The old crone licked the end of a thread, squinted through her rheumy eyes, and slipped the thread through a deep green needle’s eye. Sharp cedar smoke hung in the air, the fire making the princess’ shadow flicker and dance… Continue Reading
“Jacob, Julien, Esther…” Of all the things in all of the world that Marinette could do, her most favorite thing of all was to sit in the center of the patch of flowers behind her school at recess and name… Continue Reading
The view from the seventh floor is impressive. Tiny ants crawl over each other heading home from work, picking up their kids at daycare, or meeting spouses for dinner, no doubt. So average and mundane they are — so ordinary.… Continue Reading
Rick Sanderson’s resignation was spectacular. Ten years to the day since becoming a City trader, in the middle of a senior staff meeting arranged to discuss recent losses by the London office, he was asked how his team was going… Continue Reading
Al Whitaker thought he handled last night’s catastrophes pretty well. He only punched his office wall. It hurt like bloody hell when he broke his hand, but he didn’t need his hand to do this job. He needed Boyd Salazar… Continue Reading
She heard the old bell bounce wildly against the doorknob as someone entered the store. She set down the tweezers she was using to search for caterpillars that might eat her petunias. “Hello?” a male voice called into the foliage.… Continue Reading
When the spaceship came, Tamsin thought it was some sort of marketing stunt. It landed on the beach just above the high tide mark with a whir and a puff of steam. People on the boardwalk stopped and stared. A… Continue Reading
Listen to “The Air Above My Head” by Rachael Dunlop, read by Folly Blaine: [display_podcast] Rachael Dunlop is an award-winning writer of both short stories and flash-fiction, and a serial starter of novels – she has an extensive collection of… Continue Reading
My wife and I had a cookie jar, a gallon-sized container with a glass lid that was left over from a Christmas gift we got before we married. It was Olivia’s idea to save it for jokes long after the… Continue Reading
George’s ring. A baby shoe. Three pennies. War and Peace. The last picture of the family together, dated 1992. Stella opens her eyes. It’s all there on the table. Bits of her life, remembered. She stops holding her breath. Puts… Continue Reading