Things That Recede with Time by Lauren Howlett Invisible boundaries. The gum lines of aggressive brushers. Chins, if you’re a Hapsburg. The stamped fingerprints of once white shoes. Synthetic beards on aging tires, eroding like rootless rubber hillsides. Reflections of home in the rearview window. Oil on a hot pan, a screaming, droplet army retreating in … [Read more...] about Things That Recede with Time by Lauren Howlett
flash fiction
At a Funeral by Alyasa Abbas
At a Funeral by Alyasa Abbas Waseem Akbar was a friend of my father’s and my uncles – It was the only thing I knew about him. Naturally, the news of his death did not affect me. The burial was in the night.There was already quite a crowd gathered outside his home by the time we reached there. The women were inside the house – Grief-stricken voices along with prayers and … [Read more...] about At a Funeral by Alyasa Abbas
Debut by Stephen Baily
Debut by Stephen Baily Through the open window above the tub, an outcry reaches us from the world. I sink my battleship, but it pops right back up to the surface. More shouts follow.“What’s wrong, I wonder?”Scooping me from the water into a towel, my mother carries me into the living room, where, in the strong breeze from the standing fan, my father’s drawers are … [Read more...] about Debut by Stephen Baily
Peter Crown by The Wynn Brothers
Peter Crown by The Wynn Brothers “Seventy hours,” said the man across the table from Peter Crown. Peter had invited him in for tea on an impulse that didn't feel like his own. He didn't even remember hearing a knock at the door.Somewhere in the middle of the pouring, the man introduced himself as the Devil. He said it with a disturbing pride, and Peter opted not to … [Read more...] about Peter Crown by The Wynn Brothers
Confession by Lorna Wood
Confession by Lorna Wood The Agency hired me so if anything went wrong they could claim I was acting on my own hook. We’d only just opened up diplomatic relations with Dokpur, and things were still delicate.I observed her shuttling between the workers’ dormitory and the government buildings she cleaned. I figured I’d do it on her half-day off, in the city, make it look … [Read more...] about Confession by Lorna Wood