Ficton
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Motel Moths
by Kevin Snyder A caterpillar fingers its way up my forearm. I’ve shut my eyes so I can only feel the fine hairs and half an inch of tiny stubs. Its head antennas the air. It doesn’t know that the whole world is the rectangle of my arm. Mom plods in. We’re in the Pink… Continue reading
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Postcards
by M.C. Schmidt She found them on eBay and got them for a steal. Once they arrived, she wrapped them and kept them in her underthings drawer until Russ’s birthday. “What’s this, Norma?” he asked when she presented him with the gift. She raised her eyebrows to say, Open it and see… To her delight,… Continue reading
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Licked Clean
by Mark Nuzzi Paul Whittaker had been collecting stamps for forty-seven years, each acquisition a small victory in his methodical pursuit of postal perfection. His Manhattan penthouse reflected a life of disciplined success. Mahogany bookshelves lined with legal texts, framed commendations from three mayors, and walls displaying pristine stamp collections in museum-quality frames. The apartment… Continue reading
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Tumbling, Like Sea Glass
by Christy Hartman My daughter pushes a salt-crusted curl off her face, crouching to examine the pebbles surrounding the tidepool. Show her where it is, Dad. Ruthie’s delighted squeal signals a discovery. “Mom, look!” My twelve-year-old expertly hops over the rocky shore, a piece of sea glass in her palm. “Oh cool, another brown one.”… Continue reading
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The Lost Boys
by Kelly Murashige I find out a boy’s gone missing from a flyer on a corkboard. Had he disappeared a year or two ago, I would have found out from the news. For a while, I immersed myself in the goings-on of the world, afraid if I let a war, a bill, a cultural event… Continue reading
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Origin
by Phyllis Carol Agins She is on the way to the Sahara. Of ancient rivers and expanding dunes. Of oasis and caravans and myth. In the early mountains she witnesses a water source. Small bubbles force liquid from below the surface to push slowly toward the sheep that need water, the laundry that should be… Continue reading
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Afterimage
by Reece Jordan And so it repeats itself to him. Early summer: the beginning of July. They are at Julia’s place, sitting on a crescent of stone in the garden. The sun is out and the sky is that blend of blues, both soft and intense. Next to Ezra is a steaming mug of coffee… Continue reading
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Spaghetti Face
by KC Courtland That year, I drove a ‘96 Chevy Venture, a beat-up old minivan, and hauled bodies. It wasn’t as dramatic as it sounded, except it was. I had three babies and one on the way. Even with the van shouldering part of the load, I was weighed down. I’d buckle one kid then… Continue reading
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The Bear Outside the Window
by Terry Tierney My wife points toward the window, her hand trembling. “There’s a bear outside.” She lies propped up on a mechanical bed in the Intensive Care Unit with tubes piercing her arms and thighs connected to monitors flashing green lines and digits. Her eyes and raspy voice convince me this is no cuddly… Continue reading
January House Literary Journal 