By: Ruth Z Deming She couldn’t quite remember but thought this was her sixth day without food and water. Lydia was the picture of passivity, a leaf blown hither and thither down the street. A nurse mopped her cracked lips…

By Russ Bickerstaff It was a simple wooden box that had been painted black. That’s what he thought anyway. Wood. The thing was a one by one inch square box. Would’ve resembled a block of wood had it not been…

By: Jim Bates A crowd of humanity surged through the concourse like a tidal river rushing down a coastal inlet. At gate 23 in the waiting area for flight 175 people settled themselves into the seats, leaving as much space…

By: Sterling Warner “Turn over, Jack.” “What?” “You’re snoring again!” “I wasn’t!” “You were—and I really need to get some rest before tomorrow.” Dutifully, Jack rolled over on his left side, looked out the doorway, but couldn’t fall back asleep….

By Marco Etheridge For Malcolm John Rebennack, Jr And Dickran Gobalian ### I understand how you might know I was in town. What I’m curious about is how you knew which hotel I was staying at. You may be a…

By Mark Kodama I.             The owner of the decapitated head – his mouth frozen in a silent scream and eyes wide open in sheer terror – had seen its own death in the moment before it happened. If the…

By Dennis Robleski Sid’s Jeep Gladiator slowly crept into the parking lot and he scanned nervously left and right, looking for her Toyota Prius. Satisfied that it wasn’t there, he parked and exited his car, crouched low and moved along…

By Abhirup Dutta Praveen was known as the Boy Who Missed Beatings. He was a scrawny boy with naturally spiky hair and buck teeth, earning him several other names such as Scarecrow, Porcupine, Squirrel, Bhoot (ghost), Pisachi (ghoul), Cricket Bat…

By: Ashley Summerfield  There was always something magical about the last day of school before the summer holidays. I am sure you remember the sensation yourself. The bell would ring, and you and your friends would spill out of the…

By: Bob Kalkreuter She lay on the floor beside the sofa, the old dog, white fur grizzled with yellow, drowsing where the window-heated sunlight spilled warm and familiar. Her breath came in rattles, like she was practicing for death. Maybe…