The Garden Statue by Amy Barnes The lady of the house pays me not to move. It isn’t enough for her to have garden statues made of stone. To have a genteel party, there must be living statues. There are…
Gutted
Gutted by Ceinwen E Cariad Haydon The telegram came one cold Friday in September, and within minutes Stella knocked on the door of my Ladies’ Boarding House. ‘Rachel,’ she said. ‘Wor lad. He’s missing. Missing in action.’ ‘My poor hinny,’ I said. She collapsed into my arms,…
Shoes in the Wall
Shoes in the Wall by Olivia Fitzsimons They took his shoes, they slipped them from his feet and placed them in the wall, beside the lintel of the door. They cut the wattle away as I lay drowned in my bed,…
The Fire She Feels
The Fire She Feels by Kate Finegan Mama always knew there was something about that lightning, even before that old rascal Franklin tied a key to a kite. Mama, she attracts lightning, always has. Been struck six times. Once with…
Snow in March
Snow in March by Emma Venables Anna skirts around the ruins of Berlin, around burst waterpipes and mangled tramlines. Her eyes are on the blue, inspecting the gap-toothed skyline for movement. She stands on her tiptoes, gets knocked sideways by a…
Inner Thief
Inner Thief by Claire Polders Her husband folds his hand over hers, the one wielding the knife, and she stops slicing the breakfast bread. He says they have enough. Their eyes meet. The word “enough” sounds foreign to her, as…
In Dead Waters
In Dead Waters by Sarah Arantza Amador You think we stayed safe while you discovered the New World. The calendar marches forward but seasons come in cycles. Spring brought pirates at rosy dawn and we were under attack. We held our…
The Partitioning of Dreams
The Partitioning of Dreams by Susmita Bhattacharya She kept walking. Though her feet were raw and bleeding she kept walking. Though her tongue was swollen with thirst and her eyes crusted with tears, she kept walking. She lost a slipper…
Once Upon A Time In Philadelphia
Once Upon A Time In Philadelphia by Tia Ja’Nae Steel melts at 2500°F. Pigs made sure it’s hotter than that so our dark, meaty flesh roasts to a crisp at the police barbeque. Feels like I’m melting. Can’t barely…
How Monday was Made
How Monday was Made Guy Biederman It’s been a rough day. Ice Age in the morning, Vesuvius after lunch, and the loss of God’s favorite trattoria in Pompeii…. God rolls a joint, invents the match, and fires up around 5:00,…