Tag: fiction
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Patches
By Terri Clifton Patches was born with his smile stitched on, if that is what you call being stuffed and stood upright. And even if his smile hadn’t been so carefully sewn, he couldn’t have helped having it upon seeing the sparkling eyes of the child, her curly head hanging over him as he was…
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Desert Oasis
By Kaitlynn McShea March, 1955 The small town was tucked away into the rolling desert landscape. Dirt storms were more common than rain showers, and water was a more valued possession than gold. That’s what the three hundred residents had been told for generations, at least. The gold rush had come to their doorstep and…
Kaitlynn McShea
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A Lion’s Love
By Kaitlynn McShea When Laura Henderson was eleven, her father came home with a lion. It was a California summer day, and blistering, stunning heat filtered through the front door. Laura remembered it being out of character for him: he never came in through the front door, he never came home before nine, and he…
Kaitlynn McShea
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A Stroll Through the Fruit and Veg Section
By Carys Crossen The week the pregnancy test displayed two blue lines Elise’s baby was the size of a sesame seed. Two weeks later, it was the size of a blueberry, according to the pregnancy website she had started checking compulsively. Another fortnight later and it had the same dimensions as a grape. Elise wondered…
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Kicks
By Fabiana Elisa Martínez He did not want her to move or to say anything although he knew she would, sooner rather than later. The light from a single lamp in the foreign room was made of copper and yellow tourmaline. The flashes of the far away highway could not disturb them so high in…
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Surfcasters
By Adele O’Grady Botticelli The SUV skidded on the sand, sprinkled like flour on a baker’s board along the tar road, as Jack braked to a stop in front of the grey shingled, rusty-red trimmed gate house. The July sun beat down on his truck as he leaned over to address the woman ranger, sitting…
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Take a Stand
By Kim Bundy Paul finished his ham biscuit and drained his Bloody Mary, even though he wasn’t much of a drinker. He was standing in Gloria’s dining room on the morning of her funeral, hoping the vodka might tame his nerves. He tried to ease out of the room past Jay, Gloria’s older son, who…
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Double Dare
By Jen Pendragon CW: cigarette use “I double dare you”. When she said it, she crossed her arms, because this wasn’t a question or even an idea. It was a command. She stood her ground, like this was her new spot and she wouldn’t be able to move until the challenge was complete. I rolled…
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The Lady in Black
By Paige Wyatt The lonely stretch of Highway 74 is as close to a lover as Dani has known. It’s always there for her when she’s lost her way– a strong presence for as far back as her memory goes. The dark asphalt and faded white lines are a welcome sight at the end of…
Paige Wyatt
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Spooky Season
By Tiffany Shull Peterson Darla loved Halloween. She waited for autumn equinox each year before allowing herself to drag out her seasonal décor. Spurred by excitement, she hauled boxes, bins, and bags from the cellar to the main floor of her 50’s style bungalow. They were meticulously organized and bore labels from ‘bats and spiders’…