Serene surveyed the bookstore, spotting Harry as he waddled toward the front row. Perfect. The rusty chairs spanning the room were mostly empty; turnout was even sparser than the reading she’d held at the tiny library on the island last week. That was okay. What mattered most was that Harry was there.
[Read more…] about Ebb TideThe Missionary’s Smile
By Amelia Bowes - Foster
Xavier stood on the rusted, moss-strewn farmer’s cart that had been retired decades before, shrieking delightedly at the cacophony of creaks and rattles that occurred whenever his feet slammed down on the center of it.
“Remember what Mama said, Xay,” called Ketsana. “That old cart wasn’t made for jumping, and I don’t want you to fall.”
[Read more…] about The Missionary’s SmileMy Brother
By Jessica Bryan
In the last photograph I have of my brother, he stands in a field of wildflowers. He seems small, like a toy soldier, as the flowers—daisies, larkspur, lilacs—surround him. I don’t even know where the picture was taken, but the waves of an ocean are visible, and I try to remember when he was near the ocean. I feel as if I’ve betrayed him by not knowing more about his life.
[Read more…] about My BrotherPitfalls
By Preeti Chandan
Each step was fraught with danger.
She stood on one leg, wobbling, and looked around the rug for a stable spot to place the suspended foot. Hard to find one. She bit her lip and gingerly lowered the foot. No, not safe at all. The mound underfoot wiggled like a tennis ball. She knew it wasn’t a tennis ball. Could it be the latest flare-up?
[Read more…] about PitfallsWill-O’-the-Wisp
By Ellen Davis Sullivan
Sandra didn’t know what brought on her new power, but it started a day or two after she died. Every morning since then, she’d been able to do things she never could do before: teleport small objects, read thoughts, appear suddenly miles away. She could even perform an incantation that kept neighborhood dogs from peeing on her begonias. Her life was becoming increasingly enjoyable, especially once she sucked out her sister Joan’s breath and stuffed herself into a living body.
[Read more…] about Will-O’-the-WispGod’s Honest Truth
Savannah’s hot breath held me like a mother as I stumbled home from Pinkie Master’s dim light and cheap beer. Probably drank too much again. Probably best not to think about it. Despite the streetlights, shadows pooled in Lafayette Square. I fought an urge to clamber up its live oaks as tree frogs sang down the full moon.
Lost in those thrumming chirps, I tripped on uneven brick, teetered, and tumbled into an ivy bed. Dammit. A crushed-green smell rose around me. I shook myself off and sat.
[Read more…] about God’s Honest TruthPassing By
My fingers are cool inside my gloves, clutching the cardboard sign. I don’t know if the others feel the same, but all I do when I ask for money is think about the people passing by. How I feel as I watch them walk into and out of the grocery store depends on the day. Sometimes, I judge them as they judge me, look for their flaws, their loves, their doubts in how they move and how they dress. Sometimes, I look at them in vain for answers as to why we are treated differently, like an orphaned child confused by why they aren’t loved. Other times, I draw comparisons in the cool inflection-less tone of someone taking notes.
[Read more…] about Passing By