And the Editors’ Choice Is… “Painting the Sea” by Conor Kelly Congratulations to Conor. Featured Stories The following stories made the short list and have been put into our Featured Stories category. They are listed in no particular order. “Condensation” by Shannon McPherson “Coulrophilia” by Tess Devine “Bald Reginald” by Bruce Costello “Twister” by Sophie…
Writing Contest - Issue 19
Below you will find all stories that were submitted for this contest.
Heartshaped Stain
By Anouk van der Stelt
I don’t immediately notice that you’re dead. I notice the white dress you’re wearing and the heartshaped bloodstain on your chest. We were supposed to meet this morning, but it’s a coffee you’ll never get. My little cousin. My body is frozen and I can hardly breathe. You’re lying on the footpath. I see your braid; it’s messy. And you’re so damn pale. I…
Fury
By Simon Hole
She waltzed in, shifty eyes scanning the joint till she found me. A true actress, shifty transformed into wide-eyed innocence, like she hadn’t been searching for me these past six years. I gave her the once over and said, “You look good, Nina.” And she did. She’d followed me across three star systems and looked…
Tomorrow
By Lorena Valentina Cozzari
Yesterday he said he loved me. Today, I sit alone on a park bench outside the hospital. Haunting black clouds form overhead. I clutch the wooden armrest with a grip too tight, numb to the splinters piercing through my naked palm. Yesterday’s aching regret echoes even in the wind. The hushed whispers through the trees…
Gears
By Gears
There’s a mechanism inside me which silenced eighty-nine years of my life. Sure I said words, safe phrases, such as, “The cat’s fur feels soft,” and, “Please pass the potatoes,” but never anything upsetting or odious. I couldn’t bear offending anyone, especially you. But when you wanted him to be perfect too, I flipped the…
Coulrophilia
By Tess Devine
“Put it back on,” Leslie, my middle-aged neighbor, demanded while straddling me. “You sure?” I was still trying to catch my breath. “Are you into this kind of thing?” She rolled her eyes. “Just put it back on.” God, she was bossy. I liked it. I slipped the red ball of sponge back into place.…
Evasion
By Rio Tomlinson
Don’t stop, I tell myself. I keep running until I reach a cliff on the edge of the forest. I look up, watching the stars come into focus. I hear a snap behind me, and run again. I hear waterfalls coming up, I run faster. I will make it. The rushing waters spray me as…