by Peter Emmett Naughton Image by Joe Prachatree Holy Mary, full of grace, help me put things back in place. That had always been her father’s favorite saying. Erin wasn’t sure why he’d glommed onto that particular phrase. … Continue Reading
By Feng Gooi Image by Nick Photoworld Before the sirens cried, I could already feel it coming. It was an almost imperceptible shift in the air, not just in humidity but in reality, a small needle-sized puncture in… Continue Reading
By J. David Thayer Image by Smit The snow fell continually. Blizzard followed blizzard. The wind shook more than just the trees in the forest. It also seemed to shake the ground and the mountain and even… Continue Reading
By Kathy Bryson Image by Atelier Sommerland “Whadda I miss?” Startled by the thump of his boss’s sudden appearance, Robert glared at him, but clenched his teeth to keep from saying what he thought. There was a reason… Continue Reading
By Paul O’Neill Image by Smolina Marianna “What’s the issue, ya skinny piece of pish?” the man in the yellowed vest bellowed from his doorway. Maybe yer prick of a son shouldn’t have smashed ma two-year-old wi a… Continue Reading
By Paul Stansbury Image by Oliver Denker Autumn’s wireless headset blared ‘You Made Me This Way’, causing her throbbing headache to tremble in magnitude. Shouldn’t have had a good-luck-with-the-interview party all by myself. She tapped the button. “Hi, Mom.”… Continue Reading
By Bobby Harris Image by BsWei David sat in his old boxy armchair and waited to die, had been waiting for ten years now. Until recently he hadn’t felt the change—the one that always started in him at… Continue Reading
By Ed Chaney Image by Tithi Luadthong “We must burn the books!” The junior librarian of Alexandria cried, in supplication, creating a spectacle before Cydas could usher him away. He had soot and ash smeared across his legs.… Continue Reading
By Kathy Bryson Image by boscorelli “Oh, for the love of…” Officer Vincent Esposito dropped his head on the steering wheel and then winced as the blunt pain permeated his skull. “It’s a joke,” he tried to explain… Continue Reading
By Pat O’Malley (story first accepted and published by https://www.theweirdandwhatnot.com) Image by Elle Arden It was a calm, cloudy morning in the misty Catskill Mountains. Clouds floated lazily through the towering rocky mountains and grassy hills that… Continue Reading