“Providence’s Flesh” by Melisa R. Fernández

I hold onto him. And I hold him tight. I gently put my head to his chest as if embracing a familiar melody, and in fact I can hear sound waves unraveling between us, yet no harmony at all. This sound is musical, but somehow quieter and sharper. Almost craftier. It is the sound of …

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“Kiss and Ride” by Jeffrey H. Toney

She drove me to the airport in her dad’s battered truck, stinking of his tobacco and wrong doing.  I was on my way to a new job in Illinois with more responsibilities and better pay. A better, happier future?  Maybe, but how could I leave her?  I didn’t know anyone there and had visited once for the interview.  Maybe that was the appeal, an offer to …

“Strikes” by Mitchell Krockmalnik Grabois

Acid burns the lining of my empty gut. My nickname is Easy, but it’s not so. An American woman says yes, says no, says maybe. I need a shot of whiskey. A Mayan woman frowns me full in the face. A Bedouin woman’s eyes shine with tears. I have disappointed them, and myself. It’s time …

“Dr. Purgis’ Project” by David Howard

Asor Polk wanted to throw his sample case out the window, but he took a deep breath, placed it on the floor and lay down on the bed in his second floor room at the Tar Heel Hotel in Rocky Mount, North Carolina. He was still wearing his suit pants and tie, slightly loosened around …