the Person who shall sow a quantity of land with a sufficient quantity of good sound Flax,…
Der Bibliophile
Der Bibliophile by Nicola Davison My timeworn lungs buckle, but I don’t want to close the window. I push it wide open to be reacquainted with Freud, Kafka, and Hemingway as they rise, shifting and swirling to reach me. It…
The Peony Hairpin
The Peony Hairpin by Q.Y. Tie The empress dowager whispers open the seals between her selves. The empress stabs the dying emperor with her peony hairpin, watches his blood spurt in impossibly bright streaks, listens to his impossibly hurt accusations.…
Harald Hardrada Intensifies
Harald Hardrada Intensifies by Lindz McLeod As history tells it, Harald Hardrada waded into the battle of Stamford Bridge with both hands on his sword, cutting men down left and right. Buoyed by battle-rage, he refused to wear body armour…
Fragments
Fragments by Katie Oliver 1. Eve has been informed by her mother of what is to happen: there can be no negotiation. She smooths her brown dress over her knees, focusing upon the weave of the linen; the pulled threads…
Enkidu’s Harlot
Enkidu’s Harlot by Patience Mackarness Back then I was a legend, at the top of my profession. They called me queen of harlots. When rumours of Enkidu first reached the city of Uruk, I was planning my retirement. I had…
All the King’s Puppets and All the King’s Strings
All the King’s Puppets and All the King’s Strings by Avra Margariti King Alexander dreams of puppets. Stringed dolls of tanned wood and fabric-scrap fatigues fighting losing battles for freedom. You must never forget that we are foreigners, his father…
Backstory: Five Questions with Genevieve Allen
Backstory: Five Questions with Genevieve Allen Author of Half Past Two What inspired you to write ‘Half Past Two’? Almost all of my pieces are inspired by two things: nature, and the stories of LGBTQ+ people throughout history. The inspiration…
Half Past Two
Half Past Two by Genevieve Allen The wallpaper was growing increasingly difficult to ignore. That morning, Lyle had felt the same vague distaste for its sugary green and twee mauve flowers that he always had. Then he’d read the paper,…