The icy winding country road was flanked by snow-covered hills glistening like diamonds under the midday sun. Andi watched the mile markers fly by as her mommy drove on into nowhere. She missed her daddy but she knew that their time was going to be limited from now on, even at seven years old.Something happened … Continue reading Teddy

Ah yes, if it isn’t my favorite genre: rich people behaving questionably at their seaside estate over a long weekend.What’s in store for our scrappy and relatable outsider this time? She’s a little unkempt, save for her perfect hair (honestly, what is that style so I can tell my hairdresser? What products does she use? … Continue reading The Sea Shanty

“Ugh, this fucker again,” Eleanor thought as she walked into the Seashell for her Saturday night shift.For some reason, Chuckie was under the impression that she and Dante were the ‘dream team’ and as such, he had scheduled them to close together every Saturday for the past two months. It was probably because Dante was … Continue reading Saturday at the Seashell

“Take a seat and the doctor will be with you shortly.”Right, as if it’s going to be as easy as just taking a seat. Nothing in Lana’s world was ever going to be as simple as just taking a seat again.She looked around the sterile yet inviting waiting room with its pale pink walls and … Continue reading The Chair

Halloween was to be the first holiday that Aidan was to celebrate without his wife. It had been nearly three months since Harper had passed and the wounds were still fresh, though he had to save his breakdowns for after Abby went to bed each night. He was navigating the life of single parenthood with … Continue reading The Great Pumpkin

At seventeen years old, Elena knew she just wasn’t the college type. Truly academic subjects like math and science stressed her out. English and history were better, but they just didn’t hold her attention for any amount of of time longer than their fifty-five minute class periods. She didn’t know what she wanted to do … Continue reading But First, Pizza

Working as an editorial assistant in academic publishing was hardly what Maggie would call a dream job. She always envisioned herself working in the book world of her dreams, with book release parties, free advance copies, the chance to play a role in WHAT COMES OUT NEXT, but the reality was that there weren’t opportunities … Continue reading The Grape Slurpee Spiller

Six o’clock on a Wednesday. Six o’clock on a Thursday. Six o’clock on a Friday. Ten a.m. on a Saturday. Noon on a Sunday (in observance of the Lord). Six o’clock on a Monday. Six o’clock on a Tuesday. This is when you could find Dave Perkins on any given day down at the Patriot. … Continue reading The Patriot

Ryan Flaherty was a lost kid. His brothers had sports, which he didn’t like so much. His father had crosswords, which were often too difficult with his limited vocabulary.When he was in seventh grade, his English teacher, young and pretty Miss Maple, assigned a reading of Carson McCullers’ The Heart is a Lonely Hunter. The … Continue reading Honey Bee

Feel the vibrations in the steel. The dirt around the tracks comes alive and starts dancing around Heather’s head as she balances on the right side. The grass and weeds starts shaking as if they fear for her life and she just hops from foot to foot along the pulsations. As the train nears, the … Continue reading The Tracks