The fae are my kin. As a changeling, I belong in their court. Just look at my eyes, ablaze with ancient magic! I once confronted the fae king about this during his annual feast. “You really think you’re one of us?” he asked, colorless lips curling into a sneer. “Then prove it.” “But how, sire?”…
The Vegan Serial Killer
By Greg Nooney
“Next.” The serial killer stepped forward. “I see you are a vegan, very good,” said Saint Peter, “but you must be punished for your eleven human murders. Eleven years in purgatory. Next.” Next in line, a priest humbly bowed his head. “One fish every Friday for eighty years, that’s 41,160 deaths,” said Saint Peter. “That…
In the Belly of the Beast
By Christine Rains
I sat in the belly of the beast, undigested and miserable. I couldn’t go out the way I entered, and I definitely wasn’t going to go out the way nature intended. The damp darkness and stench weren’t a problem. It was the desperate loneliness. Every possible companion who came along was quickly absorbed, and the…
Feeding Time
By Dom
We cut him into pieces and share him out between us. We spit out the bones, pick flesh from our teeth. This one wore a suit with lots of pockets, has photos of his kids in his wallet. I do up my jacket, clean myself with a cloth, wash my hands in a puddle. He…
Up the Waterspout
By L.S. Kunz
He kills spiders for me. Only seven years old. Not scared at all. All I have to do is call, and he comes running. Such a sweet boy. No matter what he’s doing. Eating a snack. Playing video games. If I so much as squeal, he’s there, tissue in hand. No matter how big the…
The Beer and the Balance
By Kay Northbridge
We sip warm beer in the crowded bar. The clocks tick north. “You have been chosen.” He polishes his horns. “Your story will tip the balance for the next millennium.” I tremble as he searches my mind. College. Nursing. Charity work. Pulling that dog from the river. And a blank I cannot quite retrieve. Revellers…
Last Snow
By Missy McBride
The second-grade teacher removed Bradley’s drawing from the wall: a picture of his dog, Buddy. Her tear left a smudge when she wiped it away. Bradley’s mother arrived after school to collect his things. She brought Bradley’s winter coat for the Fredericks boy, who needed a jacket. Bradley had told her so the morning it snowed. That last time, she’d made him toast.…