By: Raymond Greiner The year is 1928, and the United States is suffering an economic depression. James Abernathy graduated from high school in Indianapolis, Indiana and awarded a scholarship at the Chicago Electrical Institute. James drove his Model T ford…
By: Jim Bates I’m a third generation Neon sign repairman. I live in southwestern Minnesota near the town of Wells in a singlewide trailer on land my great grandfather farmed. I live with my son Conner and I’m teaching him…
By: David Leonard “I’m telling you this bitch will blow us both,” Devon told his buddy Tommy just before huffing one of two lines of coke he’d just finished meticulously chopping into as fine a powder as his debit card…
By Harrison Abbott He didn’t seem like a degenerate when I married him. He used to be sweet and funny. We tried to have a baby; I couldn’t conceive, and I think he was silently angry about that. In our…
By: William Teets Man, listen. You can petition the Lord with prayer, but that’s not going to change anything. And deep inside Joey knows that, even if she doesn’t admit it. She is well-aware her prayers, sparking votive candles, isn’t…
By Hayden Sidun My dear Margaret, Too much time has passed since you departed this world. I’m writing to you to apologize. I only wish you understood the kind of stress I was under to make ends meet. I was…
By: Amrita Valan Himadri squeezed out a cup of lemon juice. Carefully crushing two tablespoons of fennel to a fine soft powder. When the chicken had finished cooking in its own juices, to a delectable golden-brown, he sprinkled the spice…
By: Nathan Leslie He’s that weird kid. He’s that kid who smells like moss. He’s that kid who dangles chicken necks off the dock for hours at a time. Nobody knows that kid. Why wouldn’t you want to mingle with…
By: Edith Gallagher Boyd After my friends left, I peeked into Sophie’s room while she lay sleeping. Megan had baked chocolate cupcakes for her and I noticed a streak of chocolate on Sophie’s cheek. My heart clenched with fierce…
By: Don Tassone Ben had fought in a “forever war” for 20 years when the US finally pulled out. He had passed up nearly two dozen chances to end his tour and go home. Not that he cared for…