“Bad Bone” by Mehreen Ahmed

The cafe hummed a note of non-rhythmic jingle. I sat with a glass of sparkling water reading Fitzgerald’s Tender is the Night; deep in reading,I took a sip occasionally. As it stands, the passages of infidelity bothered me more than the stylistic complexity of the book. It resonated of something that I did not wish …

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“The Pond” by Hadrian Hazzlit

See that old house yonder? That house that stood apart from the rest of the dwelling-houses? Yes, that house with broken windows and collapsing roofs and walls covered in vines. It was once a beautiful house, the most beautiful house of the village. But something sad and tragic happened in that house. But our story …

“Together Again” by Dennis Doty

“Mom, what's this?” asked Vickie. She held hand showing a small silver bar with two pins soldered to the back of it. “Where did you get that,” said Barbara. “Give it to me.” She snatched it from Vickie's hand and sat on the sofa clutching it tight to her breast. “I'm sorry, Mom. I didn't …

“Mademoiselle Berthier” by Steve Carr

My French isn't as good as I'd like it to be. I speak it haltingly and with little flair. It's obvious from the way I speak French, that I'm an American. Sitting on the bench next to Mademoiselle Berthier I lean toward her and whisper, “Tu as de beaux cochons.” She puts a lace handkerchief …

“Vicious Cycle” by Morgan Turnbaugh

I awoke in my bed and tried to remove the covers. My arms wouldn't move. I tried to kick the sheets off. My legs wouldn't move. I opened my eyes. It was still dark. I tried to scream out for help but I couldn't make a sound. All I could hear was the sound of …

“Can I be yellow too?” by Mary Kaye Valdez

“Kaycee, that blue shirt is too small for you now,” my mother said after she parked the van in front of Aunt Linda’s house, “It’s overworn, too. Start wearing the clothes I gave you.” “But I look strange in them.” I replied. “No, you don’t! You just haven’t worn them enough. I don’t want to …