By: Fran Schumer             Some time ago, when I was a young mother, a woman in my neighborhood told me that every day at about 2 p.m., before her daughter came home from school, she would masturbate. If her husband,…

By Nicola Vallera It’s the craziest day of my life, and I’m heading into the department stores for Christmas shopping. I wasn’t planning on buying anything for anyone. I’m thirty-one, my folks are gone, and my relatives are memories. Thank…

By: Erik Priedkalns There is a Japanese woman carved into the side of a mountain, on the face of a granite wall. The wall is deep in a Niigata Forest, close to the Sea of Japan. She sits high in…

In the quaint Alpine village of Valles, Emily develops a lifelong fascination with a stationary steam train, symbolizing her quest for love. Despite various relationships and the fading allure of the train over decades, she eventually finds contentment with Pieter. Returning to Valles, the ever-present steam is gone, replaced by shared laughter and new beginnings.

Struggling with existential questions and the complexity of life, the narrator reflects on their journey from childhood outcast to failed entrepreneur alongside their partner. Revisiting past failures and confronting unending challenges, the duo wrestles with the concept of purpose and the angst of unrealized dreams, as they approach the cusp of turning 30. Despite the fear of futility, they yet cling to the hope of finding their path and continue to seek a meaningful existence.

David William Jurgenson pens a tale set in Frankenstein, Missouri, where young Vallow, accused of arson, contests her expulsion at Ritterson, a dubious school for the gifted. As she confronts Headmaster McGovern about the institution’s true nature, she’s unwillingly sacrificed to a dark deity after a chilling incantation, revealing the school’s nefarious purpose.

By: Henry Simpson The previous owners of the house Susie and I recently bought had neglected the front and back yards. Artists, hippies, lazy folks, or whatever they were, they were not neat and tidy. Slobs, actually, though Susie would…

Alan is shocked by an $815 landline bill, presuming Daria’s unauthorized international calls are to blame. She dismisses his concerns, claiming the calls were for organizing ‘talcum powder’ shipments, a gift plan for friends. Alan’s frustration spills over literally and verbally, while Daria defends her extravagant actions, hinting at a lucrative scheme. Despite his anger at her disregard for money and assistance, Alan’s deep-seated fascination with Daria’s unconventional nature prevails.

Theodore “Ted” Kortenkamp, now a junior partner at a prestigious law firm, lives in the shadow of his successful father and under the weight of family expectations. Experiencing difficulty in his marriage due to reluctance about starting a family, Ted has a realization after observing a wren’s domestic bliss in a bright yellow birdhouse his wife, Ellie, had hung in their patio. This moment of introspection leads Ted to confront his fears, culminating in a reconciliatory moment with Ellie, where he finally agrees it’s time to start their family. The story is written by Leon Kortenkamp, a San Francisco Bay Area writer and artist with an extensive background including military service and a Master of Fine Arts degree.

Carl Papa Palmer recounts his family’s humorous take on Ash Wednesday, with the priest’s ashen cross on his father’s bald head growing each year. His mother jokes about his ‘big canvas,’ and the siblings teasingly join in. The threat of skipping ice cream silences them, revealing a heartwarming family tradition imbued with laughter and sentiment.