Category Archives: New

Anything not yet assigned a category lives here.

Frost Lily Part 1 by Andrew Johnston

“I will not serve her.” Flor stomped out of the room, waving away the enticing aroma of roasted boar and fresh bread. The distant creak of her father rising from his chair hastened her steps. “You’ve no choice, Flor,” he … Continue reading

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Snow Monster from Uranus Part 6 by Celine Rose Mariotti

President Konstantin Antonopoulos and the Canadian Prime Minister Vincent Manicotti sat looking horrified at the Snow Monster from Uranus, Jezi. The Secretary of State, Mario Capetti, texted the Director of the CIA. Joe, Alien is here at the White House! … Continue reading

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Go Home Episode 1 by Farriz Mashudi

The put-on smile he flashes is radiant. In his head, he hears the sound of heels standing at attention clicking smartly. ‘How was the flight? Good to have you back.’ The timbre of his voice is warm, full of heart, … Continue reading

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They’re Coming For Us by John Grey

Do we take poison? We could of course, like Buddhist priests on Earth, set ourselves aflame. But I don’t seem to have any matches. We have no weapons. Even the knives are plastic. And if I smothered you with a … Continue reading

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When Dealing with Demons by H. Robert Barland

The rune-inscribed chalk snapped, the sound echoing back from walls hidden in chthonian darkness. A dozen glass-panelled lanterns dotted the floor but seemed reluctant to let their light stray too far from the source. Kneeling on a leather cushion, the … Continue reading

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Power Man and Iron Fist: Heroes for Hire by Eric S Brown

The seventies was a time of diversity and exploration for Marvel Comics in terms of the genres they published. Luke Cage, aka Power Man, premiered during this time. He was a street hero despite having powers that put on the … Continue reading

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Renfield by Eric S Brown

Renfield is a horror comedy with some serious teeth. It tells the story of Dracula’s familiar Renfield in the modern world. Renfield is attending a support group for those stuck in unhealthy relationships and trying to make amends for the … Continue reading

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Episode 28: Entering the Interstitium

I followed Gretchen and Dichall through the portal into another world. Bracey the Talonted, our owl companion, followed. The sky was bluer than I would ever have guessed blueness could get. The snow was the whitest white. But the strangest thing was the … Continue reading

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Eve Pixiedrowner and the Micean Council Episode 72: Dichall: Recruiting the Monster by Jim Davies

“Wait here,” I jumped from Waffles’s back into the snow. “Nuh-uh.” The dog closed his eye and shook his head. “I’m coming in with you.” “No, I’m the diplomat, let me do the talking.” “You can’t stop me. I suggest … Continue reading

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The Dark Down There by Kris Green

The cords of death entangled me; the anguish of the grave came upon me. I was overcome by trouble and sorrow. Psalm 116:3 NIV Slow-moving through the bedroom, I don’t notice the slick, dark inky vines coming up and stretching … Continue reading

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Casket of Love by Michael Lee Johnson

This moon, clinging to a cloudless sky, offers the light by which we love. In this park, grass knees high, tickling bare feet, offers the place we pass pleasant smiles. Sir Winston Churchill would have saluted the stately manner this … Continue reading

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Four Leaf Clover by Michael Lee Johnson

I found your life smiling inside a four-leaf clover. Here you hibernate in sin. You were dancing in the orange fields of the sun. You lock into your history, your past, withdrawal, taste honeycomb, then cow salt lick. All your life, … Continue reading

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Randomness by Ann Christine Tabaka

I am going to write a p    o       e          m that is     not         so much               a poem as a … Continue reading

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The Willow by the Lake by Cathrenna Calago

It was the fourth time I went outside at midnight. The moon cast its light on the tiny waves of the serene lake, creating a soft, shimmering glow on its surface. I never thought that an instance without the light … Continue reading

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The Mountain by Junseo Lee

A pile of papers Grows in the corner Like mold on leftover rice He averts his eyes Glances at it a few times Still there Like a brick in a wall But he’s busy with reports          … Continue reading

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The Real Bird by Katie Kim

There, the bird in the cage– Motionless, mute, and barely living.  Its wings aimlessly flapping from time to time,  But of course, a very rare sight.  Then I thought: What if that cage wasn’t there? Would the bird, at least, … Continue reading

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Ode to Small Towns by Esther Yeh-Rynn Chae

This is where red and orange vibrant lights cover the trees and a dark long cloud covers the sun. This is where a cylinder-like shaped wind destroyed the crowded and noisy city. This is where people lie on the streets … Continue reading

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Episode 69: Dichall: Mice Found Out

Silence.  Eve, Gretchen and I held our breath, listening.  Then a creak again, and her breathing resumed. After a few seconds Eve patted Waffles on the head again, and Waffles crept along the wall.  We could see her now, turning, … Continue reading

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The Curse of the Ebon Maw Chapter One by A. S. Raithe

Mira fluttered around her room. Today was the day. She was going to help watch the family’s shop with her big sister, Dina. The puny five-year-old zephyra— a good natured though naïve race of winged humanoids —was more determined than … Continue reading

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The Bone House Part One by Jeffrey Greene

It was to Brightside House, a bed and breakfast in Onancock, Virginia, that Paul Eigenstadt came one Friday afternoon in June for a four-night stay. The stresses of his work in the Justice Department on a complex anti-trust case had … Continue reading

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Door by David Gianatasio

Strange, I’d never noticed that door in my bedroom before. I could’ve sworn the space, across the room from the familiar door I used to enter and leave the room every day, was bare. But one day, the door was … Continue reading

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Tea for Two by Frederick Pangbourne

Martin Pernell directed his late afternoon stroll into Latrobe Park. He had walked about the streets of Locust Point aimlessly lost in his troubled thoughts and vaguely noticing his urban surroundings. It was a pleasant October afternoon and escaping the … Continue reading

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Aisling’s Bargain: Part 4 by Mason Kennedy

It was dark now, the sun long since set. Insects flitted the remaining torch lights, two of which were lit outside of the Town Hall.             “What the hell is this?” cried Ossian Flanigan, the community elder and as close … Continue reading

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Aisling’s Bargain: Part 3 by Mason Kennedy

          “What are you?” Aisling asked the unfurling coil of shadow, which was taking the shape of a person within her room.             Aisling’s room was utilitarian and rough, but comfortable. Her bed was made of … Continue reading

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Snow Monster from Uranus Part 1

            It was a cold, wintry evening in northern Maine in the year 2120. The snow was falling and eight inches had already fallen on top of the eighteen inches from the day before. Over a foot of snow was … Continue reading

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The Last Starfighter by Eric S Brown

          1984 was one heck of a year in terms of movies. It gave us Ghostbusters, The Terminator, The Karate Kid, Night of the Comet, Nightmare on Elm Street, and so many more classic, iconic films. … Continue reading

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Aisling’s Bargain: Part 2 by Mason Kennedy

          “Aisling, girl, go meet Quinn. He should be here any time,” a mountain of a man called from the front of a roaring oven. The shop smelled of warmth, wood, and bread. The man had … Continue reading

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Soul Snacks: Part Two by Sheila Kirk

 Larry is a Bad Man Kathy was quiet on the ride to school. Her mom was thrilled that she was going to school early for extra math help. She hated lying to her mom, but she could think of no … Continue reading

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Freighter 601 by Brent Winzek

*This is the opening chapter in Winzek’s published novel, Space Cadets and the Legend of the Goliathon.* March 19th, 2346, A.D. Interstellar Commercial Transit 601 rumbled through deep space like a diesel train engine along its trade route. The rumbling … Continue reading

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Episode 68: Gretchen: Ascending the Tower by Jim Davies

I didn’t let on to Dichall and Eve how tired I was. It was terribly cold, and even tucked into Waffles’s fur I shivered. And I was draining my spirit to keep my moth familiar Emerson alive. Still, we had … Continue reading

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The Dark Flowering by Edward Ahern

Malame, a year past sprouting groin hair, was tall for his age, and thin. Old enough to work the plow horse and tend crops for his family. And to bring a sack of wheat to market to barter for other … Continue reading

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Aisling’s Bargain: Part 1 by Mason Kennedy

          The early morning in Eskcot was synonymous with the rise of a pale and flickering sun, hidden behind dew-strewn hills and seaside foamy rocks. The light of the day was hazy, burning away the last … Continue reading

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Containment Part One by D.S.G. Burke

Communication with Earth failed on day four. Dr. Sperling-Pierce glued herself to the comms cube for six hours straight, flipping switches and muttering to herself.           I was just happy she wasn’t talking to me for … Continue reading

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Soul Snacks: Part One by Sheila Kirk

Every Class Has a Bully Kathy slammed her locker shut with such force, it startled the students beside her, and they inadvertently moved away. She was livid. The first detention in her life, and it was all Carl Fink’s fault. … Continue reading

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The Christmas Endoscopy by Nathan Holic

Richard had expected the results of his endoscopy to reveal issues ordinary to 40-year-old men whose high-stress financial jobs were their lives and whose meals were too often consumed rapidly and alone before their computers. He figured that his acid … Continue reading

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Siren Breath by Angela Acosta

Upon her birth on land,  a siren enchanted a newborn human being. Cheeks blue like the sea, she would never take a full breath of air for as long as she lives.    Among the waves,  her legs meld into … Continue reading

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Spaceport Ethnography by Angela Acosta

It was the gentle whirring of the terminal, the rush of flurried rockets coupling to docking bays that lulled me into a restful sleep. Warm-blooded space faring peoples keep the temperature comfortable, perfect for an hour in a nap pod … Continue reading

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Star Maps by Erin Jamieson

Our task is simple: map the stars for the Queen in our kingdom of clouds & ashes But stars burn when you’re too close- not so much the heat but the light, which burrows inside of us on an inky … Continue reading

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Episode 67: Eve: In the Snowblower by Jim Davies

Dichall came back within fifteen minutes and got back into the fur with us to warm up. “Good news. It’s the same truck going back. 6214.” I licked his cheek and poked my head up out of the fur. “Thank … Continue reading

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The Winter Hunger by Eric S Brown

*Beware of spoilers in the following review.* There are tons of fabulous foreign horror movies these days. The Winter Hunger trailer certainly makes it worthy to be counted among them. Unfortunately, the movie fails to live up to its potential. … Continue reading

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The Kell of Adrian Also by Jeffrey Greene

       My mother speaks to me in different ways—through the songs of birds, out of clouds, from my reflection in mirrors or in pools of water. Sometimes, I have Adeline dreams. That’s her name—Adeline, as it is mine. … Continue reading

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Ever-Endeavor by K. A. Kenny

Ever-Endeavor by K.A. Kenny “You have a wonderful garden.” Khima shook his head as he scanned the hills and snowcapped mountains beyond the rolling grassland. “What do you call it?” “Wyoming,” the white-haired man said, looking up from his desk … Continue reading

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The Adventures of Dani Botswana: Part 5 – A Helping Hand by Alex Valdiers

     Merilyn Ring Station was an oddity as ring stations went. At its core, it was designed to resemble an old city, made out of stone, irregular walls, streets too narrow for cars or convoys, windows bricked up, and … Continue reading

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The Email: Part 1 by Esosa Zuwa

     The email took me aback.      Looking at my emails was not the best part of my day. Otherwise, I’d have been a big loser. Nevertheless, it was peculiar.      It came amid cold emails from … Continue reading

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African Witches Don’t Fly on Brooms by David Adekeye

I was born on a December night in the year before a new century My mother told me I died six nights after   She said she had seen six demons lurking in the backyard That was six nights before … Continue reading

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Helios: Part 2 by Zachary Grant

     Mom won’t let go of me. Lee and Sean have to drag her back to the safe zone in order to lower the bridge. Her eyes are red, and her skin is pale. She’s scared, but she has … Continue reading

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The Mirror Syndrome: Part 2 by Jeffrey Greene

Day 492: I can hardly bring myself to write this: a few hours ago, while we tried to sleep, Major Tove Heimdal hanged himself in his quarters. We are all shattered. Our pilot and navigator is gone, and Captain Wren … Continue reading

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The Adventures of Dani Botswana: Part 4 – In The Godfather’s Den by Alex Valdiers

     Dani Botswana enjoyed a beer on the short train trip to Don Lino’s den. The beer was warm and had long run out of gas. Dani drank half a can before giving up on it. Her stomach was … Continue reading

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Helios: Part 1 by Zachary Grant

     I miss the sun. It was the most underappreciated star in the solar system. All anyone talked about was how it would kill us one day. Mom ranted about global warming all the time, but I’ve never understood … Continue reading

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The Mirror Syndrome: Part 1 by Jeffrey Greene

“The eternal silence of these infinite spaces fills me with dread.”                                                                                                                                    Pascal  Foreword by Dr. Rupesh Agarwal, M.D., chief physician of the NASA medical team.             Insomnia during space travel is not uncommon, and is usually a … Continue reading

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Babylon 5: The Shadow Within by Eric S Brown

In the 1990s, Babylon 5 was one of the best SF series on TV. Today, it lives on as a classic of the genre that SF fans can currently stream for free on Tubi. There is talk of a B5 … Continue reading

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Martian Summer by John C. Mannone

It’s a hot summer day, seventy degrees at the equator but the carbon dioxide atmosphere, a very thin thermal blanket, is not thick enough to prevent the plummet to one hundred degrees below at night. Frost forms on the rust-red … Continue reading

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A Mere Million Miles From Earth by John C. Mannone

The James Webb Space Telescope successfully manages orbital insertion into the Earth- Sun Langrange Point, L2, at 2:05 pm EST on January 24, 2022. Sensitive instruments will be able to obtain infrared images of giant planets. —NASA/Science: Other Worlds Just … Continue reading

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Sun and Shadow by Simon MacCulloch

I asked my shadow why he feared the sun And felt the need to skulk so low behind me Come out, I cried, the day has just begun I want no creeping hug-the-ground to bind me! “Well, walk the other … Continue reading

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Werewolf by Simon MacCulloch

The change is short, though painful – what is worse Is that which follows – hours of degradation My mind and body twisted by the curse And harnessed to a foul imagination Whose cruel deeds, too dreadful to rehearse Confirm … Continue reading

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Stranger in the Woods by Alyson Tait

Betty leaned back in the driver seat of her company limo, listening as distant coyotes and muffled city sounds mingled with her music. The local campground parking lot was convenient to most locations she drove to but still didn’t get … Continue reading

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The Answering Machine by Jean-Paul L. Garnier

our brains were connected with a wire quaint, reminiscent of a landline no one was impressed short distance telepathy easily out strode  satellites circled overhead ever connecting   still, our communication was direct instantaneous all this work, this miracle could … Continue reading

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MTGRemy by Eric S Brown

I will admit, I am very addicted to Magic the Gathering. I started playing way back around the time of the third edition and have been in and out of the game ever since. Recently, I stumbled onto a YouTube … Continue reading

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Justice League of America: Bronze Age Omnibus 3 by Eric S Brown

Like Marvel, DC Comics also releases massive, over-sized “omnibus” editions that collect huge amounts of comics. The third Justice League volume from the Bronze Age era of the team was eagerly awaited by many fans. It has a retail price … Continue reading

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The Gate by Kellee Kranendonk

     It was just a baby gate. The kind that prevents babies from climbing up the stairs, or keeps dogs out of the kitchen. That’s what we thought anyway. Maybe we were just too stoned, but I don’t think … Continue reading

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The Adventures of Dani Botswana: Part 3 – Finding Don Lino by Alex Valdiers

What if the best way to get in contact with a big mafia Don was to shoot down a couple of his goons? Dani Botswana certainly thought it was a sound idea. On the Reyel Ring Station on the Yangtze … Continue reading

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Le Saga Electrik by Logan Thrasher Collins*

In the great domain of Zeitgeist, Ekatarinas decided that the time to replicate herself had come. Ekatarinas was drifting within a virtual environment rising from ancient meshworks of maths coded into Zeitgeist’s neuromorphic hyperware. The scape resembled a vast ocean … Continue reading

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Marvel Two-In-One: Cry Monster by Eric S Brown

In recent years, the Epic Collection has become a very popular format for Marvel trade paperbacks. The beauty of the Epic Collection is that they contain a hulking four hundred to five hundred pages plus of reprinted material while not … Continue reading

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Guilt Trip: Part 6 by Sarah McKnight

“This is crazy. You know that, right?” Christian says as he slows to a stop at a red light. He glances at Hailey in the passenger seat, her hands clasped together, and her head bent as if in prayer. “June … Continue reading

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The Run by DJ Tyrer

Telco shivered as he stood on the hilltop and watched the sun go down, his shadow and those of his two companions merging with that of the standing stone behind them. It was a shiver not only borne upon the … Continue reading

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Guilt Trip: Part 5 by Sarah McKnight

Hailey asked the officers trailing behind her for the time so often, she knew she was being a nuisance. But the trail was long, her marker easy to miss, and all she really had to go on was the amount … Continue reading

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The Adventures of Dani Botswana: Part 2 – The Sale by Alex Valdiers

The problem with being famous was that people recognized you. Dani Botswana knew it all too well. She could not get through a shantytown without having men, women, gunslingers, merchants, and kids fawning over her. Right before she exited the … Continue reading

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Guilt Trip: Part 4 by Sarah McKnight

Hailey watches as shuffling feet on the other side of the bedroom door disrupts the thin beam of light beneath it. Slow steps pace and back and forth. She holds her breath as the feet pause, and a low bang … Continue reading

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Guilt Trip: Part 3 by Sarah McKnight

Hailey dares to take a peek outside her bedroom door and finds June standing at the bottom, her bad leg raised as if to step up. Her progress will be slowed for a while, Hailey knows. It always takes her … Continue reading

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Guilt Trip: Part 2 by Sarah McKnight

Hailey’s oatmeal has gone cold, untouched on the breakfast bar. She sits on a stool, head bent and staring down at the bowl of beige, glistening oats. Something shuffles just outside the front door. Occasionally, the creak of underused joints … Continue reading

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Guilt Trip: Part 1 by Sarah McKnight

She’s back. Standing at the bright bay window, trembling fingers holding the sheer curtain out of the way, Hailey locks eyes with her best friend. June stares back, unblinking. She stands just outside the little wrought iron gate guarding Hailey’s … Continue reading

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Astronaut In Space by Celine Rose Mariotti

The first step on Mars, An astronaut goes far, He samples the soil, He can feel his blood boil, The Red Planet, A new world to explore, The Red Planet, Plenty in store, An astronaut is superhuman, He has abilities … Continue reading

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That Gut Feeling by Sarah McKnight

Late afternoon sunlight soaked through the streaky windows of the corner sandwich shop, casting dappled shadows over the empty tables and uniform tiled floors. The popular chain restaurant stood empty between the lunch and dinner hours, but it would not … Continue reading

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The Adventures Of Dani Botswana: Part 1 – The Moon Treasure by Alex Valdiers

Halfway through the mountain in the mist, a feeble stream ran down a few boulders and died in a small puddle. “There! A waterfall,” said Dani Botswana. “Let’s use this spot as a rest stop and feed the skyhorses.” “A … Continue reading

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Andreapolis, Footless City

Part 5 of Unfeet by Alex Valdiers A year after their marriage, Namily and Boyal knew all the feet stickers in Andreapolis by sight. There were but a handful of them left, yet there were still two legged people living … Continue reading

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Episode 64: Eve: A Matter of Payment by Jim Davies

      My head peeked out from behind the books, next to Dichall’s and Gretchen’s, but we dared not move them, even to hide. I was petrified that the faerie standing in front of us would notice the motion. … Continue reading

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Episode 63: Eve: Revealing the Soulseeker Faerie

by Jim Davies I left the home of the raccoon Vernon Grandmaster, following Waffles, Gretchen and Dichall through the dark tunnel. I had known that using the veilring would allow us to speak to humans, but it never occurred to … Continue reading

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Episode 62: Gretchen: The Techie Raccoon

by Jim Davies A moment later a raccoon’s voice echoed through the tunnel. “Who’s there?” Dichall, Eve, and I emerged from the tunnel through an opening in the floor of a crowded basement, holding up our beads. The head of … Continue reading

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Double Eagle

by Alaric DeArment Finally, we went through a set of double doors to another wing, where he took me into what looked like some kind of lab for making pharmaceuticals, with more technicians dumping buckets of dissolved human remains into … Continue reading

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Mio Signore

by Alaric DeArment “It’s off the books,” Amadeo grumbled over a pile of papers without looking at me when I visited his office to ask where I could get more information about the housing project. “I will tell you when … Continue reading

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Pull of the Lever

by Alaric DeArment We arrived back in Ragusa Sunday evening, exhausted from the nonstop traveling and speeches – having often given two or three in a single day. As I looked out the window of the San Giorgio, I saw … Continue reading

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A Proud Citizen

by Alaric DeArment From what I could tell, the accounts of the rally in the newspapers Amadeo tore up and burned were devastating, calling him a petty tyrant and demagogue and comparing him to historical leaders I could not recognize … Continue reading

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Long Live Amadeo

by Alaric DeArment When Amadeo and Raffaele returned home about an hour after the press conference, still wearing their black armbands, Amadeo ranted at Raffaele, who simply nodded and said “Sai, sai, sai.” “What happened, some kind of disaster?” I … Continue reading

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Part of the Family

by Alaric DeArment It was jarring the next morning to hear a loud knock at the bedroom door, as I had become accustomed to sleeping late. “Buna desmun,” Amadeo greeted me in his Signoria suit as I opened the door, … Continue reading

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Peaceful Transfer of Power

by Alaric DeArment While covering the crime beat, I had seen photographs of homicide victims in police stations and courtrooms, but never actually witnessed a murder taking place, let alone a massacre. As we exited Stagno and got onto the … Continue reading

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Are You Sure It Works by Zvi A. Sesling

Are You Sure It Works Zvi A. Sesling On the planet Kapora the TBXW Special is the most desired vehicle because of its versatility. In addition to traveling at more than one stribolts per egami it can take to the … Continue reading

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To Mars on MAVEN by Lauren McBride

To Mars on MAVEN Lauren McBride seeing red: rovers below, satellites above – Mars, yield your secrets Poet’s Notes: This poem was written in response to the “Going to Mars” campaign for MAVEN (Mars Atmosphere and Volatile Evolution spacecraft). It … Continue reading

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Curious Candy Hearts by Vince Gotera

Curious Candy Hearts Vince Gotera Valentine heart shield,  sword-and-sandal warrior wields pink battle-ax   spaceship skywriting BE MY VALENTINE across the star-strewn black void   Bride of Frankenstein gifts a box of chocolate hearts to Valentine Boo   Valentine’s Day … Continue reading

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Seeker of Knowledge

I stare at the message in disbelief, my guts churning and sour. Onye is already on the way? My fingers are trembling so much I can barely type the word. “How can this be? You don’t know where I am.” … Continue reading

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Squirrelled Away by Lee Hart

Squirrelled Away Lee Hart By the shores of Mississipi, By the shining big tree forests, At the portal of her cabin, In the pleasant summer sunshine, Mrs. Mullins stood admiring, Her delightful new bird feeder, Just installed that very day. … Continue reading

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X Factor: Genesis and Apocalypse by Eric S Brown

X Factor: Genesis and Apocalypse Eric S Brown For anyone who grew up reading comics in the 1980s, X Factor: Genesis and Apocalyse will be a nostalgistic trip down memory lane. It collects not only the original nine issues of … Continue reading

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History repeats

Four worlds in as many weeks. I do think I signed on to the right ship if I want to see the Empire. Or, every Second Street in it, anyway. Sunar looked around himself at the street full of bars … Continue reading

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White Screamer by Richard Stevenson

White Screamer Richard Stevenson Tennessee’s own Banshee screamer tormented a man who built a farm house for his family of nine in the holler back of White Bluff in twenty aught.   Got fed up with the late-night screaming, loaded … Continue reading

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Episode 49: Eve: The Brutish Dog

Gretchen blinked up at me from out of the floof. “Do you see something?” “No, everything looks the same. But that bird was talking nonsense.” Gretchen crawled up next to me, Emerson fluttering on her shoulder. She looked up at … Continue reading

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the sky is falling by Matthew Daley

the sky is falling Matthew Daley it was the birds first fallen some walking till they forgot direction trees lost how to feed and breathe then their whispered exhales the sun begged forgiveness before giving up after giving out flowers … Continue reading

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Episode 45: Eve: Pananima

I climbed onto the dog’s head. “Waffles, when we get a ways in, you close your eye. I will steer you by touching your ears. I’ll tell you if you have to jump or if there is a stick in … Continue reading

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Chief Decisions

Spring: six months after leaving the Monastery, a few minutes after handing over a criminal.   The police car drove at high speed, sirens blaring. Sunar sat and looked out the window. I don’t know why they are running emergency … Continue reading

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Clive Barker’s The Plague by Eric S Brown

Clive Barker’s The PlagueEric S Brown In a fictional version of 1983, every child under nine years of age on Earth falls into a deep coma with no apparent cause.    For the following decade, every additional child born, emerges … Continue reading

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Don’t Shoot by Robert Zacks

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Realtor From Glendale by K. A. Williams

Realtor From Glendale K. A. Williams There once was a Realtor from Glendale who sold all his listings without fail, till the house on the coast that came with a ghost. Now his job is delivering mail. Originally published in … Continue reading

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Selkie Maiden by Jennifer Ruth Jackson

Selkie Maiden Jennifer Ruth Jackson She dances, flashes the men Copper disks hidden in the waves Of her hair By the seashore silver splashes Coins and fish kiss The water as she moves Her favored skin hidden from view

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Intergalactic Missionary by Jennifer Ruth Jackson

Intergalactic Missionary Jennifer Ruth Jackson Let us lie beneath the metal trees scoured by the gritty, sour wind— clasped tentacle and hand, book perched between us. Your fleshy opening will form the words. Your vision sensors leaking, will glisten. I … Continue reading

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Tengu Lament by Jennifer Ruth Jackson

Tengu Lament Jennifer Ruth Jackson We are not demons, us birds of ashen paint Each flap across your sky rendering it a tender bruise Our talons shod in flip-flops (synthetic delicacy) Words for “fake” were once foreign to our squawking … Continue reading

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Severing Scars by Jennifer Ruth Jackson

Severing Scars Jennifer Ruth Jackson We are interchangeable, have no names, as we struggle in the cocoon created by mother’s arms. She repeats the adage of oppression strengthening and plants the pinprick razors in our backs, already slick with sweat, … Continue reading

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Man in the Middle by C.J. Heckman

Man in the Middle C.J. Heckman Azumi was working late one night when Ben came knocking on her office door. His hair was a mess, more so than usual, and the redness in his eyes betrayed recent sobbing. Another nervous … Continue reading

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What’ll it Be? by Lauren McBride

What’ll it Be? Lauren McBride First bar built on Mars. My first Martian drink. Might try a “Marstini,” or “Blue Sunset Blink.” This poem first appeared in Star*Line 39.4, Fall 2016 with the following note: Dust in the Martian atmosphere … Continue reading

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Episode 30: The Crazy Man in the Woods

At our request, Nathan gave us a cracker and I told him goodbye, we’ll be in touch, don’t trust faeries, etc. Out in the cold, I turned to my fellow Councilmice. “I think we should get in touch with an … Continue reading

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