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.
Reese Scott warns against heeding the disillusioned older generation, who’ve abandoned their dreams, turning to gin and cigarettes, physically deteriorating. At 55, they’re aware of their emptiness and inability to offer protection but vows honesty and a futile attempt to save you, ending with an apology.
By: John Ziegler Uncle Ernest was a thin man, bent crane-like. His Adam’s apple bobbed with his keening harangue. Also when he laughed. A bank clerk, he was invested, AT&T, U.S. Steel. He died alone in the shower, discovered by…
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…
By: James Aitchison The debate rages in scholarly circles: what language did the ancient inhabitants of Scotland speak? Did the Picts possess a lost language, was it an Indo-European dialect, or was it simply Celtic? Our first clues can be…
By: Walt Shulits Is it a covert confession, his guilt gushing, grabbing him by the ankles and shaking until truth tumbles onto the nightstand or is the photo his personal meme, the renunciation of a carefully cultivated carapace, an assertion of who he really…
By: Caleb Park Music is a noun. Here’s what Google says about music: “vocal or instrumental sounds (or both) combined in such a way as to produce beauty of form, harmony, and expression of emotion.” So obviously, it doesn’t really…
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.
By: Idoko Jennifer Uloma What if we become more realistic? What if we put pretence to stop? What if we dispose of our masks and become our true selves? What if we become carefree and unapologetically ourselves? What if we…