Flash of Halloween


By Jeff Couch “Erica, I love you.” “Thank you—I really appreciate those kind words.” He really loved Erica. He was sure that he had found his true soulmate at last. She really felt like the other half of his soul. He cared about her so much that he had changed […]

Empátheia





By Penny Jones They knew it was going to be a bad year for the crop, right from the spring. The envelopes had been split and spilled. Teeth marks marring the paper, which had been carefully stored away with the previous year’s seeds. The packages containing a mere fraction of […]

The Crop



By Jack Wallen It was to be the wedding of their dreams, one that was born of a playful kind of darkness. October 31. All Hallows Eve. Her favorite night of the year. His one day out of 365 to truly be himself. And this year, they would share it […]

Now and Forever





By Dora Abel Rain. Heavy, full drops of rain. The kind of rain that soaked through clothes and seeped into the very bones, making the victim vulnerable to colds. Roselyn, however, was used to it. She had been caught up in worse storms than this, and she had also been […]

Time Claims Us All



By Sean Cochrane Halloween isn’t just my favorite holiday, it’s the greatest holiday in the greatest month. I have the privilege of being an October baby. Being born five days before Halloween is awesome for a kid, especially one that loves all the creepy spooky stuff. I’d imagine it made […]

Best Birthday Ever


By Brent Abell Gwen kicked the beer can off the sidewalk and watched it bounce into the gutter. Dust swirled around her ankles in the cooling night while the echo from the can faded into silence. The tattered witch costume Gwen wore kept the chill from reaching her bones no […]

Light One For Me


By Leila Toba Autumn leaves scuttled upon the driveway, in a helpless battle between the gusty winds and the excited crowd of women that crunched their expensive heels on the concrete. It was the most exciting night of the week, or, at least the most exciting night of the week […]

Change



By C.A. Verstraete “Stop the car, Mommy!” “Mandy? What’s wrong, honey? Are you sick?” Alarmed, Cass Wilkes glanced in the rearview window at her daughter and quickly pulled the aging Buick to the curb. “No, I’m okay. Look, Mommy, look!” The six-year-old bounced in her seat and struggled to release […]

The Dollhouse


by S.H. Roddey Winston Julius Damascus, III and his lovely wife Isobel stood on their porch, glaring toward the street with disgust. Winston surveyed the gaudy, garish Halloween decorations adorning their neighbors’ houses, his lip curling to reveal perfect, bright-white teeth. It was tacky. Ugly. And wholly inappropriate in contrast […]

The Neighbors


By Jeff Davis I had a Halloween party epiphany this year. I told my wife that I’ll go as Captain America and she’ll go as Black Widow. With her beautiful red hair and porcelain skin, all she needs to look the part is the tight black suit. My wife muttered […]

8 Pounds of Pressure