By Rivka Shlesinger ‘Come out. You are going to meet him and you will like him.’ The bangs on the bathroom door increased. Jessica knew she’d have to open eventually, but for now she yelled, ‘No!’ The bangs stopped for a moment and she heard muffled voices. Her parents were out there discussing her future. … Continue reading Arranged
The Handmaiden
By Mehreen Ahmed Eliza stood in front of her bathroom mirror and squeezed the end of a nearly empty tube of toothpaste. Between her thumb and her index finger, her fingernails turned an inconsistent color of white pink, the plumpness of the tip of her skin diminishing. Breathing short and tight, her lips were thinning … Continue reading The Handmaiden
Tails, You Lose
By Leslie Knibbs He maintains stiletto like eye contact with each of those playing the game. Never looking down, his sharp eyes dart from one player to the next in staccato-like movements. Under a crude canvas canopy, the crowd gathers eagerly, all placing coins on the table. Standing…... Like some shifty sleight of hand artist … Continue reading Tails, You Lose
With Hands Tied
By Fernanda Poblete Gonzalez The door opened, and he entered quickly. He had a coffee cup and a few papers in his hand. He stood in front of me as he adjusted his crooked black tie. "Miss Martinez?" He addressed me. "Yes," I replied, with my hands wet from my anxiety. “I am Detective Patricio … Continue reading With Hands Tied
Kidnapping
By Fernanda Poblete Gonzalez Robert lifted me into his long arms, as he usually does, and put me in the place that he had been painstakingly preparing. I had a feeling that something bad was going to happen; every hair on my body stood on end, while my pupils slowly dilated. With their false smiles, … Continue reading Kidnapping
The Oracle
By Mikhail Gladkikh It was dark, dry, and scary in the long corridors leading to the Hall of Corina. The familiar smell of rotten eggs and some other unidentifiable substances filled the dusty air. Jutta visited this place within the Shrine of Hepe every day, yet each time she felt goosebumps on her skin and … Continue reading The Oracle
Zinc
By Jim Bates The head of Parks and Recreation, Fred Nicoletti, extended his hat. “Good luck, kid, he winked. “You’re going to need it.” Nothing like a little intimidation to add to my already jangling nerves. I was standing on the north beach of Lake Harriet, getting ready for my final test. I’d passed the … Continue reading Zinc
Reframing Walter
By Russell Richardson Tom felt true affection for his therapist Walter. Unlike confused parents, expectant girlfriends, and demanding employers, Walter accepted Tom unconditionally. For years, the silver-haired man had nodded sagely while Tom talked on the office’s leather couch. When Tom’s ramblings developed into a meaningful thought, Walter expressed satisfaction; when the babble went nowhere, … Continue reading Reframing Walter
The Pillow Top Bed and Pop’s Pillow Top Bed
By Eva Marie Ann Cagley The Pillow Top Bed During the first week while my late husband Bob lay in a hospital bed in the ICU at the University Hospital in Iowa City, we were camped out on coaches in a cubical that we had taken over for the family and ourselves. My brother had … Continue reading The Pillow Top Bed and Pop’s Pillow Top Bed
On Grandma’s Knee
By Steve Carr When I was just a small boy and sitting on my grandmother’s knee, she told me this story so often of when she was a young girl, that I sometimes forget it was an incident in her life, and not mine. Grandma was born on a farm in upstate New York in … Continue reading On Grandma’s Knee
