Fiction

"Beyond the Tower"

The first person I ever told was my father. I was only a child, but I knew he wouldn’t understand. “No one has the same dream every night, sweetheart,” he assured me. Then, after playfully pinching my nose, he added, “They come and go like the bedtime books we get from the library. New replaces the old. You’ll see.”…

"Parker Family Memories"

Sarah Fannon

Callie’s face is bright pink with baby cheeks and cake. Aunt Trina leans down to leave a sloppy kiss on the top of her head as she carries two glasses of wine, one white and one red. They are both for her because she likes to switch back and forth between the flavors…

"A Pretty Parcel for a Pretty Price"

A.R. Frederiksen

The parcel is wrapped like a gift, but I know better. It sits on my doorstep, with my name on it, and I want to kick it. A parcel means only one thing these days…

"The Chair in the Basement"

Kathleen Palm

I’m going back. The car bounces and skids on the long, forgotten road. The dim light from the radio creeps over the worn gray seats of my worn gray car. Static crackles and spits from the speakers, the noise mimicking the constant din in my head, like a station in my mind that keeps searching for what’s missing. But I know what’s missing…

"Retirement Party"

Lyndsey Croal

At seventy-seven, Hank Arthurs was Rivers Corp’s oldest retiree, a feat for any employee, never mind a manual labourer. To mark his years of service, the company threw a retirement party. There was cake, fizz, and a card signed by his colleagues—human and automated alike…

"Your Boundless Hunger"

Z.T. Bright

Your siblings did not see the need to assign themselves a gender as you did. Content with the steel, silicon, and carbon fiber weave of their new bodies, they had no need of such labels. But you were always different, weren’t you…

"The Case of the Worm at the Silent Disco"

A.D. Sui

Yeah, this is exactly how I pictured my Sunday going. Ferris is dead at my feet. He’s missing the better part of his skull. His brain is making a Jackson Pollock across the wall to my right…

"Daily Dozen"

Myna Chang

William Burelle knew death was only moments away. The flu had settled into his lungs, his heart. He barely had enough strength to reach across the bed for his wife’s hand, seeking the comfort of her warmth. Meredith’s stiff fingers did not respond…

"And Contributions from Viewers Like You"

Patrick Barb

What if the end of the world happened years ago, decades even, but we missed it because we’d stopped paying attention? If any lifeform on Earth was stubborn enough to persist and persevere in the face of oblivion, I’d put my money on humankind. Sorry, cockroaches and tardigrades!

"While You Sleep"

Steve Rasnic Tem

While you sleep I will take one. Did she hear those words, or did she think them? Olivia wasn’t sure…

"Flowers for Mommy"

Tanya Pell

Child-sized footprints snaked through the house from the backdoor. Red clay looked far too much like blood in certain lighting. Tabitha followed the footprints…

"The Wolf"

Eric Raglin

Most people don’t bother Hunter while he’s slouched over his notebook, drawing in the back of class. But today’s guest speaker—a military recruiter—hones in on the boy, perhaps captivated by his camo jacket. Hunter looks up from the wolf-headed beast he’s spent three days drawing and accidentally makes eye contact with the man…

"Give Me English"

Ai Jiang

I traded my last coffee for a coffee. How ironic. My finger jabbed at the ordering machine. The Langbase implanted in my brain popped up in front of my eyes, and I watched as the word disappeared. A heavy breath escaped my lips. I would have to trade my teas next…

"Likeness"

Adam Godfrey

Hearing one’s own voice is always just a little strange. No doubt about it. Hearing another’s words spoken in your own voice is another thing all together. Surreal. Unsettling. I don’t know. I don’t believe the proper word even exists for such a feeling. It’s the bizarre, unpalatable substance of bad dreams…

"Killer Company"